Why Attend IHA’s Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting on June 12
Covering top issues, this year’s IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting is a must-attend event for small and rural hospital leaders. The IHA signature event on June 12—“
Healing Communities: Transforming Rural Healthcare”—will offer strategies to address:
- Enhancing behavioral health services;
- Navigating federal regulatory and reimbursement changes; and
- Addressing Medicare Advantage underpayments and nonpayment.
You’ll also benefit from advocacy updates from IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi just days after the spring legislative session ends in Springfield, as well as low registration fees and our multiple-attendee discount.
Trump Administration Issues Executive Order on Drug Pricing
This week, the White House released an
Executive Order (EO) directing federal agencies to take broad action to reduce prescription drug costs. The EO, “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First,” calls for federally funded health centers to provide insulin and injectable epinephrine at or below the 340B price to eligible patients. It also instructs the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine Medicare payment policies that may be incentivizing a shift in drug administration from physician offices to hospital outpatient departments. Within 180 days, HHS must conduct an acquisition cost survey for covered outpatient drugs at hospital outpatient departments and propose adjustments consistent with budget neutrality.
Additional provisions include developing a new payment model for high-cost drugs; enhancing transparency in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program; and recommending legislative changes to align pricing protections across drug types. The EO also seeks to improve Medicaid drug rebate accuracy; promote competition in the pharmaceutical supply chain; streamline drug importation processes; and accelerate the approval of generics, biosimilars and over-the-counter conversions. Employers may also see increased transparency in pharmacy benefit manager compensation under forthcoming U.S. Dept. of Labor rules.
More information is expected as federal agencies begin implementing the EO and issuing related guidance.
IHA Webinar: Enhancing Outcomes Through Z Codes & SDoH Data
An IHA webinar next month with highlight the importance of utilizing Z codes to document and understand social drivers of health (SDoH). The one-hour webinar, “The Role of Z Codes and SDoH Data in Enhancing Health Outcomes,” will be on Wednesday, May 14 at noon CT. It will feature Dr. Shawn Rossi, DHA, FACHE, Vice President of Communication and Member Engagement at the Mississippi Hospital Association. During the webinar Dr. Rossi will:
- Define Z codes and identify how they can be used to support SDoH initiatives;
- Outline regulatory requirements surrounding SDoH from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services;
- Discuss the role of Z codes in documenting SDoH; and
- Explore the impact of SDoH data on improving healthcare delivery.
Register now for this IHA webinar open to all healthcare providers and leaders in your organization. Please share the registration information with your colleagues. Nurse continuing education credits will be offered to those attending the live event. Please direct questions to
QualityPatientSafety@team-iha.org.
CISA, NSA, FBI and International Partners Warn of Fast Flux Cyber Threat
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) in partnership with the National Security Agency (NSA), FBI and international partners have issued a
joint advisory warning of “Fast Flux,” a technique used by cybercriminals and nation-state actors to evade detection by rapidly changing Domain Name System (DNS) records. This tactic supports malicious operations like command-and-control communications and poses a serious national security risk.
The advisory urges service providers—especially Protective DNS providers—to improve detection and blocking capabilities. It also calls for a multi-layered defense using DNS analysis, network monitoring and threat intelligence. Organizations are encouraged to review the full advisory to strengthen their defenses against this growing threat.
ASPR TRACIE Utility Failures in Healthcare Toolkit
Utility failures are a major concern for healthcare facilities and may cause substantial harm to patients, staff and facilities. Threats include infrastructure damage due to natural disasters and other incidents; planned outages to relieve stress on services or prevent other hazards; and malicious acts such as physical and cyber sabotage. It is also important to note the cascading effects a failure of one utility may have on others; more than one utility may fail simultaneously or sequentially. This
toolkit from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) can help healthcare facility managers and emergency planners identify issues to consider when planning for and responding to various types of utility failures.
Illinois COVID-19 Data
