Wilhelmi joins Gov. Pritzker, Healthcare Leaders to Discuss Federal Impacts on Rural Hospitals
The impact of the federal Medicaid cuts on rural healthcare and communities was the topic of a
panel conversation moderated by A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO, who joined Gov. JB Pritzker, state officials and hospital and healthcare leaders for a roundtable discussion Aug. 22 at Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin. Marshall Browning Hospital CEO, Dan Eaves, kicked off the conversation, and Southern Illinois Healthcare President and CEO, John Antes provided insight into the challenges facing rural hospitals during the discussion.
“Medicaid is more than a budget line item—it’s a lifeline for many of the people we serve who have no other coverage options. And when people lose their healthcare coverage, they will continue to turn to their local hospitals, who will provide the care they need – without reimbursement for those services,” said Wilhelmi. “Illinois’ rural hospitals and health centers are the backbone of their communities — but they are fragile and they need support. IHA is committed to being at the table with key stakeholders to ensure our rural providers receive this support – and that the communities they serve don’t fall through the cracks.”
IMPORTANT: Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Due August 31
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. Providers in the August cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by this Sunday, Aug. 31. Completing this information is necessary to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursement. If you are in this revalidation cycle and do not submit your revalidation information by Aug. 31 you will be disenrolled from the IMPACT system and cannot receive retroactive enrollment. IHA urges all providers to check their revalidation cycle due date—including physicians and physician groups affiliated with your hospitals—and to check for any incomplete revalidations. NOTE: If a physician providing services at your hospital does not revalidate, your hospital will not receive payment for those services provided by that physician.
To check your revalidation due date, search the basic information page of your IMPACT enrollment. HFS has provided IHA with step-by-step instructions to check the status and due date of servicing providers that you can access
here. The
IMPACT Provider Revalidation website includes step-by-step instructions, a frequently asked questions document and a townhall webinar recording.
AHA Warns of Targeted Cyber Attacks on Retirement Accounts
Last week, the American Hospital Association issued a cybersecurity advisory, warning of targeted attacks of healthcare retirement accounts with limited cybersecurity protections. The victims of these cyberattacks frequently have a landline registered to their retirement accounts, have had their personal information posted on the dark web—including their social security number, date of birth and home address—and have not enabled multi-factor authentication.
The cyber attackers use stolen credentials or breached data to access their victims’ retirement portal, attaching an SMS hosting service to the victim’s home phone number that allows the attacker to receive text messages. After logging into the victims’ retirement plan sites, they reset the password using the stolen personal data and text message service and, once in the system, they remove the retirement assets without the victims’ knowledge.
It is recommended that retirement accounts be secured using phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication if offered by the provider. If the provider does not offer these security options, ensure that there is a complex password that is unique to the account. Other recommendations including establishing a security password directly with your cell phone carrier, and using a data scrubbing service to remove personally identifiable information from internet search engines and websites.
FDA Begins Real-Time Reporting of Adverse Event Data
On Aug. 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced it began daily publication of adverse event data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The FDA said this “represents a significant step forward in modernizing the agency’s safety monitoring infrastructure and demonstrates its commitment to radical transparency and real-time protection of public health.” FAERS is the FDA's primary database for collecting and analyzing adverse event reports, serious medication errors, and product quality complaints for prescription drugs and therapeutic biologics, containing reports submitted by healthcare professionals, consumers, and manufacturers.
