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
Updates for the Week of Feb. 22
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.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:
March 9 Webinar: Q&A Session: CY 2020 eCQM Reporting Using the HQR System Post-Acute Care Transfers: Bill Correctly CMS Reopening MIPS EUC application for Individual MIPS Eligible Clinicians, Groups, Virtual Groups, and APM Entities through March 31, 2021 at 5 p.m. PT CMS Applying MIPS Automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy to All MIPS Eligible Clinicians for 2020 Performance Period
CDPH Announces Paperless Process for Issuing Facility Licenses
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 22, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced in All Facilities Letter 21-10 that its Centralized Applications Branch (CAB) will begin a paperless process for issuing health care facility licenses, starting March 1.
CEO Message: Hospitals Endure Massive Financial Hit from COVID-19
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
As Congress continues to deliberate President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, with House approval expected Friday, a new report from financial consulting firm Kaufman Hall paints a troubling picture of the financial toll the pandemic has taken on hospitals.
CHA Continues Advocacy on Statewide Vaccine Network; Blue Shield Announces Revisions to Contract
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA continues to work with the state’s Government Operations Agency and its third-party administrator (TPA), Blue Shield of California, on the new statewide vaccination network.
Currently, Blue Shield is determining which providers will be in its network, and is doing so in three stages:
CHA Participates in EMSA’s Community Paramedicine Advisory Committee Kick-Off Meeting
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA will be working with the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) as a member of the Community Paramedicine Advisory Committee.
The committee, which is required by Assembly Bill (AB) 1544 (chapter 138, statutes of 2020), will advise the authority on the development and oversight of community paramedicine programs and triage to alternate destination program specialties established in AB 1344, the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act of 2020.
Feb. 26 Is Deadline for Hospitals to Review Quality Data for April Public Reporting
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CHA reminds hospitals that preview data for April public reporting are currently available for review through Feb. 26. CHA encourages members to view their hospital-specific preview reports, available on the QualityNet website.
CHA Testifies on Specialty Pharmacy Policy Changes
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On Feb. 18, CHA testified at the Board of Pharmacy Enforcement and Compounding Committee about member concerns on recent specialty pharmacy payer changes. These policy changes disrupt the traditional buy-and-bill method, where hospitals buy and store specialty drugs for general use and bill payers for the dose used when administered to the patient.
CHA Alert Urges Senators to Oppose Bill That Would Create a Workers’ Compensation Presumption
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 17, CHA issued an Alert urging hospitals to write and call their state senator and asking them to oppose Senate Bill (SB) 213 (Cortese, D-San Jose). This bill would create a rebuttable presumption in the workers’ compensation system that an infectious disease, musculoskeletal injury, or respiratory disease arose out of work for any hospital direct patient care worker.
New Tool Available for Submission of CMS 1135 Waiver Requests
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new online tool to streamline the submission of 1135 waiver requests and inquiries for providers.
The new web-based platform should be used for all 1135 waiver requests and/or public health emergency-related inquiries submitted on or after Jan. 11. CHA supported the agency’s recent proposal to establish an automated process for submitting 1135 waiver requests.
Analysis Shows Pandemic’s Effects on Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
An issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), released earlier this month, reports that about four in 10 U.S. adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic, up from one in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.
