On April 24, the Washington State House and Senate passed Substitute House Bill 1155, implementing new restrictions on hospital staffing, with most elements of the bill taking effect Jan. 1, 2020. The final bill passed after lawmakers formed a conference committee to determine the bill’s final details. SHB 1155 now awaits the governor’s signature to become law.... Read More >>
On April 1, 2019, the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) joined 25 other state hospital associations in filing an amicus brief in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). ... Read More >>
Washington state lawmakers are currently considering Second Substitute House Bill 1155, which has unintended consequences that place patients at risk.... Read More >>
Rigid restrictions on the use of on-call staffing could mean hospitals won’t have access to staff when organs become available and patients could miss out on critical matches.... Read More >>
Nurses are critical to the delivery of safe and quality care in Washington state, and it is important that nurses are not fatigued. The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) is advancing a new bill, Senate Bill 5344, Concerning Nurse Fatigue, for the 2019 legislative session to address concerns about missed meal or breaks and nurse fatigue.... Read More >>
The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) welcomes its new senior vice president for safety and quality, Darcy Jaffe. Jaffe is an expert in behavioral health and a leader in identifying and advocating for issues at the intersection of public policy and health care quality. She will bring her wealth of knowledge to leading WSHA’s safety and quality department.... Read More >>
Gov. Jay Inslee has released his behavioral health plan as part of his proposed budget for the 2019-2021 biennium. WSHA released a statement on the behavioral health plan.... Read More >>
Seattle — Olympic Medical Center CEO Eric Lewis has been elected Board Chair of the Washington State Hospital Association. As chair, Lewis will preside over the Board of Trustees and... Read More >>
A public/private safe prescribing initiative launched in late 2017, called Better Prescribing, Better Treatment, has resulted in significant reductions in Apple Health (Medicaid) opioid prescriptions in less than a year,... Read More >>
Seven Washington hospitals or health systems receive WSHA’s Community Health Leadership Award The Washington State Hospital Association honored hospitals with awards recognizing their efforts to demonstrate community health leadership during... Read More >>
