News

WSHA’s efforts to raise awareness of hospital’s unprecedented capacity and financial challenges are having an impact. WSHA sent a letter to all state legislators and health care regulators detailing the financial losses and reasons for them. In response to voicing our growing concerns about patient who are unable to be discharged, we received a letter... Read More >>

On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final 2023 inpatient rule. The rule increases hospital inpatient prospective payment system rates for hospitals that meet quality reporting requirements by 4.3 percent for FY 2023. We are pleased the rates in the final rule increased 1.1 percent from the proposed rule. The... Read More >>

The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is continuing its rulemaking related to implementation of changes due to E2SHB 1688. The 2022 law modifies the state’s Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA) to include emergency and crisis behavioral health services and aligned provisions of the BBPA with the federal No Surprises Act. WSHA plans... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has posted guidance and checklist regarding the independent dispute resolution (IDS) process for out-of-network claims under the No Surprises Act (NSA). The federal IDS process and panel of arbitrators applies to out-of-network emergency services and for out-of-network services provided at an in-network facility for enrollees where the state’s... Read More >>

WSHA’s Government Affairs team recently published an update to its Top Priority Rules Tracker, which shows the highest-priority ongoing state rulemaking activities impacting hospitals and health systems as part of its State Regulatory Issues webpage. Members will find a comprehensive view of the status of state rulemaking activities that affect them and the appropriate WSHA staff contact.... Read More >>

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) published its list of covered audio-only codes for behavioral health services, effective August 1. The list reflects HCA’s review and determination of services that could effectively be provided on an audio-only basis. Among the services not covered as audio-only visits are group therapy and assessments. Services not covered... Read More >>

The U.S. Senate voted 51-50 Aug. 7 to approve the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376), a roughly $700 billion social spending package that includes health care, climate change and tax provisions... Read More >>

In late July the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced proposed rule to strengthen federal laws on nondiscrimination in health care... Read More >>

At the recent meeting of the Health Care Cost Transparency Bord, WSHA and its consultant, Bruce Deal from Analysis Group, used a robust set of data to discuss the factors behind Washington hospital payment increases... Read More >>

The Washington State Joint Audit and Review Committee (JLARC)’s preliminary report on 2022 tax preferences highlight the extensive hospital contributions to charity care for their patients.... Read More >>