News

Providence Health & Services and St. Joseph Health have come together to create Providence St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit health and social services system that will serve as the parent organization for more than 100,000 caregivers across seven states. The newly formed system celebrated its first day by committing to be a catalyst for improving mental health care in the United States.... Read More >>

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan for our 40th Annual Rural Hospital Leadership Conference! It was a pleasure to see all of you there, and as always, we truly enjoyed spending this time with you, catching up and of course discussing the unique opportunities and challenges of rural health care, this year paying particular attention to health care as viewed from various points of view.... Read More >>

The Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) announced today the launch of a joint task force to develop solutions to address the growing opioid epidemic, with an eye towards ways physicians and hospitals can play a more active role in tackling this issue.... Read More >>

Click here to view webcast recording Click here to view webcast slides... Read More >>

Rural health care is a vital part of the American health care system. It is the backbone of rural communities, not just supporting health, but also providing these communities with jobs and economic stability.... Read More >>

Pullman Regional Hospital recently received a grant from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust to help fund the expansion of surgical services and upgrade operating room technology. The grant is for $250,000 and will complement donations made through the hospital’s 2016 Annual Giving for Excellence Fund, which supports the Surgery Expansion Project.... Read More >>

Hospitals are making some progress to achieve health equity, but more work needs to be done, according to a biennial benchmarking survey released June 22 by the AHA’s Institute for Diversity in Health Management. The survey found significant increases from 2013 in the percentage of hospitals that are using data on patient race, ethnicity and language to identify gaps in care and implement programs to improve quality.... Read More >>

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Campbell’s Resort in Chelan this week for the 40th Annual Rural Hospital Leadership Conference! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Presentations from our speakers will become available in the coming days on the WSHA website.... Read More >>

Medicare accountable care organizations are associated with modest reductions in spending and use of hospitals and emergency departments, according to a study published last week by JAMA Internal Medicine. The study compared changes in spending and usage for beneficiaries cared for by ACO physicians and non-ACO physicians between January 2009 and December 2013.... Read More >>

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell this week introduced legislation to delay enforcement of federal rules requiring “direct” supervision of therapeutic services provided in hospital outpatient departments through the end of 2016. Cantwell staff say they hope to move the bill through the Senate before the July recess. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) cosponsored the bill; similar legislation is pending in the House of Representatives.... Read More >>