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
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 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 […]
CHA Releases Resource Web Page for Nationwide IV Fluid Shortage
What’s happening: As hospitals and other health care providers nationally grapple with the shortage of IV fluids following the temporary closure of Baxter International’s manufacturing plant in Marion, N.C., CHA has compiled federal, state, and local resources to assist hospitals.
What else to know: Hurricane Helene hit the southeast in early October, causing widespread damage, including the temporary closure of Baxter’s plant — which, pre-Hurricane, manufactured 60% of the nation’s supply of IV solutions, producing 1.5 million bags per day.
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.
HQI Virtual Forum Examines Hospital Workplace Violence Insights Gleaned from Statewide and Other Large-Scale Data
What’s happening: Individuals leading and supporting hospital efforts to eliminate workplace violence are invited to a virtual forum on the topic held by the Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) on Oct. 24 from noon to 1 p.m. (PT). Registration is open.
What else to know: Featured speaker Rachel Odes, PhD, RN, who also is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, will discuss what statewide data — from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the California Division of Workers’ Compensation — reveal about workplace violence toward hospital workers.
CMS Finalizes Medicare Observation Appeals Processes
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has established appeals processes for Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted as inpatient but whose status changed to outpatient observation during their hospital stay.
What else to know: The appeals processes only apply to patients enrolled in traditional Medicare, not patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
CHA Webinar to Discuss Financial Assistance Policies
What’s happening: Legislation recently signed by the governor — Assembly Bill 2297 and Senate Bill 1061 — requires that California hospitals update their financial assistance policies and submit them to the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) by Jan. 1, 2025, or face fines.
What else to know: CHA is hosting a members-only webinar titled “Financial Assistance Policies: Mandatory Changes by Year-End” to discuss this information on Oct. 29 from 9-10:30 a.m. (PT). Registration is open.
California Representatives Advocate for Access to IRF Care
What’s happening: Several California representatives joined fellow members of Congress in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to take steps that will ensure Medicare Advantage (MA) plan beneficiaries have access to medically necessary inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) care.
What else to know: In the letter, the authors observe that, by statute, MA must cover all services included under traditional Medicare, including inpatient rehabilitation — an essential service for many beneficiaries when recovering from a major medical event.
HQI Quality Quarterly Spotlights Patient Safety Strategies
What’s happening: The latest edition of Quality Quarterly explores the prevalence of behavioral health conditions among California hospital encounters, the dangers of menopause misdiagnosis, new patient safety measures outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the need for effective reporting of workplace violence incidents by hospital staff.
What else to know: More than half of California hospitals now use HQI’s Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP), which provides comparative analytics to help hospitals identify opportunities for improvement. Learn about HQIP’s new features and updates in this latest edition.
