IHA Daily Briefing: October 27

Join Us Next Week: IHA Emergency Preparedness Exercise
Over 100 hospitals are gearing up to test their preparedness and response plans for a mass casualty incident (MCI) by participating in IHA's Emergency Preparedness Exercise, "Rough Landing: A Mass Casualty Event," next Thursday, Nov. 6.

The live, interactive webinar will center on a stimulated commercial aircraft emergency landing near a hospital, with lessons applicable to any MCI. Held from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT, the exercise will highlight the decisive and swift action an MCI requires across disciplines, including patient surge, emergency communication, family reunification, and business continuity and recovery.

Gather your team for this important training opportunity, which will also assist in meeting a requirement of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that hospitals demonstrate completion of two preparedness exercises per year. See our program webpage for more information. Register today.

Staff contact: Keneatha Johnson

IHA Concludes 2025 Regional Hospital Leader Meeting Series
Last week, IHA concluded the final meetings in a series of five that have been held regionally across the state to allow IHA leadership to hear directly from hospital leaders on relevant policy issues, current challenges and potential opportunities. IHA Board Secretary Kim Uphoff, President and CEO of Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, and IHA Board Trustee Polly Davenport, Senior Vice President and Market CEO of Ascension Illinois, moderated the annual Regional Hospital Leader Meetings, which were attended by more than 100 hospital leaders in Naperville, Chicago, Springfield, Whittington and Collinsville.

"These regional meetings give us the opportunity to hear directly from our members about their most pressing issues and challenges, which is incredibly helpful feedback as we look ahead to the 2026 spring legislative session. By connecting leaders from across the state, we strengthen the collective voice and vision of Illinois hospitals," said A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO. "When we come together, we not only exchange ideas-we build unity, momentum, and purpose that help us tackle challenges and advance healthcare in Illinois."

Wilhelmi and the IHA team will use member feedback and guidance from these meetings to help shape IHA's draft 2026 State Advocacy Agenda, which will be presented to the IHA Board of Trustees at their retreat next month.

IMPORTANT: Medicaid IMPACT Revalidations Due Oct. 31
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. Providers in the October cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by this Friday, Oct. 31. Completing this information is necessary to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursement. If you are in this revalidation cycle and do not submit your revalidation information by Oct. 31 you will be disenrolled from the IMPACT system and cannot receive retroactive enrollment.

IHA urges all providers to check their revalidation cycle due date-including physicians and physician groups affiliated with your hospitals-and to check for any incomplete revalidations. NOTE: If a physician providing services at your hospital does not revalidate, your hospital will not receive payment for those services provided by that physician.

To check your revalidation due date, search the basic information page of your IMPACT enrollment. HFS has provided IHA with step-by-step instructions to check the status and due date of servicing providers that you can access here. The IMPACT Provider Revalidation website includes step-by-step instructions, a frequently asked questions document and a townhall webinar recording.

EO Signed Creating Commission to Document Federal Agents Misconduct
Gov. JB Pritzker has signed Executive Order (EO) 2025-06 establishing the Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC), an independent board tasked with creating a public record to review public accounts about the conduct of federal law enforcement agents. The Commission will also examine and document the impact of their conduct on the public and communities and consider policy recommendations to prevent future harm.

A press release from the Governor's office said the EO was introduced in response to "the lack of federal accountability for escalating federal enforcement actions marked by excessive force, masked agents in unmarked vehicles, military-style raids, the use of chemical irritants, and reports of violent conduct by federal agents across Chicagoland and throughout Illinois."

"The federal government is pushing the boundaries of their authority to terrorize our communities while disregarding all legal and moral accountability in the process. We will not meet intimidation with fear - we will meet it with truth," said Gov. Pritzker. "We are going to show the public - here in Chicago, the State of Illinois, across the nation, and around the world - exactly what is going on. We will create a detailed record, and that record will reflect reality. Once this all ends, I believe there will be people of good faith who will review what the Commission has recorded and will demand answers and accountability."

Illinoisans who have witnessed or experienced concerning conduct by federal agents are encouraged to visit the IAC website at ilac.Illinois.gov for forthcoming information about the Commission's work, hearing schedules, and other updates.