IHA Daily Briefing: May 21

URGENT: Ask House Lawmakers to Act on IHA's 340B Legislation Before Adjournment
IHA's Illinois Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act (HB 2371 SA 2) remains poised for a vote in the Illinois House and may be called for a vote at any time. However, strong engagement from the hospital community in these final days of session will be critical to ensure the legislation is both called and approved before the General Assembly adjourns for the summer on May 31.

Big Pharma has intensified its opposition campaign-spending millions of dollars to mischaracterize the 340B program and undermine the hospitals that rely on it to expand access to care in communities across Illinois. Your voice is essential.

House lawmakers need to hear directly from hospitals in their districts about why protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program matters to the patients and communities they represent. The message should be simple and clear: preserving the 340B program protects savings that hospitals reinvest into healthcare services for their constituents.

ACTION REQUESTED: Contact your House Representative immediately to explain why passage of HB 2371 SA 2 is critical to protect access to affordable medications and essential healthcare services in their district. IHA members can click here to identify your House lawmaker. Click here to access IHA's digital messaging platform to send a pre-populated message directly to your House legislator urging them to co-sponsor and call for a vote on HB 2371 SA 2.

We encourage you to share this information with your hospital leadership team and staff and ask them to use the platform to contact their House legislators as well. Lawmakers need to hear from the healthcare professionals and community members who see firsthand how the 340B program supports patient care.

Click here to access an IHA fact sheet with accurate information about the 340B program and the proposed legislation-designed to counter misleading claims from the pharmaceutical industry. Click here to access a fact sheet that provides detailed information about the agreed upon requirements in HB 2371 SA 2 that strengthen transparency and accountability.

IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Meeting: Hotel Discount Ends May 27
Prepare for the holiday weekend by checking two things off your list: Register for IHA's Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting on June 18 and book your room at the Crowne Plaza Springfield with IHA's discounted rate by next Wednesday, May 27.

We encourage small and rural hospital leaders who haven't yet registered for the annual meeting to join us this IHA signature event and pre-conference workshops on June 17. With a compact agenda to reduce time away from the office, we're focusing on issues important to Illinois' small and rural hospitals. Sessions include:

• "The Future of Healthcare: Redefining the Rural Hospital of Tomorrow"

• "Strengthening Access, Quality and Affordability Through Rural Healthcare Transformation"

• "Federal Update: What Rural Hospital Leaders Need to Know"

• "Strengthening the Healthcare Workforce: Statewide Insights and Rural Solutions"

You'll also hear about the latest developments from Springfield from IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi in his President's Address. The meeting will include opportunities to network with IHA's Corporate Sponsors and your peers from other hospitals and health systems.

See our registration website for more information on the Annual Meeting and June 17 pre-conference workshops and. Take advantage of IHA's discounted room rate through May 27. Register today.

Staff contact:

REGISTER: June 5 Annual ISHRM Meeting on Healthcare Risk Management
The annual meeting of the Illinois Society of Healthcare Risk Management (ISHRM) will explore a range of risk management topics on June 5, from burnout to barriers to adopting artificial intelligence. Designed for risk managers, attorneys, nurses and physicians, the meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. CT at the Holiday Inn & Suites in East Peoria.

Illinois health system leaders and staff leading sessions are:

• Maggie Neustadt, Vice-President of Risk Management with BJC Healthcare, presenting "Disclosure of an Adverse Event;" and
• Jonathan Handler, MD, FACEP, FAMIA, Senior Fellow for Innovation with OSF HealthCare, presenting "Implementing AI in Healthcare: Impact, Opportunities and Risks."

Other sessions include "Lawsuits Re-Imagined: Where Are We Headed?"; "Living by Design or By Default: Yellow Light Moments" and "It's Time! Standardizing BH Risk Mitigation Strategies Before I Retire!"

A pre-event networking dinner will be held at 6 p.m. CT on June 4. Registration for ISHRM members is $150. IHA is an event sponsor. Register today.

Staff contact:

IDPH Health Advisory: Hantavirus Diagnostic and Prevention in Illinois
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has issued a Health Advisory related to hantavirus diagnosis and prevention considerations in Illinois, following the hantavirus cluster the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed was linked to a Dutch cruise ship in early May. IDPH emphasized that the risk of hantavirus infection in Illinois is extremely low, while providing guidance on diagnosis, testing, prevention and control recommendations, and reporting information. The Department noted that at this time there is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection.

CMS Announces Six-Month Medicare Enrollment Moratoria
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a six-month nationwide moratoria on new Medicare enrollment for home health agencies (HHAs) and hospices, which took effect May 13, 2026. In the notice, CMS cited its efforts to address fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare program. During the moratoria period, CMS will increase targeted investigations, deploy advanced data analytics, and accelerate the removal from the Medicare program HHAs and hospices suspected of committing fraud. These efforts are similar to those announced by CMS earlier this year with respect to certain suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies. While existing providers will largely remain unaffected, organizations should understand the operational and regulatory implications of these new restrictions.