| wsma_courses_to_help_you_build_your_leadership_skills | WSMA Courses to Help You Build Your Leadership Skills | Leadership | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2022/May_13/wsma_courses_to_help_you_build_your_leadership_skills | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2022/may/ctr-leadership-development-645x425px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Center for Leadership Development logo" /></div>
<h5>May 13, 2022</h5>
<h2>WSMA Courses to Help You Build Your Leadership Skills </h2>
<p>Register today for upcoming leadership skill-building courses and seminars from our Center for Leadership Development, recipient of the Profile of Excellence Award in the leadership category from the American Association of Medical Society Executives.</p>
<p><strong>Physician Leadership Course<br />
</strong><em>Sept. 16-Dec. 2, 2022</em></p>
<p>The WSMA Physician Leadership Course is a 40+ hour hybrid-distance leadership skills-development course for physicians and physician assistants who want to know more about health care leadership. The course combines in-person and online learning to enable course participants to begin developing and honing their leadership skills at their convenience. Designed with a physician's busy schedule in mind, only three in-person classes are required; the remainder of the course is conducted online. <a href="[@]WSMA/Education/Physician_Leadership/Physician_Leadership_Course/WSMA/Physician_Leadership/Physician_Leadership_Course/Physician_Leadership_Course.aspx?hkey=efdc4ad1-ff20-4089-ab51-caafbe73572b">Learn more and register</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit</em>â„¢.</p>
<p><strong>Dyad Leadership Course<br />
</strong><em>Oct. 14-Nov. 18, 2022</em></p>
<p>The WSMA Dyad Leadership Course is a month-long course with three live educational workshop days. This course is intended for physicians and their administrative dyad partners who wish to improve team function and achieve greater operational success within their clinical system. <a href="[@]WSMA/Education/Physician_Leadership/Dyad_Leadership_Course/WSMA/Physician_Leadership/Dyad_Leadership_Course/Dyad_Leadership_Course.aspx?hkey=f6387317-48e4-44f1-b623-4b00fcba57ab">Learn more and register</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit</em>â„¢.</p>
<p><strong>Health Equity Leadership Development and Action Collective - New!</strong><br />
<em>September 2022-July 2023</em></p>
<p>This action collective is intended for physicians, physician assistants, and health care professional leaders who are ready to act on the understanding that systemic racism exists within health care, and who are positioned to lead and facilitate change in their organizations and beyond. If you are committed to making lasting, equitable change in your organization, then this course is here to support you on that path. Six two-hour virtual sessions will be held every other month from September 2022 through July 2023. <a href="[@]WSMA/Education/Physician_Leadership/Health_Equity/WSMA/Physician_Leadership/Health_Equity_Leadership_Development_and_Action_Collective/health_equity_leadership_development_and_action_collective.aspx?hkey=17f095ae-34e3-407f-9877-3b0f79264c0a">Learn more and register</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit</em>â„¢.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership Masterclass<br />
</strong><em>Oct. 6</em>-<em>8, 2022</em></p>
<p>The WSMA Leadership Masterclass an intensive three-day adaptive-learning course that examines the complex challenges faced by seasoned physician leaders and provides the tools necessary to solve them. This course will provide additional growth opportunities to physicians who have completed our Physician Leadership Course and have moved on to middle levels of management in their facilities. <a href="[@]WSMA/Education/Physician_Leadership/Leadership_Masterclass/WSMA/Physician_Leadership/Leadership_Masterclass/Leadership_Masterclass.aspx?hkey=b3ffc0a4-6cad-4a06-98aa-6e1a5e1e64b2">Learn more and register</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit</em>â„¢.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership Seminars<br />
</strong><em>Various sessions, Sept. 30, 2022</em>-<em>Feb. 10, 2023</em></p>
<p>WSMA Leadership Seminars are designed for graduates of the <a href="[@]WSMA/Education/Physician_Leadership/Physician_Leadership_Course/WSMA/Physician_Leadership/Physician_Leadership_Course/Physician_Leadership_Course.aspx?hkey=efdc4ad1-ff20-4089-ab51-caafbe73572b">WSMA Physician Leadership Course</a>. Seminars will provide in-depth exposure to the topics that were covered in the Physician Leadership Course, with an emphasis on skill development and practical application of leadership principles using role-playing, demonstrations, and case studies. Seminars range between half-day and full-day sessions depending on the seminar topic, and include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your Personal Leadership Style: The Key to Unlocking Versatility - Sept. 15</li>
<li>Effective Governance Course - Oct. 21</li>
<li>Beyond the Basics: Building High-Performing Teams - Oct. 28</li>
<li>Harness Your EQ to Change Culture and Influence Colleagues - Nov. 17</li>
<li>Communication is a Two-way Street: Tips on Shaping Your Message and Listening Effectively - Dec. 8</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2023</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>The Art of Persuasion and Influence in Medical Leadership - Jan. 13</li>
<li>A Leader's Guide to Providing Feedback and Managing Conflict - Feb. 10</li>
<li>Lessons from a CFO: How to Increase Your Financial I.Q. - Date TBD</li>
</ul>
<p>Registration coming soon; for now, save the dates! This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit</em>â„¢.</p>
</div> | 5/13/2022 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| weekly_rounds_april_29_2022_prior_authorization_plagues_us_all | Weekly Rounds: April 29, 2022 - Prior Authorization Plagues Us All | Leadership | Shared_Content/News/Weekly_Rounds/2022/weekly_rounds_april_29_2022_prior_authorization_plagues_us_all | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/Weekly%20Rounds/Weekly-Rounds-Article-Graphic-2021-645x425px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Weekly Rounds logo" width="645" height="425" /></div>
<h5>April 29, 2022</h5>
<h2>Prior Authorization Plagues Us All</h2>
<p>Jennifer Hanscom, CEO</p>
<p>
If there's one issue that unifies all physicians-regardless of specialty, practice size, or employment status-it is their mutual loathing of prior authorizations. According to a 2021 survey from the American Medical Association, physicians complete an average of 41 prior authorizations per week, an administrative burden that consumes nearly two business days of physician and staff time. The burden has become so acute that 40% of physician survey respondents hired staff to work exclusively on prior authorization requirements.
</p>
<p>
Getting authorized to provide services demands time and attention that would be better spent on patients and their care. After-hours navigation of ever-changing, non-reimbursable criteria only adds to the frustration. Physicians and staff are driven to madness by red tape while patients suffer potentially health-threatening delays in receiving approval for necessary treatment, even if-and that's a big "if"-at the end of a long and often arbitrary process the procedure or prescription is approved.
</p>
<p>
Prior authorization undermines physicians' medical expertise and leads to considerable delays in patient care. According to that same AMA survey, 93% of physicians reported care delays associated with prior authorization, and 82% said these requirements can at least sometimes lead to patients abandoning treatment. Failure to administer medically necessary care can lead to poor health care outcomes. Most startlingly, 34% of AMA survey participants reported that prior authorization led to a serious adverse event, such as hospitalization, disability, and permanent bodily damage or death, for a patient in their care.
</p>
<p>
On a macro level, because physician practices need to hire staff to work exclusively on prior authorizations, and with delays caused by the process sometimes leading to serious adverse events requiring higher levels of care, prior authorizations increase the cost of delivering care for everyone.
</p>
<p>
The WSMA has worked hard to address prior authorization challenges in Washington. You may recall that <a href="https://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=284-43-2050">new rules</a> went into effect in 2018 that were intended to ease the administrative burden you face as you strive to meet the requirements of state-regulated insurers or their third-party administrators when seeking prior authorization of medical services.
</p>
<p>
The rules set specific timelines and communication requirements and are <a href="https://priorauth.wsma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WSMA_PA_Navigator-one-pager.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">summarized here</a>. You'll also find guidance on 2015 rules covering prior authorization of prescription drugs.
</p>
<p>
<strong>If you encounter an insurer or third-party administrator out of compliance with Office of the Insurance Commissioner's prior authorization requirements, you can easily file a complaint by utilizing the WSMA's Prior Authorization Navigator's <a href="https://priorauth.wsma.org/file-a-complaint/?_zs=B3aFd1&amp;_zl=IInK8">complaint form</a>. We urge you to take advantage of this tool.</strong>
</p>
<p>
At the federal level, Congress is increasingly concerned about the negative impact of prior authorization on patients and physicians within federal health care programs. In fact, just this week a <a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-09-18-00260.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">federal report</a> found that some people enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans were denied necessary care. Helpfully, a bipartisan collection of House and Senate lawmakers have introduced H.R. 3173/S. 3018, the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act. The bill is sponsored by Washington's CD 1 Rep. Suzan DelBene, with other co-signers from our state including Reps. Schrier (CD 8), Smith (CD 9), Strickland (CD 10), Herrera-Beutler (CD 3), and Larsen (CD 2).
</p>
<p>
The bill reduces unnecessary delays in care by streamlining and standardizing prior authorization under the Medicare Advantage program. Specifically, the bill would:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Require Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic prior authorization programs that adhere to newly developed federal standards and are capable of seamlessly integrating into electronic health systems (vs. proprietary health plan portals), as well as establish real-time decision-making processes for items and services that are routinely approved.</li>
<li>Mandate that plans report to the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services on the extent of their use of prior authorization and the rate of approvals and denials.</li>
<li>Require plans to adopt transparent prior authorization programs that are reviewed annually, adhere to evidence-based guidelines, permit gold carding, and include continuity of care for individuals transitioning between coverage policies to minimize any care disruptions.</li>
<li>Hold plans accountable for making timely prior authorization determinations and providing rationales for denial.</li>
</ul>
<p>
While the legislation would only apply to Medicare Advantage plans, it represents a major first step at the federal level toward combatting insurer oversteps. The WSMA continues to meet with our members of Congress urging a vote on the bill this calendar year.
</p>
<p>
While we wait to see what action Congress will take, the WSMA continues to work on the issue in our state. Based on the WSMA's recent advocacy, plans in Washington are required to provide data on their prior authorization practices to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Data points include those medical/surgical services most frequently requiring authorization, those most frequently approved, and those where authorization is initially denied and then overturned on appeal. Carriers must also report on their average response time for prior authorization requests. This information will help increase transparency and strengthen WSMA's advocacy by improving lawmakers' understanding about the effect prior authorization has on access to care.
</p>
<p>
Even as I write, we are working on our 2023 legislative agenda, and we anticipate our work is far from over on this topic. As we contemplate next steps on this and many other issues in advance of the 2023 legislative session, I hope you'll participate in our upcoming advocacy survey. Your voice-and your membership-matter.
</p>
</div> | 4/29/2022 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| 2022_apple_awards_nominations_due_may_16 | 2022 Apple Awards Nominations Due May 16 | Leadership | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2022/April_22/2022_apple_awards_nominations_due_may_16 | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2022/april/apple-awards-2021-all-glass-apples-medium-645x425px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Apple Awards" /></div>
<h5>April 22, 2022</h5>
<h2>2022 Apple Awards Nominations Due May 16</h2>
<p>Through the WSMA's Apple Awards and William O. Robertson, MD, Patient Safety Award, we recognize members for their outstanding contributions to leadership, advocacy, service, and patient safety. It's easy to make a nomination. Simply go to the links noted below to find out more and complete your nominations before the May 16 deadline. The awards will be presented during the WSMA House of Delegates' annual meeting in October.</p>
<ul>
<li>President's Unsung Hero Award: This award recognizes a WSMA member who contributes extraordinary service to the profession and community. Visit <a href="https://bit.ly/2022PresidentsUnsungHero">bit.ly/2022PresidentsUnsungHero</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Community Advocate Award: This award recognizes a member of the community who provides extraordinary support to, and advocacy for, the house of medicine. Visit <a href="https://bit.ly/2022CommunityAdvocate">bit.ly/2022CommunityAdvocate</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Early Career Member of the Year Award: This award recognizes a WSMA member for their service to the early career sections through mentorship, advocacy, support, and active participation with early career members. Visit <a href="https://bit.ly/2022EarlyCareer">bit.ly/2022EarlyCareer</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Grassroots Advocate Award: This award recognizes WSMA member efforts and activities supporting WSMA legislative priorities. Visit <a href="https://bit.ly/2022GrassrootsAdvocate">bit.ly/2022GrassrootsAdvocate</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>William O. Robertson, MD, Patient Safety Award: This award recognizes patient safety initiatives pioneered in ambulatory care settings throughout Washington state. Visit <a href="https://bit.ly/2022PatientSafety">bit.ly/2022PatientSafety</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div> | 4/22/2022 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |