Planning for CJR-X Joint Replacement Model – IHA Webinar Aug. 20
The federal government's planned expansion of the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model represents a significant expansion of mandatory, episode-based payment models. The proposed CJR Expanded (CJR-X) Model would increase hospitals’ financial accountability for defined episodes of care for hip and knee replacements. It signals continued policy changes to advance value-based care, requiring hospitals to rethink their operations and how they provide value to government-insured patients.
A complimentary IHA webinar on the CJR-X Model will cover the CJR-X structure, as well as participation and performance requirements beginning October 2027. Experts with Forvis Mazars, a national CPA and advisory firm with a Chicago office, will lead the Aug. 20 webinar from 10-11 a.m. CT. Principal Michael Wolford and Healthcare Practice Managing Director Stephen Kitterman Jr. will offer insights into:
- Aligning cost and quality performance across an episode of care;
- Potential organizational implications of participation, including impacts on performance, operations and care delivery; and
- Key considerations and early steps for success.
The session is designed for C-suite leaders, including CFOs, COOs, CMOs and CNOs, and leaders in compliance, revenue cycle, and patient financial services.
The CJR-X Model is expected to be finalized in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule in the coming weeks. There is no fee to attend the webinar, which will be recorded and made available to all registrants following the program. Register today.
Staff contacts: Cassie Yarbrough, Jennifer Koehler
REMINDER: Upcoming AA SANE Didactic Training Webinars
The Office of the Illinois Attorney General (OAG) is offering two adult/adolescent (AA) sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) didactic trainings in August and October.
The AA SANE didactic training is a 40-hour course designed to improve response to sexual assault patients in Illinois. This training is for registered nurses, advanced practice providers and physicians who will be providing medical forensic services to sexual assault survivors in the emergency department. All AA SANE applicants must have an established mentor who is either an AA Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE), SANE-Adult (SANE-A) or AA SANE practicing in Illinois. Applicants who do not currently work in a direct patient care capacity in an emergency department must identify how they will complete the clinical training requirements and practice as a SANE or SAFE.
The OAG will offer AA SANE didactic trainings:
- Aug. 25-27 from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. CT at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Click here to complete the application by the Aug. 6 deadline. More information can be found here.
- Oct. 20-22 from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. CT at Methodist College in Peoria. Click here to complete the application by the Oct. 1 deadline. More information can be found here.
Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough
Illinois Added to Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Investigation
Last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added Illinois to the list of states being investigated as part of the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. Illinois was one of five states added last week to the four already included in the outbreak, which now include Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. According to a recent media report, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health reported 513 confirmed and probable cases as of July 23. In its latest update, CDC confirmed 1,947 cases in the nine states. While CDC hasn’t determined the cause of the illness, it is currently believed the cases may be linked to contaminated lettuce.
Report on Rural Areas Expanding Access to Maternity Care
A report released by Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program highlights rural maternal health networks’ efforts to expand maternity care access by utilizing telehealth, remote patient monitoring, patient navigation, group prenatal care, doula services, and other strategies to address provider shortages and transportation barriers in rural communities. More than 8,600 women were served across the networks during the implementation period, and improvements were reported in first-trimester prenatal care, postpartum visit utilization, and infant health outcomes. The report includes strategies used by RMOMS networks to help improve maternal and infant health in rural areas.
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
Boston Scientific has issued a letter to affected customers recommending certain Percutaneous Catheters be removed from where they are used or sold. Boston Scientific is recalling specific lots of ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System and ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System Plus due to reports of arterial sheath tip separation or partial tip separation during use. As of July 9, Boston Scientific has reported one serious injury and no deaths.
Leading the News
Illinois sees 16% drop in SNAP enrollment one year after food program overhaul
Chicago Sun-Time
About 150,000 people have lost food assistance this year across the state because of expanded work rules. It’s less than expected, but there are signs of growing need as a central safety net program shrinks.
State to lay off hundreds at troubled southern Illinois mental health facility
WIFR
The Illinois Department of Human Services announced Thursday that the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna will lay off staff and undergo several operational changes in the coming months, including the elimination of the state-run facility’s entire general residential program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
What geriatric emergency departments do differently
The New York Times
Since 2022, every adult E.R. in San Diego has been accredited as a geriatric emergency department, redesigned to address the specific risks and needs of older patients. It’s an approach, recent studies show, that can reduce hospital admissions and deaths among older adults and lower costs.
Trump Administration demands hospitals share emergency room records
KFF
A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation’s biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of all patients who seek help at their emergency rooms.
