Announcements & News

Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia
3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200
Fairfax, Virginia 22031  

Email: [email protected]

More . . .

HSANV staff telecommute most days. We are located within the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) offices, which are open on a limited basis.

Virginia COPN Program & Recent Updates:

• Virginia (State) COPN Website

• Note: the state makes any determination as to whether Certificate of Need is required.

• Senate Bill 764 (pdf)
• COPN Application Batching Schedule (Updated 7/2022 -Excel)
• Contact Information COPN
  
  

2023 Virginia Legislative Session

• Senate Education and Health
• House Health, Welfare and Institutions

 Virginia Health Information (VHI)

Of Interest

 Virginia General Assembly

Facility Profiles:

Hospital inpatient utilization profiles for all  Virginia acute care hospitals:

• Northern Virginia Hospitals
• Northwesten, Southwest, Central & Eastern Virginia Hospitals

County Profiles:

Inpatient acute care patient use profiles for all Virginia residents by county of residence:

• Northern Virginia Counties
• Northwesten, Southwest, Central & Eastern Virgnia Counties

NVA Demographic Quick Facts for NVA Counties

• 2015 estimates
• 2017 estimates
• 2019 estimates
• 2020 Census/2020 5 Year ACS

 Trend Charts Virginia Health Planning Regions:

• Acute Care Hospitals: 1980 - 2016
• Nursing Homes: 1980 - 2016

Also On the Site

Virginia Historic Population (US Census)

 Total population by Health Planning Regions, Planning Districts and Counties/Independent Cities

More . . .

Map of Virginia’s Health Planning Regions

& Planning Districts

 Virginia Legislature Information System

Historic Inpatient Trends:

Beds, Days, Occupancy and ED Visits

• Virginia, Health Planning Regions and National Comparisons (Powerpoint File)

Economic Population Demographics

• Northern Virginia Comparative Economic Characteristics 2015 - 2019 ACS by County (Excel Workbook)

Leading Causes of Death

Leading Causes of Death with tables by PD/County/Independent City for Virginia residents (Excel)

Leading Causes of Death Charts Northern Virginia, Virginia rand United Stated 2010-2019 (PDF)

Covid-19: Data Charts (PDF)

• Northern Virginia & Virginia Cumulative Cases, Deaths and Hospitalizations (Updated thru  02/07/2023)
• Northern Virginia & Virginia Daily Cases, Deaths and Hospitalizations (Updated  thru 02/7/2023)
• Northern Virginia & Virginia Vaccine Doses Administered (Updated  thru 01/31/2023)
• All Charts with Summary Tables (Updated as of 02/07/2023)

Vital Statistics Summary Table for NVA Jurisdictions

Board of Directors Meeting (In Person*)

Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia

June 12, 2023

7:30 PM

Download full Board Package: June 12, 2023

Board of Directors Meeting (In Person*)

Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia

COPN Projects: VA-8700 & VA-8703 (Public Notice Below)

July 10, 2023

7:30 PM

* In Person Meetings are held at:

3040 Williams Drive, 2nd Floor NVRC Conference Room Fairfax VA 22031

The materials packages for the most recent Board of Directors meetings:

Full Board Package April 17, 2023

Full Board Package  Janauary 9, 2023

Approved minutes from previous HSANV Board Meetings (PDF)

Approved minutes from previous meetings for 2022

Are available to view/download (PDF)

• Using COVID-19 positive donor hearts may impact post-transplant survival (MedicalXpress)

• Court Upholds ACA Preventive Care Compliance Amid Legal Proceedings (Health Payer)

• United Healthcare draws fire from docs over new prior authorization policy for colonoscopies (Fierce Health)

• Private equity-backed Envision Healthcare files for bankruptcy (Financial Times)

• No Surprises Act IDR Process Once Again Exceeds Utilization Expectations (Health Leaders)

• Independent Dispute Resolution Case Load 14X More Than Expected (RevCycle)

• Monopoly concerns push FTC to sue to block Amgen’s more than $26B deal for Horizon (The Hill)

• Complementary and Alternative Medicines in HF: Key Takeaways From the AHA Statement (Medscape)

• Hospitals create police forces to stem growing violence against staff (WPR/NPR)

• Data leak may affect patients of multiple Virginia health care providers (Daily Press)

• State Lawmakers (Oregon) Eye Forced Treatment to Address Overlap in Homelessness and Mental Illness (KFF)

• An opportunity to enhance our model': Geisinger CEO Dr. Jaewon Ryu on Risant Health (Beckers)

• Kaiser Permanente discloses timeline, financial commitments for its VBC megadeal with Geisinger Health (Fierce Health)
• Kaiser Foundation Hospitals' new nonprofit Risant Health is acquiring Geisinger Health (Health Care Finance)

• Civil trial begins for first US nursing home with COVID outbreak, deaths (McKnights)

• The Health Plan Price Transparency Data Files Are a Mess- States Can Help Make Them Better (Health Affairs)

• VA renegotiates health record modernization contract (MSN)

• Razor Thin Margins Leave Hospitals Vulnerable to a Recession (RevCycle)

• Artificial intelligence is infiltrating health care. We shouldn’t let it make all the decisions (MIT Technology Review)

• Dr. Karen Shelton appointed as next Virginia State Health Commissioner (August Free Press)

• While the benefits of hospital-at-home programs are becoming apparent, providers may face several barriers to implementation, including developing and updating clinical workflows (Health Intelligence)

• How Hawaii plans to advance pediatric emergency care (Beckers)

• Senate COVID origins report details lab leak theory (Axios/MSN)

• The federal department has released ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies to increase healthcare transparency (RevCycle)

• Pandemic-era Medicare pay bump not enough to cover hospitals' 17.5% expense growth, AHA argues (Fierce Health)

• Lawmakers, union attack AHCA’s opposition to nursing home staffing mandate (McKnights)

• Opinion: It’s time to address the unaffordability of affordable health care (The Hill)

• The looming Medicaid purge is sending a chill through hospitals (Crains)

• Millions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as pandemic-era program ends (PBS)

• CVS Health Keeps Getting Bigger and Bigger (Managed Healthcare)

• Heart injury biomarker may help COVID-19 patients avoid hospitalization, new study shows (MedicalXpress)

• Virginia nonprofit sues for Irvo Otieno hospital records in death probe (WP/MSN)

• How does medical inflation compare to inflation in the rest of the economy? (KFF)

• Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease See Higher Hospital Readmission Rates (Revcycle)

• Study: Readmission Rates and Episode Costs for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias Across Hospitals in a Statewide Collaborative (JAMA Network)

• Why it’s hard for the U.S. to cut, or even control, Medicare spending (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Research into directories of UnitedHealth, Elevance, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana uncovers inaccuracies that can lead to surprise billing and delays in care (Health Leaders)

• Study: Consistency of Physician Data Across Health Insurer Directories (JAMA Network)

• Kentucky governor vetoes attempt to scrap expanded Medicaid benefits (Beckers)

• Health insurers balk at price demands in Colorado governor’s signature health insurance program (Colorado Sun)

• Rising drug shortages pose national security threat, Senate panel says (The Hill)

•  HSGAC Majority Staff’ Report - Risks of Drug Shortages

• HHS plans revamp of US organ transplant network with updated IT, more competition (FierceHealth)

• eHealth Research Highlights Economic Factors that Drive Enrollment in Medicare Advantage vs Medicare Supplement (Market Watch)

• Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for the Unwinding of the Pandemic-Era Continuous Enrollment Provision (KFF)

• Med Center and Top Cardio Surgeon Must Pay $8.5 Million for Fraud, Concurrent Surgeries (Medscape)

• Medicare Advantage plans denying more inpatient claims (Healthcare Finance)

• Medicare Advantage, insuring 1 million patients in North Carolina, faces new challenges to costs, practices (NC Healthcare News)
• 2023 Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth Has Shifted and Slowed (Health Payer)

• Office for Civil Rights brings 2 reports to Congress regarding state of HIPAA compliance and cybersecurity (Fierce Health)

• Georgia bill to replace certificate of need advances (Beckers)

• A new American Hospital Association report takes a closer look at the biggest challengers to healthcare's status quo (Health Leaders)

• AHA Report: Health Care Disruption (PDF)

• Under a new program, rural hospitals could get more money — but they have to end inpatient care (Mississippi Today)

• Medicaid enrollees largely unaware of upcoming redeterminations, survey finds (HealthCareDive)

• Pandemic-era legislation allowed Medicaid programs to keep people continuously enrolled, but new data spells trouble for people and provider revenue when that expires (RevCycle)

• Doctors Are Disappearing From Emergency Rooms as Hospitals Look to Cut Costs (Medscape)

• North Carolina House overwhelmingly approves its latest plan to expand Medicaid (WGHP)

• Certificate of Need exemption for birthing centers causes debate in W.Va. House (Parkersburg News & Sentinel)

• FTC’s enforcement action against GoodRx unveiled a new regulatory threat. Should digital health apps be concerned? (HealthCareDive)

• White House announces plans to enhance transparency over nursing home ownership (The Hill)

• More than 75% of Tennessee's rural hospitals at high risk of closure (MSN)

• Podcast:Surprise Ambulance Bills and Beyond (Health Affairs)

• Loudoun Moving to Local Health Department (Loudoun Now)

• Youngkin administration hands health commissioner duties to Lindsay (MSN)

• Evaluation of Prices for Surgical Procedures Within and Outside Hospital Networks in the US (JAMA Network)

• Despite High Spending, US Ranks Last in Health Outcomes: Study (Medscape/WebMD)

• U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes (Commonwelath Fund)

• We're Still Gonna Say No': Inside UnitedHealthcare's Effort to Deny Coverage to Chronically Ill (Pro Publica)

• Nonprofit hospitals may evade noncompete ban enforcement, experts say (HealthCareDive)

• Also:Doctors no longer bound by noncompetes under FTC’s proposed ban

• Follow-up colonoscopy rates low after positive stool-based test (MedicalXpress)

• Colorectal Cancer: New Blood Test May Help Determine if Chemotherapy is Needed After Surgery (Healthline)

• A bill for Virginia nursing home staffing standards is moving (Richmond Time Dispatch)

• Bill Targeting Minimum Staffing Standards, Value-Based Purchasing Gains Traction in Virginia (Skilled Nursing)

• Maryland lawmakers seek to remake the state’s health delivery system (Washington Post)

• Issues to watch during Maryland’s 2023 legislative session (Baltimore Sun)

• How this law (No Surprise Act) reshaped medical billing, and what challenges remain for patients (PBS)

• The portal to resolve surprise bills has been inundated with disputes — SCP Health tops the list (HealthCareDive)
• The No Surprises Act and ‘Good Faith Estimate’: What Is It and When Is It Required (MedCityNews)

• Healthcare workers union petitions FDA to recall Fresenius dialysis machines (UPI)

• Ransomware Attacks at Record Levels; Healthcare Organizations Must Be Ready Via Data Security and Disaster Response Policies and Procedures (National Law Review)

• State Health Plan (NC) rejects appeals from Blue Cross NC and United Healthcare (Charlotte Observer)

• State, hospital association paint different pictures of Colorado nonprofit hospitals' finances (KUSA)

• More than 8 in 10 nursing homes face staffing shortages (The Hill); AHCH State of the Nursing Home Industry Study 2023 (ACHA)

• Also: It’s time to crack down on NY’s predatory nursing home operators (Syracuse -Guest Opinion by Richard J. Mollot)
• Inspector general will review program for poorest performing nursing homes (McKnights)
• Nurses Push for Staffing Requirements at Nursing Homes (Globest)
• Nursing-home reform may finally become a reality: Three breakthroughs that are turning talk into action (Market Watch)

• South Carolina lawmakers to consider ending part of approval process for new health care facilities (WBTW)

• Study says U.S. hospital giant HCA  puts profits above patient care (NBC)

• Closing at UPMC hospital in central Pa. surprises, worries mayor of rural town (PennLive)

• Record High in U.S. Put Off Medical Care Due to Cost in 2022 (Gallup)

• Certificate of need changes in the Carolinas: What ASCs need to know in 2023 (Beckers)

• Study: Up to a third of rural hospitals are at risk of closure (Richmond Times Dispatch)

• Certificate of Need officially filed for new regional medical center in Easton (Maryland Daily Record)

• Providers, Payers In Ongoing “Tug-of-War” Over ED Coding, Study Says (RevCycle)

• CMS Proposes Bid to Speed Up Insurers' Prior Authorization Decisions (Medscape)

• Payer, Provider Orgs React to Prior Authorization Proposed Rule (HealthPayer)

• Employers Can Do More to Advance Health Equity (Harvard Business Review)

• Related: How much employees actually pay for health care plans (Eastern Oregonian)

• Considerations for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Its State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal Public Health Partners (RWJF)

• Patient discharge delays pose threat to health outcomes  (Healthcaredive)

• Issue Brief: Patients and Providers Faced with Increasing Delays in Timely Discharges (AHA)

• High Deductibles Keep Some Women From Follow-Up After Troubling Mammogram (USNews)

• For-profit health systems HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and Community Health Systems have all had positive operating margins for most quarters during the pandemic (RevCycle)

• 7 Challenges, Opportunities for All-Payer Claims Databases (Health Payer)

• Critical changes in COVID-19 standards of care associated with improved mortality outcomes (MedicalXpress)

• Should older seniors risk major surgery? New research offers guidance (SFGate)

• Brief: How does medical inflation compare to inflation in the rest of the economy? (Health System Tracker)

• Potential Effects of the Proposed Medicaid Eligibility Rule for Newly Enrolled Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees (KFF)

• AMA found that around a third of Medicare Advantage markets in 2021 had one insurer with a market share of 50 percent or more, indicating low competition levels (HealthPayer)

• 3 trends to watch as ACA open enrollment begins

• Senate Dems urge action on false Medicare marketing (AXIOS)

• Hospitals likely face difficult service line decisions amid growing financial woes, Kaufman Hall warns (Fierce Health)

• CMS releases final payment rules for 2023: 15 takeaways (Becker’s)

• Half of hospitals spend just 1.4% of expenses on charity care, KFF finds (HealthcareDive)

• Rural Emergency Hospitals – CY 2023 OPPS Final Rule Includes Additional Information on New Medicare Provider Type (National Law Review)

• Lobbying Expenditures in the US Health Care Sector, 2000-2020 (JAMA Network)

• 'Calm before the storm': Health insurance costs set to spike after they stayed mostly flat in 2022, survey finds (MSN)

• Payment Policy And The Challenges Of Medicare And Medicaid Integration For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries (Health Affairs)

• LCMC Health and Tulane University announce partnership with LCMC to acquire three HCA hospitals through the agreement (Tulane)

• Joint Press Release

• U.S. Hospitals Under Strain as ER Wait Times Lengthen (US News)

• Home health services patients sue HHS secretary over Medicare policy (The Hill)

• Beleaguered Bright slashes footprint, fully exiting all ACA markets, nixing MA for 9 states with ony Caifonia and Florida left (Health Care Dive)

• Research Brief: The Role Of Administrative Waste In Excess US Health Spending (Health Affairs)

• CMS Seeks Input on National Directory of Healthcare Providers (RevCycle)

• Federal Register: Request for Information; National Directory of Healthcare Providers & Services

• Major worldwide study clusters long COVID symptoms into 3 groups (Fierce Health)

• If passed, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) could have significant implications for health data privacy outside of HIPAA (HealthIT)

• An ‘unprecedented’ hospital system hack disrupts health-care services (MSN)

• Patients for Profit - How Private Equity is Hijacking Health Care: Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In (KHN)

• NC Hospitals Propose to Fund Medicaid Expansion, Reform CON Laws (Health Payer)

• Emergency Out-of-Network Payments Were Twice the Benchmark Level (Medscape)

• Comparison of Estimated No Surprises Act Qualifying Payment Amounts and Payments to In-Network and Out-of-Network Emergency Medicine Professionals (JAMA Forum)

• ‘The Hell That They Put Me Through’: Nursing Homes Are Suing Caregivers for Debts They Don’t Owe, Regulator Says (Barrons)

• Hospitals Divert Primary Care Patients to Health Center ‘Look-Alikes’ to Boost Finances (California Healthline)

• Amazon Care is shutting down at the end of 2022. Here's why (Fierce Health)

• Amazon’s Health Care Ambitions (Washington Monthly)

• Private equity bought a nursing home, leading to staff cuts and a decline in care (Marketplace)

• Atlanta Medical Center closure: What you need to know (Beckers)

• Major Atlanta hospital announces closure, drawing mayor’s ire (MPT/PBS)

• AI predicts demand for hospital beds for patients coming through emergency department (Medcial Xpress)

• Hospital margins worse than when pandemic began, report says (Healthcare Dive)

• National database for showing nursing home ownership has gaps, report says (Axios)

• How Can We Improve the Hospital Discharge Process?(Medpage)

• New rural hospital model draws interest — and questions (Crains)

• Buy and Bust: Collapse of Private Equity-Backed Rural Hospitals Mired Employees in Medical Bills (KHN)

• Colorado's new hospital price transparency law adds 'real teeth' to weak federal enforcement, experts say (Fierce Health)

 VirginiaDepartment of Health

Members of the public are invited to attend meetings Board Meetings and Public Hearings of the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia (HSANV).

If applicable, teleconference/zoom access information will be provided prior to any meeting.