News

The Health Care Authority (HCA) has extended its deadline to Feb. 1 for providers to apply to offer total joint replacements using bundled payments for its coverage for state employees.... Read More >>

We are getting ready for the 2016 legislative session, and are excited to invite you to our legislative session kickoff webcast. Cassie Sauer, Claudia Sanders and Mary Kay Clunies-Ross will... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals of the Health Care Authority’s response to requests filed by WSHA hospitals appealing the significant reduction in PPS Medicaid inpatient and outpatient rates effective November 1, 2015. ... Read More >>

Governor Inslee today released his revisions to the 2015-2017 biennial budget, placing priority on education, relief for the state’s devastating 2015 wildfires and urgent mental health needs. The Governor had an additional $245 million in revenue to work with, in part thanks to the state’s economic growth. He also proposed closing tax loopholes and spending money out of the budget stabilization account. He faced a number of issues requiring significant spending – including paying for last summer’s wildfires and increasing prescription drug costs.... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to make you aware that the state is soliciting local and statewide projects for exploration and selection in the state’s global waiver negotiations with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for Medicaid. Project proposals are due January 15, 2016 to the state Health Care Authority (HCA).... Read More >>

The New York Times has created a deeply fascinating way to explore cost variation across the country, and it bears thought. On Tuesday, they published “The Experts Were Wrong About the Best Places for Better and Cheaper Health Care.” Medicare spending on procedures is a rich dataset of cost variation and has been used as a lens on the issue of cost variation.... Read More >>

Recently, WSHA staff were contacted by a member of the Washington State Senate because a large hospital was using an outdated birth filing form. The correct form was developed in 2012, shortly after passage of state law allowing for same-sex marriage. The new form allows same-sex couples to be listed as parents; the old form does not.... Read More >>

Congressional leaders released a 2,009-page bill Dec. 16 that funds the government through Sept. 30, 2016. Lawmakers rejected a hospital-backed technical correction to the November budget deal’s site neutral provision and a fix for cancer hospitals advocated by the Seattle Cancer Alliance.... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized its rule concerning the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program. The program will make hospitals that provide lower joint replacement surgeries in specified geographic areas financially responsible for costs related to an episode of care, including post-acute services. ... Read More >>

On December 4, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) sent interested stakeholders, including WSHA, draft legislation concerning balance billing for services by a provider who is not contracted with a patient’s health plan, when the services are provided at a contracted hospital. ... Read More >>