The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released an updated version of their Frequently Asked Questions document concerning the requirement that hospitals provide standard charges in machine readable format via the internet effective January 1. ... Read More >>
WSHA’s Government Affairs team has published its December 2018 State Regulatory Update, which can be found on its State Regulatory Issues webpage. ... Read More >>
WSHA recently sent a summary and hospital-specific analyses of the Final Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule to the Chief Financial Officer or designated finance person at each member hospital. ... Read More >>
Recent member news from the December 14, 2018, Weekly Report. ... Read More >>
The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) welcomes its new senior vice president for safety and quality, Darcy Jaffe. Jaffe is an expert in behavioral health and a leader in identifying and advocating for issues at the intersection of public policy and health care quality. She will bring her wealth of knowledge to leading WSHA’s safety and quality department.... Read More >>
Today, Gov. Jay Inslee released a behavioral health plan for the state. This is a preview of his investments in behavioral health that will be in his proposed 2019-2021 budget, which will be released later in the week. WSHA has been very active in advocating for increased funding for behavioral health and developed a comprehensive 10-Point Behavioral Health Plan to highlight areas of need. We are pleased the governor proposes to fund all major budget items in WSHA’s 10-point plan.... Read More >>
Gov. Jay Inslee has released his behavioral health plan as part of his proposed budget for the 2019-2021 biennium. WSHA released a statement on the behavioral health plan.... Read More >>
This week, I invite you to join me in recognizing one of the most effective, yet often overlooked, methods of preventing the spread of germs – handwashing. National Handwashing Awareness Week (Dec. 2 – 8) is a good time to revisit handwashing and how it can impact Washington patients and staff.... Read More >>
Astria Health has teamed up with the Magic of Storytelling Campaign to deliver books to Yakima Valley schools. Earlier this fall, Astria Health donated 500 books to Roosevelt Elementary School. This was the third time Astria Health has worked to encourage reading in children – in total, the hospital system has delivered 1,500 books to Yakima Valley Schools. ... Read More >>
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) filed a lawsuit together on Dec. 4 against the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The lawsuit is in response to CMS’s finalization of its outpatient hospital payment rule to apply to site-neutral cuts to office visit services at grandfathered off-campus hospital-based clinic locations.... Read More >>
