Health Care

Providence Health CEO Elaine Couture: Adapting to myriad of market shifts

Lagging revenues, rising costs lead big health care system to make cuts

December 1, 2016

With more potential changes in the wind for the health care industry in the wake of Donald Trump's election as the nation's president, Providence Health Care's chief executive, Elaine Couture, says leading officials need to be prepared for new respo

Small Business Watch

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November 17, 2016

Staff Report

Dialysis clinic renovates larger site on North Side

$1.3 million project slated to be finished in February

November 17, 2016

Mike McLean

Denver-based DaVita Inc. has started a $1.3 million renovation project to convert a portion of a retail building at 7701 N. Division into a dialysis and kidney care clinic where DaVita plans to move its North Side clinic, says Kristin Videto, a Federal Wa

Students experience robotic surgery technology

Rockwood Health System, others put on STEM event

November 17, 2016

LeAnn Bjerken

Rockwood Health System earlier this month hosted its second annual science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine event designed to introduce local high school students to robotic surgery. The event, dubbed STEM2, was staged through a partnership

Rockwood Health System owners posts $79M loss

Stock price sunk nearly 50 percent last week

November 3, 2016

LeAnn Bjerken

Community Health Systems Inc., the Tennessee-based hospital operator that owns Rockwood Health System here, has reported a $79 million third-quarter net loss, compared with net income of $52 million for the same period last year. Investor confidence in t

UW physician assistant program targets rising need

Nearly 400 providers have graduated in past 20 years

October 20, 2016

Stacey Denny

Physician assistants are playing a more vital role in health care communities across the U.S. In Spokane, many of these physician assistants are graduates of the University of Washington's MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program here. Currently

WSU's sleep research center keeps growing

Budget of operation here has doubled since 2009

October 20, 2016

In the last seven years, Washington State University's Sleep and Performance Research Center has seen its annual budget more than double, a reflection of the growth and amount of work it now conducts at the Spokane campus east of downtown. The sleep ce

Annual health plan enrollment brings familiar stress

Insurance decisions often involve increasing costs

October 20, 2016

Guest Commentary

Besides colder weather and pumpkin carving, October also brings the beginning of the employee benefits open enrollment season. Nearly 40 percent of Washington state employers renew their employee benefit plans on Jan. 1, causing an intense surge in huma

Humana adds hearing aid benefit to Medicare plans

Insurer beefs up Advantage offerings in six counties

October 20, 2016

Staff Report

Humana Inc., the Louisville, Ky.-based health insurance company, says it's teaming up with a hearing aid company to provide Medicare beneficiaries in Spokane County and five other counties in Washington state with better access to hearing exams and affo

Tacoma's Multicare offers online health services here

System using billboards to draw local consumers

October 20, 2016

Kim Crompton

MultiCare Health System, a Tacoma-based provider network, is using billboards here to market health care services that Spokane-area consumers can access online. 'Online healthcare when and where you need it. Visit multicare.ecare.com,â€ says the messa