IHA Daily Briefing: Nov. 22

In Today’s Issue
Complimentary IHA Webinars on AI, Revenue Collection, Nurse Staffing
APIC Membership Discount for IHA Members
Webinar: Batching and Air Ambulance FAQs for Disputing Parties
Register for the 2023 Awards for Excellence in Telehealth
Recall of SoClean Equipment Intended for Use with CPAP Devices
COVID-19 Information
Briefly Noted

Complimentary IHA Webinars on AI, Revenue Collection, Nurse Staffing
Get strategies to reduce administrative burnout through generative artificial intelligence (AI), improve revenue collection by upgrading language in hospital policies and build a sustainable nurse pipeline. Three complimentary IHA webinars in December will cover these top healthcare issues.

Sponsored and presented by IHA’s 2023 Platinum Corporate Sponsors, the webinars are:

Marcus Morrow, Partner at The Law Offices of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman, will highlight the impact of strengthening word choice in administrative processes and documentation on revenue collection and litigation case appeals. Click here to register.

Medical Solutions Chief Nursing Officer Patti Artley, DNP, RN, CPN, NEA-BC, will identify short- and long-term strategies to recruit and retain nurses, including how to foster a positive work environment for nurses. Click here to register.

Jeremy Screws, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist in Mississippi, will discuss how integrating generative AI into electronic health records can reduce administrative burden. Suki AI Vice President of Strategic Customer Engagements Josh Margulies will also present the webinar. Click here to register.

There is no fee for these webinars. Each webinar will be recorded and a link to the recording will be available to registrants for 60 days after the program date.

Contact us with questions.

APIC Membership Discount for IHA Members
In support of infection preventionists, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is offering IHA members a discount on an annual individual membership. To save $30 on APIC membership, IHA members can complete the online membership form and enter the discount code 23ILHAS on the last page of the application before the payment screen. This offer is only valid online and applies to APIC Full/Active or New IP Memberships (U.S. only). This offer expires Dec. 31.

To support hospital members with their commitment to quality and safety efforts, IHA’s Institute for Innovations in Care and Quality is advancing person-centered healthcare in Illinois through evidence-based initiatives that can measurably improve patient safety and strengthen quality healthcare including the prevention of healthcare-acquired infections. For questions about our programs and resources, contact IHA.

Webinar: Batching and Air Ambulance FAQs for Disputing Parties
An upcoming webinar will provide an overview of the No Surprises Act Independent Dispute Resolution Batching and Air Ambulance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), while also offering FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Implementation Part 63 (FAQs Part 63). Subject matter experts will summarize these batching and air ambulance FAQs, with particular attention paid to implications for providers, facilities, plans and issuers. This free webinar will be hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Nov. 28 from 2-4 p.m. CT. Click here to register.

Register for the 2023 Awards for Excellence in Telehealth
Partnership for a Connected Illinois is hosting a virtual event honoring leaders in telehealth. During the event, State Sen. Laura Fine will receive the “Leadership Award for Improved Policy Changes to Advance Telehealth,” in recognition of her efforts to improve access to existing mental health resources in Illinois by prioritizing the formation of new support systems, such as telehealth. Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness will receive the “Achievement Award for Improved Care for Underserved Populations,” to honor the organization’s commitment to support community well-being by utilizing telehealth as a tool to ensure equity in access and delivery of exceptional care. Register to attend the Dec. 5 award ceremony from noon-1 p.m. CT.

FBI, CISA and MS-ISAC Recommend Actions to Defend Against Cybercriminals
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to alert healthcare and other critical infrastructure to recent activity by Scattered Spider cybercriminal group. Scattered Spider uses social engineering techniques and legitimate remote access tools to compromise victim networks, extort ransom and steal data. View the CSA for a detailed overview of Scattered Spider tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). Recommended actions to mitigate this malicious cyber activity are highlighted in the CSA, including:

  • Maintaining offline backups of data;

  • Enabling and enforcing phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA); and

  • Implementing application controls to manage and control software execution.

The FBI and CISA also recently joined the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) to issue a joint CSA providing detail on Rhysida ransomware indicators of compromise and TTPs that have been identified though investigations as recently as September 2023. Rhysida ransomware has been deployed against the healthcare sector and other critical industry, targeting victims around the world and publishing stolen files online. The CSA underscores that hospitals are among the group’s “targets of opportunity,” with ransomware attacks that result in significant disruptions and delays to healthcare delivery. Organizations are encouraged to implement the recommendations in the mitigations section of the CSA, including:

  • Prioritizing remediating known exploited vulnerabilities;

  • Enabling MFA for all services to the extent possible, particularly for webmail, VPN and accounts that access critical systems; and

  • Segmenting networks to prevent the spread of ransomware.

Recall of SoClean Equipment Intended for Use with CPAP Devices
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Association (FDA) issued a safety communication to provide additional information about the voluntary recall of SoClean2 and SoClean3 equipment, which is used to clean, sanitize, or disinfect CPAP devices and accessories. The SoClean device recall includes new instructions for device use, including the importance of using a hose and mask adapter provided by the company. This voluntary recall is intended to help reduce potential health risks related to exposure to ozone gas after the use of SoClean2 or SoClean3 equipment.

COVID-19 Information
Since the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11, IDPH is releasing updated COVID-19 data every other week. Click here for the most recent hospitalization update. IDPH will continue to report the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, as well through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.

Briefly Noted
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration published the “Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements:  Presentation of the Major Statement in a Clear, Conspicuous, and Neutral Manner in Advertisements in Television and Radio Format Final Rule” a final rule. The final rule is effective May 20, 2024, and it will require drugmakers to state the drug’s major side effects and contraindications in direct-to-consumer television and radio advertisements in a clear, conspicuous, and neutral manner.

The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH), in conjunction with the State Board of Health (SBOH), announced yesterday they will hold a series of virtual public hearings Nov. 28-30 from 1-4 p.m. CT each day to seek public comment on the State Health Assessment (SHA) and the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). Those two documents are major components of “Healthy Illinois 2028,” a statewide five-year plan to improve the health of Illinois by addressing the priority public health issues of our communities. Click here to sign up. Draft versions of the SHA and SHIP can be viewed by clicking here.