REGISTER: IHA Webinar on Financial Resilience and Growth Sept. 8
With hospital operating margins a critical concern, a Sept. 8 IHA webinar will provide a comprehensive analysis of key issues impacting healthcare and strategies to enhance financial outcomes. The complimentary webinar, “Navigating the Future of Healthcare: Strategies for Financial Resilience and Growth,” is designed for CEOs, CFOs, COOs, revenue cycle leaders and strategic planning leaders. 

Optum is sponsoring the program, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. CT, with two company experts presenting the webinar:

• Morgan Haines, Practice Leader for Margin Transformation, Optum Advisory; and
• Ken Leonczyk Jr., Senior Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships, Optum.

Together, they’ll identify immediate market stressors and how they affect the financial stability of healthcare organizations. Haines and Leonczyk will also explore the financial implications of long-term industry trends including an aging population, the evolution of healthcare delivery models, vertical integration, and artificial intelligence.

The webinar is free for IHA-member hospitals and health systems. By attending, you’ll gain a sharper understanding of key forces shaping healthcare and concrete approaches to support financial resilience. The program will be recorded and made available to all registrants. Register today. 

Staff contact: Bridget McCarte

Healthcare a Significant Target of Cyberthreat Actor Embargo Ransomware
Since emerging around April 2024, ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group Embargo has established itself as a significant threat in the cybercrime landscape, having been tied to an estimated $34.2 million in cryptocurrency transactions according to a recent TRM Labs report. Most victims are located in the U.S., and prime targets include the healthcare, business services and manufacturing sectors. The group is known to target hospitals, and some ransom demands have reached as much as $1.3 million. 

TRM said the group targets organizations in healthcare, “likely due to their high up-time requirements and sensitivity to operational disruption,” noting this, “reflects a broader trend of threat actors seeking to maximize leverage by disrupting critical services. In healthcare, this can directly impact patient care, with potentially life-threatening consequences.”

Get Covered Illinois to Transition to a State-Based Marketplace
Get Covered Illinois announced yesterday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Illinois’ transition to a state-based health insurance marketplace. Launched in 2013 as a branded portal to access Healthcare.gov, Get Covered Illinois will now operate as a full state-based marketplace. 

Beginning Nov. 1, Illinoisans who were previously enrolled through Healthcare.gov will transition to Get Covered Illinois for their 2026 coverage. Customers needing support can reach out to a vast network of Get Covered Illinois-certified brokers and navigators across the state who can provide free application and enrollment assistance. 

Last year, as a first step to becoming a state-based marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, launched a $6.5 million grant to create a statewide navigator network program. Navigators are embedded in communities across Illinois and are trained to help those who may have difficulty accessing health insurance apply and enroll in coverage. 

Get Covered Illinois will also launch a live Customer Assistance Center where representatives will be available to answer questions and help customers enroll in coverage. The Customer Assistance Center, along with a newly designed website, will go live on Oct. 1. Get Covered Illinois and our broker and navigator partners will be available to help customers find a plan that fits their needs and budget during the upcoming open enrollment period. 

Open enrollment runs Nov. 1, 2025 through Jan. 15, 2026. More information can be found at GetCoveredIllinois.gov.

Rush’s Opioid Use Disorder Symposium Sept. 19
Rush is hosting a SUD-COE OUD Symposium (Substance Use Disorder Center of Excellence for Opioid Use Disorder) on Sept. 19 featuring timely discussions on buprenorphine prescription; wrap-around services; co-occurring disorders; and culturally respectful care for people who use drugs. The event will also feature a person with lived experience panel. This educational training will be held from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CT at the Searle Conference Center at Rush University Medical Center. Full day attendance is required and Continuing Medical Education credits will be provided. Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and healthcare administrators are encouraged to attend. If you would like to attend, the deadline to register is Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. CT. Click here to access registration information, click here to view a flyer with additional information.