IHA Advocacy Day: Hospital Leaders Discuss Key Healthcare Priorities
Nearly 90 leaders of hospital and health systems from across the state participated in more than 100 scheduled meetings with Illinois lawmakers today in Springfield, as part of IHA’s 2025 Hospital Advocacy Day. The hospital community urged legislators to support healthcare by prioritizing policies to preserve the state’s investment in hospitals, mitigate workforce-related staffing issues, and protect the 340B program.
“Hospitals are facing unprecedented pressures, and we must work together on solutions that ensure timely access to care, strengthen Illinois’ healthcare workforce, and ensure patients are getting the life-saving medications and services they need,” said A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO. “Thank you to Governor Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly for providing an opportunity for the hospital community to outline the challenges we continue to face, and to share the solutions we believe will strengthen healthcare for all Illinoisans."
Hospital Advocacy Day is an opportunity for hospital and health system leaders from communities throughout the state to engage directly with legislators and share first-hand the challenges they’re facing and how legislation will impact their organizations, staff, and the patients they serve.
FINAL DAY: Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Due TODAY for April Cohort
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations.
Providers in the April cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by TODAY, April 30. If you are in this revalidation cycle and do not submit your revalidation information by April 30 you will be disenrolled from the IMPACT system and cannot receive retroactive enrollment.
If you are disenrolled from IMPACT, providers can no longer bill for services provided to Illinois Medicaid enrollees, including those enrolled in managed care organizations. Completing this information is necessary to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursement. The
IMPACT Provider Revalidation website includes step-by-step instructions, a frequently asked questions document and a townhall webinar recording.
AHA and Health-ISAC Joint Threat Bulletin: Daixin Ransomware Group
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) have released Indicators of Compromise linked to a recent cyberattack by Daixin, a ransomware group known for targeting the healthcare sector since 2022. The organizations shared the alert out of an abundance of caution in order to highlight Daixin’s ongoing threat to hospitals and health systems. In addition to ransomware attacks, the group is known for stealing and extorting data—often following encryption attacks. Daixin primarily targets hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations. The group gains access through vulnerabilities in remote access tools (e.g., VPNs, RDP) using stolen credentials. Their attacks disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data, posing serious risks to patient safety and compliance. If you are an AHA member you can
click here to view the alert, which includes additional information about Daixin’s tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as recommendations to mitigate the threat from Daixin ransomware.
Webinar: Overcoming IPC Challenges in Rural Health Care
Join an expert panel on Wednesday, May 7 at 11 a.m. CT for a discussion on strategies to improve infection prevention in rural healthcare settings. Many rural facilities face infection prevention and control (IPC) challenges due to limited staff and access to specialists. Hear from experts who work with Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers to address disparities between urban and rural IPC outcomes.
Click here to register.
Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Resources From AHRQ
April is Alcohol Awareness Month—a time when many health organizations focus on the impact of, and evidence-based treatments for, alcohol use disorder. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers research and tools to support clinicians and patients in understanding, identifying and treating unhealthy alcohol use. Explore the resources below to learn more:
- EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use Initiative
Offers practical toolkits, workflow models, implementation guides, and patient education materials to help hospital-based and primary care clinicians integrate alcohol screening, brief intervention, and treatment into standard care protocols.
- AHRQ Integration Academy – Unhealthy Alcohol Use Tools and Resources
Includes a comprehensive library of over 590 resources to support clinical teams in identifying and managing unhealthy alcohol use. Materials span screening tools, referral workflows, medication-assisted treatment, provider training, and patient education—filterable by clinical role, care setting, and format.
- Interventions for Substance Use Disorders in Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Synthesizes current evidence on effective behavioral, pharmacologic and combined interventions for adolescents (ages 12–20) with substance use disorders. Emphasizes strategies that improve abstinence, reduce use, support functional recovery and mitigate long-term harms.
- Medicines To Treat Alcohol Use Disorder
Summarizes research medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adults with alcohol use disorder, including effectiveness, side effects, and clinical considerations—designed to inform prescribing decisions and patient counseling.
