The Department of Health (DOH) is proposing increases to hospital licensing fees from the current $138 to $220 per bed for hospitals licensed under 70.41 RCW and from $85 to $135 per bed for psychiatric and chemical dependency hospitals licensed under 71.12 RCW, about a 60 percent increase. DOH is hosting and presenting a pre-CR102 stakeholder meeting via webinar on May 8 to outline its rationale for the increase and receive input from hospitals.
Reasons given by DOH for the increase include increased number of off-campus hospital sites requiring inspection, increased investigations for serious events such as infection control breaches, and general cost increases over time such as salaries. Other than a $15 increase in 2017 for fire inspection costs, the fees were last changed in 2012.
See our recent Special Fiscal Watch for more information, links to materials, and webinar login information. (Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org)
