News

Registration is open for the 2016 Northwest Rural Health Conference March 15-17 at the Spokane Convention Center. A block of rooms will be held at the Doubletree Hotel until Feb. 15. There are three big changes to the conference this year. ... Read More >>

WSHA testified this week in support of House Bill 2730 in Olympia, which expands access to the Prescription Monitoring Program, making it easier for providers to prevent opioid abuse. The Washington State Legislature has also heard several hearings on how to improve Western State Hospital. Western State Hospital plays a critical role in the state’s mental health system, and WSHA firmly believes we need Western State Hospital to function well and play its part in the system.... Read More >>

Working with WSHA, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) has agreed to increase inpatient Medicaid rates for the next quarter by about 18 percent in order to restore cutting rates during the last two quarters. Hospitals should have started receiving notices of the change Jan. 14 or 15 informing them of change, which takes effect Feb. 1.... Read More >>

Patients in need of spine surgery now have a minimally invasive treatment option at Capital Medical Center. The medical center is using robotic guidance from the Mazor Robotic Renaissance, which assists surgeons during surgeries such as spinal fusion, vertebroplasty and scoliosis correction. Capital Medical Center is the first in Washington State to make use of robotic guidance for the procedures.... Read More >>

Recent member news from the Jan. 28, 2016 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

The open enrollment deadline for insurance through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange is Sunday, Jan. 31. Those who sign up by the deadline will be insured as of March 1, avoiding costly penalties in time for tax season.... Read More >>

Washington State’s rural hospitals have a long commitment to serving their communities and providing high-quality health care. All the hospitals in the state, from the smallest to the largest, f the most remote to the most convenient, post their quality scores on www.WAHospitalQuality.org.... Read More >>

Last week, WSHA’s leader on patient safety, Carol Wagner, was interviewed by Daniel Bornstein for his column “The Fix.” He is doing a two-week look at the work that is being done to reduce preventable harm in hospitals — specifically, the work that is being done under Partnership for Patients.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services is proud to announce its new marketing collaboration with GE Healthcare! This endeavor will help raise awareness of the solutions that GE could offer our members through its offerings in healthcare.... Read More >>

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) received about 175 global waiver proposals to transform Medicaid. Proposals can be grouped into categories, including behavioral health, care coordination for high utilizer follow-up to chronic care, family planning and pregnancy, chronic conditions, value-based purchasing; telemedicine, housing and social supports, dental care, and end-of-life planning. Click here to view the HCA’s website listing the received proposals.... Read More >>