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HICE CEO Update - March 2026

From:	broadcast@iceforhealth.org 1
Date:	3/19/2026 12:49:05 PM
Subject:	HICE CEO Update - March 2026
Message:	To HICE Participants Welcome back to the bi-monthly CEO Update, designed to keep members apprised of the current happenings at HICE. Here is an update on what has been going on since my last report: Update on Launch of HICE Website Redesign We were recently advised by our IT development team that additional time will be needed to complete the updated version of the website. The HICE administrative team continues to work diligently to review the test cases for the new site and provide timely feedback to keep this process moving ahead, and we look forward to rolling it out soon! 5-Year Business Plan / HICE Annual Conference As I shared in my last report, the HICE Board of Directors is preparing to participate in an all-day offsite meeting next week to discuss the 5-year business plan for the organization. I expect it to be a very productive session, and I would like to express my appreciation to our volunteer Board of Directors for their contributions to the future of HICE and for making the time to participate and share their thoughtful insights. I will be providing more information as we work through the various aspects of the business plan and evaluate the best approach and format for future events, including the annual conference. HICE Team Updates Model of Care (MOC) Shared Health Plan Training - a training presentation template has been developed, reviewed and vetted by the HICE Compliance, Service Determination Standardization, and QI-UM teams and the HICE Team Leadership Committee and is now available in the HICE website library in the HICE Training Tools and Resources / Shared Health Plan Model of Care Training folder here. This training template was developed through HICE team collaboration to support health plans, provider groups, and delegated entities in meeting CMS and state regulatory requirements. It is specifically designed to help organizations satisfy Special Needs Plans (SNP) Model of Care standards, streamline care coordination practices, and ensure consistency across the shared health plan framework. To allow each organization to easily tailor the training template to their specific processes and requirements, the slide deck is available to download as a PowerPoint presentation. Please note: Because of this customization option, the training will not be offered on the HICE website as an online module with certificates of completion. For organizations that require formal documentation of training completion, an attestation form is available. This form can be signed and retained to confirm completion of the HICE Shared Health Plan Model of Care training. For questions, please contact the HICE Team Leaders below: Beth Richardson – Beth.Richardson@blueshieldca.com, Stacy Ramirez – Stacy.Ramirez@commonspirit.org, Linda Baker – LiBaker@clinicas.org, Holly Salayon – Holly_Salayon@uhc.com, Delilah Samson – Delilah.Samson@Anthem.com HICE extends special thanks to the HICE Shared Health Plan Model of Care Workgroup members who contributed to the development of this training template, ensuring alignment with regulatory and health plan model of care training requirements including Jennifer Bundy of Clever Care Health Plan, Libby Burke and Katie Kerchief of UnitedHealthcare, Ambika Kanta of Astrana Health, and Rikki Haffner of Blue Shield of California. New Regulatory Requirements / Opportunities for Participation and Standardization DHCS QMED 2.0 – HICE is currently involved in monthly meetings with DHCS, CAHP and CMA on the update to the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) Quality Measures for Encounter Data (QMED) requirements. The goal is to identify areas for industry implementation standardization and for the HICE team to continue to expand upon the work previously done in this area with IHA and Health Net to minimize the inefficiencies and administrative burden on plans and providers. Please join the HICE Encounters Standardization Team if you are interested in learning more about this DHCS update and participating in those discussions. Prior Authorization Legislation (CMS-0057 and SB 306) – I was pleased to join an industry convening held by BluePath Health and the California Health Care Foundation last month to discuss prior authorization. In California, SB 306 was signed into law in 2025, establishing a data-driven process to reduce unnecessary prior authorization by exempting services that health plans approve at least 90% of the time, and CMS has also weighed in at the federal level with the CMS-0057-F final rule, published in early 2024, which enhances healthcare interoperability and streamlines prior authorization by mandating that payers adopt HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) Application Programming Interfaces (API)s. The HICE QI-UM Team is following these prior authorization activities, so please join the team for more information. Until the next update, please feel free to contact me at mmyers@iceforhealth.org or at 530-562-4235, with any suggestions, questions or comments. Thank you! You can also view a PDF copy of this update here.

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