Under current law, national health expenditures are projected to grow an average 5.6% annually during 2016-2025, outpacing average projected growth in gross domestic product by 1.2 percentage points, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary reported February 15. As a result, the health share of the economy is projected to grow from 17.8% in 2015 to 19.9% by 2025.... Read More >>

Effective March 8, hospitals, including critical access hospitals, must notify Medicare patients when the patients are placed into outpatient observation status.... Read More >>

WSHA staff is currently engaged in many bills and issues this legislative session that will affect hospitals financial status.... Read More >>

WSHA member hospitals have come together to standardize and simplify charity care forms and communications. ... Read More >>

B 1854 would require the Medicaid managed care plans to assemble an adequate and appropriate network of covered SNFs. It would require the Washington State Health Care Authority to monitor and enforce timely and appropriate placement of patients in SNFs. It would also create an incentive to place patients at a SNF by creating new fees on the plan if it has not placed the patient in a reasonable amount of time.... Read More >>

HB 1640 adds the option of allowing a notary to validate advance directives, and it allows witnesses to verify a patient's identity by looking at personal identification, such as a driver's license or passport. This gives patients more options to execute advance directives while maintaining important protections against fraud and abuse, helping to ensure patient care and wishes are aligned.... Read More >>

SB 5593 threatens patient safety by creating hospital-like facilities without any of the safety requirements the Washington State Legislature and other governmental and accrediting bodies have put in place for hospitals. The bill proposes to allow ambulatory surgical facilities to add “postsurgical care centers” to care for patients who require up to 72 hours of post-treatment care. There is an array of state or federal mandates for inpatients in community hospital settings to ensure the safety of any patient requiring care for a period of longer than 23 hours.... Read More >>

HB 1811 would create a significant burden for health care providers — not just for mergers and purchases, but for almost any kind of “material change,” including such things as contracted services. Despite the laws currently in place, this bill would institute a new process that would require complicated documentation and review.... Read More >>

HB 1967 would place restrictions on the use of noncompete agreements, instead favoring increased use of alternatives, such as nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements. While the legislation is predominately directed to the tech industry, these alternatives would not protect the investments hospitals and health systems make when they recruit physicians.... Read More >>

A list of bills WSHA is testifying on for the week of February 13-17, 2017.... Read More >>