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
HCAI Reminds Hospitals to Register with New Online Portal
What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) notified CHA that a significant number of hospitals missed the Jan. 1 deadline to register for HCAI’s new online charity care portal.
What else to know: Hospitals must register primary and secondary representatives for HCAI to contact if it receives a patient complaint about the hospital’s charity care, discount payment, or debt collection practices.
CHA Translates Required Patient Language Assistance Taglines
What’s happening: Regulations recently adopted by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) under the Hospital Fair Pricing Policies Law require hospitals to provide “taglines” on patient documents in several different languages.
What else to know: The taglines inform patients that language assistance services are available and how to access them. CHA has included a tagline sheet with translations in 18 languages.
Major Revamp Ahead for California’s Mental Health System Following Passage of Proposition 1
What’s happening: The ballot measure will restructure the state’s mental health system, directing billions of dollars to build mental health treatment facilities and housing for homeless individuals. What else to know: CHA strongly supported the measure which voters approved by a razor slim margin, 50.2% to 49.8%. The final vote count came on March 20. […]
Hospital Leaders Discuss Insurers’ Harmful Practices with Health Secretary
What’s happening: On March 20, CHA convened a small group of hospital leaders for an in-depth discussion in southern California — led by CHA President & CEO Carmela Coyle — with state Health Secretary Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH. In the meeting, they had the opportunity to share perspectives on how harmful insurance practices are impeding patient care and threatening hospitals’ ability to provide care. This is part of CHA’s focus on holding insurance companies operating in California accountable for protecting patients and the providers who care for them.
What else to know: Hospital leaders attending the meeting were: Laureen Driscoll, division chief executive, Providence South Division, Providence; Lori Morgan, MD, MBA, President & CEO, Huntington Health, Roger Sharma, President & CEO, Emanate; Julie Sprengel, California division president, CommonSpirit Health; and Doug Sturnick, senior vice president, Managed Care and Payer Relations, Cedars-Sinai. Joining by phone were the Health and Human Services assistant secretary and heads of the Department of Health Care Services and Department of Managed Health Care.
CHA to Host Change Cyberattack Hospital Impacts Webinar
What’s happening: CHA will host the Change Cyberattack Hospital Impacts Webinar on March 27 at 1 p.m. (PT).
What else to know: This complimentary, members-only webinar will discuss the steps CHA and the American Hospital Association (AHA) are taking to advocate for impacted hospitals and minimize the fallout. Registration is open.
Change Healthcare Cyberattack Raises Privacy Breach Implications
What’s happening: CHA has analyzed public information to help hospitals better understand privacy implications stemming from the Change Healthcare cyberattack in late February.
What else to know: The cyberattack raises the question of whether affected hospitals must report a breach to patients or to government officials under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or state breach reporting laws.
As OHCA Health Care Spending Target Nears, Questions Must Be Addressed
As early as next week, the Office of Health Care Affordability board could set a spending growth target for health care — one of California’s largest economic sectors and a pillar of the state’s vitality and strength.
Updates for the Week of March 18
Tyler Sadwith Appointed as DHCS State Medicaid Director
What’s happening: On March 13, Gov. Newsom announced the appointment of Tyler Sadwith as state Medicaid director at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), effective March 25.
What else to know: Sadwith has held leadership positions at DHCS since July 2021, most recently serving as deputy director for behavioral health since June 2022.
Providers Must Register for New Medi-Cal Portal by April 11
What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will be decommissioning the legacy portal for presumptive eligibility (PE) enrollment and replacing it with the new Medi-Cal Provider Portal.
What else to know: Providers who currently use the legacy Medi-Cal Transaction Services Portal must register for the new Medi-Cal Provider Portal by April 11. Failure to register will result in losing access to the PE applications.
