physician working at laptop with stethoscope on the desk

Continuing professional development to support our members on their lifelong learning journey.

Upcoming CPD Webinars

Continuing professional development is the process of lifelong learning in which physicians acquire, through formal and informal activities, the medical and non-medical competencies they need to improve their ability to practice medicine and provide effective patient care. Engaging in continuing professional development is a professional obligation and also a prerequisite for enhancing the quality of health care. The WSMA introduced its Continuing Professional Development webinar series as part of our commitment to supporting physicians and physician assistants on their lifelong learning journey. Questions? Contact Jessica Martinson at jessica@wsma.org or 206.956.3628 or Brendan Cox at brendan@wsma.org or 206.956.3625.

Washington POLST: Best Practices and Practical Tips for Conversation

Friday, October 22 from noon–1 p.m.

Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP, WA POLST Task Force co-chair and Honoring Choices PNW clinical advisor, will outline best practices for effective use of POLST and provide communication techniques and a framework for holding goals of care conversations. Participants will be able to guide an individual in treatment options that match their stated goals, values, and preferences and ultimately complete a POLST form that accurately and consistently reflects a patient’s choices for end-of-life care.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

CME Credit

The WSMA is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The WSMA designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Patient Safety Round Table: Creating a Culture of Wellness to Improve Safety

Friday, Nov. 12 from noon–2 p.m.

The WSMA and the Washington Patient Safety Coalition invite you to attend a virtual patient safety roundtable facilitated by Kevin Hopkins, MD, the medical director of primary care at the Cleveland Clinic and senior physician advisor at the American Medical Association. Dr. Hopkins will lead a conversation about establishing well-being as an organizational value, identifying the characteristics of a resilient organization, and outlining strategies to take a systems-based approach to well-being. Physicians and other health care professionals working to address staff burnout and patient safety issues are encouraged to attend.

CME Credit

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Washington State Medical Association and the Washington Patient Safety Coalition. The WSMA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The WSMA designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition Webinar

Guest speaker, Professor Edwin Lindo, JD will present the session, "Exploring Inequities in End-of-Life Care," followed by a panel discussion. Edwin Guillermo Lindo, JD, is the assistant dean for social and health justice in the Office of Healthcare Equity and faculty within the department of family medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He teaches, presents, and writes on issues of race and racism within the field of medicine and greater society. He is internationally recognized as a conscious voice for racial and social justice.
This session has been postponed from November 19. Please check back for the new date and event details.

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Provider Relief Fund Application Closing Soon

Latest_News

Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2021/October_22/provider_relief_fund_application_closing_soon

<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2021/October/physician-money-illustration-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" alt="illustrated physician and dollar sign arrow" /></div> <h5>October 22, 2021</h5> <h2>Provider Relief Fund Application Closing Soon</h2> <p>The Biden administration recently announced it will <a href="https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief/future-payments">release the remaining $25 billion</a> of the $185 billion that was deposited into the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Provider Relief Fund to assist physician practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen billion will go to physicians and providers, with an additional $8.5 billion to rural physicians and providers. The application is still open for <a href="https://www.hrsa.gov/provider-relief/future-payments">Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments</a>, but only until Oct. 26.</p> <p>PRF Phase 4 is open to a broad range of physicians and health care providers who have been impacted by the pandemic. ARP Rural is open to Medicare, Medicaid, or Children's Health Insurance Program physicians who serve rural patients. You can <a href="https://cares.linkhealth.com/#/">apply here</a>. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 26, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Visit <a href="http://hrsa.gov/provider-relief">hrsa.gov/provider-relief</a> for more information including application resources and technical assistance webinars that offer guidance on the application process and portal.</p> </div>

10/22/2021 12:00:00 AM

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Tell Congress to Cancel Medicare Cuts!

Latest_News

Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2021/October_22/tell_congress_to_cancel_medicare_cuts

<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2021/September/medicare-barcode-645px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Medicare barcode illsutration" /></div> <h5>October 22, 2021</h5> <h2>Tell Congress to Cancel Medicare Cuts! </h2> <p>In what amounts to a "perfect storm" of payment cuts going into effect on Jan. 1, physician practices face the following stack of Medicare financial hits amounting to a 9.75% cut. These include:</p> <ul> <li>Expiration of the current reprieve from the repeatedly extended 2% sequester stemming from the Budget Control Act of 2011. Congress originally scheduled this policy to sunset in 2021 but it will now continue into 2030.</li> <li>Imposition of a 4% Statutory PAYGO sequester resulting from passage of the American Rescue Plan Act. Should lawmakers fail to act, it will mark the first time that Congress has failed to waive Statutory PAYGO.</li> <li>Expiration of the congressionally enacted 3.75% temporary increase in the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) conversion factor to avoid payment cuts associated with budget neutrality adjustments tied to PFS policy changes.</li> <li>A statutory freeze in annual Medicare PFS updates under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that is scheduled to last until 2026, when updates resume at a rate of 0.25% a year indefinitely, a figure well below the rate of medical or consumer price index inflation.</li> </ul> <p>These cuts, if allowed to go into effect, would lead to fewer primary care providers, limited access to specialists, a disruption in care, and additional barriers to life-saving treatment.</p> <p>Now is the time to build on that momentum and demand that Congress take action to address these devastating Medicare cuts before it's too late. Please take a moment and <a href="https://physiciansgrassrootsnetwork.org/be-heard?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f89064%2fRespond%3fvvcgUT%3dU2n8B9gDicI8Np0q9ql0_w%26unregistered%3dU2n8B9gDicI8Np0q9ql0_w%26vvcgRD%3dB9JMB6NAWfyggPQP%26vvsbr%3dzXUBtzqqnUZO0Xd9TjP4iQ">contact your senators and representative to tell them to cancel the cuts</a>.</p> </div>

10/22/2021 12:00:00 AM

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM

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WSMA Calls on All Health Professions to Condemn COVID-19 Misinformation

Latest_News

Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2021/October_22/wsma_calls_on_all_health_professions_to_condemn_covid_19_misinformation

<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2021/October/rod-of-asclepius-645x425px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Rod Of Asclepius" /></div> <h5>October 22, 2021</h5> <h2>WSMA Calls on All Health Professions to Condemn COVID-19 Misinformation</h2> <p>Endorsing the Washington Medical Commission <a href="https://sharpepr.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8871e6faa510d5f0c8cd8709&amp;id=e28c2e7d30&amp;e=00bec3e7c9">COVID-19 misinformation position statement</a>, the WSMA has called on all health care professions to condemn the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation that erode public trust in the medical profession and endanger patients.</p> <p>In a press release, WSMA President Mika Sinanan, MD, PhD, said, "Any health care provider, whether a physician, dentist, naturopath, or nurse, whose treatment for their patients, whether for COVID-19 or another condition, is based on misinformation or disinformation are putting the public at risk. It is unethical, unprofessional, and dangerous.</p> <p>"The public puts its trust in our opinions as health care professionals. As physicians, our patients put their lives in our hands. We cannot compromise this trust by touting treatment options that are scientifically unproven or shown to be ineffective and dangerous."</p> <p>Read the full release on the <a href="https://wsma.org/Shared_Content/News/Press_Release/2021/washington_state_medical_association_calls_on_health_professions_to_condemn_covid_19_misinformation">WSMA website</a>.</p> </div>

10/22/2021 12:00:00 AM

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