The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every Monday and Thursday and is at the core of CHA benefits. In addition, it is also home to resources such as toolkits and talking points designed to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of current health care-related issues. Links to CHA media statements and press releases can also be found here.
Newsroom
Performance Improvements Underway for CDPH Licensing and Certification Program
At a recent CHA Certification and Licensing Committee meeting, representatives from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) shared updates about their work to transform the program. The update responded to CHA’s concerns about CDPH’s continued steep increases in hospital licensing fees, which increased on July 1 up to 20% statewide and up to 35% in Los Angeles County, for a fifth consecutive year of fee increases.
Catalog of Immediate Jeopardy Incidents Updated With Most Recent Penalties
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has assessed a new round of administrative penalties on eight California hospitals, totaling $437,425, for immediate jeopardy incidents.
CDPH Outlines Alternative Pathway for Obtaining a Hospice License
In All Facilities Letter 19-23, issued last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) outlines an alternative pathway to hospice licensing recently made available through the enactment of Senate Bill 1495 (Chapter 424, Statutes of 2018). Under the bill, CDPH must issue a hospice license to any applicant that meets certain standards, including approval by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-certified national accreditation organization.
CHA Submits Comment Letter on Accrediting Organization Changes of Ownership
CHA has submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule on accrediting organization (AO) changes of ownership. The proposed rule outlines a process by which AOs need to obtain CMS approval for a change in ownership and the tight time frames that providers with deemed status must subsequently follow.
CHA Comments on Draft Co-Location Guidance
CHA has submitted comments on the draft guidance on co-location policies for hospitals that share space, staff, or services with another hospital or health care entity, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
CMS Delays Billing Edit Requiring Exact Matching for OPPS Providers With Multiple Service Locations Until October
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has postponed the activation of billing edits requiring exact matching for the address on claims data for outpatient prospective payment system providers with multiple service locations. The edits will now be implemented in October 2019.
Federal ‘Conscience’ Rule Delayed
Yesterday, the federal Department of Health and Human Services announced it will delay by four months its expansion of protections for health workers. Referred to as the “conscience rule,” the regulation would protect health care workers who refuse to participate in services — such as abortion, sterilization, and assisted suicide — that run counter to their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
CMS Modifies Medicare Shared Savings Program Overlap Policy for BPCI Advanced Model
As referenced in a recently updated FAQ, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been considering how to address model overlap between Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) and the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) for Model Year 3, beginning Jan. 1, 2020. In an email last week to BPCI Advanced participants, CMS announced that, for Model Year 3 reconciliation calculations, BPCI Advanced will no longer exclude MSSP beneficiaries.
Agenda Set for 2019 Disaster Planning Conference
California may experience any number of disasters in the coming years — from fires to flooding, and more. The agenda for this year’s Disaster Planning for California Hospitals Conference, to be held Sept. 10-11 in Pasadena, reflects the diverse skill sets required of our responders. Covering topics such as lessons learned from active shooter events, integrating business continuity and emergency preparedness, creating resiliency across the continuum of care, and earthquake early warning systems, the event is not to be missed.
Next Round of Proposition 56 Graduate Medical Education Funding Available Soon
This week, Physicians for a Healthy California announced it will award approximately $40 million in the second cycle of its CalMedForce Program, which provides funding for graduate medical education (GME) programs in California. Applications will be released Sept. 23 and are due Oct. 28.
Member Stories
Member Stories highlight the impact that CHA member hospitals make in patients' lives and in the communities they serve.
