CHA Sounds Alarm on Psych Hospital Staffing Regulations

What’s happening: In recent comments to California’s Health and Human Services Agency, CHA urges the state to mitigate the incredible impact of the impending staff ratio regulations for California’s psychiatric hospitals, the patients they serve, and already overcrowded emergency departments.

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Affordability, Drug Pricing in Focus at Key AHA Meeting

Discussions at this week’s American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 9 meeting will delve into several timely and weighty issues for hospitals in California and nationwide.

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State Consulting Contract Targets Medi-Cal Oversight, Program Integrity, and Hospital Payment Reform

What’s happening: The California Department of Finance has hired Boston Consulting Group — under a contract worth up to $20 million — to identify cost savings and operational improvements across several state programs, including oversight of Medi-Cal managed care plans, Medi-Cal fraud detection, and hospital payment policies. 

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CHA Sets Record Straight at Joint Legislative Hearing on Affordability

What’s happening: On Wednesday, the Assembly and Senate Health Committees convened a joint hearing intended to focus on the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on California’s health care system, rising costs, coverage losses, and potential state-level responses.  

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At Inaugural Patient and Consumer Forum, Attendees Urge OHCA to Protect Access 

What’s happening: This week, the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) held its inaugural patient and consumer forum, providing an opportunity for staff to directly engage with patients, consumers, and advocates. 

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Anthem to Impose 10% Penalty on Hospital Claims Involving Non-Participating Providers

What’s happening: Anthem Blue Cross of California announced in a provider bulletin that, on June 1, it will implement a controversial policy that applies a 10% payment penalty on facility claims when hospitals provide care to patients involving non-participating physicians or providers. 

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2026 Rural Health Care Symposium: Resources

Download Agenda at a Glance

The Kimpton Sawyer
500 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 545-7100

Medicare IRF Review Choice Demonstration – What You Need to Know – Participant Information

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Services to California, forcing all California IRFs to choose between either 100% pre-claim review or 100% post-payment review. That decision must be made by April 14.   

Join us as experts from the American Medical Rehabilitation Provider Association (AMRPA) discuss the finer points of the new IRF requirements and what’s really at stake. This is your opportunity to gain valuable insights into critical decision factors before the decision window closes. 

The webinar will also provide information on lessons learned from Alabama and Pennsylvania where the CMS model has already been implemented. 

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Executive Briefing: Hospital Fee Program – Participant Information

This month, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will submit its revised tax for the 2025 iteration of the Hospital Fee Program to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CHA continues to work with the state to finalize the payments associated with the Private Hospital Directed Payment Program (PHDP). These PHDP payments represent the majority of the hospital payments funded by the hospital fee.

This revised tax is similar in size to the 2024 tax. That program created a net benefit to hospitals of about $5.5 billion annually. These revisions were submitted after CMS made clear that the prior submission was not approvable due to Medicaid financing changes put in place by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Join our executive briefing to understand CMS’ approval timeline and the critical next steps that may directly impact your hospital’s operations and reimbursement.

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Rural Health in the Spotlight at Annual CHA Symposium

Am looking forward to joining CHA’s annual Rural Health Care Symposium — less than three weeks away — which provides a meaningful opportunity for California’s rural health leaders to connect, share, and learn from one another, key state lawmakers, and policy experts. 

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