About the WWRHCC
Collaboration is an amazingly dynamic interaction involving teamwork, forming alliances, and building relationships through cooperation. And that is exactly what is happening in nine rural Critical Access Hospitals in Western Washington.
Our Story
Formed in 2003, the Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative (WWRHCC) is an incorporated non-profit Rural Health Network. The Collaborative is comprised of nine federally designated rural Critical Access Hospitals serving all or portions of nine Western Washington counties, with a combined network area population of over 154,000. We are managed by an Executive Director, and guided by an exceptionally "hands-on" Board of Directors.
Our Focus
The WWRHCC has identified priority projects that include teleradiology, telepharmacy and a diabetic patient education; developing rural nurse competencies, staff education, healthcare compliance and healthcare quality projects. Through grant funding, the Network is moving forward through its formative stages with these projects, and is forming numerous groups to share ideas, problem solve challenges and strengthen resources. Nursing, quality assurance, CFOs, business office personnel, Health Information Management, billing, marketing and CEOs are some of the groups involved in these valuable exchanges.
These collaborative efforts, coming together as a group from across a large area of Western Washington, are beginning to take charge of health care delivery and quality in their own communities. Rural hospitals often "are" the health care system for the communities they serve with a substantial portion of actual day-to-day Network operations powered by administrative, clinical, and support staff at WWRHCC member hospitals.
To read how public hospital districts may enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with one another, read the amended interlocal agreeement.
What We Do
The Western Washington Rural Health Care Collaborative:
- Uses over one million dollars in grants to work with member hospitals towards achieving goals
- Works on quality and critical access hospital requirements, as well as expanding services such as cardiology clinics and education
- Was recently awarded a (RUS) Distance Learning Telemedicine Grant that will aid in the development of a Teleradiology project, to provide "real time" x-ray interpretations and access to radiologists
- Provides survey assistance, networking hospitals and implementing standardization while enabling comparative analysis
- Brings department managers from all the hospitals together for support, the development of new ideas, and professional growth
- Reviews and reports on the status of quality measures, and serves as a distribution center for member policies and procedures (such as medical reconciliation, stroke care measures, etc.)
- Is the driving force behind the development of a statewide spine, that will allow greater communication potential for all Western Washington rural Telehealth applications
staff members of Ocean Beach Hospital