I am thrilled to report that Hospital Advocacy Days 2020 was a tremendous success. Thank you to all the members who joined us Wednesday and Thursday to engage in advocating for important health policy change in Olympia.
More than 100 health care leaders attended the event, which included a legislative issue briefing, advocacy training, coming together for a community networking dinner and, of course, meeting with our legislators. Fifty-four hospitals and public hospital districts were represented in more than 100 meetings with legislators. This is instrumental in presenting a unified hospital voice for Washington State.
Throughout legislative session, the WSHA Government Affairs team conducts policy analysis, compiles legislative briefs and organizes testimony to advocate on behalf of our members. This work is made so much stronger when our members can join us in Olympia and share their stories with legislators in-person. We know that you are all very busy people, and we were honored that you took the time to participate in Hospital Advocacy Days.
We structured the event’s advocacy around the issues that our members have told us are especially important to them. These included:
- Addressing the issue of difficult-to-discharge patients, or patients “stuck” in the hospital who cannot transition to appropriate post-acute care settings
- Standardizing prior authorization requirements from health plans
- Supporting substitute providers and home health services in rural Washington
- Increasing funding for behavioral health care and expanding access to outpatient mental health services
WSHA’s full 2020 state legislative agenda is available online. You are also invited to subscribe to our legislative newsletter, Inside Olympia, for the latest updates on our policy work.
