With no action taken at the March board meeting of the Office of Health Care Affordability, the eight-member body has just two meetings left before it is legally required to set the first health care spending growth target in California’s history.
What’s happening: The closure of labor and delivery units in California hospitals was the focus of a recent panel discussion sponsored by the nonprofit news organization CalMatters. Peggy Wheeler, CHA vice president, policy, appeared on the panel.
What else to know: The discussion “No Deliveries: When Maternity Wards Close, Where Do Patients Go?” focused on the pace and impact of maternity unit closures and efforts to protect access. Wheeler shared the reasons underlying these closures, including low birth rates, workforce challenges, and insufficient Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.
What’s happening: Medicare temporarily reduced the coinsurance amount for 41 different Part B prescription drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act.
What else to know: Through June 30, the coinsurance amount is decreased from 20% to between 3.8% and 19.9%, depending on the drug.
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) Part C and Part D payments for calendar year (CY) 2025.
What else to know: Comments on the MA data request for information are due by May 29. The policies are effective Jan. 1, 2025.
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Hospital Interpretive Guidelines for Informed Consent.
What else to know: The guidance clarifies the need to obtain informed consent from patients to perform important surgical tasks, and sensitive or invasive procedures, as well as examinations outside of the medically necessary procedure.
What’s happening: CHA submitted feedback on draft legislation related to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which allows rural and safety-net hospitals to buy outpatient drugs at discounted prices.
What else to know: The bipartisan SUSTAIN 340B Act considers significant changes to the 340B program.
What’s happening: The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) invites registered nurses and community stakeholders to complete its consumer satisfaction survey.
What else to know: Anyone who has interacted with or been contacted by the BRN is encouraged to complete the survey by May 27.
Discover how to leverage your Patient Safety Evaluation System (PSES) to transform health care into a learning structure. This innovative summit will teach you how to break barriers and solve what keeps us up at night. It will provide information to help you communicate better (internally and with patients) and strengthen patient care delivery. Presenters will address how to improve patient care design, and discuss innovative programs that reduce costs, accelerate efficiency, and enhance reliability.
What’s happening: The passage of Proposition 1 in March renamed a major part of California’s mental health laws and changed state and county spending priorities that have been in place for 20 years. What used to be the “Mental Health Services Act” is now renamed the “Behavioral Health Services Act.”
What else to know: CHA will provide members with additional details over the coming months, including advice on ensuring hospitals’ voices are heard in county-level decisions about funding.
Last week, the language for a legislative proposal — Senate Bill (SB) 1432 — that would bring much-needed relief to hospitals from current seismic building standards went into print. This was the next step toward ensuring that communities throughout California don’t lose access to care.