Illinois Attorney General, Other AGs Sent AHA a Letter Regarding EMTALA
In response to the Trump administration’s rescission of federal guidance requiring hospitals to provide abortions in life-threatening emergencies, Illinois’ Attorney General, along with 20 other Attorney Generals, sent a letter to the American Hospital Association (AHA) asking it to remind hospitals that they still have continuing obligations under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
In their letter, the Attorney Generals note that nothing about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ rescission of its 2022 guidance changes the statutory text of EMTALA, which requires abortion care in specified circumstances. Nor does the rescission of the guidance supersede numerous judicial opinions interpreting EMTALA to require the provision of emergency abortion care.
Although not mentioned in the letter, as we previously reminded IHA members, Illinois law explicitly requires hospitals to provide medically necessary reproductive care, including pregnancy termination, in emergency situations. This was enacted in a 2024 amendment to the Illinois Hospital Emergency Service Act (Public Act 103-0784). Implementation rules were recently finalized by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and IHA sent a June 27 member memo explaining these new rules. Hospitals that fail to comply are subject to penalties.
Staff contact: Karen Harris
Antibiotics in Focus: A 360° Look at Outpatient Prescribing Practices
IHA is partnering with the Illinois Dept. of Public Health and Ferris State University to introduce IHA members to the CHARM Project—a powerful, data-driven initiative that supports outpatient antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
The Collaboration to Harmonize Antimicrobial Registry Measures (CHARM) project leverages existing healthcare data to assess and improve local antibiotic prescribing patterns. Participating organizations gain access to a customized, interactive dashboard offering deep insights into outpatient providers’ prescribing behaviors—helping you measure and enhance your stewardship strategies.
Join us on July 16 from 12:00 – 1:00 for a complimentary webinar, Antibiotics in Focus: A 360° Look at Outpatient Prescribing Practices with the CHARM Project, featuring Ferris State University leaders, Dr. Michael Klepser, PharmD and Dr. Minji Sohn, PhD, who will:
- Highlight the goals of the CHARM Project;
- Lead a live demonstration of the CHARM Project dashboards;
- Review the steps an organization can take to participate in this no-cost initiative; and
- Describe the benefits of participating in this outpatient antimicrobial stewardship initiative.
Register now for this webinar! You are invited to share this opportunity with colleagues who lead or support your organization’s antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
If you have any questions, please reach out to QualityPatientSafety@team-iha.org.
SPIDER System Profile Needed for BEACON Care Portal Access
The Illinois Dept. of Human Services - Division of Mental Health has been working collaboratively with system partners on the implementation of the Illinois Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, which launched the BEACON Care Portal on Jan. 15, 2025. Over the past five months, the DHS has received inquiries from providers who are not included in the community-based resource search. To correct this issue, the Department is seeking to ensure that all providers have a completed profile in the SPIDER system. Behavioral health treatment providers are encouraged to include their information for any available programs, including but not limited to hospital inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient and any other service availability.
To update or create a profile in SPIDER please reach out to the SPIDER team at DCFS.SPIDER@illinois.gov.
If you have any questions please reach out to the BEACON team at DHS.DMH.BEACON@Illinois.gov.
Alert: Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Phishing Fax Requests
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced it has identified a fraud scheme targeting Medicare providers and suppliers. CMS said scammers are impersonating CMS and sending phishing fax requests for medical records and documentation, falsely claiming to be part of a Medicare audit. CMS emphasized that it doesn’t initiate audits by requesting medical records via fax, and recommended that you not respond if you receive a suspicious request. If you believe you have received a fraudulent or questionable request, it is recommended you work with your Medical Review Contractor to confirm if it’s real.
Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Due June 30 for June Cohort
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. Providers in the June cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by June 30. Completing this information is necessary to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursement. If you are in this revalidation cycle and do not submit your revalidation information by June 30 you will be disenrolled from the IMPACT system and cannot receive retroactive enrollment. IHA urges all providers to check their revalidation cycle due date, as well as the servicing providers affiliated with their hospital, and submit necessary information to complete their revalidation. To check your revalidation due date, search the basic information page of your IMPACT enrollment. HFS has provided IHA with step-by-step instructions to check the status and due date of servicing providers that you can access here. The IMPACT Provider Revalidation website includes step-by-step instructions, a frequently asked questions document and a townhall webinar recording.
