| reminder-contact-your-member-of-congress-to-stop-year-end-medicare-cuts | Reminder: Contact Your Member of Congress to Stop Year-End Medicare Cuts | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2023/november-22/reminder-contact-your-member-of-congress-to-stop-year-end-medicare-cuts | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>November 22, 2023</h5>
<h2>Reminder: Contact Your Member of Congress to Stop Year-End Medicare Cuts</h2>
<p>With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposing a 3.4% reduction in Medicare's physician payments for 2024, the WSMA is urging all members to contact their congressional representatives today and call on them to stop the cuts. There's less than two months left in the year, so please make this a priority. Everyone agrees the Medicare physician payment system is broken, and it's time for Congress to do something about it. <a href="https://physiciansgrassrootsnetwork.org/be-heard?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f108965%2fRespond">Please contact your representative and senators and urge them to cancel the cuts.</a></p>
<p>The WSMA is also urging Washington's congressional delegation to sign on to H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. The legislation applies a much-needed permanent inflation-based update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule conversion factor. <a href="[@]Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2023/november-8/contact-your-member-of-congress-today-to-stop-year-end-medicare-cuts">Learn more about how you can help our advocacy on this long-term Medicare payment reform</a>.</p>
</div> | 11/22/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| deadline-approaching-for-comments-on-naturopath-scope-expansion-effort | Deadline Approaching for Comments on Naturopath Scope Expansion Effort | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2023/november-8/deadline-approaching-for-comments-on-naturopath-scope-expansion-effort | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>November 8, 2023</h5>
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<h2>Deadline Approaching for Comments on Naturopath Scope Expansion Effort</h2>
<p>The naturopathic profession in Washington state is continuing its effort to <a href="https://wsma.org/wsma/advocacy/legislative_regulatory/regulatory-priorities.aspx">expand naturopaths' scope of practice through legislation and rulemaking</a> without stipulating specific additional education requirements or training. At each juncture, the WSMA has opposed these efforts on the grounds that a naturopath's education and training do not include the comprehensive medical and pharmacological background needed to safely prescribe controlled substances and perform additional procedures as proposed. We strongly encourage physicians in all specialties to provide feedback on the proposal ahead of the Nov. 20 deadline.</p>
<p>In the latest chapter of this years-long effort, the Washington State Department of Health will be conducting a sunrise review of the naturopathic scope of practice as <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/NaturopathySunriseAppReport2023.pdf?uid=65208b53a2046">requested by the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians</a>. The DOH will review <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5411&amp;Year=2023&amp;Initiative=false">Senate Bill 5411</a> from the 2023 legislative session. As a reminder, SB 5411 makes several updates to the naturopathic practice act including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Expanding prescriptive authority to include controlled substances schedules II-V. This change would include opioids. Naturopaths currently have a very narrow prescriptive authority that is limited to legend drugs, codeine, testosterone, hormones, and other substances consistent with the practice of naturopathic medicine.</li>
<li>Allowing a naturopath to sign and attest to any certification cards, forms, or required documents that a physician can sign.</li>
<li>Changing the definition of "minor office procedure" to include primary care services and treatment of minor injuries. This "minor office procedure" has been interpreted by the naturopathic association to include things like in-office abortions.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The WSMA strongly believes that this proposal is a threat to the entire physician community</strong>. Most recently, the naturopathic community has expressed interest in the scopes of practice for obstetrics and gynecology, urology, ophthalmology, dermatology, plastic surgery, and anesthesiology. The applicant report expresses interest in treating behavioral/mental health conditions, performing in-office abortions, and treating opioid use disorder, among other things.</p>
<h3>All specialties urged to provide feedback on proposal</h3>
<p>As part of its sunrise review and to help DOH make informed recommendations to the Legislature on this proposal, the department is accepting public comments at <a href="mailto:sunrise@doh.wa.gov">sunrise@doh.wa.gov</a> through 5 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2023. Given the naturopaths' wide-ranging interest in scope expansion, WSMA staff have routed a call to action to our specialty society partners urging opposition to this proposal. WSMA's policy team is in the process of reviewing the application, and we will share our draft comment as a model for WSMA members from all specialties to work from.</p>
<p>The proposal under review consists of the following documents DOH received from the Legislature and applicant group:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/NaturopathySunriseRequest2023.pdf?uid=65208b53a13ea">Letter from Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee</a></li>
<li><a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/SenateBill5411-NP.pdf?uid=65208b53a1ad1">Senate Bill 5411</a></li>
<li><a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/NaturopathySunriseAppReport2023.pdf?uid=65208b53a2046">Applicant report submitted by WANP</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Learn more about the <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/about-us/programs-and-services/executive-office-prevention-safety-and-health/health-systems-quality-assurance/sunrise-reviews">DOH sunrise review process</a>.</p>
</div> | 11/8/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| its-time-for-action-on-unsustainable-medicaid-payments | It's Time for Action on Unsustainable Medicaid Payments | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2023/november-8/its-time-for-action-on-unsustainable-medicaid-payments | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>November 8, 2023</h5>
<h2>It's Time for Action on Unsustainable Medicaid Payments</h2>
<p>This week, the WSMA sent an action alert to Washington's physician community encouraging physicians, clinics, and medical groups to share stories with their legislators of how low Medicaid reimbursements, particularly for specialty care, impact their practices and patient access to care. If you haven't yet shared your perspective, <a href="https://takeaction.wsma.org/">do so today</a>.</p>
<p>The WSMA is working on a solution that will help draw down federal dollars and increase Medicaid rates across the board for the physician community. We will have more information on our proposal in the weeks ahead. The WSMA will be engaging stakeholders from across the health care spectrum-specialty societies, medical groups, county medical societies, clinics, systems, and more-to mobilize on this issue in anticipation of the state legislative session that begins in January. The state is long overdue in making needed investments to ensure that Medicaid patients have access to not only health coverage, but also health care. This can't wait.</p>
<h3>How you can help with our Medicaid effort</h3>
<p>While WSMA staff will be working hard to advocate on your behalf with legislators and in the media, there is no substitute for the expertise and perspective of those physicians, practices, and clinics witnessing "on the ground" how low Medicaid reimbursements are impacting their ability to provide care to their patients. Your experiences and knowledge of your community can be invaluable to local legislators and media-and may change minds.</p>
<p>If you'd like to help with this effort, visit our <a href="https://takeaction.wsma.org/get-engaged/">campaign page to volunteer</a>. WSMA staff will be in touch with more information about how you can help.</p>
</div> | 11/8/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |