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 help lead the hospital association’s work for the coming year.
“Eric has been involved as a leader with WSHA in numerous capacities, and we are delighted to welcome him to the position of board chair,” said Cassie Sauer, WSHA president & CEO. “Eric brings a passion for improving the delivery of health care and inspiring others to join him in making our communities healthier.”
The Washington State Hospital Association is the membership association of all 107 hospitals in Washington state. The association takes a major leadership role in issues that affect delivery, quality, accessibility, affordability and continuity of health care in both the policy and the clinical arenas. It works to improve the health status of all residents.
Lewis spoke about the year ahead in his speech to the WSHA membership at the 2018 Annual Meeting.
“This will be a year of challenges and opportunities to innovate as never before. We live and lead in this environment every day,” Lewis said at the WSHA Annual Meeting. “I am looking forward to working to continue to move health care in our state forward and improve what we do for our patients and the communities that we serve.”
About Eric Lewis
Eric Lewis is the chief executive officer of Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, Wash., and is responsible for the leadership of all aspects of the medical center’s operations. In 2018, Seattle Business Magazine recognized Lewis with the Leaders in Healthcare award. In 2017, WSHA honored him with the Joe Hopkins Memorial Award for his health care leadership, with a focus on rural health.
Lewis has also served as an advocate at both the state and federal levels for adequate reimbursement for services, as well as appropriate legislation and regulations for rural health care. In 2016, Lewis was named Clallam County Economic Development Council Olympic Leader and the American Hospital Association’s Grassroots Champion of Washington state.
He previously served as chair-elect and treasurer for the WSHA Board of Directors and is currently the president for the AWPHD Board of Directors, and his current affiliations include the Rural Referral Center/Sole Community Hospital Coalition and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a past board member of the Olympic Community of Health and a current member of the Clallam County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board of Directors.
About Olympic Medical Center
Olympic Medical Center is a rural Sole Community Hospital and is highly vulnerable to government policy changes and cuts in government reimbursement. More than 84 percent of the medical center’s patients are on Medicare, Medicaid or other government program, and more than a quarter of its patients are older than 65. Meanwhile, the medical center has maintained one of the lowest cost structures for hospital and clinical services to patients in the state.
The medical center received the Top 20 Rural Hospital Award in 2017 and 2018 from the National Rural Health Association, and it has been recognized by Consumer Reports for its low-cost structure. It has also been designated a Five-Star Hospital by Cleverley+Associates many times for stewardship and reinvestment into health care for the community.
About the Washington State Hospital Association
The Washington State Hospital Association works to improve the health of all Washington state residents by being active on key issues of policy and quality. WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in the state, including those that are non-profit, investor-owned, and county, state and military hospitals. The Triple Aim guides our members and our work, as we strive to improve the patient experience, improve the health of populations and reduce the cost of health care. Visit www.wsha.org for more information.
