News

Board nominations are now open for the state’s new Cancer Research Endowment Authority Board established by the Washington State Legislature. The board will oversee and guide the cancer research endowment (CARE) fund – including the solicitation, selection and awarding of grants.... Read More >>

Sen. Linda Evans Parlette announced on Monday, April 11 that she intends to bring her legislative career to a close after 20 years of service to the 12th Legislative District. Sen. Parlette has a rich history of service in Washington State and was a huge champion for rural health, public hospital districts, expanding mental health services and improving the practice of pharmacy... Read More >>

During the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions, one of WSHA’s top priorities was advancing a public policy framework to support the expansion of services delivered via telemedicine. We are grateful for our partnership with the Washington State Medical Association and major insurers, notably Premera and Regence, to get this done.... Read More >>

WSHA issued a bulletin this week reminding hospitals to review and comply with state and federal requirements regarding posting signage in hospitals and providing notices to patients, staff and the community. WSHA has prepared a list of signage requirements for providers to reference.... Read More >>

The state Pharmacy Commission is in the process of updating a number of outdated rules. The current rulemaking addresses automated drug dispensing devices.... Read More >>

Health Care Authority (HCA) will host a webinar from 10-11:30am April 28 to provide hospital staff an overview of the state’s Medicaid readmissions policy and an explanation of the quarterly hospital reports HCA sent each facility as part of its program on potentially preventable readmissions. ... Read More >>

Although we overshot the legislative session deadline by a bit, this year ended without the extended negotiations we saw last year. We are grateful to the legislators who made some difficult compromises in order to conclude on time.... Read More >>

The American Hospital Assocation (AHA) has launched a special webpage to help hospitals and health systems know how to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. The page includes a suite of resources, including podcasts on emerging threats, questions for hospital leaders and trustees, and fact sheets.... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has delayed enforcement of partd of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and Medicaid reimbursement rules for outpatient drugs. The rule took effect April 1, but certain provisions won't be enforced until July 1. ... Read More >>

Last week, the Washington State Legislature reached agreement on a supplemental budget and concluded its special session. Overall, WSHA is very pleased with the results of the 2016 state legislative session. The budget is very good for hospitals and health systems, provides significant new funding for mental health and makes no significant cuts to hospitals or health care.... Read More >>