CON passed in Senate
The Senate passed the certificate-of-need bill Wednesday evening. The bill contains several problematic provisions stripping away the thoughtful review of adding health care facilities and services in the state. These provisions include removing the certificate-of-need requirement for:

• All new ambulatory surgical centers that can be built for less than $3.5 million.
• Organized outpatient health facilities, making it easier for imaging centers to be developed.
• Birth centers without coupling it with licensure and full legal immunity for hospitals.
• Several other services, including cardiac catheterization and radiation therapy services.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration. House members need to hear from hospital advocates to understand why these changes are detrimental to rural health care. IHA sent an action alert yesterday evening. Advocates are encouraged to reach out to their House representatives and urge them to not take up this bill.

Spots still available for 2023 Governance Forum
The 2023 IHA Governance Forum will help hospital trustees prepare for the future of governance and build for their organizations' long-term success. Sessions will include discussions about future trends in health care, population health and cybersecurity.

Other forum topics include:

• Answering unexpected questions in unexpected places.
• Effectively advocating for your hospital.
• Considering fiduciary and ethical challenges.

Trustee awards will follow Friday's lunch. An optional session is available that provides a primer about trustee duties. The forum is sponsored by AssuredPartners, ServiShare, Graham Construction, McGough Construction and Shive-Hattery. It is scheduled from Friday, April 14, to Saturday, April 15.

Submit nominees for IHA’s 2023 leadership awards
IHA presents three leadership awards at its annual meeting to recognize significant achievement in hospital or health system administration and governance.

The three awards are:

• Excellence in Leadership Award – Presented to an Iowa hospital or health system CEO demonstrating notable achievement in administration of the organization and contributions in the broader areas of health care or health policy.
• Excellence in Governance Award – Recognizes an outstanding trustee or board member making a significant contribution to the hospital or health system through their leadership and commitment to excellence.
• Young Executive Award – Presented to a hospital CEO under 40 showing significant positive influence in the hospital or health system.

Nominations are due Friday, June 16, and must be submitted online.

ProCircular CEO recognized for innovation

ServiShare partner ProCircular announced its CEO Aaron Warner was recognized for his success building a strong small business, creating jobs and increasing innovation and competition. The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Warner as Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year. The award is given to recipients from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

ProCircular is a Coralville-based cybersecurity and compliance firm providing cybersecurity expertise to a variety of businesses, including hospitals. ServiShare recently announced its partnership with ProCircular because of its deep health care cybersecurity knowledge.

Register for United Healthcare provider info expo
United Healthcare is hosting a conference to help providers support patients through streamlined claims and work processes. The Iowa Provider Information Expo will feature subject matter experts and advocate account managers speaking about:

• Correcting claim codes to match clinical records for accurate payments.
• Finding and applying clinical guidelines for submitting claims appeals.
• Using United Healthcare’s claims mobile service center.

The conference will be hosted at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport and is scheduled from 8 a.m.-1p.m. Thursday, April 27. The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 12. Email Mayra De Santiago at United Healthcare with questions.