News

The State Senate released its proposal for the 2016 supplemental budget yesterday. The Senate takes a significantly different approach than the House to its budget proposal, making more cuts than the House did and leaving a much larger balance in the budget stabilization account. In addition, the Senate spends less. ... Read More >>

In a joint letter, WSHA and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems strongly opposed site neutral payment policies on provider-based hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). Submitted to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the letter was in response to a request for provider feedback on these policies.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner H-Source offers a first of its kind cloud based solution designed to solve supply chain and materials management problems. They have created a marketplace that allows health care organizations to buy and sell medical products and equipment with each other via private networks.... Read More >>

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) recently released a brief examining maternal and newborn inpatient rates in which drugs or alcohol were a factor. Between 1990 and 2014, the rate of maternal hospital stays that included a diagnosis of substance abuse increased threefold, and the rate of newborn hospital stays that stemmed from maternal substance abuse increased fourfold, according to the report. Most of this increase is due to increased opiate use.... Read More >>

Recent member news from the Feb. 25, 2016 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner, GE Healthcare, is hosting a webinar that explores one of the most sensitive elements of mergers and acquisitions: cultural integration. This webinar will share some of the best practices that have been successful in bringing organizations together.... Read More >>

Valley Medical Center’s GLOW program, which is a wellness program inspired by women, designed by women and for women — celebrated its fifth anniversary this week with the GLOW Fifth Anniversary Gala at the Museum of Flight with keynote speaker Susan Mann. The program was developed by a group of passionate women at the medical center who believed in wellness and the importance of focusing on wellness rather than just sickness, as women are often the decision-makers for their families in addition to themselves.... Read More >>

The Department of Health’s (DOH) Health Plan Partnership is once again sponsoring the 2016 Immunize WA Provider Recognition Program. This program recognizes clinics that have achieved immunization rates of 70 percent or higher, and clinics will be awarded during National Infant Immunization Week (April 16-23) to recognize their commitment to ensuring patients are up-to-date on their immunizations.... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is in the beginning stages of rulemaking to explore creating a specific training route for law enforcement personnel to qualify for medical assistant, phlebotomist credentials. This rulemaking stems, in part, from a vetoed portion of House Bill 1276 (enacted in 2015), which would have created a new certificate to allow law enforcement personnel to conduct forensic blood draws on DUI suspects.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner WellTrackONE has written an article about how its powerful risk management solution can be used to help patients with advanced life planning.... Read More >>