Nikki May, BSN, is a registered nurse in the ICU at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Washington. In this conversation, May discusses her experiences as a nurse in a strained and understaffed ICU unit, and shares what she and her colleagues in the ICU want lawmakers to know. SM: What have the … Read more
On Monday, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) hosted a webinar to provide information on the rulemaking process for mandatory hospital participation in Cascade Care public options plans. Lawmakers originally established the state’s public option program in 2019. During the 2021 session, the legislature passed a bill deemed “Cascade Care 2.0,” which, … Read more
At the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care meeting last week, lawmakers heard an update on partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs for adolescents in the state. Dr. Alysha Thompson, clinical director and psychologist of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Erik Loraas, program director … Read more
Several leading health organizations in King County released a joint statement on Sep. 24 in support of King County’s recently-announced policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination proof or a negative test for many outdoor and indoor recreational events and establishments. Signatories of the statement include executives from organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, … Read more
As Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccination mandate deadline rapidly approaches for teachers, health care workers, and public sector employees, vaccination rates among the mandated employees are already nearing Inslee’s expectations for Oct. 18. A report released by the Office of Financial Management on Monday showed that just over 68% of Washington workers had received … Read more
In this edition of “What They’re Watching”, Marc Avery, MD, principal at Health Management Associates (HMA), discusses what integrated care means to him and how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought this care approach to the forefront. According to Avery, integrated care is a series of system transformation efforts that are meant to address … Read more
Rep. Timm Ormsby, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Paul Harris, member of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, discussed the status of the state’s budget amidst the current surge in COVID-19 cases at the 2021 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference earlier this month. “I feel more … Read more
At the 2021 Inland Northwest State of Reform Health Policy Conference, key leaders from both the private and public sectors of health care came together to discuss health disparities based on race, gender, and economic status revealed through the COVID-19 pandemic. These leaders were Sen. Emily Randall, a member of the Senate Health & Long … Read more
The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is set to receive a $5 million Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The funding will go toward transforming the health care system in rural communities in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties. On … Read more
After 22 years of transformative leadership, Gary Kaplan, MD, announced today he will end his time as CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Kaplan is internationally recognized for adapting management principles from the automotive and manufacturing industries for the health care setting to drive continuous improvement in quality, safety and patient experience. Through the development … Read more