Hospital Assessment Program Tax Due Date Extension
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services issued a provider notice announcing an extension of the Hospital Assessment Program (HAP) tax due date from this Thursday, July 24, to next Monday, July 28.

This extension allows time to ensure hospitals receive their directed payments before the tax is due for this month.

Questions may be directed to the Provider Assessment Unit at 217-524-7110 or via e-mail at HFS.ProviderAssessmentUnit@illinois.gov.

HHS Announces Audit and Reforms for Organ Transplant System
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced a plan to begin reforming the organ transplant system following an investigation by its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that the agency says revealed disturbing practices by a major organ procurement organization.

HRSA directed the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to reopen a case involving potentially preventable harm to a neurologically injured patient by the federally funded organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Kentucky, southwest Ohio and part of West Virginia. 

According to a news release, HRSA has demanded a thorough, independent review of the OPO’s conduct and treatment of vulnerable patients under its care. HRSA examined 351 cases where organ donation was authorized, but ultimately not completed. It found:

• 103 cases (29.3%) showed concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.
• At least 28 patients may not have been deceased when organ procurement was initiated, raising serious ethical and legal questions.
• Evidence pointed to poor neurologic assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases.

Vulnerabilities were highest in smaller and rural hospitals, indicating systemic gaps in oversight and accountability, according to the news release. The announcement coincides with a New York Times article that spoke with 55 medical workers in 19 states who expressed concern with OPO practices of donation after circulatory death. Donations after circulatory death have increased in the last five years, driven in part by federal pressure on OPOs to increase transplants.

In response to these findings, HRSA has mandated strict corrective actions for the OPO. Nationally, HRSA has directed the OPTN to update policies to strengthen organ procurement safety and provide accurate, complete information about the donation process to families and hospitals. The agency also will require that data about any safety-related stoppages of organ donation called for by families, hospitals or OPO staff must be reported to regulators. For more information, click here. 

Illinois AG Files Lawsuit to Block Federal Restrictions on Public Benefits 
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week, as part of a coalition of state attorneys general, sued the Trump administration to stop its “unlawful attempt” to restrict access to critical health, education and social service programs. Earlier this month, the administration issued notices prohibiting state safety net programs from serving all residents, regardless of immigration status. According to a news release, the change threatens access to critical services like Head Start, Title X family planning, adult education, mental health care and community health centers. 

Starting July 10, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Justice issued a coordinated set of rules and guidance documents that reinterpret the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The agencies’ new interpretation restricts states from using federal funds to provide services to individuals who cannot verify immigration status, a major shift from long-standing federal practice under Republican and Democrat administrations. 

The announcement says in Illinois the federal rule changes target critical programs such as preventative healthcare and maternity care from community health centers, violent crime victim counseling and legal services, Head Start early education, and adult literacy education. Illinois also stands to lose $182.5 million dollars annually for critical mental health and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, which supported nearly 33,000 Illinoisans last year, according to the news release.

Raoul and the state attorneys general are asking the court to allow the programs to continue as they have, serving the populations that need them, without having to put in place new citizenship or immigration status verification procedures that will broadly harm those in need, as well as the state as a whole. The suit asks the court to declare the new rules unlawful, halt their implementation through preliminary and permanent injunctions, vacate the rules and restore the long-standing agency practice, and prevent the federal government from using PRWORA as a pretext to dismantle core safety net programs in the future.

 
Joining Raoul in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Beyond Federal Protections: Building a Safer Future with MAPS PSO
Join the Midwest Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) Patient Safety Organization (PSO) for an exclusive gathering of healthcare leaders, clinicians and decision-makers across Illinois. It’s an opportunity to share via webinar strategies, engage in collaboration and advance a culture of safety—while accessing tools that directly support the Patient Safety Structural Measure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and staff engagement. 

This webinar, “Beyond Federal Protections: Building a Safer Future with MAPS PSO,” will be held Aug. 21 at noon-1 p.m. CT. Attendees will gain insights on PSO terminology, national safety initiatives and federal policy alignments to protect their patient safety events. With over 100 member organizations, MAPS continues to be a driving force in safer, smarter care. This webinar is open to all IHA members at no charge. Register today.

To learn more, contact mapshelp@team-iha.org. The MAPS team is available to help your organization make patient safety a strategic priority. 

Staff contact: Carrie Pinasco