Reminder: Time to Renew Your

WOMA Membership!

To our active paying WOMA Members: We are nearing the end of the year which means, time to renew your membership. For those of you who would like to pay early online, your invoices are ready in your WOMA account. Email's were sent out with the link (HERE) and reminders to pay dues before January 1st. If you did not receive an email, please check your account (link above) or contact us to make sure you have paid your 2022 dues and are current in your membership.

Physical statements will be sent out December 1st for those of you would rather pay by mail.

If you would like your invoice emailed, need help with logging into your account, if you are unsure if you are up to date with your membership dues, or have any other dues related questions, please contact hgriffin@woma.org. Thank you.

DOH COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Safety Webinar

Tuesday, November 8, 2022 - 12PM-1PM PST

The Washington State Department of Health will host a COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Safety and Administration Webinar on November 8, 2022, from 12pm-1pm. The webinar will cover safety data related to COVID-19 bivalent vaccine booster recommendations and discuss the updated booster schedule for everyone 5 years and older. The webinar will be recorded and continuing education will be available for nurses.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss safety studies for COVID-19 bivalent vaccines
2. Describe updated COVID-19 bivalent vaccine schedule
3. Identify strategies to prevent and address COVID-19 bivalent vaccine administration errors 

Register Here to attend the webinar.

If you have any questions, please contact Trang Kuss.

2023 Hospital OPPS and ASC, PFS, Home Health, and ESRD Final Rules

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is and will be publishing the calendar year (CY) Final Rules over the upcoming weeks. This week, they announced some of the most anticipated final rules. While the Federal Register has not yet published these rules, the links below will take you to the pre-publication versions.

• The “Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs; Organ Acquisition; Rural Emergency Hospitals: Payment Policies, Conditions of Participation, Provider Enrollment, Physician Self-Referral; New Service Category for Hospital Outpatient Department Prior Authorization Process; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; COVID-19.” The Hospital Outpatient and ASC Final Rule with Comment Period does not yet have a scheduled publication date. 

• The “Medicare and Medicaid Programs: CY 2023 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare and Medicaid Provider Enrollment Policies, etc.” The Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule is scheduled to be published on November 18,2022.

• Medicare Program: Calendar Year 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate, Home Health Quality Reporting Program Requirements, etc. The Home Health Final Rule was scheduled to be published November 4, 2022.

• Medicare Program: End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals with Acute Kidney Injury, etc.  The ESRD Final Rule is scheduled to be published November 7, 2022.

• In addition, CMS published a correction on November 4, 2022 to: Medicare Program: Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2023 Rates; etc.; Correction.

Following are some resources which highlight some of changes in two of these foundational final rules.

HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT AND AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER (ASC) PAYMENT FINAL RULE

• Fact Sheet on the Hospital; Outpatient and ASC final Rule: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cy-2023-medicare-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-system-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-2
• Rural Emergency Hospital Fact Sheet: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cy-2023-medicare-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-system-and-ambulatory-surgical-center-1
• Press Release regarding Rural Emergency Hospitals: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-continues-biden-harris-administration-progress-promoting-health-equity-rural-care-access-through

PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE (PFS)

• Fact Sheet on the PFS: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2023-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-final-rule
• There is a link at the end of the PFS Fact Sheet to a zip file for the Quality Payment Program with the following files:
• 2023 QPP Final Rule External FAQs;
• 2023 QPP Final Rule MVP Table;
• 2023 QPP Final Rule Overview; and
• 2023 Final Rule Policy Comparison Tables.
• Fact Sheet on the Medicare Shared Savings Program changes is available here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2023-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-final-rule-medicare-shared-savings-program

CHARS and HB 1272 Implementation

Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (E2SHB) 1272 goes into effect beginning January 1, 2023. E2SHB 1272 requires all hospitals to report patient discharge information related to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, preferred language, any disability, and zip code of primary residence.

With the upcoming deadline of January 1, 2023, the department of health is interested in knowing how implementation efforts for your organization are going. Is your organization on schedule to meet the new reporting requirements and statute deadline? They would like to know if you have questions, challenges, or need additional support from DOH. 

If your facility would like a copy of the updated CHARS procedure manual, send a request to the email address below. Please continue to work with WSHA regarding the technical documents required to submit data to them.

Visit the FAQ page on their website or submit questions or concerns to the CHARS email at CHARSgeneral@doh.wa.gov if you need assistance.