IHA Leadership Summit: Rising Above Uncertainties Panel Discussion
Hospital leaders face rapid policy changes, changing expectations among consumers and the healthcare workforce, and fiscal challenges that all demand attention. At IHA Leadership Summit today, a panel of Illinois health system leaders shared their responses to policy changes, embodied most by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and the roles of communication, leadership and advocacy to keep the Illinois hospital community strong.
“We’re not sitting on the sidelines waiting on this impact to come,” Advocate Health Care President Dia Nichols, FACHE, said of OBBBA. “We’re leaning into it. We’re taking this moment to really call out decisions that we probably should have been making a long time ago, decisions that are probably in the long term going to make us a better, more nimble organization,” such assessing the facility footprint and advancing digital infrastructure.
Polly Davenport, DSc, MBA, RN, FACHE, said Ascension Illinois is “leaning into the Medicaid population. We’re trying to get in front of the fact that there may be more people not on Medicaid and how do we manage that.”
“Things need to change,” said Davenport, Senior Vice President and Ministry Market Executive of Ascension Illinois. “We all have to do rapid cycle testing of some of these ideas to see what’s going to work. That’s the challenge: It feels like we’re in a firefight on a daily basis, but we have to be thinking five years from now.”
Moderating the panel discussion, Shawn Vincent, IHA Board Chair and President and CEO of Loyola Medicine, had kicked off the conversation noting that “we’re used to barriers when there are funding cuts and reductions, and working through those. How do we continue to lead with this decline on the horizon? How do we sustain urgency and rally our teams?”
On leadership, OSF HealthCare President Michelle Conger said it’s important to communicate what’s working “when so many people are pointing out what’s not working.”
“You have to get out there and really talk to people and say here are all the things we’re bringing to our patients and community every day. I also think it’s okay, when things are changing, to say we don’t know,” Conger said.
For complex issues, like OBBBA, it’s crucial to “communicate the severity of the legislation and the impact on your organization. Then you have to follow up on what you’re going to do going forward,” said Kim Uphoff, President and CEO of Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System.
Uphoff highlighted policy communications from IHA and the American Hospital Association as resources that summarize legislation in way that anyone, from hospital leaders to community members, can understand. She also encouraged hospital leaders to participate in IHA Advocacy Day stressing the importance of developing relationships with policymakers and state leaders.
When facing today’s challenges, and those ahead, Vincent reminded hospital leaders to “take the time to remember why we’re in the field we’re in, and remember people come to us at their most vulnerable time.”
“We are going to have to have bold leadership in the future,” Vincent said. “This is going to be really hard work but all of us need to lead through it. Advocacy is going to be key to our success. We talk about the need for politicians to reach across the aisle, we need to do that too.”
President’s Address: The Power of Unity Amid Uncertainty
Major policy shifts, mounting financial pressures and a volatile political landscape continue to challenge healthcare leaders to adapt faster than ever. In this environment, unity is not optional—it is essential. That was the message emphasized by A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO, during his President’s Address at the 2025 IHA Leadership Summit.
“And let me be clear — unity is not about thinking or acting the same. It’s about bringing our differences together — our perspectives, experiences, and strengths — and aligning them toward a shared vision,” Wilhelmi said. “In moments of uncertainty, unity is what steadies us. When the path feels unclear, unity becomes our compass. And when challenges seem too big for any one organization, unity allows us to carry the weight together.”
Wilhelmi underscored that, even as well-funded and motivated adversaries spread critical and false narratives about hospitals, the hospital community remains strong.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen firsthand the power of field unity — and what’s possible when Illinois hospitals speak with one voice.”
In 2025, that unified voice — working in partnership with IHA — delivered significant results in support of hospitals’ mission of caring for people and saving lives. This spring, together we secured:
- Enhancement of the Hospital Assessment Program. Passage of IHA’s bill will bring in $1.47 billion in new net Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals—a plan approved by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just three weeks ago.
- Creation of a Health Care Workforce Task Force. The hospital community’s legislation establishing the task force passed the General Assembly and was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.
- Significant progress in advancing 340B Protections. IHA’s bill safeguarding the drug discount program passed the Illinois Senate 55-0 and now stands well-positioned for House action.
Illinois’ hospitals also united to modify or defeat dozens of harmful proposals brought forward by motivated adversaries, including:
- Preserving property tax exemptions for non-profit hospitals and stalling efforts to impose Payments in Lieu of Taxes in Chicago.
- Blocking legislation that would have imposed rigid, one-size-fits-all staffing ratios.
- Defeating bills seeking to ban facility fees.
- Halting legislation that would have restricted home-grown surgical tech training programs.
“These victories didn’t happen by chance — they happened because we worked together, as one hospital community, united by purpose and mission,” said Wilhelmi. “Whether you lead a large academic medical center in Chicago, a Critical Access Hospital downstate, a Safety Net hospital serving our most vulnerable communities, or anything in between — you are part of one hospital community serving the people of Illinois. Your voice is critical. Your impact is significant. And your story is powerful.”
IMPORTANT: Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Due Sept. 30
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. Providers in the September cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by next Tuesday, Sept. 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 Sept. 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—including physicians and physician groups affiliated with your hospitals—and to check for any incomplete revalidations. NOTE: If a physician providing services at your hospital does not revalidate, your hospital will not receive payment for those services provided by that physician.
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.
Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans
During September’s Suicide Awareness Month, the State of Illinois is reaffirming its commitment to preventing suicide among service members, veterans, and military families through the
Illinois Governor’s Challenge. The Governor’s Challenge brings together state and local agencies, community organizations, healthcare providers, faith leaders, and veterans’ groups to implement evidence-based prevention strategies, expand training opportunities, and strengthen crisis response systems across our cities and counties.
Click here to access PsychArmor's military culture educational courses provide critical training for those who interact with service members, veterans, and military families. In addition to suicide prevention training, participants will learn more about military service, the people who serve, their values, and the transitional periods in military life. Licensed professionals within the state of Illinois are eligible to receive continuing education credits through PsychArmor's accredited online training modules.
Illinois is focused on practical steps — increasing access to suicide prevention training for community members and providers, bolstering outreach to military-connected families, and ensuring immediate access to crisis supports. If you or someone you love is in crisis, the Military & Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7: dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255.
Appointments Made to Illinois Autism Data Privacy Advisory Group
Gov. JB Pritzker recently
announced the appointment of members to the newly created Autism Data Privacy Advisory Group, established under
Executive Order 2025-02 to strengthen protections for the civil and human rights of people with autism in Illinois. The Advisory Group brings together leaders in medicine, law, education, advocacy, and technology to safeguard sensitive data and advance privacy, opportunity, and inclusion for Illinoisans with autism. The advisory group will begin meeting this fall and will deliver recommendations to the Governor over the next year.
