The newsroom includes access to Council Connect, our twice-monthly newsletter on Hospital Council’s work. Key articles and issues of interest, along with the President’s Message, are included below.
Newsroom
Leadership Beyond the Hospital Walls
Read only the headlines, and health care looks like a story about scarcity. Margins are thinner. Workforce pipelines are strained. Regulatory demands keep expanding. Patients arrive with needs more complex than any single institution was designed to meet. And in a lot of boardrooms, the hard questions about 2027 are arriving faster than the answers.
Section Updates for August 12, 2026
Central Valley: In the latest meeting of member hospitals’ community benefits leads, Hospital Council continued to coordinate the development of an investment plan to address hunger and food insecurity across Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties. With structure and metrics for the group’s shared priorities taking shape, the group is aiming to finalize its plan...
New Business Partner Brings Emotional Well-Being Solutions, EAP Support to Hospitals
Concern, a new Hospital Council strategic business partner, delivers clinically led mental health and employee well-being solutions built within the health care ecosystem. Concern’s professionals are experienced in hospital culture and bring firsthand insight into the pressures facing nurses, physicians, and care teams. This perspective informs their services, which include an access center, counseling, immediate...
Webinar Will Address Supporting People with Disabilities During Extreme Weather Events
On Aug. 27 at 11:30 a.m. (PT), the ADA National Network will host a training focused on the unique challenges faced by people with disabilities during weather emergencies, along with strategies for building a more resilient and inclusive community. The webinar will also help attendees understand the intersection of disability law and emergency response.
EMSA Pauses Audit Tool Compliance Activities Through August
The Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) is pausing some activities associated with Assembly Bill 40 compliance and the ambulance patient offload time (APOT) Audit Tool. All APOT audits, compliance evaluations, and biweekly calls with participating facilities exceeding their APOT standard will be paused through August 2026.
Aug. 27 Webinar Will Highlight New Partner’s Independent Dispute Resolution Platform
On Aug. 27 from 9 to 10 a.m. (PT), new Hospital Council strategic business partner Pivotal will host a webinar about building a sustainable, modern independent dispute resolution program. With customers seeing an 89%-win rate and 5:1 return on investment on out-of-network payment disputes, Pivotal is a strong partner in helping hospitals obtain reimbursement for...
As OBBBA Impacts Loom, Hospitals Work Together
Just over a year ago, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), ushering in monumental changes for California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. Nearly 400 days since the legislation was signed into law, its impact on hospitals and the communities they serve is only beginning to take shape — and Hospital Council is mobilizing to meet the moment.
Section Updates for July 22, 2026
Central Valley: Hospital Council is working in partnership with public health and 16 local hospitals to update the mutual aid memorandum of understanding for Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties. This agreement facilitates disaster response, addressing the relationships and responsibilities of local stakeholders during emergencies. While traditionally a one-year agreement, the latest iteration will move...
July 29 Webinar Will Share Innovative Staffing Solutions
At an upcoming webinar, Hospital Council associate member ShiftMed will explore the possibility that the workforce problem is actually a preference mismatch (not a shortage), what the generational shift in nursing is doing to scheduling models, and why most health systems are structurally unable to capture savings without new operating infrastructure. Speakers will address case...
DHCS Releases Hospital Fee Program 9 Draft Fee & Payment Schedule
As reported in last week’s CHA News, federal approval of Hospital Fee Program 9 means that the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) can begin assessing the fee and implementing the managed care portion of the program.
