The WSIA Weekly, 2.19.16
Major
legislative deadline this week; not much left standing
Wednesday
marked an important deadline in the state legislative session whereby bills
under consideration had to receive a vote and pass out of their chamber or
origin (House or Senate) in order to remain eligible for further consideration
by the other chamber. Among the issues WSIA is tracking, the firefighters’
union scored big this week with House passage of HB
2805 and 2806,
respectively mandating hazardous exposure reporting for firefighters and
expanding the presumption of occupational disease for firefighters. WSIA has
opposed both bills, and both face an uphill climb in the Senate. Few employer-backed
bills cleared the deadline, although SB
6321, streamlining the independent contractor versus covered employer issue
in the construction industry, passed the Senate. For a complete run-down,
check
our weekly legislative update (member login req’d).
Spotlight
on Spring Conference: Utilization Review
Interested
in learning more about the who, why, what, and whether of utilization review
from WSIA’s preferred UR partner? Curious why the Department of Labor &
Industries’ Medical Director strongly encourages utilization review for
consistency with the Department’s treatment guidelines and coverage decisions?
Our Spring
Conference on March 17th in Bellevue will feature a panel from Qualis Health, to
explain UR in general, and answer questions about its use by self-insured
employers. The panel will round out a full day of networking and education
focused on the medical side of claims management. Check out
the agenda and registration page here – we would love to see you in
Bellevue next month!
WSIA
offices moving next week; please note our new address
After
nearly 20 years in our current office, the WSIA office is moving to a new
location in downtown Olympia with a new address: 828 7th Avenue
Southeast, Olympia, Washington, 98501. We’re very excited for what this new
space will mean to our members and the organization, as we move closer to the
capital and pick up space for future trainings and meetings. We’re likely to
have some brief down time from phone and e-mail next Thursday and Friday as we
get our network and telecommunications established in the new office, so we
thank you in advance for your patience in reaching us.
Dealing with hearing loss claims? Do you know about MEDPlus?
MEDPlus is WSIA’s preferred vendor for hearing claims services. Use your WSIA membership to reduce costs and improve outcomes.