Illinois Health and Hospital Association

09/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2025 06:40

IHA Daily Briefing: September 30

Government Shutdown, Hospital at Home
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:
  • Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payment cuts.
  • 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 [email protected] 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.
Staff contact: Lia Daniels
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.
APPLY: Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project
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 Health and Hospital Association published this content on September 30, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 01, 2025 at 12:40 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]