IHA Leadership Summit Panel: New Thinking to Rise Above Uncertainty
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act—with nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years—has created significant uncertainty among healthcare providers amid ongoing financial pressures and accelerating technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI).
How can healthcare leaders find their footing during the upheaval? The 2025 IHA Leadership Summit, “Unity Amid Uncertainty,” will dive deep into the strategies and mindset needed to lead through change and capitalize on the strength of a united Illinois hospital community.
In the Summit’s opening session, “Rising Above the Uncertainties: New Thinking for Illinois Healthcare,” IHA Board Chair Shawn Vincent, President and CEO of Loyola Medicine, will moderate a no-holds-barred conversation about the future of Illinois healthcare with hospital and health system leaders from across the state. Panelists will be:
- Michelle Conger, President, OSF HealthCare;
- Polly Davenport, DSc, MBA, RN, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Illinois;
- Dia Nichols, FACHE, President, Advocate Heaclick here lth Care; and
- Kim Uphoff, President and CEO, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System.
Together, they’ll address the impact of extreme change on care delivery, workforce planning, patient outcomes, investments in communities and long-term strategic decision-making. Attend the Summit to hear from these seasoned leaders and to benefit from sessions covering AI, workforce engagement, strategic planning, and financial viability.
Designed for leadership teams, the one-and-half-day IHA signature event will be Sept. 25-26 at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center. See our program webpage for the complete Summit agenda, speaker bios and more. Register today.
Staff contact: David Strickland
REMINDER: Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Town Hall July 17
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. To assist providers with navigating the IMPACT enrollment System and answer questions, HFS is hosting monthly, virtual town hall meetings. IHA recommends hospitals participate in these town hall meetings if you have an upcoming revalidation. The next town hall is July 17 from 3-3:45 p.m. CT. Click here to register or view the town hall meeting schedule.
IHA urges all providers to check their revalidation cycle due date and submit necessary information to complete their revalidation. To view the revalidation due dates of servicing providers affiliated with your hospitals, click here for step-by-step instructions. If you do not complete your revalidation, you will be disenrolled from IMPACT and providers can no longer bill for services provided to Illinois Medicaid enrollees, including those enrolled in managed care organizations.
Staff contact: Elizabeth Nelson
FDA Announces Publication of Complete Response Letters
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broke with its long-standing practice of keeping confidential the detailed rejection notices that are sent to pharmaceutical companies when their new drug application is not approved. The FDA announced today that it has published more than 200 decision letters, known as complete response letters (CRLs), that were sent to drugmakers between 2020 and 2024. The FDA issues CRLs for various reasons, most related to safety and efficacy concerns, manufacturing deficiencies, and bioequivalence issues. The agency noted that because it has previously refrained from publishing CRLs for pending applications, internal research has shown that product sponsors have misrepresented the FDA’s decision to stakeholders and the public to avoid mentioning safety and efficacy concerns.
MHA’s 2025 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit
Culture, ethnicity and race all play a role in the way that each person experiences the world. These factors, among others, have profound effects on mental health, especially for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Mental Health America’s (MHA) BIPOC Mental Health Resource Center features a free toolkit with information and resources to help individuals and organizations in communities of color turn awareness into action during July’s National BIPOC Mental Health Month. Click here to learn more about BIPOC Mental Health Month and download the toolkit. The toolkit is available in English and Spanish.
