IHA Daily Briefing: September 11

Illinois' 'Medical Aid in Dying' Law Still Set to Take Effect Sept. 12
This afternoon, a federal judge approved a temporary restraining order (TRO) in response to a lawsuit filed to block Illinois' Illinois End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (P.A. 104-0441), or the "medical aid in dying law," from taking effect tomorrow, Sept. 12. However, this TRO is limited to the plaintiffs in the case (Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, Inc. v. Prince, Case no. 1:26-cv-10665), which includes those healthcare entities acting under Cardinal Cupich's authority and those providing care on Plaintiffs' premises.

Additionally, a similar limited injunction was issued in another lawsuit (Kirchoff v. Treto, et al., No. 26-CV-9628) on Aug. 21. In this suit, the judge also temporarily halted enforcement and/or discipline by the State of Illinois against the named Plaintiffs, but not against anyone else. The named Plaintiffs in this case are "Catholic health care entities in the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., under Plaintiff Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki's authority."

All entities that are not covered by the limited TRO/injunctions, should be in compliance with the provisions of this Act by the Sept. 12 effective date.

Earlier this week, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) released, via the State of Illinois Rapid Electronic Notification System (SIREN) alert system, a memorandum outlining relevant information for clinicians, pharmacists, health systems and public health professionals in preparation for implementation of the Act when it becomes effective Sept. 12. The document also summarizes steps for clinicians to follow if they choose to provide medical aid-in-dying. Under the Act, physicians licensed in Illinois may prescribe medications for qualified patients with a terminal illness for the patient to self-administer to end their life.

The IDPH guidance document contains a general synopsis of the Act for clinicians who chose to provide aid-in-dying care under the Act. The Department emphasized that practitioners and entities should familiarize themselves with the specifics of applicable laws and consult legal counsel about their legal rights and obligations. IDPH noted that potentially relevant statutes and legal authorities outside this Act, such as the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, are beyond the scope of the provided guidance.

IDPH said it plans to make the information contained in the memorandum available on the IDPH website, as well as links to relevant forms and additional resources. Notification of these postings will be sent via a future (SIREN) alert.

Staff contact: Karen Harris

State Issues Medicaid Eligibility Changes Notice
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has issued a provider notice to inform providers about upcoming federal changes to Medicaid eligibility. Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, Medicaid eligibility will be eliminated for many lawfully present immigrants. HFS is requesting providers encourage individuals to update their status if the patient has had a recent change in noncitizen status (e.g., they become a legal permanent resident), so that they do not lose coverage. For more information on changes to Medicaid for noncitizens, please review the HFS provider notice, as well as an HFS webinar recording, slide deck, communications toolkit and flyer.

The provider notice also includes information on Medicaid work requirements that begin Jan. 1, 2027. These work requirements only apply to Affordable Care Act adults, and there are numerous ways to meet the requirements. For more details on the requirements and exemptions, please review the HFS provider notice, as well as an HFS slide deck on work requirements, webinar recording on exemptions to the work requirements, and slide deck on exemptions.

HFS is encouraging providers to inform patients with special medical needs that keeping up with appointments will be an important way for HFS to view their medical care services, as identifying medical care services in Medicaid claims data will help HFS determine that they may be exempt from the work requirement based on their health. IHA is developing a hospital-focused toolkit on these upcoming Medicaid work requirements that will be distributed to members in the near future.

CDC Health Alert: Nationwide Increase in Reported Human Rabies Exposures
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory yesterday, in response to reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals, as well as increased errors in administering rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The CDC noted that high-profile rabies outbreaks and mass rabies exposure events underscore the importance of performing careful rabies risk assessments and following evidence-based recommendations for administering PEP.

While the CDC said there is no current shortage of human rabies vaccine or human rabies immunoglobulin in the U.S., they stressed the importance of appropriate administration of PEP, saying, "Errors in rabies risk assessment and PEP administration could result in unnecessary treatment (e.g., additional doses of vaccine or HRIG), potential adverse effects, and avoidable costs." The health alert stressed clinicians and healthcare facilities play an important role in ensuring PEP is administered appropriately and according to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations. Additional information, guidance and resources can be found in the health advisory.

IDPH Releases Immunization Guidance Ahead of Fall Respiratory Virus Season
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has released fall respiratory virus immunization guidance for children, adults and pregnant individuals. The fall immunization guidance was adopted by IDPH based on recommendations made on Wednesday by the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee (IL-IAC), a group of 20 highly qualified experts spanning infectious diseases, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, nursing, pharmacy, and public health. Additionally, IDPH also endorsed the routine, non-seasonal adult and maternal immunization schedules, previously approved by the nation's leading medical associations. These routine schedules do not differ from what IDPH endorsed in 2025.

Cyber Alert: ShinyHunters Actively Targeting the Health Sector
Health-ISAC has issued a threat bulletin warning that the ShinyHunters cybercrime organization poses a "clear and present danger" to the health sector. The group has been observed actively targeting healthcare organizations through persistent voice phishing, or "vishing," campaigns with the intent of tricking personnel into exposing credentials on malicious sites that mimic legitimate login pages, thereby facilitating unauthorized initial access that enables them to complete large-scale data exfiltration and extortion. The group has been observed reaching employees directly on personal mobile devices via calls and voicemails, as well as emailing users en masse from multiple random accounts.

Health-ISAC said the most identifiable part of the operation is that domains are stood up with company-claims[.]com or company[.]claims impersonating the company in the domain. Organizations are encouraged to immediately review and strictly follow the recommendations provided in the threat bulletin, including blocking the .claim and .claims top-level domains within your organization unless they are legitimate infrastructure.

Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is now accepting applications for the new 2027 Carolyn Boone Lewis Award for Improving Health Outcomes, which recognizes hospitals' and health systems' achievements in applying data-informed strategies to improve health outcomes for all. Click here for more information. Awards will be presented at the 2027 AHA Leadership Summit, July 18-20, in San Diego. Applications are due Dec. 4.

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