At WSHA’s Urging DOH Removes Budget Submission Requirement

At WSHA’s request, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) recently completed rulemaking to remove an obsolete requirement that hospitals submit estimated annual budgets to the department. In the past the budgets were used by the state for rate-setting purposes but have not been used by DOH or HCA for several years due to changes in payment methodology. DOH and WSHA staff identified this item during a review of financial reporting requirements related to the Medicaid Quality Incentive Program. (Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org).