IHA Daily Briefing: May 8

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

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:

State Legislative Update

After convening in session Tuesday through Thursday, both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly canceled their Friday session and adjourned for the week. House and Senate lawmakers will reconvene on Tuesday, May 12 at noon CT. The House is scheduled to be in session Tuesday through Friday, while the Senate is scheduled to be in session Tuesday through Thursday.

Today is the scheduled deadline to pass substantive legislation out of committee in both chambers. However, after canceling Friday's session, the House extended the committee deadline for 58 Senate Bills to pass out of committee until Friday, May 15. Deadline extensions are also anticipated in the Senate. There are three weeks left in the Spring 2026 session, with adjournment scheduled for Sunday, May 31. A list of Senate committee hearings for next week can be found here, and the House committee hearing schedule is here.

The budget negotiation process has begun in earnest and both chambers have positioned potential budget vehicles. HB 131 (Rep. Robyn Gabel) was assigned to the House floor, and SB 2512 (Sen. Elgie R. Sims Jr.) was assigned to the Senate floor. Shortly after positioning the budget vehicles, Rep. Gabel and Sen. Sims filed the Governor's fiscal year (FY) 2027 introduced operating and capital budgets, as well as the FY 2026 supplemental, as floor amendments to the legislation in their respective chambers.

This week, Revenue committees in both chambers held subject matter hearings on a list of potential progressive revenue streams to help fund the FY 2027 budget, including decoupling from five of the tax changes in H.R. 1; eliminating certain business incentives; creating a digital ad tax; and a mark-to-market tax. Proponents, including the Illinois Revenue Alliance, want the additional revenue to shore up social programs and education. Opponents testified that the various proposals raise implementation and constitutional questions and asserted "corporate loopholes" are business incentives designed to attract and retain business in Illinois, which were passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker. No vote was taken on the legislation.

Webinar: Antibiotic Stewardship for Critical Access Hospitals
The Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance Resource Center is hosting a webinar, "Antibiotic Stewardship for Critical Access Hospitals," May 13 at 1 p.m. CT, featuring Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experts who will share National Healthcare Safety Network updates tailored for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Antimicrobial Use Option has released updates to its risk-adjustment methodology with the 2023 Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratio (SAAR) rebaseline. A major development is the introduction of mixed acuity unit with SAAR values, which will enable more CAHs to receive SAAR calculations. This represents a substantial change from previous reporting periods when many CAHs were unable to generate SAARs due to not having SAAR-eligible units within NHSN. Speakers from CDC have specifically designed this webinar for CAHs and will provide a comprehensive overview of these important updates. Click here to register.

Apply: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training and Consultation
The Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center at University of Illinois Chicago, with support from Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, is providing a no-cost Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) Training for Illinois providers. This training will be held virtually from July 29-31 from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. CT.

Participants must meet all of the following requirements to attend:

• Master's degree or above in mental health discipline.

• Professional licensure in Illinois (or under supervision).

• Actively treating children/adolescents who have trauma symptoms or are in Illinois' foster care/child welfare system.

• Can commit to and participate in the follow-up TF-CBT Consultation Call Program consisting of twice monthly, one-hour group conference calls for six months.

Click here for more information about the training, eligibility requirements and additional information. Click here to apply.

Questions can be directed to Carrie Welter at [email protected].

Applications Now Open: AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award
Applications are now open for the American Hospital Association (AHA) Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award, which recognizes and shares the accomplishments of rural hospitals that demonstrate responsiveness, innovation, and excellence in developing, implementing and sustaining programs and services. One winner and up to three finalists will be selected; honorees will be hospitals investing in programs, care redesign, collaboration, or technology-driven solutions to address emerging challenges in rural, remote, and frontier areas of the United States and its territories. The award will be presented at the 2027 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, held Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2027, in Orlando, Fla. The AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award is sponsored by Microsoft. Click here to apply. Applications are due June 23 by noon CT.