Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) is now covering both over-the-counter and prescription prenatal vitamins for all women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, including retroactive coverage through Oct. 1, 2015. Prenatal vitamins are covered in order to provide a daily vitamin supplement containing 0.4 to 0.8 milligrams of folic acid.... Read More >>

On Tuesday Dec. 9, the Washington Health Alliance, in partnership with Healthier Washington, released its 2015 Community Checkup Report, “Measuring Health Care in Washington State.” This is a broad and fascinating look at health care in Washington State. The report introduces metrics on the state’s newly adopted common measure set for health care quality and cost. ... Read More >>

Patient safety measures that reward hospitals for reducing preventable infections, pressure ulcers and adverse drug events have led to a 17 percent decline in patient harm in the last four years, according to a new study from the Department of Health and Human Services. This means 87,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and nearly $20 billion in health care costs have been saved, nationally.... Read More >>

Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) is offering an opportunity to a select group of hospitals to implement a workplace violence prevention program and evaluate its effectiveness. The cost of reacting after a serious incident has occurred is 100 times more costly than taking preventive actions.... Read More >>

In a major release on November 9, the National Institutes of Health announced that contrary to some initial fears, the reduction of early elective deliveries has not led to an increase in stillborn deaths. As the NIH release states, “When compared to infants born after 39 weeks, those born in the 37th and 38th weeks were at a higher risk for respiratory problems, low blood sugar and newborn sepsis (a blood infection). They also were more likely to spend time in a newborn intensive care unit.”... Read More >>

A few weeks ago, Carol Wagner announced that WSHA received a federal contract to do rapid-cycle patient safety improvement in our state. This multi-million-dollar contract provides the energy needed to make big progress on health care’s trickiest problems, including healthcare-acquired infections, falls, health disparities and more.... Read More >>

The 2015 “Washington State Hospital Association Achieving Best Care” award recognizes achievements in making health care safer. “When it comes to our hospitals’ achievements in patient safety, Washington state has... Read More >>

WSHA’s record of success in collaborative quality improvement will continue, thanks to the award of a federal contract to make major improvements in 17 key patient-safety topics and reduce harm... Read More >>

The Washington State Hospital Association’s record of success in collaborative quality improvement will continue, thanks to the award of a federal contract to make major improvements in 17 key patient-safety topics and reduce harm and overall cost of health care. WSHA was one of just 17 awarded nationally to take part in this work. As a Hospital Engagement Network (HEN), WSHA will support hospitals’ rapid improvements in important areas of care.... Read More >>

This week we were excited to announce that Washington’s cesarean section (C-section) rates are at their lowest levels since 2003, dropping 11 percent between 2010 and 2014 for low-risk, first-birth... Read More >>