News

we are only six weeks away from our Annual PAC Appreciation Dinner and looking forward to another successful event. This year, our dinner will be on Thursday, Oct. 13 as part of WSHA’s Annual Meeting, and we are thrilled to announce that dinner will be at the Columbia Tower Club.... Read More >>

Access to care continues to be a paramount goal for WSHA in support of our member hospitals and health systems. When Medicare and Medicaid patients are seen at a hospital-based clinic, the clinic receives a higher payment for its services than a traditional physician’s office would. These payments are crucial, as hospital-based clinics have more regulatory requirements and see more Medicare and Medicaid patients, while many community physicians are limiting their panels.... Read More >>

The Department of Health is launching a pilot program for Rural Health Clinics to provide a technical assistance site visit and walkthrough of the recertification survey.... Read More >>

The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Aug. 31 that it will distribute $53 million in funding to 44 states — including Washington State — as well as four tribes and the District of Columbia to be used in the battle against opioid addiction.... Read More >>

In Olympia on Sept. 13 and Cheney on Sept. 15, the Department of Health (DOH) will provide free all-day telehealth financing and telehealth expansion workshops designed for rural hospital leadership, staff and board members. Each one-day workshop is intended to address telehealth funding opportunities along with how to bring and/or upgrade telehealth services in your community. ... Read More >>

In April of 2014, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act was signed into law. Part of the law stated that the outpatient and physician reimbursement for certain diagnostic CT scans will be reduced by 5 percent in 2016 and a further 15 percent in 2017 if a CT system is not compliant with XR-29 guidelines.... Read More >>

The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) 340B hospital recertification process for 2016 continues through Sept. 7. All 340B hospitals must recertify with HRSA annually to ensure they continue to meet the 340B hospital eligibility requirements. ... Read More >>

With the start of the new state fiscal year there have been some changes to the hospital safety net program. Working with WSHA, the Health Care Authority has reset the assessment amounts for the new fiscal year. ... Read More >>

The Bree Collaborative, a Governor-appointed group of public and private partners working to improve health care quality, outcomes and affordability, is considering prior authorization as one of its focal points for the upcoming year. ... Read More >>

WSHA is working to address the difficulty many hospitals face in finding post-hospital placement for patients who have completed their acute care hospital stay. ... Read More >>