News

On December 26, 2014, the stay of the Supreme Court’s decision eliminated the use of single bed certifications to board psychiatric patients expired and the decision went into effect. The court’s decision was welcomed by hospitals, but the practical implementation has meant hospitals can be in a difficult position when caring for patients who meet detention criteria under the Involuntary Treatment Act.... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to: 1) Inform hospitals that the Washington State Supreme Court’s decision, In re the Detention of DW; 2) Inform hospitals about the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) new emergency rule for Single Bed Certification; 3) Provide information to help hospitals manage in circumstances where a designated mental health professional finds a patient meets detention criteria under the Involuntary Treatment Act, but declines to detain a patient due to no available appropriate inpatient psychiatric bed. ... Read More >>

This bulletin provides important information on problems hospitals are experiencing with the Health Care Authority’s (HCA) programming of payments using Enhanced Ambulatory Payment Groups (EAPGs).The issues, stemming from pricing in HCA’s ProviderOne system, are causing significant numbers of outpatient hospital Medicaid claims to be underpaid or not paid at all. ... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to notify you that the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is now implementing “Hospital Presumptive Eligibility” (HPE) for Apple Health Enrollment. The HCA will offer trainings in January 2015 for any hospital that registers for the training by December 19, 2014. HPE allows a hospital to enroll someone in Medicaid for up to 60 days with minimal information from the client. For example, if a client does not know their tax filing status, hospitals can enroll via HPE. Or if there is a glitch preventing enrollment using the Washington Healthplanfinder website, a hospital can enroll someone immediately via Hospital Presumptive Eligibility. ... Read More >>

Today I’m taking the opportunity to recognize a great leader who is leaving our state. For the last 19 years, Joan Baird-Glover has served on the Board of Commissioners for Kittitas County Public... Read More >>

Next Sunday is the solstice, the shortest, darkest day of the year. It is perhaps fitting that a few days after that, December 26, will mark when the Supreme Court’s... Read More >>

Next week, the WSHA Board of Trustees will be having its final meeting of the year. There might be holiday ornaments on the walls, but it’s a workhorse of a meeting... Read More >>

The Health Care Authority (HCA) has completed changes that should help many hospitals obtain significant additional Medicare disproportionate share hospital funding. WSHA became aware that HCA’s process for counting and... Read More >>

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and the end of another year. I always look forward to this opportunity to pause and reflect. Those of us who work... Read More >>

On Monday, the state Department of Health announced that eight hospitals in our state have committed to providing treatment to a patient with Ebola, should the need arise. While all... Read More >>