The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every 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
Getting to Know the Next Governor; CHA Board Meets with First Candidate
The 2024 presidential election is 11 days away, and while the nation is fixated on who will occupy the Oval Office come January, Californians are also buzzing about who might take over the governor’s seat when his term concludes.
Exploring the Future of AI in Health Care: Insights from the HQI and Hospital Council Conference
What’s happening: At this year’s Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) and Hospital Council Conference, thought leaders and cutting-edge practitioners convened for conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and how it may evolve in the future.
What else to know: About 350 people, including frontline patient safety professionals, chief nursing officers, and hospital leaders, attended the event at Lake Tahoe Oct. 20-21.
Senate Subcommittee Issues Scathing Report on Medicare Advantage Plans
What’s happening: The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report revealing that the three largest Medicare Advantage (MA) plans intentionally target costly stays in post-acute care facilities to increase profits.
What else to know: These MA plans denied prior authorization (PA) requests for post-acute care requests at far higher rates than they did for other types of care, resulting in diminished access to post-acute care for MA beneficiaries and an increase in the number of post-acute care services subject to PA. The PSI’s investigation also provided insight into automation and predictive technologies in the PA process.
Noridian Shares Resource for Outpatient Therapy Providers
What’s happening: Noridian, the Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) for California, has provided a one-page resource for outpatient therapy service providers, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech/language pathology services.
What else to know: The resource includes information on coding and claim processing, therapy accruals, certification for therapy plan of care, advance beneficiary notice of noncoverage and more.
CMS Issues Final Rule on Appeals of Observation Status
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule that establishes an appeals process for Medicare enrollees who are initially admitted as hospital inpatients but are subsequently reclassified as outpatient observation patients.
What else to know: The new regulations create processes for both retrospective appeals and prospective appeals. CMS expects the retrospective appeals to become operational in January 2025 and the prospective appeals to become operational in mid-February 2025.
Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Reporting Delayed Until 2026
What’s happening: The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, passed at the end of September, has delayed the clinical laboratory fee schedule private payer reporting requirements for hospital outreach laboratories.
What else to know: The next data reporting period is from Jan. 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
Certain Facility Types Must Report Respiratory Data to NHSN
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon require certain facility types to electronically report COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus information through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).
What else to know: The NHSN’s new Hospital Respiratory Data (HRD) module is currently available, and reporting is mandatory starting Nov. 1. Facilities are required to report either weekly or annually depending on their facility type.
CHA Updates Health Care Minimum Wage FAQs
What’s happening: The new health care worker minimum wage officially took effect Oct. 16, and CHA has updated its frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) fact sheet to reflect changes to both the implementation date and clarifying changes made to the law.
What else to know: When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 525 in 2023, it established graduated minimum wage increases for certain health care workers. Then, two bills in 2024 — SB 828 and SB 159 — delayed implementation of the new wage increase from June 1 to a newly established and final deadline of Oct. 16.
CHA Board Presents 2024 Public Service Award to Sen. Anna Caballero
What’s happening: Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas Valley) received the 2024 Public Service Award for leading the charge on seismic relief for California’s hospitals and for tremendous leadership and dedication to helping keep hospitals open. What else to know: When considering a recipient for this award, the CHA Board of Trustees looks to characteristics that exemplify […]
OHCA Board Picking Up Pace, Without Deeper Examination
The California Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) continues to press forward with analyses, investigations, and policies that do not take into full account the impact of their proposals on patient care. Given that, it’s vital that hospitals make certain that the effect on patients and communities is not lost from the conversation.
