| mukilteo-ob-gyn-named-president-of-wsma | Mukilteo OB-GYN Named President of WSMA | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Press_Release/2023/mukilteo-ob-gyn-named-president-of-wsma | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>Sept. 25, 2023</h5>
<h2>Mukilteo OB-GYN Named President of WSMA</h2>
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SEATTLE - Mukilteo obstetrician-gynecologist Nariman Heshmati, MD, MBA, FACOG, was named president of the Washington State Medical Association at its annual House of Delegates meeting on Sunday, Sept. 24. The WSMA represents nearly 13,000 physicians, physician assistants, resident physicians, and medical students throughout Washington state.
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Dr. Heshmati is the executive medical director of affordability, advocacy, and pharmacy for Optum Washington, which includes The Everett Clinic, The Polyclinic, and The Optum Care Network Pacific Northwest. In his role at Optum Washington, Dr. Heshmati has accountability for total cost of care, external relationships, and pharmacy services.
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Born in Iran to a family of clinicians-his father an orthopedic surgeon and his mother a psychologist-a young Dr. Heshmati and his family fled their home country during the Iranian Revolution, eventually emigrating to the United States and settling in Satellite Beach, Florida. Reestablishing medical careers in their new country, Dr. Heshmati's father and mother became role models for their children, inspiring them to pursue careers in medicine, with Dr. Heshmati's brother also becoming a physician and his sister a psychologist.
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Dr. Heshmati received his undergraduate degree in 2001 at the University of Florida in Gainesville, followed by a medical doctorate in 2005 from Florida State University in Tallahassee where he served as class president and founded the medical school college council. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology in 2009 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, during which time he was a contributor to the 5th edition textbook of Blueprints in Obstetrics &amp; Gynecology. Dr. Heshmati recently received an MBA from Seattle University.
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Dr. Heshmati moved to Mukilteo, Washington, in 2009 with his wife Kathryne to join The Everett Clinic, where they continue to live with their two children, Robert and Sirena. Dr. Heshmati has served Everett and the surrounding Snohomish County communities as a practicing OB-GYN for more than 14 years and has pursued executive and leadership roles in local clinics and health systems. At Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, he served as chief of women's and children's services and medical director of obstetrics. At The Everett Clinic, he has served on the clinical leadership board, as a senior regional medical director, as medical director of advocacy, and as associate medical director of surgical services, among other roles.
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Demonstrating a steadfast commitment to his community and to organized medicine, Dr. Heshmati has served on the Washington Health Alliance Low Back Pain Implementation Collaborative, was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the Washington Pandemic After Action Review Task Force, and is on the March of Dimes Washington State board of directors. He is the Washington section legislative chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Along with his membership in the WSMA and the national and state chapters of his specialty society, he is a member of the American Medical Association. In addition to his executive leadership at the WSMA, Dr. Heshmati serves as a WSMA delegate to the AMA and is past board chair of WSMA's political action committee, WAMPAC.
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Dr. Heshmati is widely published, has presented at numerous national conferences including AMGA (formerly American Medical Group Association), Becker's Hospital Review, America's Physician Groups, and State of Reform, and has received a number of awards, including Seattle Met Magazine "Top Doc." He is the host of a popular YouTube channel, "DrNari," featuring women's health informational videos and is active on X, formerly known as Twitter, under the handle "@nariheshmati."
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The following physicians were also elected as officers at the meeting: John Bramhall, MD, PhD, Seattle anesthesiologist, president-elect; Bridget Bush, MD, FASA, Anacortes anesthesiologist, vice president; and Matt Hollon, MD, MPH, FACP, Spokane internist, secretary-treasurer. The fifth officer of WSMA's executive committee is Past President Katina Rue, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP, Yakima family physician, who will serve as committee chair.
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WSMA members newly elected to the association’s board of trustees include Rajneet Lamba, MD, Kirkland internist; Amy Ellingson, MD, Brewster family physician; Lisa Ivanjack, MD, Bothell internist; John Scott, MD, Seattle gastroenterologist; Peter Barkett, MD, Silverdale internist; and Andy Shang, medical student, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
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<a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/nariman-heshmati-md-wsma.jpg]">Download a high-resolution portrait of WSMA President Nariman Heshmati, MD, FACOG</a>.
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For more information, contact:
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Graham Short<br />
WSMA Director of Communications<br />
206.329.6851 (cell/text)<br />
<a href="mailto:gfs@wsma.org">gfs@wsma.org</a>
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<p><strong>About the WSMA</strong><br />
The Washington State Medical Association represents nearly 13,000 physicians, physician assistants, resident physicians, and medical students across all specialties and practice types in Washington state. The WSMA has advocated on behalf of the house of medicine for more than 125 years. Our vision is to make Washington state the best place to practice medicine and receive care.
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</div> | 9/25/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| update-on-new-covid-19-vaccine-recommendations-and-availability | Update on New COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations and Availability | Latest_News | | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>September 22, 2023</h5>
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<h2>Update on New COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations and Availability</h2>
<p>The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met to vote on recommendations for the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccines. It voted in favor of recommending these new monovalent COVID-19 vaccines including the XBB.1.5 component:</p>
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<li>Everyone 5 years and older without immunocompromise is recommended to receive one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine regardless of prior vaccination history.</li>
<li>Children ages 6 months-4 years should complete a multidose initial series (two doses of Moderna or three doses of Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine) with at least one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine.</li>
<li>People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should complete a three-dose initial series with at least one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine and may receive one or more additional 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine doses.</li>
<li>Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended (or authorized for use) in the United States.</li>
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<p>Detailed guidance is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html">Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 in the U.S. webpage</a>.</p>
<h3>COVID-19 vaccine allocations in Washington state</h3>
<p>The COVID-19 vaccines are available to order and are currently under allocation through the Washington State Childhood Vaccine Program and Adult Vaccine Program. Vaccine orders will be reduced initially to accommodate for the limited number of doses currently available. The state Department of Health advises practices and clinics enrolled as vaccine providers to order small amounts more frequently initially as DOH transitions these vaccines into the agency's routine vaccine distribution programs.</p>
<h3>There is still time to enroll in the Adult Vaccine Program</h3>
<p>There is still time to enroll in Washington's Adult Vaccine Program to be eligible to request COVID-19 vaccine for your patients. Practices and clinics that enroll now will also be eligible to request <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/public-health-healthcare-providers/public-health-system-resources-and-services/immunization/adult-vaccine-program/publicly-supplied-vaccines">other routine vaccines</a> in the next AVP vaccine order cycle in spring 2024. Use the <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/348-976-WAStateAdultVaccineProgramEnrollmentGuide.pdf?uid=64fb53a04dd88">Adult Vaccine Provider Enrollment Guide</a> to help you through the enrollment process. </p>
</div> | 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| wsma-joins-wsam-in-requesting-bree-collaborative-review-of-oud-treatment-practices | WSMA Joins WSAM in Requesting Bree Collaborative Review of OUD Treatment Practices | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2023/september-22/wsma-joins-wsam-in-requesting-bree-collaborative-review-of-oud-treatment-practices | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2023/september/buprenorphine-butrans10mcg-645px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Packets of Butrans" /></div>
<h5>September 22, 2023</h5>
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<h2>WSMA Joins WSAM in Requesting Bree Collaborative Review of OUD Treatment Practices</h2>
<p>Each year, the Dr. Robert Bree Collaborative identifies and selects health care services to review that either have high variation in the way care is delivered, are frequently used but do not lead to better care or patient health, or that have patient safety issues. Once topics are formally selected, the Bree Collaborative forms expert work groups to review existing data and current policies, regulations, and practices to develop related recommendations for the Washington State Health Care Authority to guide the type of health care provided to Medicaid enrollees, state employees, and other groups.</p>
<p>Topic proposals from interested stakeholders were due July 2023. Citing existing WSMA policy, the Washington Society of Addiction Medicine formally requested WSMA's leadership to extend its support of WSAM's proposals on eliminating buprenorphine dose limits and expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder in residential treatment facilities. In advance of the Bree Collaborative finalizing 2024 topics, the WSMA submitted <a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/newsletters/2023/wsma-letter-of-support-wsam-2024-topic-proposals.pdf]">a letter of support of WSAM's proposals</a>, noting the state's need to improve health care delivery and outcomes for individuals impacted by opioid use disorder, especially as overdoses in Washington state have <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm">increased 31%</a> between April 2022 and April 2023.</p>
<p>The WSMA is monitoring the Bree Collaborative's discussions on 2024 proposals and will report out on final topics once they are selected.</p>
</div> | 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |