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AHA to Host All-Member Advocacy Event on March 16

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New legislation to help hospitals is starting to move through Congress and it may move quickly. Please join the American Hospital Association (AHA) for a special virtual advocacy event on March 16 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (PT) to hear the latest on the health care legislative package under consideration and priority issues. CHA will be issuing an Alert with additional details about the legislation and talking points before the AHA event.

CHA Raises Concerns, Asks for Clarifications on Provider Relief Fund Reporting Instructions

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CHA submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking it to provide additional and necessary clarifications related to the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting instructions. In the letter, CHA details specific concerns and recommendations to HHS, including:  

CEO Message: Relief for California Hospitals Can Come in Many Ways — But it Must Come

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Today, President Biden signed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that will bring much-needed relief to a wide swath of the country including: an extension of jobless supplement programs, direct $1,400 payments to most Americans, an expansion of the child tax credit, support for restaurants, rental assistance, support for schools, and billions of dollars to state and local governments. 

Updates for the Week of March 8

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates this week:​​​​

Medicare Part A Cost Report Appeals Listening Session — March 16
April 2021 Update of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)
CHART Model Community Transformation Track Letters of Interest Accepted Due April 13, Application Deadline Extended to May 11
CMS Revises Timelines, Application for Medicare Shared Savings Program Cycle for January 1, 2022 Start
Kidney Care Choices Model’s First Performance Year Start Date Now January 1, 2022
Save the Date: March 30 CMS Quality Programs Bi-Monthly Forum

Reminder: Urge Senators to Reject Increased Health Care Costs by Opposing Bill That Would Create a Workers’ Compensation Presumption

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Action needed:

Write state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee, and call your state senator to voice your opposition to his legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 213. 

CHA has developed a template letter and key messages for members’ use. Please send a copy of your letter to Dawn Vicari at dvicari@calhospital.org.

 

Find senators’ contact information on the state Legislature’s site.

Timing: 

Write Sen. Cortese by March 15 and call your senator by March 19.

Background:

Similar to many unsuccessful efforts over the past decade, SB 213 would create a rebuttable presumption in the workers’ compensation system that an infectious disease, musculoskeletal injury, or respiratory disease arose out of work for any hospital direct patient care worker. The bill would also extend indefinitely a presumption for COVID-19. Aside from recent COVID-19-specific and time-limited workers’ compensation presumptions that cover all industries, presumptions have been limited to the public sector.  

Because it is virtually impossible to overcome a workers’ compensation presumption, hospitals would be required to accept more claims with little to no evidence that they are work-related. Such claims can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars in temporary and permanent disability payments and medical costs for a single case.

Please personalize the primary messages below with your hospital’s unique experiences when you call and write the senators: 

Hospitals highly value their employees and prioritize their well-being. Without healthy employees, hospitals could not fulfill their mission of care.
According to the California Workers’ Compensation Institute, health care employers have one of the lowest denial rates of any industry — including public safety. In 2019, denial rates for health care ranged from 7.7% to 9.3%, while public safety/government ranged from 13.8% to 18.3%, and the average denial rate for all industries ranged from 10.4% to 12.6%.  
These increases in workers’ compensation costs will directly and immediately impact hospitals’ financial ability to protect access to high-quality care, especially considering that 39% of hospitals already operate in the red.

HHS Extends Comment Period for Proposed Changes to HIPAA Privacy Rule

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the comment period for the proposed rule that makes changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule. Comments are now due to HHS by 2 p.m. (PT) on May 6.  

Coronavirus Response Newsletter

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CDPH Adopts CDC Guidance on Quarantine of Vaccinated Persons; CDC Releases New Recommendations on Vaccinated Persons in Non-Health Care Settings

On March 5, at CHA’s request, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) revised All Facilities Letter (AFL) 21-08 to adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) guidance that — as a strategy to alleviate staffing shortages — hospitals can forgo quarantining vaccinated health care personnel following a high-risk exposure if they are fully vaccinated, were vaccinated in the last three months, and are asymptomatic.

State & Federal Waivers

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CDPH Updates Guidance for Limiting COVID-19 Transmissions in Long Term Care Facilities

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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued all facilities letter (AFL) 20-22.6  which updates previous guidance for limiting the transmission of COVID-19 in long term care facilities  including skilled facilities (SNFs). Specifically,  this AFL updates the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH’s) visitation guidance, including: expanded opportunities for indoor, in-room visitation and physical touch, as well as infection control measures for fully vaccinated residents and visitors.  

CMS Extends Limited Survey Activity to March 22

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On Jan. 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services posted a memo limiting federal survey activity by the California Department of Public Health and other state survey agencies to immediate jeopardy allegations, with some exceptions. The original expiration date of Feb. 20 has been extended to March 22.