Important information on standard financial assistance application form and communication plan. WSHA will host a webinar on Monday, November 23, 2015 on the development of a standard financial assistance application form and standard financial assistance communication plan for Washington State hospitals. The webinar will include discussion of the impetus to develop standard documents, an overview of the workgroup process, and review of the draft application form and communication plan. ... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Labor (L&I) and stakeholder groups continue to discuss modifying the Hazardous Drugs rules in WAC 296-62-500, Part R, to allow flexibility in provisions related to hospital equipment needed for the handling of hazardous drugs.... Read More >>

The president Nov. 2 signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act, P.L. 114-74, passed by Congress last week to raise the nation’s debt limit and set spending targets for the federal budget for the next two fiscal years. Site-neutral payments for new provider-based hospital outpatient departments are included in the legislation – a provision that was strongly opposed by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and WSHA.... Read More >>

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 >>