Steve Burdick, chief of Providence St. Mary Medical Center and Providence Medical Group – Walla Walla, will retire at the end of the year. Steve has served as chief executive of the medical center since September 2006. Providence St. Mary has grown, is financially strong and meeting or exceeding national benchmarks for quality, as well as patient and staff satisfaction thanks to his leadership.... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) yesterday issued a final rule updating the Medicare payment rates for hospital outpatient services and finalizing its policy related to services furnished in off-campus, provider-based hospital outpatient departments. Newly established departments (those established on or after November 2, 2015) will no longer be paid a separate hospital-based fee, but will be paid under the physician fee schedule for services beginning January 1, 2017.... Read More >>

Following a nationwide search, we are excited to welcome Chris Bandoli as our new senior vice president for policy and advocacy. Chris — who has served as the director of government affairs for Regence BlueShield since 2007 — will begin his work at WSHA later this month, filling the spot previously held by Executive Vice President and incoming President and CEO Cassie Sauer.... Read More >>

Election Day is November 8, but voting in Washington State is already well underway through our mail-in system, and you should have received your ballots in the mail. (If you have not, contact your county auditor.) While the presidential race has dominated the news, the big unknown in our state is which party will control the state House (currently majority Democrat) and Senate (currently majority Republican).... Read More >>

At Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, the emergency department did a trial, offering a new option to patients like Chris. Over the summer, it began offering buprenorphine — better known by its brand name Suboxone — to stabilize patients suffering from withdrawal before referring them to medication-assisted drug treatment.... Read More >>

Hospitals are making excellent progress in adopting the WSHA-developed standard financial assistance application form and standard communication plan. Approximately 75 percent of WSHA member hospitals are in the process of operationalizing these standard documents.... Read More >>

Telemedicine is changing the way health care is delivered, especially in rural communities. Join us for a free webinar at 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 2 with tips for success with telemedicine. Frank Mandrakas, head of strategic business development for virtual care at CHI Health in Nebraska, will cover how his organization approached consumer engagement, patient acquisition, staffing and clinical quality using Industry Partner, Carena, to build their platform.... Read More >>

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week restored $44.25 million in funding for all-hazards preparedness to states, cities and territories, which had been redirected to respond to the Zika virus. The new funds are part of the fiscal year 2016 Zika supplemental funding signed into law last month.... Read More >>

Recent member news from the October 27, 2016 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

Increasing our state’s immunization rates is a key element of WSHA’s strategic plan, as it helps us build a healthier community for our state. Fortunately, WSHA is not alone in this work, and the first Washington Immunization Summit will be held April 26, 2017 at the Conference Center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.... Read More >>