News

Join us at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18 for a webcast aimed at helping you understand Medicare's Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) program. The program objective is to assist medical professionals in making the most appropriate treatment decision for each individual's clinical condition.... Read More >>

Please join us at noon on Wednesday, October 11 for an educational webinar on the recent CMS updates on reporting of uncompensated care costs and the revised deadline to submit. This is a significant and time-sensitive topic, as these costs — reported on worksheet S-10 of the Medicare cost report — are currently used to determine each disproportionate share hospital’s payment from the $6.8 billion uncompensated care pool.... Read More >>

Washington State Hospital Association Director of Rural Health Programs Jacqueline Barton True has been selected to join Culture of Health Leaders: a program co-led by the National Collaborative for Health Equity and CommonHealth ACTION with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She will join leaders from across the country to collaborate and innovate to solve persistent challenges and advance a Culture of Health: one that places well-being at the center of every aspect of life.... Read More >>

We look forward to seeing you in two weeks at the Seattle Marriot Waterfront for the WSHA Annual Member Meeting and Governance Education Day! If you haven’t registered yet, pre-registration is open through next Friday, October 6 at 5 pm. After this date and time, walkup registrations will be accepted onsite at the event.... Read More >>

Senate Republicans decided on Tuesday not to hold a vote on the latest bill that would have repealed major parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), resulting in drastic coverage reductions, huge budget deficits for the state government, financial harm to hospitals and ultimately worse health outcomes for Washington residents.... Read More >>

The Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) program is aimed at improving health equity and the health of youth, families and communities in South King County. A grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes it possible for Seattle Children’s, Public Health Seattle & King County, and the Healthy King County Coalition, together with communities, to make improvements in health that will last long beyond the three-year grant.... Read More >>

Confluence Health’s Medication Take Back Program has been instituted to help address the opioid and prescription drug abuse epidemic in North Central Washington. The region previously only had access to two public disposal locations, leaving many dangerous and addictive substances in people’s homes, unprotected and unmonitored.... Read More >>

WSHA’s Director of Rural Health Programs Jacqueline Barton True has been selected to join the 2017 cohort of Culture of Health Leaders, which is a program co-led by the National Collaborative for Health Equity and the CommonHealth ACTION with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Jacqueline’s work will focus on building Washington’s rural communities and addressing social determinates of health.... Read More >>

Hospitals are routinely collecting information about patient race, but are they using it and does it matter? Stratifying outcomes by patient race, ethnicity, age or gender can provide valuable insights into your hospital’s culture and may lead to surprising findings.... Read More >>

The Maternal Mortality Review Panel recently released a public report outlining its findings and recommendations from the maternal death review for 2014 and 2015. The panel will soon reconvene to review maternal deaths that occurred in 2016. An update from Alexis Bates, Perinatal Health Consultant, and a letter from State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy highlight the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) progress and next steps for the subsequent review period.... Read More >>