News

On Jan. 15, the state legislature passed Concurrent Resolution 8402 to extend waivers of key state law until the termination of the declared state of emergency or until the waivers are rescinded by gubernatorial or legislative action.... Read More >>

The US Department of Health and Human Services has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) amending the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the federal law governing health care privacy and confidentiality.... Read More >>

This week WSHA will be addressing major legislation related to telemedicine, emergency waivers, Certificate of Need waivers for psychiatric hospitals and worker benefits... Read More >>

The session is off to a quick start, and WSHA will be addressing the following major legislation this week.... Read More >>

WSHA issued a new bulletin about two important changes to Washington State’s telemedicine laws. As of Jan. 1, 2021, Washington State’s telemedicine payment parity law is in full effect, which means payment for telemedicine services must be at the same rate as if the health care service were provided in person.... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide psychiatric hospitals and acute care hospitals with inpatient behavioral health programs or that accept Single Bed Certification guidance on when they may disclose information related to mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to a patient’s family and other close relations without the patient’s consent.... Read More >>

Hearings and most voting will be held virtually this year due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic... Read More >>

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform hospitals about two important changes to Washington State’s telemedicine laws. Washington State’s telemedicine payment parity law is in full effect as of January 1, 2021. Washington State’s mandatory telemedicine training for most health care professionals is now available and must be completed by June 30, 2021.... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with CDC, is enrolling Washington state residents in the COVID-19 Pregnancy Registry to conduct a surveillance project to monitor pregnant people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 through the end of their pregnancy and up to delivery.... Read More >>

On December 21, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the 5,600-page Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which was later signed by the president. The package includes more than $900 billion in COVID-19 relief as well as $1.4 trillion to fund the federal government through the end of 2021. Besides COVID-19 relief provisions, the bill... Read More >>