FY 2027 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System IHA Top 10 List
On Aug. 4, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its fiscal year (FY) 2027 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule. Considering all policy changes, we estimate a final IPPS rate increase of 6.3% relative to FY 2026 for Illinois hospitals. CMS also finalized several policies that will impact hospital reimbursement and operations. An IHA fact sheet outlines 10 finalized policies we want IHA members to be aware of.
Facility-specific FY 2027 Medicare IPPS final rule estimated financial impact reports are available in the IHA C-Suite.
Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough
IHA Leadership Summit: Breakout Sessions on Workforce, Revenue Cycle
Breakout sessions at the 2026 IHA Leadership Summit will spotlight key industry concerns: financial stability and workforce solutions. Hospitals and health system leaders will have their pick of sessions on Oct. 1, the Summit’s first day:
- “The Real-Time Technology Revolution: Creating Transparency, Efficiency and Patient-Centered Experiences”
- “Physician Benchmarking: Understanding Market Trends Related to Physician-Based Revenue Cycle Performance”
- “The Future of Healthcare Workforce Solutions: Flexibility, Float Pools and Technology”>
Medical Solutions chief client officer will lead the workforce session exploring new staffing models, including float pool strategies, and emerging technologies that are transforming staffing efficiency and enabling hospitals to build stronger, more adaptable clinical teams.
Experts with Optum and Fran Hakim, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Allina Health in Wisconsin and Minnesota, will present the technology revolution session looking at technology to address delayed coverage, benefits and claims decisions that impact revenue cycle and patient access to care.
Revenue cycle leaders with Kodiak Solutions will lead the physician benchmarking session, offering a data-driven view of evolving physician revenue cycle performance and the forces shaping the physician revenue cycle environment.
Learn more about the sessions and speakers at this year’s Summit, “Navigating Disruption Together,” and bring your team to hear from thought leaders from across Illinois and the country. Register today.
Staff contact: David Strickland
Telementoring Opportunity for Illinois Providers and Healthcare Professionals
Are you seeking practical solutions for challenging cases, up-to-date guidance and peer support? ECHO-Chicago’s telementoring program offers a collaborative, case-based learning community designed to empower primary care providers.
The sessions are offered at no cost, with typically 12 weekly hour-long Zoom sessions held per topic area. The sessions will focus on real-world cases and peer discussion to help navigate current recommendations and gain hands-on strategies to implement evidence-based practices.
Upcoming topics include addiction, substance use disorders and harm reduction; adult behavioral health; child and adolescent behavioral health; child and adolescent weight management; common pediatric problems in primary care; diabetes; maternal health; opioid use disorder and pain management in older adults; pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism; pediatric allergy and asthma; and resistant hypertension.
Click here to register for the expert-led, interactive series. Earn one certified CME credit, social work CEU, or nursing contact hour for each session attended.
ECHO-Chicago, operated by the University of Chicago, focuses on workforce development to build primary care capacity in communities across Illinois. The aim of ECHO-Chicago is to reduce health disparities and improve access to care by expanding knowledge and skills of community-based providers.
Recent Cybersecurity Alerts
The American Hospital Association (AHA) last week shared a cybersecurity advisory about an emerging cyber threat where actors leverage legitimate payment, remittance, and patient-related information that they have obtained through third-party channels to establish unauthorized accounts on payer portals and gain access to provider-facing payment records. AHA members can review the Cybersecurity Advisory here for information on key risk indicators and recommended actions.
The FBI also released an alert on recent actions by Chaos ransomware threat actors impersonating IT support workers and using artificial intelligence tools to steal data. The FBI said Chaos threat actors often use Microsoft Teams calls to pose as internal IT support workers to gain access to employee devices for attacks.
The FBI and U.S. Dept. of Justice also recently flagged a China-linked hacking group known as QTFY, which operates within a network of hackers-for-hire and government entities in the People’s Republic of China. A joint advisory from the FBI, National Security Agency and Cyber National Mission Force outlines the group’s tactics, including its development of malicious hacking tools, exchange of malware and exploits through freelance hacking networks, and operation of a malware-infected network of internet-connected devices used to target critical infrastructure organizations.
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
The U.S. House voted yesterday on a short-term extension of federal government funding through Dec. 11. The continuing resolution (H.R. 6500) passed 370-48 with bipartisan support. The Senate already overwhelmingly passed the measure in August. Federal funding was set to expire on Sept. 30.
The Chicago Dept. of Public Health (CDPH) is reporting Chicago's first two human cases and first death from West Nile virus (WNV) in 2026. The Illinois Dept. of Public Health has also confirmed several additional cases of WNV in the state of Illinois.
Leading the News
Nursing program Illinois law to change curriculum, program standards
WTVO
A new Illinois law amending the Nurse Practice Act took effect Tuesday, updating the standards that registered educational nursing programs must uphold. Under House Bill 1807, nursing schools are now required to use clinical experience for at least 75% or more of their program’s curriculum rather than simulations.
95 academic medical center CEOs to know | 2026
Becker’s Hospital Review
Academic medical centers house the most complex patient care and the most consequential medical research. They also function as a training ground for the next generation of healthcare’s workforce. Leading these institutions demands a rare combination of clinical vision, research acumen, academic leadership and operational command.
UnitedHealthcare to drop prior authorization requirements for 1,700 services
Becker’s Hospital Review
UnitedHealthcare has released the specific procedure codes it will exempt from prior authorization as part of the insurer’s previous pledge to reduce requirements by 30% before the end of 2026.
