News

The Health Care Authority is planning significant changes to Apple Health enrollment. Under a new policy effective April 1, 2016, enrollees will be retroactively assigned to a managed care plan as of the beginning of the month the patient is enrolled, rather than at the beginning of the month following enrollment. ... Read More >>

The Health Care Authority released an updated Frequently Asked Questions sheet related to changes to inpatient payment to reflect potentially preventable readmissions. ... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner PARA HealthCare has written an article about some of the consequences relating to the delay in payment by CMS for drug screen codes G0477-G0438 and Flu vaccine 90360, and is offering some solutions. ... Read More >>

While the legislature continues to debate hundreds of policy bills, budget writers are also focusing on crafting a supplemental budget for 2016-2017. The legislature enacted a biennial budget for 2015-2017, ... Read More >>

Bills that WSHA is testifying on for the week of Feb. 22-26.... Read More >>

The House Democrats today released their proposal for the 2016 supplemental budget. For hospitals and health systems, the most significant part of the budget is more than $45 million investments in mental health to combat the state’s mental health crisis. Mental health is WSHA’s top budget priority.... Read More >>

Kindred Healthcare has joined with Gentiva, creating the nation’s largest provider of post-acute care and rehabilitation services. Kindred now serves more than 1 million patients per year, as it now operates in 47 states with more than 2,800 locations. The joining builds upon the strategy to deliver what patients and business partners want most: quality clinical outcomes that exceed national benchmarks.... Read More >>

Recognizing that this is a short session and a supplemental budget, mental health remains our top priority. Other key issues we are advocating for include enhanced payment to hospitals with high volumes of Department of Corrections inmates, and protecting rural nursing homes from the negative effects of changes to the nursing home rate formula.... Read More >>

Recent member news from the February 18, 2016 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

Kadlec Regional Medical Center has enacted an initiative, known as Advanced Kadlec Academy, to counteract this trend. Through the initiative — which was originally crafted by Providence Health & Services — local fifth and sixth grade students use kid-proof fitness trackers made by Sqord to monitor their physical activity in a game-like fashion and compare their progress with friends. The more you move, the more points, virtual rewards, medals and levels you earn.... Read More >>