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
Hospitals Reminded of Employee Safety Obligations During Wildfires
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Wildfires pose many challenges for hospitals — evacuating patients, employee concerns for the safety of their family members, and exposure to wildfire smoke. As reported previously in CHA News, Cal/OSHA recently adopted emergency regulations governing employer obligations to employees exposed to wildfire smoke when the air quality index reaches 151.
DHCS Releases California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal Proposal
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has released its California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative proposal, the state’s multi-year initiative to redesign the Medi-Cal delivery system.
CHA Member Forum to Explain Updated Model Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA will host a free member forum Dec. 3 to discuss its Model Medical Staff Bylaws & Rules, the first update of this publication in five years (scheduled for release in mid-November).
CHA Clarifies Hospitals’ Legal Requirement for Notifying First Responders About Disease Exposure
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA has recently received several requests for information about laws that require hospitals to notify first responders who may have been exposed to a communicable disease while caring for a patient. State law requires a hospital’s infection control officer to notify the employer of a prehospital care professional (emergency medical technician, paramedic, fire fighter, peace officer, and others) if a patient has a specified communicable disease that may have been transmitted to the first responder.
CHA Board Holds October Meeting
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
At its Oct. 24 meeting, the CHA Board of Trustees discussed current federal regulatory proposals, 2019 state legislative successes and anticipated challenges for 2020, and advised the CHA team on 2020 policy priorities. The board also continued an important conversation about health care affordability and the need for all-inclusive solutions that address and lower the cost of care, rather than simply reducing reimbursement.
Covered California Launches Open Enrollment With New Subsidies, Individual Mandate
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Oct. 15, Covered California launched open enrollment for the 2020 coverage year, with restoration of the individual mandate and the new state subsidy program for middle-income Californians who previously did not qualify for financial help because their income exceeded federal limits.
Agenda Set for Summit on Caring for Patients Who Are Homeless
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The agenda for CHA’s Caring for Our Patients Who Are Homeless Summit — Dec. 11 in Riverside — will include unique approaches for discharging patients experiencing homelessness, ideas for helping to stop a generational cycle of homelessness, and other insightful discussions attendees can adapt for their own hospitals.
CHA Posts 2019 Report on Legislation
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA has published its 2019 Report on Legislation, summarizing important state health care legislation enacted during the first year of the 2019-20 legislative session. Developed to help hospitals understand the implications of the year’s significant bills, the report also serves as a reference tool for the broad range of legislative activity that occurred this session.
Associations Work Closely With Utilities to Minimize Impact of Planned Outages on Hospitals, Patients
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Communities across California experienced another round of intentional blackouts this week in the latest power company strategy for mitigating fire risk during extremely dry and windy conditions. CHA and the Regional Associations continue to partner with the state’s investor-owned electric utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) — as well as state and local government officials to ensure they grasp the obstacles hospitals must overcome to continue providing seamless care during power shutoffs.
CHA to Participate in Workgroups Addressing Medi-Cal Innovation
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has appointed CHA to two important workgroups for its multi-year California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, which seeks to improve health outcomes for Medi-Cal members through payment, program, and delivery system reforms.
