Member Innovation Showcase at IHA Summit: Hear from Your Peers
Hospitals and health systems across Illinois are taking on tough challenges with innovative approaches. At the 2025 IHA Leadership Summit, you’ll hear from leaders with three hospitals and one health system in the new Member Innovation Showcase, part of the Summit’s robust agenda on the issues that matter most to members.

Showcase sessions and presenters during the Sept. 25-26 IHA signature event in Oak Brook are:

• “Lead the Market You Have: Redefining What’s Possible for Rural Health Systems” with Brian Burnside, FACHE, President and CEO, Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics, Carlinville;
• “Partnering with Purpose: A Strategic Approach to Community Health Improvement” with Kate Lawler, System Vice President, Community Impact and Engagement, Endeavor Health, Evanston;
• “Belonging at Work: How Loretto Hospital Builds Trust, Recognition and Community” with Sherrie A. Spencer, AGNP-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, and Stacie R. Santangelo, RN, MS, CHFN, CNS-BC, APN, Manager, Professional Development, of Loretto Hospital, Chicago; and
• “Fixing the Bottleneck: Tactics for Safe and Effective Care of Psychiatric Patients” Colleen Calhoun, MSN, RN, CNL, Clinical Manager, Inpatient Behavioral Health; Blaine Stringer, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Executive Director of Emergency Services; and Kerry White, MSN, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, of MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn.

These sessions will offer practical tools, insights and a framework for adapting their successful efforts in your hospital or health system. Learn what else is in store at this year’s Summit, “Unity Amid Uncertainty,” on our program webpage. IHA’s hotel discount at the Summit venue, the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, is available through Aug. 22. Register today.

Staff contact: David Strickland

CAH Webinar Series Part 3: Navigating Core Services and Infection Control
As Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) navigate increasingly complex regulatory demands, IHA continues to provide targeted education to help teams stay compliant and survey-ready.

The third installment of IHA’s five-part Conditions of Participation (CoP) webinar series will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. CT this Friday, Aug. 8, focusing on core services and infection prevention protocols. Policy expert Nancy M. Ruzicka will lead the session, covering CoP requirements for core hospital services including nursing, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology and rehabilitation.

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:

• Clarify expectations of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship;
• Understand practical tools such as the CMS infection control worksheet; and
• Gain insights on aligning daily operations with federal requirements.

This webinar is ideal for hospital administrators, compliance officers, infection preventionists, department directors, and clinical leaders across nursing, pharmacy, radiology, and rehabilitation.

Additional sessions in this series will take place on Aug. 15 and Aug. 22. Registration for IHA members is $195 per webinar and nurse continuing education credit is available.

Ensure your hospital meets critical CoP standards. Register today.

Staff contact: Bridget McCarte

CMS Finalizes Medicare IRF, IPF, and Hospice Payments for 2026
On Aug. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized three Medicare payments rules for fiscal year (FY) 2026: Hospice, Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS), and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF PPS). CMS finalized a Hospice payment rate update of 2.6%, increasing payments by $750 million compared to FY 2025. CMS finalized a 2.5% rate update for the IPF PPS, resulting in an estimated $70 million in additional payments compared to FY 2025. Finally, CMS finalized a 2.6% increase to IRF PPS payments, resulting in an additional $340 million in aggregate payments compared to FY 2025.

IHA will make facility-specific IPF and IRF estimated financial impact reports available via the C-Suite in the coming weeks. CMS fact sheets describing the Hospice, IPF, and IRF final rules are available on its website.

Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough

Statewide Training on FOID Mental Health Reporting
Healthcare facilities, including hospitals, physicians, clinical psychologists and qualified examiners, are required to report to the Illinois Dept. of Human Services (DHS) individuals who are receiving mental health inpatient treatment in a hospital who are determined to be a clear and present danger or who are developmentally disabled or intellectually disabled. 

To assist with educating the healthcare community on these reporting requirements, the DHS Services Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and the Illinois State Police are hosting a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Mental Health Reporting training session. Click here to register for the Aug. 26 training, which will include information on understanding the Firearms Restraining Order Act (430 ILCS 67/1) and information on Firearm Restraining Orders. Additionally the training will provide an overview of the DHS FOID Mental Health Reporting System; reporting criteria related to clear and present danger, intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, and inpatient admission; and navigating the Mental Health Reporting System website. Time will be allocated for Q&A. 

The training is intended for:

• Mental health professionals including but not limited to physicians, clinical psychologists and qualified examiners;
• Facilities with inpatient mental health treatment programs and supervised residential programs; and
• Facilities without inpatient mental health treatment programs.

Questions can be directed to DHS.FOID@ILLINOIS.GOV. 

Alzheimer’s Association Clinical Practices Guidelines for Blood Testing 
The Alzheimer’s Association recently announced it is recommending that specialists use certain blood tests to help diagnose patients with cognitive impairment in lieu of more complex and invasive tests. The Alzheimer’s Association said that tests that have over 90% sensitivity (ability to identify positive results) and 90% specificity (ability to identify negative results) can be used instead of current diagnostic methods, like PET scans and cerebrospinal fluid tests. This is the first in a series of clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of Alzheimer’s and all other types of dementia. Click here to view the guidelines.