IHA Daily Briefing: April 1

CMS Memo Reiterates Nutrition Service Obligations for Hospitals
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released a memorandum reinforcing hospital patient food and nutrition service obligations for hospitals to ensure alignment with the recently released 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The memo emphasizes hospitals must comply with the Medicare Conditions of Participation, which include ensuring menus and diets meet individual patient nutritional needs in accordance with recognized dietary practices. Hospitals are also directed to review and revise their food and nutrition service policies, standard menus, therapeutic diet protocols, and other practices.

CMS makes several recommendations for hospital inpatient menus, including limiting ultra-processed foods; eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages unless clinically appropriate in limited scenarios; eliminating refined grains and replacing them with 100% whole grains; prioritizing minimally processed protein sources, including plant-based options; and emphasizing vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood and healthy fats.

Acute Care Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll Spring Application Cycle Opens TODAY
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Patient Safety and Quality has announced the next application cycle for the Acute Care Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll opens today, April 1. This program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate excellence in implementing evidence-based practices of antimicrobial stewardship.

Click here to access an updated guidance document outlining the application process. Click here to access a PDF version of the application for reference. IHA recently hosted a webinar in partnership with IDPH outlining the application process. You can access the recording here (password: AMSHonorRoll0319).

New applicants can apply using the application found here. Returning applicants eligible for an upgrade will receive a unique, facility-specific application link via email from [email protected] on April 1. The application will be pre-populated with the facility name and will include only the Priorities and/or Collaboration Distinction criteria that were not metduring the facility's previous application.

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Cook County Dept. of Public Health Warns of Possible Measles Exposure
The Cook County Dept. of Public Health (CCDPH) issued a notification yesterday to alert the public of possible measles exposures associated with an individual who visited the following locations while contagious. The following locations are points of public exposure:

• O'Hare International Airport - Terminal 5
  Tuesday, March 24 between 10:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. CT
• Fresh Farms - 8203 W. Golf Road, Niles
  Thursday, March 26 between 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. CT
• Marshalls - 8249 W. Golf Road, Niles
  Thursday, March 26 between 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. CT

CCDPH noted the individual also visited Endeavor Health Immediate Care Center in Mt. Prospect on Friday, March 27. CCDPH is working with the location to identify and notify all people who may have visited specific areas of the immediate care center.

Alerts Warn F5 BIG-IP Vulnerability Being Exploited for Malicious Activity
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an alert March 27 highlighting a vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager software that is being actively exploited by malicious cyber actors. F5 devices and software, used widely by healthcare and other critical infrastructure, provide app security and management services. The vulnerability was previously disclosed in October 2025 due to a separate issue, but was reclassified last month following new information obtained in March 2026 that found the vulnerability allows malicious actors to perform remote code execution, according to an alert from F5. The F5 alert now classifies this issue as a 9.8 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, making this a critical vulnerability that all organizations are urged to evaluate and take recommended actions to fix.

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

Leading the News

Healthcare advocates split on bill to allow nurses to practice across state lines

WCIA

A bill that would let Illinois nurses practice across state lines hit a road block on Friday, as debate continues on who benefits from the legislation. House Bill (HB) 4369 would approve Illinois to be a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state, allowing for nurses to obtain a license to practice in the 43 participating jurisdictions. The measure encountered a setback when an Illinois House Committee canceled a hearing on Friday.

Nonprofit report on Illinois childcare crisis releases today

WICS

ReadyNation Illinois, a nonprofit made of business leaders throughout the state, is taking a stand on the childcare crisis in Illinois.

West Suburban Hospital owner to discuss future plans after closure

CBS 2

The owner of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is expected to provide an update on Wednesday after the hospital closed last week.