Newsroom

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.  

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CNN Hero of the Year to Speak at 2024 Behavioral Health Care Symposium

What’s happening: CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, Kwane Stewart, DVM, is a featured speaker at CHA’s upcoming 2024 Behavioral Health Care Symposium, being held in Long Beach Dec. 4-5.  
 
What else to know: Dr. Stewart, a practicing veterinarian in California, will share his personal story about founding Project Street Vet, which offers free veterinary care, treatment, and support to the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and/or financial hardship.  

CHA Letter Shares Support, Feedback on Annual Data Submission Requirements for MA Plans

What’s happening: In a Nov. 12 letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), CHA conveyed its strong support for proposed implementation of additional data collection and audit procedures for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans’ utilization management policies and tools — and shared additional comments.  

What else to know: CHA has consistently advocated for greater oversight of MA plans by CMS to ensure beneficiary access to medically necessary services. 

CHA Presses for Elimination of Medicaid DSH Payment Reductions

What’s happening: On Nov. 13, CHA issued an alert urging hospital leaders to ask their U.S. representative to sign on to a bipartisan letter requesting House leadership to stop the pending Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment cuts. Hospital leaders should contact their representatives to sign the bipartisan letter before the Dec. 6 deadline.  

What else to know: CHA — along with our partners representing California’s public, private, children’s, and community safety-net hospitals — sent a letter asking the California congressional delegation to both join the letter and, once again, eliminate the reduction in Medicaid DSH allotments.  

Prop 35 Passage Kickstarts Work to Develop, Implement Methodologies to Distribute Funding

What’s happening: On Nov. 5, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition (Prop) 35, making an existing tax on managed care organizations (MCO) permanent under state law — and directing most of the revenues toward expanding access to care for Medi-Cal patients through improved provider reimbursement. Now, work by the state, hospitals, and others to determine how these funds should be distributed begins. 

What else to know: While Prop 35 specifies how much funding shall go to several different service categories, it does not set the methodologies for distributing the funds. The ball is now in the Department of Health Care Services’ court to develop these payment methodologies — in consultation with hospitals and other providers, including through a dedicated stakeholder advisory committee.  

Reminder: Hospital Fee Program Invoices Due Nov. 27

What’s happening: On Nov. 27, payments for the 2024 Hospital Fee Program, fee-for-service payment cycle 6, are due to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).   

What else to know: DHCS mailed invoices to hospitals on Oct. 28.     

CMS Initiates Collection of SNF Ownership Information

What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun notifying skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) of new requirements to report detailed information about ownership and management.  

What else to know: SNFs must disclose this information on the updated Medicare Enrollment Application (CMS-855A) form attachment, for which CMS has provided additional guidance. Over the next few months, CMS will give all SNFs, including hospital-based SNFs, direction on submitting a revalidation application with the information. 

CMS Reduces Medicare Payments to Physicians in Final Rule

What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its calendar year (CY) 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) final rule, in which the final CY 2025 PFS conversion factor is $32.35 — a decrease of 2.8% from CY 2024.  

What else to know: CMS published a fact sheet on the CY 2025 Medicare PFS that shares the rate setting and conversion factor, and much more. 

Press Contact

Jan Emerson-Shea
Vice President, External Affairs
(916) 552-7516

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