IHA Daily Briefing: September 17

IHA Summit: Peer-driven Strategies in Member Innovation Showcase
Preventing workplace violence, reaching underserved populations, expanding access to behavioral healthcare and mitigating the effects of H.R. 1 Medicaid cuts: These key issues are the focus of the Member Innovation Showcase sessions at IHA Leadership Summit, "Navigating Disruption Together," held Oct. 1-2 in Oak Brook.

Showcase topics and presenting health systems are:

• "Breaking the Cycle: A Healthcare-Led Approach to Reduce Violence and Protect Our Workforce," Advocate Health Care;
• "Driving Access to Healthcare: How Mobile Health and Cross-Sector Partnerships Improve Care for Underserved Populations," Carle Health;
• "Medicaid Impact Workgroup: Preparing for Coverage Changes Under H.R. 1," Cook County Health; and
• "Leveraging a Community-Based Behavioral Health Continuum to Expand Access and Impact Outcomes," Hartgrove Behavioral Health System.

These sessions will offer practical tools, insights, and a framework for adapting their successful approaches in your hospital or health system. See our agenda page to learn more about the showcase sessions and health system leaders presenting. Register today -the last day for IHA's discounted rates.

Staff contact: David Strickland

IDPH Seeks Participants for LENS Patient Safety Pilot Program Final Cohort
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Healthcare Quality and Outcomes is seeking participants for the final phase of the LENS (Learning from Events to Nurture Safety) pilot program. LENS is a new statewide system designed to support Illinois' mandatory Adverse Health Care Events Reporting Law by enabling structured submission, analysis, and shared learning related to serious events. The secure, web-based program captures event details, contributing factors and corrective actions to promote systems-based quality improvement.

The LENS system is scheduled for statewide implementation in 2027. As IDPH works to finalize the system, the Department is seeking participants for Cohort 3, which represents the last phase of the pilot testing and evaluates the system at scale by engaging additional facilities, expanding workflows and scenarios, and assisting the clarity and usability of training materials for newly participating sites. Specific activities may include entering sample event reports, testing system functionality and providing usability feedback. Cohort 3 will begin work in early October and continue for eight to 10 weeks. Participants can anticipate a time commitment of approximately three to five hours per week.

Click here to complete the LENS pilot program interest form. More information on LENS can be found here.

IDPH noted the pilot is not a regulatory activity and does not involve reporting actual adverse healthcare events. Rather, participation offers early access to the LENS system and the opportunity to help shape Illinois' modernized reporting approach.

RHTP Grants: New Rural Health Transformation Funding Opportunities
The Community Behavioral Health Association (CBHA) of Illinois recently announced the release of two competitive funding opportunities through the Illinois Rural Health Transformation Program. The grants support the development of team-based models of care that bring together behavioral health, primary care, and community partners, and fund projects that will support mobile health models that enable direct behavioral health service delivery in rural Illinois.

Although hospitals are not eligible to apply for the grant opportunities, their subsidiary or affiliated behavioral health organizations are eligible to apply. The lead applicant must be a Community Mental Health Center, Behavioral Health Clinic, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or Substance Use Treatment Facility licensed or certified by the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services or the Illinois Dept. of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. Applicants are either expected or encouraged to partner on the grant, depending on the grant. Partners may include healthcare providers, social service organizations, schools, local governments or other community-based organizations to implement proposed activities.

Click here to access the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Community Care Infrastructure/Integrated Care grant. It is anticipated 30-40 awards will be granted. No minimum or maximum award amount has been established, but awards are anticipated to fall between $200,000 and $1 million.

Click here to access the NOFO for the Overcoming Geographic Barriers to Care, Mobile Healthcare Innovation for Rural Illinois grant. It is anticipated 15-30 awards will be granted. No minimum or maximum award amount has been established, but awards are anticipated to fall between $200,000 and $1 million.

Applications for both opportunities will be available through the Euna Solutions grants portal beginning Sept. 23, 2026, and applications are due Oct. 23.

CBHA will host an optional informational webinar on Sept. 23, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT. During the webinar, attendees will receive an overview of the funding opportunities, eligibility requirements, allowable uses of funds, the application process and timelines. Click here to register for the webinar.

CMS Opens Centralized Platform for Managing Independent Dispute Resolutions
A new centralized platform for managing federal independent dispute resolutions (IDR) related to the No Surprises Act opened yesterday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Independent Dispute Resolution Gateway allows users to start and respond to disputes; access dispute dashboards and reports associated with their organization; track dispute information, including disputes assigned to a certified IDR entity; monitor assigned disputes by process phase; and review notifications regarding dispute activity.

CMS said that organizations and individuals that process disputes, represent parties or submit IDR web forms under the current federal IDR process must sign up for the IDR Gateway. Those using a third-party administrator or another organization to process disputes are not required to sign up for the IDR Gateway, but they must ensure that the third-party administrator or organization responsible for managing their dispute processing activities signs up for an account.

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

Medtronic and their subsidiary Given Imaging, Inc. have issued a letter to affected customers recommending certain esophageal pH monitoring capsule delivery devices be removed from where they are used or sold, due to the capsule potentially not attaching to the patient's esophagus or detaching from the delivery device as intended. As of Aug. 10, 2026, Medtronic has reported 184 serious injuries and no deaths associated with this issue.

A recall of six hand soaps sold in 16 states, including Illinois, has been issued by Intercon Chemical Company, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This Class II recall was issued due to "potential bacterial contamination," with two of the items specifically noted to be potentially contaminated with "Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas monteilii, Serratia marcescens and Serratia nematodiphila." A Class II recall is one that can have "adverse health consequences," according to the FDA.

Leading the News