News

On Wednesday, the Skagit County Superior Court ruled against Skagit Regional Health in the lawsuit over whether the public hospital district is providing pregnancy termination services in line with the state’s Reproductive Privacy Act. Skagit and the Washington State Hospital Association are disappointed in the ruling.... Read More >>

In an op-ed published by the Seattle Times on Thursday, Cassie Sauer, WSHA's Executive Vice President, talks about the need for continued reform to our state's mental health system.... Read More >>

Officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will travel to five WSHA member facilities on the Olympic Peninsula June 21-23, holding 90-minute opening listening and learning session to share current legislative initiatives and engage communities on current concerns. They will visit Jefferson Healthcare, Olympic Medical Center, Forks Community Hospital, Grays Harbor Community Hospital and Mason General Hospital.... Read More >>

Newly-appointed Western State Hospital CEO Cheryl Strange is facing possible jail time for refusing to comply with a court order to admit a particular patient currently being served through single bed certification at a WSHA member hospital. Strange said she wouldn’t override the hospital’s waiting list, where other patients who are sicker have priority.... Read More >>

WSHA recently sent the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) a comment letter and recommendations in response to the OIC’s request for comments related to health plan prior authorizations, which are used to determine if medical procedures, services or medications will be covered by health insurance. The OIC is considering rulemaking to streamline the prior authorization process and make it easier for consumers and providers to get prior authorizations.... Read More >>

The Washington Health Care Authority is seeking to fill three vacancies on the Health Technology Clinical Committee. Qualified health professionals who use health technology in their scope of practice and who have experience with evidence-based medicine are encouraged to apply. The application process has been extended. Applications will now be accepted until 5pm on June 24. Click here for more information on the application process.... Read More >>

WSHA recently sent the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) a comment letter and recommendations in response to the OIC’s request for comments related to health plan prior authorizations. The OIC is considering rulemaking to streamline the prior authorization process and make it easier for consumers and providers to get prior authorizations.... Read More >>

Over the last several years, WSHA has lobbied the state legislature to make significant investments in mental health. This work has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in capital funding for mental health beds. Using this funding, a number of new mental health beds have already opened, and many more are in development. The Washington State Department of Commerce just released the application for a second pool of money for capital grants to create mental health capacity. Applications are due July 28... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner Merritt Hawkins would like to share a blog article discussing the relationship between poverty and the increased demand on health care services. The article suggests that policy-makers often do not account for the income level of the community when pointing to examples of who is doing a “good” job in managing their patient populations. ... Read More >>

The AHA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 7 released a one-page resource to help hospital patients who may be prescribed opioids before discharge discuss the risks and benefits of these medications with their health care provider.... Read More >>