REGIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

Olympian staff

TUMWATER

Interstate 5 repairs will close lanes

Nighttime repair work will reduce Interstate 5 to one lane in each direction from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. today through Friday.

Motorists can expect north- and southbound closures from the Trosper Road interchange to Custer Way. Crews will repair potholes and expansion joints at the Linwood Avenue bridge.

MASON COUNTY

Rash of car thefts hits North Mason

North Mason County residents should lock their cars, according to the sheriff's office, which has received numerous reports of thefts from unlocked vehicles parked in driveways.

The thieves appear to strike in the late evening hours in Grapeview, Belfair and Allyn.

Anyone with information regarding the thefts is asked to call the Mason County Sheriff's Office at 360-275-4255.

SOUTH SOUND

Deadline nears for studded tires

Studded tires are not allowed on Washington roads after midnight Sunday. The fine for using studded tires after the deadline is $71.

The Washington State Department of Transportation advises that tires rated for use in mud and snow that have at least an eighth of an inch of tread will meet approved traction tire requirements in the event of a late storm. These tires can be used year round.

OLYMPIA

DSHS launches online billing

The Department of Social and Health Services is encouraging doctors and dentists to use its new online Medicaid billing service as a replacement for traditional paper billing.

Up to 12,000 paper bills arrive at DSHS every day. The department estimates that each paper form it receives costs about $1 to process, while electronic forms cost only pennies each.

In addition to saving agency money, DSHS officials say that electronic filing will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for providers to receive their Medicaid reimbursements -- while paper claims can take 24 days to process, electronic claims typically take just a week.

Health care providers interested in finding more information on the electronic claims system can check online at ecs. dshs.wa.gov, or they can call DSHS at 360-725-1147.

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