With shifting health care costs, more patients are “shopping” for services, increasing the need for meaningful price transparency. A webcast at 9 a.m. November 14 will explore how pricing transparency can be addressed in a variety of forms, including rational hospital pricing methodologies, easy access to patient cost estimates and the availability of accurate patient responsibility estimates.... Read More >>

Open enrollment officially began November 1, and the deadline is December 15 to apply for health coverage that begins January 1. Despite the changes to the federal exchanges, Washington’s state exchange has some helpful resources for customers this year, including the Smart Planfinder tool to help customers pick the right plan.... Read More >>

WSHA’s latest member map is now available online for you to download!... Read More >>

The Washington State Health Care Authority, Office of the Insurance Commissioner and Department of Health have teamed up to let breast cancer survivors know that insurance that covers mastectomies must also cover breast reconstruction. This includes reconstructive surgery and breast prostheses or forms. Helping patients recover a sense of wholeness is crucial to a full recovery following breast cancer treatment.... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is offering a webinar to help employers understand the new paid sick leave law that requires employers to provide paid sick leave to most employees beginning January 1. It will also give an overview of Initiative 1433, which changed state law regarding minimum wage, tips and service charges, and paid sick leave.... Read More >>

The Washington State Hospital Association is joining 40 other state hospital associations in offering careLearning — a web-based online educational tool — to member hospitals. Hospitals across the country utilize this cost-effective learning solution to ensure all employees have required regulatory training as well as access to hundreds of health-care-related courses.... Read More >>

Flu season can be particularly hard to staff, with unpredictable and fluctuating patient needs. If you find your facility in need of additional staff, remember that as a WSHA member, you have free access to more than 26 pre-qualified Washington State Registry certified staffing agencies. Your organization can access this simple solution when faced with unexpected temporary staffing needs through a single master contact.... Read More >>

Last week, PARA HealthCare Financial Services shared detailed information about Medicare’s Proposed Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC), including guidance on what hospitals can do to prepare. A recording of the webcast is now available for viewing and download.... Read More >>

WSHA would like to congratulate Olympic Medical Center CEO Eric Lewis for being the recipient of the 2017 Joe Hopkins Memorial Award! The award, given at last week’s Annual Meeting, recognizes his leadership in his community and his strong advocacy for a better health care system for all Washington State residents.... Read More >>

WSHA would like to congratulate all the winners of the 2017 Community Health Leadership Award! The award is given annually to health care organizations that are serving their communities’ broader health needs in innovative and lasting ways. The recipients aren’t just serving their patients, but they are making their entire communities healthier.... Read More >>