Government Shutdown, Hospital at Home; New Hospital Child Abuse Posting Requirement; Save the Dates: 2026 IHA Signature Events in June, October; APPLY: Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project
A federal government shutdown is possible at midnight tonight if Congress does not pass a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies for the coming fiscal year. Although most Medicare and Medicaid payments are not anticipated to be impacted by a government shutdown unless it lasts over a month, the waiver establishing the Acute Hospital Care at Home and other key Medicare telehealth flexibilities will expire on Oct. 1. Click here to view an IHA fact sheet with more information on the telehealth coverage changes.
While IHA continues to work with the American Hospital Association (AHA) to explore options for continuing the hospital-at-home waiver, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) website states: “For all hospitals with active AHCAH waivers, all inpatients must be discharged or returned to the hospital on Sept. 30, 2025, in the absence of Congressional action to extend the initiative.”
Additional healthcare programs that will expire Sept. 30 absent Congressional action include:
Enhanced low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospital programs.
Medicare telehealth waivers.
Work Geographic Practice Cost Index.
Medicare rural ambulance add-on payments.
Workforce extenders, including Community Health Centers, National Health Service Crops and Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education.
More information on these issues, as well as other programs impacted by a potential shutdown, can be found in AHA’s summary updated Sept. 28. You can also contact Cassie Yarbrough, Vice President of Health Policy and Finance, at cyarbrough@team-iha.org if you have questions about the shutdown or cannot access the AHA summary. IHA will continue to work with AHA to keep IHA members updated on policy and payment changes as they occur.
New Hospital Child Abuse Posting Requirement
The Child Abuse Notice Act (Public Act 103-0813) requires a variety of businesses, including emergency rooms within general acute care hospitals and urgent care centers, to post a notice aimed toward children under 18 that provides information on what constitutes physical and sexual abuse and how to report such abuse. The Act requires the Illinois Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to develop a model notice for businesses prior to implementation, which has now been made available on its website. We encourage emergency rooms within general acute care hospitals and urgent care centers to post the notice immediately. See the IHA Memo summarizing the Act’s requirements related to posting and penalties for non-compliance.
Save the Dates: 2026 IHA Signature Events in June, October
Thank you to our members, Corporate Sponsors, and expert presenters who joined us for the 2025 IHA Leadership Summit and 2025 IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting. Your participation contributed to the success of both IHA signature events.
As you plan ahead, please save the dates of IHA’s 2026 signature events:
The Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting will be on June 18 at Crowne Plaza Springfield.
Leadership Summit will be on Oct. 1-2 at the Hilton Chicago Oak Brook Resort and Conference Center.
Applications are being accepted through Oct. 10 by the National Rural Health Resource Center for a Federal Office of Rural Health Policy-funded technical assistance program supporting small rural hospitals and certified Rural Health Clinics as they prepare to participate in alternative payment and care delivery models. Selected applicants will receive one year of focused, virtual and on-site technical assistance designed to strengthen their organization’s understanding of the key elements of value-based care. Project focus areas include quality, efficiency, patient experience and safety. Learn more about program eligibility and the application process. Technical assistance will begin in early December 2025.
Illinois COVID-19 Data
The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) is updated every Friday. This report provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data.Click hereto visit the IDPH COVID-19 webpage. IDPH reports the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, with COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information also reported through theIllinois Wastewater Surveillance Systemdashboard.
Briefly Noted
Nearly all people who suffer a cardiac event, including heart attacks and strokes, have at least one of four major cardiovascular risk factors beforehand, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers found 99% of the participants in the 20-year study had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar or used tobacco prior to the cardiac event. High blood pressure was found to be the most common issue.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said he has received information that 100 Illinois National Guard troops are being readied to deploy to Chicago, to support immigration operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
With the clock ticking to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate majority leader set a Sept. 30 vote on a previously rejected continuing resolution and top Democrats met with the president. Without a funding deal, the federal government will shut down Oct. 1. Here are three updates healthcare leaders should know.
Here are six new drug shortages and discontinuations, according to drug supply databases from the FDA and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
