DEADLINE: Public Comment Period on State Directed Payments Ends July 21
The public comment period for the proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on State Directed Payments closes next week, Tuesday, July 21. The proposed rule will have significant impacts on the Hospital Assessment Program, and IHA will submit comments next week. Members who wish to are also encouraged to offer public comment. The American Hospital Association has drafted a model comment letter that members can use, which can be found here. Additional information can be found in IHA’s June 1 memo. Click here to view the CMS fact sheet and click here to view the proposed rule. Click here to submit your comment on the proposed rule.

IHA Webinar: Effective Communications Response During a Cybersecurity Crisis
In today’s digital environment, cybersecurity incidents are not a matter of if, but when. Effective communication during a cyber event is crucial for managing an organization's reputation, maintaining stakeholder trust, and ensuring regulatory compliance. During IHA’s complimentary webinar on Thursday, Aug. 6, “Effective Communications Response During a Cybersecurity Crisis,” Jamie Singer and Rebecca Pitt of FTI Consulting will draw from their extensive experience guiding healthcare organizations through high-stakes data breaches and crises. 

Click here to register for the webinar, which will identify key strategies for preparing communication plans before an incident, responding in real time, and rebuilding trust afterward. Attendees will learn:

• Practical, proactive approaches for engaging internal and external audiences.
• Best practices for navigating the complexities of public and media scrutiny during a cybersecurity incident.
• Actionable tools to help healthcare leaders and communicators strengthen their crisis response and reputation resilience.

The webinar is ideal for hospital staff responsible for cybersecurity, communications, and emergency preparedness within hospitals, including but not limited to public information officers, information technology leaders, emergency preparedness staff, clinical and department educators, quality improvement/risk management staff, hospital operations staff, and hospital administration.

Staff contact: Keneatha Johnson

CDC Health Advisory: Domestically Acquired Cyclosporiasis Cases
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent a Health Advisory yesterday to notify clinicians, public health practitioners, and laboratorians of cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis in multiple U.S. states. Since May 1, 2026, the CDC has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis and is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis. This is substantially higher than the 249 cases reported nationally by this same time last year. Of the 1,645 case-patients with available information, 141 (9%) were hospitalized, and none has died. Because cyclosporiasis is often underdiagnosed and underreported, the true number of illnesses is likely higher than what has been reported to CDC. 

The CDC Health Advisory provides background information about cyclosporiasis, current U.S. surveillance data, and recommendations for clinicians, laboratorians, and public health departments to support recognition, diagnosis, and reporting. You can find additional information related to cyclosporiasis in the Illinois Dept. of Public Health Advisory. 

HRSA Announces 340B Program Sales Reached $100 Billion in CY 2025
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that in in calendar year (CY) 2025 340B-covered entities purchased $100 billion in outpatient drugs under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. This is approximately a 22% increase from CY 2024, which saw outpatient drug sales of $81.4 billion. HRSA attributed much of the growth to increased shifts from inpatient to outpatient care, a rise in innovative therapies and increases in drug pricing. Of the $100 billion in CY 2025 sales, 340B hospitals accounted for nearly 87%, or about $87 billion. Therapeutic areas that were primary drivers of growth included oncology, immunology, and obesity, and the top 10 drugs in terms of 340B purchases represented approximately 28.6% of the total spending in the 340B Program.