IHA Daily Briefing: September 22

IHA Urges Healthcare Exemption from Proposed H-1B Visa Fee
Today, IHA submitted comments urging the U.S Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to exempt all healthcare H-1B visa petitions from a proposed $103,265 visa fee that would make permanent the fee put forth via 2025 and 2026 presidential proclamations to restrict entry of workers via the H-1B visa program. In the proposed rule, DHS states that the fee would generate revenue to recover a portion of the federal government's costs for administering the lawful immigration system.

Our comments cited the need for H-1B as a tool to staff hospitals appropriately and preserve access to healthcare, particularly in underserved communities. We also point to the looming financial headwinds created by H.R. 1's Medicaid cuts, which would be further exacerbated if DHS declines exempting healthcare from this visa fee.

The IHA comment letter can be found here. Comments are due through the federal register website by this Thursday, Sept. 24, and should reference DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0298.

Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough

REGISTER: IHA Webinar on New Medicare Cost Report Requirements Oct. 7
New Medicare cost report requirements on Medicare Advantage (MA) negotiated rates will have an impact on future Medicare payments. As a new federal requirement brings additional complexity to reporting, IHA will host a complimentary webinar, "MA Cost Report Requirements: What Hospitals Need to Know," on Oct. 7 from 11 a.m.-noon CT.

Alicia Faust, Principal with Forvis Mazars, will discuss the new mandated reporting of median MA payor-specific negotiated charges (PSNCs) by Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG). The new rules apply to cost reporting periods ending on or after Jan. 1, 2026, and must be reported on the new worksheet S-12.

Median negotiated rates should match hospitals' most recent price transparency machine-readable file (MRF) data. Accurately reporting MA negotiated rates is essential to preventing adverse audit findings. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use that data to set MS-DRG weights beginning in fiscal year 2029, replacing cost-based weights.

The webinar will cover required data elements; how to determine your hospital's reporting scope; workflow to calculate discharge-weighted median PSNCs; and processes to support accurate MRF maintenance, internal controls, and prompt preparation for the 2026 reporting requirement.

There is no fee to attend. The webinar will be recorded and made available to all registrants following the program. Register today.

Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough

CMS Releases Preliminary 2027 Medicare CLFS Fee Schedule
On Sept. 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the preliminary calendar year (CY) 2027 Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) payment rates. CMS will publish final CY 2027 CLFS rates on the CMS website in November.

The preliminary rates reflect data collected from Jan. 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025, which included private payor rates, the volume of tests paid at each rate, and the specific Healthcare Common Procedure Code System (HCPCS) code for each test. This data collection is in accordance with the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA), which requires most laboratories to collect and report certain private payor rate and volume data to CMS. CMS then uses the data to calculate weighted median private payor rates, which provide the basis of the Medicare payment rates for most tests.

The public has 30 days to review and submit comments on the preliminary CY 2027 CLFS rates and supporting data files. Comments should be submitted electronically to CMS' CLFS dedicated email at [email protected]. A CMS fact sheet can be found here.

Staff contact: Cassie Yarbrough

CISA Guidance Outlines Low-cost Cybersecurity Strategy for Hospitals
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released new guidance that encourages healthcare organizations to consider "cyber decoys" as a practical option to strengthen cyber defenses and improve early threat detection. While cyber decoys are not a replacement for existing security controls, CISA said realistic fake assets, such as files, accounts and credentials, can help security teams identify malicious activity quickly while generating fewer false alarms than traditional monitoring tools.

Any activity from the decoys will signal possible compromise, making them a potentially cost-effective layer of protection for hospitals facing increasing ransomware risks and persistent workforce constraints. According to CISA, these techniques can assist in the timely detection of intrusions, target the use of limited cybersecurity resources, and offer significant insight into attacker behavior.

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

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is removing approximately 760,000 enrollees from the federal insurance marketplace determined to be unauthorized. CMS said the initiative is part of ongoing efforts to prevent fraudulent and improper enrollments and remove unauthorized enrollments. CMS said it has also issued termination notices for over 200 non-compliant agents and brokers, representing those who submitted 2026 applications without key applicant information, such as Social Security Numbers.

The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services recently announced a new policy establishing the HHS Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Forecast that will be used to give American PPE manufacturers a clearer, more predictable signal of future HHS demand. The department said the new process will replace one-time data collection and will be reviewed and updated quarterly.

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