Now is the time for hospital and health system leaders to meet with members of the Washington State Legislature in advance of the 2016 legislative session, which begins Jan. 11, 2016. Most legislators highly value their own community hospitals and want to create policy that supports the efficient delivery of high-quality care.... Read More >>

The Health Care Authority (HCA) recently sent hospitals new agreements to provide protections from reductions to regular Medicaid payment for the period when hospitals are participating in the Hospital Safety Net Assessment program. The new safety net law, passed during the most recent legislative session, requires the HCA to offer hospitals an agreement giving the hospital a remedy should the state reduce payments under the program.... Read More >>

Washington’s election results often take days or weeks to determine as ballots trickle in through our mail-in system. The following are preliminary results shared with the caveat that they could change as more ballots are counted. ... Read More >>

The Health Care Authority (HCA) recently sent hospitals new agreements to provide protections from reductions to regular Medicaid payment for the period when hospitals are participating in the Hospital Safety Net Assessment program. The new safety net law, passed during the most recent legislative session, requires HCA to offer hospitals an agreement giving the hospital a remedy should the state reduce payments under the program.... Read More >>

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange announced last week that 1.5 million Washingtonians accessed health coverage through wahealthplanfinder.org between Oct. 1, 2014 and Sept. 30, 2015.... Read More >>

WSHA has joined other health care associations to file an amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) brief in the case of Volk v. DeMeerleer. The case before the Washington State Supreme Court addresses the scope of the duty of medical providers to warn third parties when a patient makes vague threats of violence but no actual threat to an identifiable victim.... Read More >>

Mental health providers, pharmacists and primary care providers have an opportunity 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).... Read More >>

A federal budget deal was reached and filed Oct. 26 that, beginning in 2017, would require that all new hospital-based physician services provided at “off-campus” locations be paid based solely on the physician fee schedule. Existing hospital-owned practices – as of the date of enactment – would be grandfathered and paid under the current provider-based rules. ... 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 Department of Health (DOH) has adopted rules to further define standards for access to patient information in the state’s Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System (CHARS). WSHA worked with the DOH to offer comments and voice concerns during several stakeholder workshops, and appreciated the opportunity to participate in the pre-rulemaking process. ... Read More >>