News

On September 23, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) released a third iteration of stakeholder draft rules concerning prior authorizations. We are pleased that the OIC has undertaken a rule making process on prior authorization and is trying to provide more transparency around some of the requirements.... Read More >>

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) recently circulated a stakeholder draft bill related to out-of-network billing, sometimes referred to as “surprise bills." The bill is meant to address the situation where a patient receives services at a hospital or other facility that is part of their health plan’s network, but receive care from providers who are not contracted with the plan.... Read More >>

he federal Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released results of two separate audits where they claimed the Washington State Medicaid program made improper payments. In one audit, OIG claimed the state made $9.2 million in improper electronic health record incentive payments.... Read More >>

When the Washington State Health Care Authority rebased inpatient and outpatient rates in July 2014, they originally suggested a three percent cut to adjust for coding changes in the new system. WSHA and our hospitals pushed back and HCA agreed to measure changes for a two-year period, making budget neutrality adjustments as needed.... Read More >>

Health care has not been a central theme in the 2016 presidential election, but it is an area in which the two major party candidates present starkly different visions for public policy. So here is a brief comparison of where each candidate stands based on an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 14 issued its final rule implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. WSHA staff is working diligently over the details.... Read More >>

Gov. Inslee announced an executive order October 7 aimed at ending the opioid crisis in our state. WSHA and WSMA applauded the order, as the opioid crisis represents one of the largest public health issues facing our state.... Read More >>

The UW Medicine/Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress is offering free sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) trainings for nurses employed by Washington State hospitals. Travel stipends are available for rural nurses.... Read More >>

The Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) announced today their support of Gov. Jay Inslee’s executive order aimed at ending the opioid crisis in Washington state.... Read More >>

Governor Inslee announced this week that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years to transform Medicaid. The announcement follows months of negotiation, and the funds will come through a 1115 Waiver.... Read More >>