💉 Checking the Pulse 05/27/26

A pending medical license: Earlier this month, I reported on allegations from physicians at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center who claimed the medical director of hospitalists services — a position that is contracted via Sound Physicians — was involved in clinical care without an active Washington state medical license. At the time the story was published (May 6), the state’s public dashboard did not show either an active or pending medical license for the medical director in question. Now, the dashboard shows a pending medical license for Dr. Erika Walker, the physician and hospitalist medical director whom the St. Joseph hospitalists filed complaints with the state over.

It’s important to note, when considering this development, that the pending license could have been filed before the story was published and was delayed in becoming public. Also, the existence of a pending license doesn’t necessarily guarantee Dr. Walker is returning to St. Joseph or Washington.

Last week, I reported on Lummi Nation’s new Secure Withdrawal Management and Stabilization (SWMS) Center. You can read the story here, but I’d like to add one more image for your consideration here. The photo below is of the facility's healing room, which is designed to be a communal gathering place for all people staying at the facility to meet simultaneously in the same space.

Per an email I received after the story was published, Rep. Rick Larsen’s team would like me — and you — to know that the incumbent Democrat up for re-election this year has long supported the project and secured federal dollars for the site’s construction.

The representative recently announced local hospitals and health departments are receiving federal reimbursement funds to the tune of multiple millions from costs incurred during the response to COVID-19. The funds from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), of which Larsen has jurisdiction over as the top Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, include $4.1 million for PeaceHealth, $1.96 million for Skagit County Public Health Hospital District #1 and $262.95 million to the Washington State Department of Health.

In total, FEMA released $538.5 million in reimbursement to health care organizations in Washington.

Back in September, I reported on a federal pilot program that aims to test the ability of artificial intelligence to be a part of prior authorization decisions for traditional Medicare patients. Now, our Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, are joining many other Democratic Senators in trying to overturn the program. The Senators recently introduced a Congressional Review Act, which is a resolution that Congress can use in an attempt to overturn actions taken by federal agencies, which, in this case, applies to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Sen. Murray is arguing that the model essentially cuts Medicare by delaying and denying claims through AI. Sen. Cantwell said in a statement that the model is “overriding doctors to delay care and deny treatment.”

So, if you’re a doctor or patient who’s experienced this pilot firsthand, please get in touch. I’d like to hear your experience.

Dialysis behemoth DaVita wants to expand its dialysis services in Skagit County by adding two dialysis stations at DaVita Cascade in Burlington. The Washington State Department of Health’s Certificate of Need program began reviewing the company's proposal earlier this month. A public comment period for the company's proposal is currently open and ends on June 11. Written comments can be sent to [email protected] and [email protected].

ProPublica: The headline says it all in this case: “A Unique Oregon Law Allows It to Block Healthcare Deals. In Five Years, the State Hasn’t Done So Once.”

The New York Times: A prominent Yale health economist argued in the newspaper's opinion pages that, despite a large share of the public’s health care outrage being directed at insurers, hospital prices are most responsible for high costs.

ProPublica (audio): You may think differently about generic drugs, where they come from, and how they're regulated after listening to the inaugural episode of the investigative outlet’s new podcast.

The New Yorker: As a local newsletter reader yourself, this story is a refreshing uplift. Plus, as someone who not too long ago lived in Brooklyn and was mostly unaware of my neighborhood happenings, the crux of this movement (hyperlocal writing) is needed!