What’s happening: The Office of Health Care Affordability’s (OHCA) board met on Jan. 28 to discuss several issues, including enforcement of the spending targets and whether to consider resubmissions of hospital data for the purposes of defining “high-cost” hospitals and assessing compliance with the spending targets.
What’s happening: Following this month’s release of the 2025-26 spending plan for managed care organization (MCO) tax proceeds generated under Proposition 35 (2024), CHA has submitted recommendations to Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Director Michelle Baass.
What’s happening: On Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. (PT), the Department of Health Care Services will host an “all-comer” webinar to walk through its implementation plan for House Resolution (H.R.) 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will make sweeping changes to Medicaid.
What’s happening: On Jan. 26, CHA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the calendar year (CY) 2027 Medicare Advantage (MA) proposed rule.
What’s happening: Following last year’s announcement of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), CHA has been in close communication with the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), which is responsible for determining how the funds are spent and implementing proposals the federal government approves.
What’s happening: Last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released All Facilities Letter (AFL) 26-02, which reminds facilities that an online evaluation is available to help improve the post-survey process.
What’s happening: The Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) has released updated Assembly Bill (AB) 40 regulations for final rulemaking related to ambulance patient offload times (APOT), with comments due on March 4.
AB 1607 would remove the Jan. 1, 2027, sunset date on counties’ authority to levy an additional penalty on fines and forfeitures for criminal offenses. Eliminating the sunset would make permanent counties’ ability to fund the Maddy Emergency Medical Services Fund and the Richie’s Fund Supplemental Assessment, which support emergency medical services and pediatric trauma...
What’s happening: The California Supreme Court has upheld the Court of Appeal in Los Angeles' (Division 5) decision to keep an unfavorable ruling for hospitals unpublished, ensuring it cannot be cited as precedent in future cases involving insurers and reimbursement for emergency services. The case involved a request from the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP) to publish an opinion in favor of United Healthcare...
What’s happening: Last month, Cal HQ — a statewide, cross-industry collaborative working to improve hospital quality through aligned action — held a preview webinar. Hospitals that are still exploring whether Cal HQ is the right fit can learn more in one of two recruitment webinars on Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. (PT) or Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. (PT).