IHA Daily Briefing: November 2

Register Now for IHA's Nov. 13 Nursing Care Committee Co-Chair Forum

IHA's Nursing Care Committee Co-Chair Forum was established to provide an opportunity for hospital Chief Nursing Officers and Nursing Care Committee co-chairs to meet with their peers and share relevant information, discuss best practices and support hospital compliance with the Nurse Staffing Improvement Act (P.A. 102-0641). All IHA-member hospital Chief Nursing Officers and Nursing Care Committee co-chairs are encouraged to participate.

The next meeting of the Nursing Care Committee Co-Chair Forum will be held Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. CT. During this session, State Rep. Bill Hauter will join as a special guest. Rep. Hauter is a board-certified anesthesiologist and emergency medicine physician. He will share how his experience as a physician inspired his decision to pursue public office and offer guidance for healthcare professionals starting in the advocacy space.

Click here to register. You are welcome to share the registration information with other individuals in your organization who would benefit from the discussion. Questions or topics you would like to discuss with Rep. Hauter can be emailed to [email protected].

Additional tools and resources to help your organization comply with the Nurse Staffing Improvement Act can be found on the IHA website. You must be an IHA member to access information on the nurse staffing portal. Click hereto register.

Get Covered Illinois: 2027 Open Enrollment Period Began Nov. 1

Get Covered Illinois kicked off the 2027 annual open enrollment period on Nov. 1, helping Illinoisans compare plans, apply for financial help and enroll in coverage. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 15, 2027, giving residents the opportunity to enroll in, renew or change their health insurance. Illinoisans who enroll by Dec. 15 will have coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027. Those who enroll by Jan. 15 will have coverage starting Feb. 1, 2027.

At GetCoveredIllinois.gov, Illinoisans can compare plans and estimated costs before creating an account or applying. The website makes it easy to view premiums and deductibles, check prescription coverage, and see whether preferred doctors and hospitals are in-network. Get Covered Illinois is also the only place to apply for federal tax credits that lower the cost of coverage.

Get Covered Illinois certified navigators-trained professionals who provide free enrollment assistance-can guide Illinoisans through the application process, with support available in multiple languages. Navigators are available to meet in person, online or over the phone in many communities across the state. Navigators can also connect residents who are no longer eligible for Medicaid or marketplace financial help to free or low-cost healthcare in their community.

IDPH Issues Updated Opioid Reversal Agent Standing Order

On Nov. 1, an updated Illinois Opioid Reversal Agent Standing Order was released to standardize procedures for appropriately trained professionals to obtain, dispense, or administer naloxone and nalmefene to individuals suspected of drug overdose. The updated standing order was a collaboration between the Illinois Departments of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Public Health (IDPH) and Human Services (IDHS). Pharmacists and partners assisting individuals in accessing no-cost naloxone may refer to the IDHS Illinois Overdose Prevention Program or the Illinois Helpline. Hospitals can complete a brief application to enroll as an Illinois Drug Overdose Prevention Program to provide free naloxone to patients who use drugs, their friends and families, and community members.

The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a new analysis examining actions that have demonstrated substantial progress in reducing prescription opioid exposure and expanding treatment-driving opioid deaths to the lowest level in nearly a decade. An article in Health Affairs Forefront and a report from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation provide information on actions to reduce unnecessary opioid prescribing, combat illicit fentanyl, and strengthen treatment and recovery. Researchers found that opioid prescriptions dispensed fell to 45.3% of their March 2015 level and the total opioid dosage dispensed fell to 35.2% of the baseline. Additionally, the number of patients receiving prescription opioids through retail pharmacies fell to 49.6% of the baseline, while the number of patients filling retail prescriptions for buprenorphine or naltrexone, medications used to treat substance use disorders, rose to 218% of the baseline.

The Health Affairs Forefront article attributes progress to the removal of a federal prescribing barrier for buprenorphine, telemedicine rules that reduced geographic and logistical barriers, and SUPPORT Act programs that help sustain treatment and recovery infrastructure. Preserving patient access to the full care pathway is emphasized for sustained improvement, including: diagnosis, initiation, dispensing, coverage, follow-up, retention, and recovery support.

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

On Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the departure of Illinois Dept. of Labor Director Jane Flanagan, who will leave at the end of October. Mike Lazzeri has been appointed to lead the department, effective Nov. 1 and pending Senate approval.

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