WSHA is working with the Health Care Authority (HCA) to address an issue causing a possible under-reporting of Medicaid days used on hospital Medicare cost reports. An under-reporting of days can result in loss of Medicare disproportional share hospital (DSH) payments.... Read More >>
The Hospital Safety Net Assessment Program for SFY 2017, which begins July 1, 2016, is expected to be stable and relatively unchanged compared to 2016. WSHA is working closely with Health Care Authority staff to ensure the program continues to work as designed to provide budget savings to the state and funding for Medicaid hospital services.... Read More >>
Two weeks ago, WSHA staff held a webinar and sent information to hospital CFOs asking each hospital in Washington to adopt a new, standardized and simplified financial assistance application and communication process. This standardized application was developed at the request of the WSHA Board by a workgroup of WSHA member hospital patient account managers. ... Read More >>
As Washington State plans a new system to transform care, one of the items that keeps surfacing is the role that supportive housing can play in helping reduce health care costs and especially emergency room use. The state has started to recognize this in some of the projects under discussion in its new Healthier Washington initiative.... Read More >>
During the 2016 state legislative session, a key issue of debate was the future of Washington’s state-run psychiatric hospitals. The result was SB 6656, and WSHA was pleased with the direction it established for moving forward. However, last week, Governor Inslee vetoed significant and important portions of the bill.... Read More >>
Patients struggle to maintain insurance and pay for care, and hospitals can end up with bad debt and unanticipated charity care. Project Access Northwest’s Premium Assistance Program — which WSHA helped launch — can help these individuals pay their premiums and keep important health care coverage for the entire year.... Read More >>
Of late, the Health Care Authority (HCA) has been working with consultants and addressing public questions about the roles of the Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs), with requests to define their responsibilities and level of readiness if the state succeeds in getting a global waiver from the federal government.... Read More >>
Brenda Parnell, former CEO of Ferry County Hospital in Republic, has joined WSHA for the next several months as a temporary employee. She is assisting us as a policy and rural director for the summer while two members of our team are on leave.... Read More >>
The Department of Health will be mailing out the annual statewide surveys on hospital acute care bed counts. The surveys have been mailed via U.S. mail to hospital administrators. Hospitals should receive them the first week of May, and responses are due by June 1.... Read More >>
This legislative session, one of WSHA’s top priorities was continuing to advance policy support for telemedicine, and we were very pleased with the passage of Senate Bill 6519. As part of this new legislation, a statewide Telemedicine Collaborative is being convened. The application to serve on the Collaborative is now available and is due by May 15.... Read More >>
