ACTION NEEDED: Submit Comments on New 340B Rebate Model RFI
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services recently issued a request for information (RFI) on the potential use of 340B rebates, the standards and procedures that should govern the approval of manufacturer rebate plans, and the impacts on all stakeholders.
It is critical that HRSA hear from as many 340B hospitals as possible with detailed information on the cost and administrative burden a rebate model program would impose. IHA and the American Hospital Association (AHA) are encouraging all hospitals that would be impacted by this proposed 340B rebate model to submit comments. To assist with this effort, AHA has developed a model comment letter that 340B hospitals can use to help with submission of their own comments to HRSA. The model letter includes information that 340B hospitals should consider when responding to the questions contained in the RFI. Click here to download the letter. Comments are due to HRSA no later than March 19, 2026, and may be submitted here.
Staff contact: Jennifer Koehler
Telementoring on Topics Impacting Illinois Healthcare Professionals
ECHO-Chicago’s telementoring programs—a collaborative, case-based learning community designed to empower primary care providers—offer practical solutions for challenging cases, up-to-date guidance, and peer support. The expert-led, interactive series is offered at no cost as part of a 12-week series, which includes an hour-long online session per topic area. The program will focus on real-world cases to help healthcare professionals navigate current recommendations and gain hands-on strategies to implement evidence-based practices. Click here to register and click here for more information about the ECHO-Chicago’s telementoring program, including session topics.
Certified CME credits, social work CEUs, and nursing contact hours will be granted for each session attended.
ECHO-Chicago is operated by the University of Chicago and addresses workforce development to build primary care capacity in communities across Illinois. The aim of ECHO-Chicago is to reduce health disparities and improve access to care by expanding the knowledge and skills of community-based providers.
AHA Releases Rural Advocacy Agenda
The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently released its 2026 Rural Advocacy Agenda, laying out the association’s key priorities for Congress, the administration, regulatory agencies and courts. The agenda is focused on flexible payment models; ensuring fair reimbursement and access to capital; commercial insurer accountability; bolstering the workforce; and protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
AAP Updates Policy on Pediatric Anesthesia
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced yesterday it has revised its 2015 policy statement on facility-based requirements for pediatric anesthesia. The new guidance reflects new quality and safety data from the Wake Up Safe registry, which includes adverse event data from 40 U.S. children’s hospitals.
The AAP news release said that serious perioperative events occur in about 0.11% of pediatric cases. The risk is highest among infants under 6 months (0.36%), with cardiac arrests, respiratory complications and medication errors topping the list. AAP said of the anesthesia-related events, “85% were deemed somewhat or almost certainly preventable.” To prevent these types of events, the updated policy emphasized “facilities must ensure there is appropriate equipment, trained staff and protocols for pediatric periprocedural care that includes policies regarding care for the highest-risk patients.”
Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data
The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
Briefly Noted
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday released draft guidance for sponsors seeking approval for targeted individualized therapies by generating substantial evidence of effectiveness and safety when randomized controlled trials are not feasible due to small patient populations. The FDA said the draft guidance focuses on therapies that target a specific genetic, cellular or molecular abnormality and are designed to correct or modify the underlying cause of disease.
Leading the News
What does Gov. JB Pritzker’s nuclear energy executive order do
WIFR
During his recent State of the State and budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new direction for nuclear energy in Illinois, aimed at staving off predicted energy shortages as the state moves toward carbon-free power generation.
3 big questions surrounding the Rural Health Transformation Program
Becker’s Hospital Review
As funds begin flowing to states through the five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, hospital leaders are confronting a central question: Will the initiative meaningfully stabilize struggling providers — or will it fall short of offsetting an estimated $137 billion in Medicaid cuts to rural communities over the next decade?
Daylight saving time comes early this year. Here’s when to ‘spring forward’ for 2026
NBC 5
With the first day of March – and the first day of meteorological spring – just days away, it’s nearly time to change the clocks for spring. And according to experts, the time change for 2026 comes earlier than usual.
