IHA Daily Briefing: April 18
In Today’s Issue
Register: Hospital Report Card Preview Webinar
Nurses Day at the Illinois Capitol 2024
Investing in Healthcare Services for Underserved Rural Communities
IDPH: Healthy Illinois Survey Gets Underway
COVID-19 Information
Briefly Noted
Leading the News
Register: Hospital Report Card Preview Webinar
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) will host a complimentary webinar from 10-11 a.m. CT on Monday, April 29 to assist hospitals as they prepare to submit the Illinois Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide to Healthcare (Hospital Report Card).
Prior to publishing new facility-specific data online, IDPH provides facilities with 30 days to review their data and submit any necessary corrections or clarifications before publishing the next Hospital Report Card update in summer 2024. This webinar will give updates, provide general hospital reporting information and a live demo facility preview process, and answer questions on the Illinois Hospital Report Card.
Click here to register. For questions regarding this preview, including login access for additional users, contact IDPH’s Division of Patient Safety and Quality at dph.hrcpreview@illinois.gov.
Following the webinar, a notice of the 30-day preview will be sent to hospitals to review their data. The notice will contain instructions for login access. Facilities should follow the instructions to log into the system and either acknowledge approval of their data or request corrections. Failure to respond before the deadline will imply approval of the data.
Nurses Day at the Illinois Capitol 2024
Yesterday, nurses of all backgrounds, from all over the state, gathered in the Illinois Statehouse to advocate for public policy to advance the nursing profession. The annual event was an opportunity for lawmakers to not only hear from the nursing community, but also allowed Illinois nurses to learn more about nursing issues and how they can influence healthcare policy.
IHA welcomed a number of nurses from member hospitals to Springfield. They were excited to visit the Illinois Statehouse and talk to legislators about issues of importance to them and their team members, including opposing mandatory nurse staffing ratios; passing legislation targeting violence against healthcare workers; and supporting common-sense Medicaid Managed Care Organization prior authorization reforms.
Investing in Healthcare Services for Underserved Rural Communities
In Illinois’ southernmost communities, 18% of residents live in poverty and have historically low levels of education and high rates of illness and mortality. Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) serves this 16-county rural area that’s considered medically underserved.
The federal 340B drug discount program has been a lifeline for hospitals that are often the sole providers of care in communities with high poverty levels. Savings from the 340B program have helped SIH meet the healthcare needs of underserved southern Illinois communities.
Because of 340B, SIH has been able to advance its mission of promoting the health and well-being of communities through healthcare and comprehensive services. These include:
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Expanding cancer care and infusion services;
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Providing patient access to medication assistance programs;
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Funding chronic disease and diabetes self-management programs;
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Providing support and services related to behavioral health; and
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Increasing access to needed oral health services for low-income patients who seek care in emergency departments.
Yet, pharmaceutical companies recently started implementing barriers limiting access to drug savings that hospitals use to invest in patients. Such roadblocks include limiting contract pharmacy relationships to one per covered entity, radius requirements, claims share/data requirements and National Drug Code restrictions.
“These constraints amount to over $2 million annually which could have gone to patients,” said SIH Chief Financial Officer Warren Ladner. “The negative impact of the manufacturer restrictions includes medication adherence issues (missed doses, delays) and impact continuity of care, resulting in readmissions and an overall increase in our health system’s total cost of care.”
In 2022, SIH provided $168 million in uncompensated care. Among its patients, 75% have Medicaid and Medicare, or lack insurance.
IHA is advocating for Senate Bill 3727 to prohibit drugmakers from interfering with hospital pharmacy contracts. See our 340B landing page, “Increasing Access to Affordable Drugs," for more hospital stories, and an infographic and fact sheet on the impact of drugmaker restrictions.
Contact us with questions.
IDPH: Healthy Illinois Survey Gets Underway
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) today announced the start of the 2024 Healthy Illinois Survey, a statewide effort to compile essential data on the current state of health and wellness, and areas where public health can be improved. Under Illinois law, IDPH is required to administer an annual survey to obtain reliable data from every county and zip code in the state, establishing a baseline of public health information to allow for progress to be tracked and measured each year. This is the first full year for the survey, following a limited pilot project in 2023.
The Healthy Illinois Survey seeks to reach as many as 55,000 households this year, with a goal of at least 400 responses per county and participation from every zip code in the state. The survey will ask a variety of health-related questions, including about overall health, access to care, chronic conditions, use of tobacco and alcohol, diet and nutrition, immunization, and more. All responses will be strictly confidential, and only aggregate data will be released publicly. Click here for more information about the survey.
In another effort to encourage participation, those who are asked to take part will receive an incentive of $1 to $2 per household prior to the survey, and will receive $10 upon completion of the survey.
COVID-19 Information
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a weekly Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard that will be updated weekly on Friday. This report provides the public with the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data.
Click here to visit the IDPH COVID-19 resources webpage. IDPH will continue to report the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, with COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information also reported through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
On April 29 at noon CT, the Food and Drug Administration will host its next in a series of Town Halls on medical device sterilization. Attendees may submit questions at least one week in advance to MedicalDeviceSterilization@fda.hhs.gov. Following this town hall, the presentation, printable slides and transcript will be available on CDRH Learn under “Specialty Technical Topics,” sub-section “Sterility.”
Women’s remote work conundrum
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/17) that, “Women continue to dominate the applicant pool for remote jobs — but there aren’t nearly enough positions to satisfy the demand, according to a new report from LinkedIn.”
Racial health disparities exist in every state: report
AXIOS reported (4/18) that, “Even states that made progress narrowing racial and ethnic health disparities have considerable gaps on access, outcomes and quality of care, a new Commonwealth Fund report finds.”
Inside the maternal health crisis on Chicago’s South Side
WBEZ reported (4/17) that, “The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, and the issue continues to be a health crisis here in Illinois. When we zoom into Chicago, rates are even worse, especially for Black women and those with lower socioeconomic status. Three out of four people living in the South Side and South Chicago are Black. An obstetrical desert continues to plague these neighborhoods, forcing mothers into risky situations.”
Carle Health encourages planning for advanced care
WCIA reported (4/17) that, “No one wants to think about their own death, but planning ahead for when that time comes is important. Carle Health wants to make that easier.”