Hospitals are routinely collecting information about patient race, but are they using it and does it matter? Stratifying outcomes by patient race, ethnicity, age or gender can provide valuable insights into your hospital’s culture and may lead to surprising findings.... Read More >>
The Maternal Mortality Review Panel recently released a public report outlining its findings and recommendations from the maternal death review for 2014 and 2015. The panel will soon reconvene to review maternal deaths that occurred in 2016. An update from Alexis Bates, Perinatal Health Consultant, and a letter from State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy highlight the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) progress and next steps for the subsequent review period.... Read More >>
The Puget Sound Chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and Washington State Department of Health are offering a one-day intensive workshop on Legionella prevention and outbreak management at the Tukwila Community Center October 30. The event will feature keynote speaker Janet E. Stout, Ph.D., and other national and regional experts.... Read More >>
A new, online and self-paced overview course on the Quality Payment Program (QPP) is now available through the MLN Learning Management System.... Read More >>
Membership updates from the September 28, 2017 Weekly Report.... Read More >>
Recent member news from the September 28, 2017 Weekly Report.... Read More >>
To provide a status report on the Washington all payer claims database, to encourage you to review the claims data for your hospital, and to have a member of your staff participate in a WSHA webinar on September 26th.... Read More >>
Senate Republicans are making a last-ditch effort at repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through budget reconciliation, racing to beat a September 30 deadline to pass a bill with just 50 votes (plus a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Pence). The bill would replace federal funds for Medicaid expansion and subsidies for individual market insurance sold in the marketplaces with a lump sum block grant for states. It would also repeal the ACA’s individual and employer mandates while giving states flexibility in enforcement of additional consumer protections.... Read More >>
There is increasing focus on the need for prevention and wellness training in health care. The epidemic of chronic disorders is often worsened by lifestyle choices, stress and other social factors. The good news is that many of those challenges respond well to whole-person approaches that help patients manage and reduce symptoms.... Read More >>
Overlake Medical Center’s annual Active Senior Fair has for 21 years been free and open to all members of the public. It now attracts nearly 2,000 seniors and their loved ones to the one-day event. Interpreters in Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Hindi and Russian help seniors and their families connect to the American health care system.... Read More >>
