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
CEO Message: COVID-19 Support Tops 2021 Advocacy Agenda
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Tomorrow is the last day for California lawmakers to introduce bills during the 2021 legislative session and — despite the persistent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic — legislation has been piling up. Already, CHA is tracking some 300 bills and is actively engaged on many of them.
A new administration in Washington, D.C., means new and different approaches to federal health policy as well.
Cal/OSHA to Hold Hospital PPE Stockpile Advisory Meeting Tomorrow, Feb. 19
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 19, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will convene a remote pre-rulemaking advisory meeting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PT) to seek stakeholder input on defining the term “normal consumption” as part of implementing Assembly Bill 2537. The new law requires hospitals to have a 90-day stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) by April 1, based on normal consumption.
Updates for the Week of Feb. 15
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates this week:
CMS Takes Further Steps to Ensure Medicare Beneficiaries Have Wide Access to COVID-19 Antibody Treatment
Hospices: Create an Effective Plan of Care
Section N: Medications – Drug Regimen Review Web-Based On Demand Training for PAC Providers
Feb. 24: System Updates: Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program Webinar
Hospice Aide Services: Enhancing RN Supervision
CHA Continues Advocacy on Amount of PPE Required by Hospital Stockpile Bill
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
As previously reported, Assembly Bill 2537 requires hospitals to maintain a stockpile equivalent to three months of normal consumption for specified personal protective equipment (PPE) as of April 1.
Based on the plain language of the statute and legislative history, CHA has advocated that the stockpile amount should be based on 2019 data. Unfortunately, at this point, Cal/OSHA has not agreed to that plain language reading and instead believes emergency rulemaking is necessary to define normal consumption.
CHA DataSuite Releases FFY 2022 Wage Index and Occupational Mix Revised Data
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA DataSuite has released the Medicare hospital federal fiscal year (FFY) 2022 wage index and occupational mix data analysis, which is designed in the Information Builders platform. The data analyzed are “revised” and are the second of three wage and occupational mix data public use files (PUFs) that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued to develop the hospital wage index for FFY 2022.
CEO Message: Federal Action Needed to Help Hospitals
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Negotiations on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package are continuing at a rapid pace, and the budget reconciliation process used to advance the proposal means the House could take a final vote by the end of February.
Despite the size of Biden’s plan, there’s one glaring hole: No hospital-specific aid to support patient care, workforce sustainability, and health care infrastructure.
CDC Updates Quarantine Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccinated Individuals
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its quarantine guidance for vaccinated individuals. The new guidance suggests that persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:
CHA Alert Urges Congress to Include Pressing Hospital Priorities in COVID-19 Legislation
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Monday, CHA issued an Alert urging Congress to include pressing hospital priorities in the current COVID-19 legislation.
HQI to Host Webinar on Supporting NICU Families
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
As part of its Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Learning Community, the Hospital Quality Institute will host a complimentary webinar from noon to 1 p.m. (PT) on Feb. 18 to discuss how hospitals can support patients and families who have a child in the NICU.
Updates for the Week of Feb. 8
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates this week:
eCQM Annual Update Pre-Publication Document
Request for Stakeholder Feedback on Draft eCQM Measure CQM-4412 and CQM-4413 Packages; Comments accepted Feb. 8-19
PFS Payment for Office & Outpatient E/M Visits: Effective Jan. 1, for Physician Fee Schedule payment of office and outpatient E/M visits, Medicare adopted the new AMA coding, language, and interpretive guidance framework. See the fact sheet for more information.
