Announcements & News

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

Email: [email protected]

More . . .

HSANV staff are on a hybrid schedule and telecommute most days. HSANV is located within the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) offices.

Virginia COPN Program:

• Virginia (State) COPN Website
• Contact Information COPN
• COPN Application Batching Schedule

Note: Application materials for a Certificate of Need are obtained through the Virginia’s state DCOPN program office and can be downloaded from the state website. Applications for proposed facilities and/or services in Health Planning Region II/Planning District 8 are submitted to both the state offices and to the HSANV offices.

2026 Virginia Legislative Session

• Virginia LIS
• Senate Education and Health
• House Health & Human Services

 Virginia Health Information (VHI)

Of Interest

 Virginia General Assembly

Facility Profiles :

Hospital inpatient utilization profiles for all  Virginia acute care hospitals:

• Northern Virginia Hospitals, 2024 (2022 data)
• Northwesten, Southwest, Central & Eastern Virginia Hospitals, 2024 (2022 data)

County Profiles:

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

• Northern Virginia Counties,2024 (2022 data)
• Northwesten, Southwest, Central & Eastern Virgnia Counties, 2024 (2022 data)

NVA Demographic Quick Facts for NVA Counties

• 2015 estimates
• 2019 estimates
• 2023 estimates

Virginia Total  Population (US Census)

2020-2024 by HPR/PD/County

2010-2020 by HPR/PD/County

2020-2024 by HPR/PD/County Age Groups

2023 Health Care Insurance Coverage HPR/PD/County

More . . .

Maps:

Virginia’s Health Planning Regions & Planning Districts

Virginia’s Health Regions & Public Health Districts

Northern Virignia Acute Care Hospitals

Northern Virginia Acute Hospital Service Areas

 Virginia Legislature Information System

Vital Statistics Summary Table for NVA Jurisdictions

November 2026

HSANV Board Meeting*

Monday, November 9, 2026; 7:30 PM (Tentative)

December 2026

HSANV Board Meeting*

Monday, December 14, 2026; 7:30 PM (Tentative)

Meeting materials are emailed to the Board and are posted for download in a zip compressed file. Details for audio/phone access will be posted prior to the meeting.

*In-person Meetings held at:

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

Approved Minutes & Most Recent Meeting Materials

Approved Minutes from HSANV Board Meetings ( PDF)

Package for most recent HSANV Board Meeting (ZIP)

 VirginiaDepartment of Health

Select Data & Demographics

• The market forces quietly adding thousands to patient bills (Fierce Health)

• New Report Highlights What the Hospital Consolidation Debate Often Overlooks — and Why It Matters for Patients/Opinion (AHA)

• Health Care Spending and Insurance Premiums Among the Privately Insured (JAMA)

• U.S. Employer Health Care Costs Continue Multi-Year Climb, Projected to Rise 9.5% in 2027 (AON)

• The Medicare Advantage ‘quagmire’ facing hospitals (Beckers)

• FTC claims Ohio hospital's acquisition pivot as antitrust victory (Fierce Health)

• Virginia pouring $122 million into rural healthcare (Richmond Times Dispatch)

• National Hospital Flash Report - July 2026 (Kaufman-Hall)

• HCA Healthcare Completes Acquisition of the College of Health Care Professions (Business Wire)

• Defying Trends: 29% of Employers Cut Prescription Drug Costs in Inflationary Market (Fierce Health)

• Maryland sues UnitedHealth Group and Optum Inc. over defective Medicaid computer system (CBS)

• Viewpoint: The Implementation of Family-Focused Mental Health Care (JAMA)

• Healthcare is leaving the hospital faster than demographics suggest (Beckers)

• Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule Fact Sheet (CMS-1844-P) (CMS)
• CMS mulls tougher Medicare enrollment rules to combat fraud as part of 2027 home health payment rule (Fierce Health)

• Medicare Advantage Company Pays $342M to Government in Midst of Billing Probe (KFF)

• Is AI A Threat To Healthcare Jobs? Which Jobs Are And Aren’t At Risk (Forbes)
• 2 in 3 physicians are using health AI—up 78% from 2023 (AMA)

• Kaufman Hall - National Hospital Flash Report (Kaufman Hall)

• Social Media Use by Adults for Health Information, Social Media Use in Children, Managing Familial Hypercholesterolemia, and more (JAMA - Podcast)
• Users of social media and AI chatbots for health information are more likely to say they are convenient than accurate (PEW)
• AI playing a major role in consumers' healthcare decision-making, survey finds (Fierce Health)

• 42 hospitals closing departments or ending services fost half 2026. In the VA/MD/DC region this includes the closure of the Adventist Freestanding ER in Germantown (Low Use), the closure of the observation unit at Winchester Medical Center and Baltimore’s LifeBridge Health will shutter its Ellicott City Ambulatory Surgery Center (Low Use)  (Beckers)

• Trends in the Payvider Model and US Hospital Systems Owning Health Plans, 2018-2023 (JAMA)

• Feds finalize No Surprises dispute portal, payer registry: 5 things to know (Beckers)

• House Oversight chair asks CMS how CPT coding complexity fuels improper billing (Fierce Health)

• Viewpoint: Regulating Private Equity in Clinical Care Delivery—Lessons From California and Oregon (JAMA)

• Having multiple falls nearly doubles risk of dementia, study finds (McKnights)

• UnitedHealthcare to cut prior authorization requirements by 30% (Healthcare Financial)

• Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for Major Medicaid Policy (Beckers)

• All-or-Nothing: Inside CMS Audits of Nursing Home Quality Measures and Their Impact on Reimbursement and Star Ratings (Skilled Nursing News)

• States Scramble to Implement Medicaid Work Rules Ahead of 2027 (Governing)

• U.S. bariatric surgery rates drop significantly amid GLP-1 surge (News Medical)

• New Study Reveals ASCs Save Medicare Billions Every Year (ASCFocus)

• AdventHealth, UNC appeal approvals for HCA, Novant projects (Beckers)

• Payers, hospitals pan CMS' plan to bring non-network plans to ACA exchanges (Fierce Health)

• Rural Counties Continue to Lose Access to Obstetric Care (Governing)

• Cost Concerns and Coverage Changes: A Follow-Up Survey of ACA Marketplace Enrollees (KFF)
• Orginal Survey Results: 2025 KFF Marketplace Enrollees Survey

• This common vaccine cuts heart risk nearly in half in new study (Science Daily)

• The fragile economies at the heart of rural hospitals (Reuters)

• Nursing homes falsely diagnose patients as schizophrenic to sedate them, report says (Medpage Today)
• HHS Office of Inspector Gneral Issue Brief

• FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson Launches Healthcare Task Force (FTC)

• The healthcare roles least, most vulnerable to AI: Washington Post (Beckers)

• Opinion: The greatest threat to federally qualified health centers may not be federal funding cuts (STAT)

• More LPNs, Fewer RNs: Nursing Home Unionization Reshapes Staffing but Not Quality (Skilled Nursing News)

• State approves three Chesterfield hospital projects, totaling $672M: VCU, HCA and Bon Secours projects receive health commissioner's OK (Virginia Business)

• The Cost and Trust Factors Driving Patient Choice in Post-Acute Care: U.S. News 2026 Survey (US News)

• Flat 2027 Medicare Advantage Rates Signal Tighter Budgets—and Tougher Access Ahead (Pharmaceutical Commerce)

• Former UVA Health CEO files $34M defamation lawsuit (Beckers)

• CMS unveils new initiatives aimed at cracking down on healthcare fraud (Fierce Health)

• HIMSSCast: New HOPE reporting requirements for hospice care (Healthcare Finance)

• Medicare's three-day rule: Longer hospital stays, no patient benefit (News Medical)

• Primary care physicians’ HER (Electronic Health Record) work persists even after reducing patient visits: study (HealthcareDive)

• Following legal setbacks, HHS agrees to toss 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program (Fierce Health)

• Federal health care changes could have big impact on Virginia's free/charitable clinics(WTKR)  

• FTC reaches 'landmark settlement' with Cigna's Express Scripts (Healthcare Finance)

• Thousands of Maryland Health Connection customers left waiting for insurance (WBAL)

• Report: Massachusetts Health insurers denied one in five claims in 2024 (WWLP)

• MultiCare agrees to $3.7M settlement over allegations it knowingly allowed unnecessary surgeries (Fierce Health)

• Tracking Applications for Rural Health Transformation Funds (KHN)

• These new Virginia laws starting Jan. 1 target wages, social media and healthcare (WTVR)

• Notable healthcare policies taking effect in 2026 (Beckers)

• CMS announces Rural Health Transformation Program awards (Healthcare IT)

• Fact Sheet: Transparency in Coverage Proposed Rule - CMS 9882-P (CMS)

• After Outpatient Cosmetic Surgery, They Wound Up in the Hospital or Alone at a Recovery House (KFF)

• It's official. Riverside Smithfield Hospital (Virginia) to open Jan. 6 (Health Leaders)

• Study: Increase in new models of primary care and corporate ownership (Fierce Health)

• Elder abuse attorney: PE, REITs driving decline in SNF quality (McKnights)

• 2025 Health System Performance Outlook: Redefining performance in an era of financial pressure (Kaufman Hall)

• 77% of Americans are pleased with their 2026 health insurance options (InsuranceNet)

• Why Medicare Advantage contract negotiations are getting heated (Health Care Dive)

• Indiana Hospital Merger Highlights Tension Between State, Federal Regulators (Law)

• Is CMS’ 560-code move the tipping point for ASC surgical dominance? (Beckers)

• Infographic: Top 5 Nursing Workforce Stories in 2025 (Health Leaders)

• More rural hospitals shutter labor and delivery units in 2025: report (Health Care Dive)
• Rise in emergency room births after labor & delivery closure (WAGM)

• Broken Rehab: They Need a Ventilator To Stay Alive. Getting One Can Be a Nightmare (KFF)

• Senate appears polarized as health care subsidy cliff nears (Roll Call)

• Cassidy again grills American Medical Association over handling of CPT codes (Fierce Health)

• ‘Medically Unnecessary’: Georgia Man Sentenced In Massive Genetic Testing Kickback Scam (Tampa Free Press)

• Prehabilitation helps reduce disability after surgery in frail older adults (News Medical)

• CMS proposes overhauling Medicare Advantage star ratings (Health Care Dive)
• Humana again tries to overturn star ratings decision (Health Care Finance)

• Some people with Arizona Medicaid are running into 'ghost networks' for mental health care (KJZZ)

• High-Engagement Social Media Posts Related to Prescription Drug Promotion for 3 Major Drug Classes (JAMA)
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• Researchers say results of a study suggest UnitedHealth may be sidestepping government rules meant to keep a lid on exorbitant payer profits (HealthCareDive)
• Study: UnitedHealthcare Pays Optum Providers More Than Non-Optum Providers (Health Affairs)

• Top 12 healthcare cyberthreats (Beckers)

• So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What? (KFF)

• Three health tech innovators push boundaries to build a brighter future of cardiovascular care (News-Medical)

• Nonprofit health systems unveil ACA plans amid ongoing Florida Blue contract dispute (Fierce Health)

• CMS Offers Good News, Bad News for Telehealth (Health Leaders)

• Managed Medicaid plans offer suggestions on rollout of work requirements (HealthcareFiance)

• Geography Matters: Location plays key role in long-term care cost (InsuranceNet)

• Choosing the Right Site of Care Could Cut Outpatient Surgery Costs in Half (AJMC)
• Study: Pricing and Insurance Networks in Outpatient Surgery Markets  (AJMC)

• Emergency department deaths tick up following private equity acquisition: study (HealthCareDive)

• Published Estimates of the Extent and Effects of Physician Consolidation (GAO)
• Physician practice consolidation skyrocketing: 10 GAO findings (Beckers)

• Health insurance marketplace rate hikes top 20 percent in most states, Cantwell says (Roll Call)

• Hospital Price Markup and Outcomes of Major Elective Operations (JAMANetwork)

• Primary care’s murky definition (Beckers)

• US FDA approves Eli Lilly's therapy for advanced breast cancer (Reuters)

• Healthcare Cybersecurity: The Urgency Of Now (Forbes)
• Tracking healthcare data breaches (HealthCareDive)

• Providers face $32.1B in lost 2026 revenue if enhanced ACA subsidies expire (Fierce Health)

• The Many Roadblocks Are Frustrating’: Medscape Physicians on Claims Denials Report 2025 (Medscape)

• Judge vacates Medicare Advantage audit rule in win for industry (HealthCareDive)

• Current Population Reports: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2024 (US Census
• Uninsured Rates Up in 18 States and District of Columbia (US Census)

• Extended Hospital Stays in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare (JAMA Network)

• Underused blood conservation technique can reduce odds of needing transfusion during heart surgery by 27% (MedicalXpress)

• Top healthcare legislation to watch so far this year (HealthcareDive)

• Medicare pilot program to use AI for pre-approval of medical procedures (Health Leaders)

• Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations:Performance Year 2024 Financial and Quality Results (CMS)

• Elder abuse is surging: Congress must protect long-term care residents (The Hill)

• The Substantial Costs Of The No Surprises Act Arbitration Process (Health Affairs)
• Study suggests No Surprises Act protections are reducing patients' out-of-pocket costs (Fierce Health)

• How rural hospitals are banding together to survive (NPR)

• Dementia drives increases in medical costs, cuts for caregiver income (Healio)

• Healthcare’s $300 Billion Bottleneck: Why Billing Is The Next Big AI Battleground (Forbes)

• Older Adults Are Spending Too Long in the ED—Here’s Why and What Could Help (JAMA News Network)

• ACC Health insurance costs are about to spike again: What to expect in 2026 (MSN)
• Maryland [Exchange] could see a spike in health insurance costs in 2026 (CBS)

• Texas judge dismisses Humana's challenge to Medicare plan ratings (Reuters)

• Medicaid waivers for continuous enrollment, workforce training to end: CMS has sent letters to states notifying them that it doesn’t plan to approve any new such waivers or extend existing ones (Healthcare Dive)

• Surprise medical bills were supposed to be a thing of the past but the measure protected patients primarily from only one type of surprise bill (LA Daily News)

• Most Medicare Advantage markets controlled by few insurers (Healthcare Dive)
• KFF Full Brief: Most Medicare Advantage Markets are Dominated by One or Two Insurers (KFF)
• I helped create Medicare Advantage here’s why I believe it needs reform (Opinion -The Hill)

• Medicare Seeks Hospital Pay Bump, Pushes Price Transparency (Bloomberg Law)

25% of Nursing Homes Slash Food Spending Below $10 a Day Per Resident(Skilled Nursing News)

Older 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)

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)

Materials will also be posted for download prior to the meeting.

Board Packages for the most recent meetings are available for download below (compressed zip fie)

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

Call-in access information will be provided here prior to any meeting.