News

PeaceHealth and Providence Health & Services signed a letter of intent Oct. 26 to jointly develop innovative ways to provide health and wellness services in communities they serve. The first example of the work they plan on doing is the development of a health and wellness center, featuring rehab, fitness, primary care and other services on Padden Parkway in Vancouver, Wash... Read More >>

Swedish Edmonds is in the final stages of constructing a 77,000-square-foot addition to the hospital-- its largest expansion in 40 years. The project includes a new state-of-the-art emergency department with private rooms that reduce patient wait times, a new outpatient diagnostic imaging center and upgraded facilities to better serve patients in mental health crisis.... Read More >>

What’s a website for? The simplest questions to ask can be the hardest to answer. We struggle with analogies of what a website replaces, and there are so many right answers. Phone book. Library. Television. Store. Clubhouse. Classroom. (Doctor’s office? Pharmacy counter?) We haven’t run out of ideas yet.... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals of significant changes to their Medicaid hospital payment rates effective November 1. WSHA recommends they file a rate appeal with the Health Care Authority (HCA).... Read More >>

The 2015 campaign continues to make great progress. Since our last update at the end of September, several more members have reached their individual tile-WHPAC-logohospital/health system goal.... Read More >>

As you no doubt have seen, a federal budget deal was reached and filed late last night. This package is on a fast-track; the House of Representatives could begin voting on it Wednesday – so we have little time to get our message of opposition into the congressional delegation. We urge you to make calls to the congressional delegation today: visit this WSHA page for contact information.... Read More >>

The Washington State Hospital Association launched its new website this month, unveiling a suite of new resources to help the state’s hospitals keep patients safe and help patients get information they need for their care.... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform you of an opportunity for mental health, pharmacists, and primary care providers to be eligible for student loan repayment funds through the newly re-instituted state loan repayment program, the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP). This new program is offered in addition to the continuing federal National Health Service Corps, and the Federal-State Loan Repayment Program (FSLRP). WSHA supported the funding for state-based loan repayment funds in the 2015-2017 legislative session. We were pleased the program received $8.2 million for distribution over these two years.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner Merritt Hawkins has released a new paper entitled Telehealth: The Integration of Telecommunications into Patient/Provider Encounters. It explores how telehealth has impacted the physician-patient experience, how widespread telehealth solutions have become national, typical reimbursements and the most common telehealth platforms adopted.... Read More >>

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is gearing up for the next open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1 and runs through the end of January. It has selected nine organizations to offer in-person customer support across the state.... Read More >>