| A_closer_look__Gun_violence_policies_adopted_by_WSMA_House_of_Delegates | A closer look: Gun violence policies adopted by WSMA House of Delegates | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181114/A_closer_look__Gun_violence_policies_adopted_by_WSMA_House_of_Delegates | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-md-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/images/Concepts/gun_storage_645x425.jpg" class="pull-right" />
</div>
<h5>
November 14, 2018
</h5>
<h2>A closer look: Gun violence policies adopted by WSMA House of Delegates</h2>
<p>In the wake of two horrific mass shooting events - the killing of twelve people by a gunman in Thousand Oaks, Calif. and the massacre by a gunman of 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue - it's worth pausing a moment to consider the physicians and providers who have a front-row seat to the carnage created by gun violence. Physicians work tirelessly to reduce the impact of gun violence on bodies, and here in Washington state, they are also working to reduce the frequency of gun violence by seeking policy changes at the federal, state, and local level.</p>
<p>During last month's WSMA Annual Meeting, the WSMA House of Delegates adopted a total of 10 new policies related to gun violence (Resolutions C-9 through 14). They are: </p>
<ul>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA advocate for measures to reduce gun violence. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support the elimination of laws intruding on physicians’ and patients’ rights to discuss gun violence. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support encouraging physicians and health care workers to discuss safe storage of guns and the association of guns with risk of homicide, accidental shooting, and suicide, and counsel about risk. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support closing loopholes in gun purchases online and at unregulated gun shows. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support policy that creates weapons-free zones for medical practice settings, allowing exceptions for law enforcement. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support policy to address firearm-related violence and injury as a public health issue. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support policy that provides for background checks and waiting periods for the purchase of firearms. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support policy that will encourage and promote the safe storage of firearms in homes where those firearms are kept. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA support policy that raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 years of age. </li>
<li>RESOLVED, that the WSMA encourage its members to screen for risk factors of firearm injury and educate patients about prevention and safe storage. </li>
</ul>
<p>In addition to those new policies, WSMA delegates also reaffirmed existing policy that calls on the WSMA to support appropriate legislation that would restrict the sale and private ownership of large-clip, high-rate-of-fire automatic and semi-automatic firearms. Finally, WSMA delegates directed the WSMA to urge the state and federal government to fund research on the causes and prevention of firearm violence and injury and ensure that the databases and systems necessary for research and public health surveillance are available and publicly accessible.</p>
<p>Washington's citizens are acting too: during this year's midterm election, voters passed Initiative 1639, which appears to largely align with WSMA policy requiring safe storage and restricting the purchase of firearms under certain circumstances.</p>
<p>The creation of strong policy is at the heart of the WSMA's work, and reflects a commitment from Washington physicians to the health and welfare of patients and communities that extends beyond the exam room. Find all the new policies adopted by the 2018 WSMA House of Delegates on the <a href="[@]WSMA/About/Leadership/House_of_Delegates/House_of_Delegates.aspx">House of Delegates page</a>. For a comprehensive list of House of Delegates policy, review the WSMA Policy Compendium on our <a href="[@]WSMA/About/Policies/Policies.aspx">Policies page</a>.</p>
</div> | 11/9/2018 12:15:02 PM | 11/14/2018 3:00:35 PM |
| are_insurers_allowing_your_practice_to_benefit_from_new_credentialing_requirements | Are insurers allowing your practice to benefit from new credentialing requirements? | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181114/are_insurers_allowing_your_practice_to_benefit_from_new_credentialing_requirements | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-md-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/images/Logos/HDHP_645px.jpg" class="pull-right" />
</div>
<h5>
November 14, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Are insurers allowing your practice to benefit from new credentialing requirements?</h2>
<p>
Starting in June of this year, insurers must credential physicians and other providers within 90 days and use a single service, ProviderSource, to submit and process applications. These new standardized processes, the result of House Bill 2335 passed in 2016, represent a major win for WSMA's <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Resources/Administrative_Simplification/Healthy_Doctors__Healthier_Patients/WSMA/Resources/Administrative_Simplification/Healthy_Doctors__Healthier_Patients/Healthy_Doctors__Healthier_Patients.aspx?hkey=886d7bb3-8e52-4b07-9f38-541f3ca3e080">Healthy Doctors, Healthier Patients administrative simplification initiative</a>, and should make the credentialing process more manageable for many practices, provided insurers comply with the new rules. (Note: These new requirements do not apply to hospitals or medical groups with delegated credentialing arrangements.)
</p>
<p>
If the insurers you contract with are not using ProviderSource and processing applications within the new standardized timeframe,
<a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/Resources/Administrative Simplification/credentialing_sample_letter_11012018.docx]">download a template letter</a>, developed by the WSMA and the Washington State Medical Group Management Association, reminding reluctant insurance companies to follow the law and allow your practice to benefit from the legislation. After downloading, simply plug in your practice information and send the letter to your contact at each insurer with which you contract.
</p>
<p>
With insurers and physicians using ProviderSource, the goal is to make the credentialing process easier for small to midsized practices that do not benefit from delegation arrangements. We are interested in hearing whether insurance companies are complying with this law and the details of their responses. Please email Jeb Shepard, associate director of legislative and regulatory affairs, at <a href="mailto:jeb@wsma.org">jeb@wsma.org</a> with your feedback.
</p>
</div> | 11/14/2018 9:32:59 AM | 11/14/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| cms_releases_final_rule_on_medicares_physician_fee_schedule_for_2019 | CMS releases final rule on Medicare’s physician fee schedule for 2019 | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181114/cms_releases_final_rule_on_medicares_physician_fee_schedule_for_2019 | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-md-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/images/People%20non%20stock/Medicare_asclepius_lo-res_645x425.jpg" class="pull-right" />
</div>
<h5 style="font-size: 14px;">November 14, 2018</h5>
<h2>CMS releases final rule on Medicare's physician fee schedule for 2019</h2>
<p>
The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has issued a final rule that includes updates to payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under Medicare's physician fee schedule on or after Jan 1. The rule includes changes to E/M documentation guidelines strongly supported by the WSMA and the rest of organized medicine, and in further good news, delays implementation of CMS' proposal to collapse Medicare payment rates for office and outpatient visit services.
</p>
<p>
Key points in the final rule include:
</p>
<ul>
<li>The final 2019 conversion factor, with the budget neutrality adjustment to account for changes in RVUs (all required by law), is $36.04, a slight increase above the 2018 conversion factor of $35.99.</li>
<li>The blended reimbursement rate for evaluation and management (E&amp;M) levels of service 99202-99204 and 99212-99215 will be implemented in 2021—so you have two years to ramp up*. The Level 5 service is NOT included in this blended rate due to concerns of care for complex patients being impacted.</li>
<li>The payment reduction on second procedure using the 25 modifier did not pass.</li>
<li>The G codes proposed for podiatric services were not formally adapted as part of the final rule.</li>
<li>The proposed new G codes for primary care services, specialty services, and extended care (formerly known as prolonged physician services) were accepted as part of the final rule for implementation in 2021.</li>
<li>For E/M office/outpatient visits for new and established patients, practitioners need not re-enter in the medical record information on the patient's chief complaint and history that has already been entered by ancillary staff or the beneficiary. The practitioner may simply indicate in the medical record that he or she reviewed and verified this information; and</li>
<li>Removal of potentially duplicative requirements for notations in medical records that may have previously been included in the medical records by residents or other members of the medical team for E/M visits furnished by teaching physicians. </li>
<li>CMS has finalized a policy that, effective Jan. 1, wholesale acquisition cost (WAC)-based payments for Part B drugs determined under section 1847A of the Social Security Act, during the first quarter of sales when the average sale price (ASP) is unavailable, will be subject to a 3 percent add-on in place of the 6 percent add-on that is currently being used. We would also like to reiterate that these changes only apply to WAC-based payment for new Part B drugs.</li>
</ul>
<p>
*For 2021, CMS is proposing two basic payment rates for office visit services, one for straightforward visits and another for complex visits. In addition, CMS noted its intent to propose add-on codes for primary care and inherently complex specialty E/M visits. CMS said they will also consider input from the AMA and others in medical community.
</p>
<p>
We're grateful to the AMA for its quick analysis of the E/M sections of the final rule and for <a href="https://wsma.org/Shared_Content/News/Latest_News/2018/September/WSMA_joins_AMA_to_raise_concerns_on_proposed_changes_to_E_M_codes">leading the nationwide coordinated effort</a> to oppose the problematic proposals offered by CMS.
</p>
<p>
For questions, contact Michelle Lott at <a href="mailto:mml@wsma.org">mml@wsma.org</a>.
</p>
</div> | 11/14/2018 9:31:32 AM | 11/14/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| understanding_and_preparing_for_new_opioid_prescribing_rules | Understanding and preparing for new opioid prescribing rules | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181114/understanding_and_preparing_for_new_opioid_prescribing_rules | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
November 14, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Understanding and preparing for new opioid prescribing rules</h2>
<p>
New opioid prescribing rules for Washington state prescribing professions, prompted by House Bill 1427 and shaped by more than a year of stakeholder input, have been adopted. The following guidance from the WSMA can assist members, both physicians and physician assistants (allopathic and osteopathic), in understanding, preparing for, and succeeding under these new requirements.
</p>
<p>
The comprehensive rules represent a significant change in how opioids are prescribed. Key provisions applicable to all prescribing physicians and PAs include:
</p>
<ul>
<li>A seven-day pill limit for acute prescriptions and 14 days for acute operative pain, with an exemption to these limits when clinical judgment is documented in the medical record. </li>
<li>A specific care plan and documentation requirements for each phase of pain. </li>
<li>Mandated registration and targeted checks of the prescription drug monitoring program.</li>
<li>Required continuing medical education on opioid prescribing. </li>
</ul>
<p>
As the state's regulatory bodies adopted under their own authority, there are several differences between the rules for each profession. For allopathic physicians and physician assistants, the new prescribing rules go into effect Jan. 1; new rules for osteopathic physicians and PAs went into effect on Nov. 1. For more on the differing requirements between Washington Medical Commission and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery rulemaking, see this <a href="https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/631073-OverviewHandout-Pharmacy.pdf?ver=2018-10-04-151450-403">Table of Differences</a> from the Department of Health.
</p>
<p>
How to prepare:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Register to attend WSMA's free one-hour webinar, Understanding New State Opioid Prescribing Rules, on Wednesday, Dec. 19, noon–1 p.m., designed to help you understand how to comply with the new requirements. <a href="https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1349059379828828930">Register for the webinar online</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™</em>. Attendance will fulfill the new state requirement for continuing medical education on opioid prescribing.
</li>
<li>
Set up your account with Washington state's prescription monitoring program, <a href="http://www.wapmp.org/">Prescription Review</a>. Prescription Review uses a secure platform to allow a prescribing physician to access crucial patient information before prescribing, such as duplicate prescribing, misuse, drug interactions, and other potential concerns. Don't wait until the last minute—get started today setting up your account. The DOH website has a <a href="https://www.doh.wa.gov/ForPublicHealthandHealthcareProviders/HealthcareProfessionsandFacilities/PrescriptionMonitoringProgramPMP#dnn_ctr32065_FAQs_lstFAQs_Q2_0">section with instructions for physicians, including video tutorials</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Also: The WSMA has joined the Washington State Hospital Association to reach out to hospital and health system leaders, encouraging them to work with their IT departments to build edits and prompts into electronic health records that assist clinicians with compliance under the rules.
</p>
<p>
For more information on the new rules and other WSMA efforts to assist physicians and other clinicians with safe opioid prescribing, visit the WSMA's <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Resources/Clinical_Quality/Opioid_Clinical_Guidance/WSMA/Resources/Clinical_Quality/Opioid_Clinical_Guidance/Opioid_Clinical_Guidance.aspx?hkey=1f82f660-18a4-4be3-bb2f-6b454b6eb7cd">Opioid Clinical Guidance webpage</a>.
</p>
</div> | 11/14/2018 9:29:08 AM | 11/14/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| wsma_reports_are_we_running_out_of_specialists | WSMA Reports: Are we running out of specialists? | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Reports/2018/wsma_reports_are_we_running_out_of_specialists | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>November 12, 2018</h5>
<h2>Are we running out of specialists?</h2>
<p>
BY MARCIA FRELLICK
</p>
<p>
<em>The following article is our featured cover story in the November/December 2018 issue of WSMA Reports, WSMA's print newsletter. WSMA Reports is a benefit of membership. Non-members may <a href="[@]WSMA/News_Publications/Publications/Publications.aspx">purchase a subscription</a>.</em>
</p>
<p>
Patients in parts of Washington seeking care from specialists can face months-long waits for appointments and long drives. The latest estimates show dire shortages in many specialties and some are on track to get much worse in the coming decades.
</p>
<p>
Reports are lacking on the precise deficits, partly because the definition of "specialty" is different among government entities, because people are seeking the care across county and state lines, and because no one entity in the state tracks shortages in all specialties, said Renee Fullerton, workforce programs manager with Washington state's Department of Health.
</p>
<p>
Anecdotally, experts say the biggest shortage is in psychiatry and behavioral health. A physician workforce report in 2016 by the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies showed only 727 psychiatrists delivering direct patient care in the state (10.1 per 100,000 population) and more than half of the state's psychiatrists were 55 or older. And that number dwarfs the number of behavioral/mental health/addiction specialists in Washington. That specialty has only 0.3 per 100,000 population in the state.
</p>
<p>
Ray Hsiao, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist practicing in Seattle, said about one-fourth of the counties in Washington don't have a single psychiatrist.
</p>
<p>
Driving the shortage, he said, are two main factors: too few training slots and insurance networks that have narrowed so much that patients can't find a psychiatrist who is taking new patients.
</p>
<p>
"If reimbursement were better, more would be able to take on new patients," he said.
</p>
<p>
Therefore, the most promising solutions currently lie in extending the reach of those already practicing, he said.
</p>
<p>
Dr. Hsiao pointed to the "collaborative care" approach developed by the UW as well as the university's AIMS (Advancing Integrative Mental Health Solutions) Center, which is the role model nationally, he said. The idea is that a mental health team of specialists in a central location helps primary care physicians and providers serve patients with mental health issues in their communities.
</p>
<p>
Traditional telemedicine would open up access, he said, but it needs to work in tandem with people located near the patient to help follow through on care.
</p>
<p>
"With telepsychiatry, you don't really know who you're seeing and you're working with them remotely," Dr. Hsiao pointed out.
</p>
<h3>Shortages of rheumatologists climbing</h3>
<p>
Some of the other areas of highest need include rheumatology, neurology, and some surgical subspecialties. Nationally, a 2015 American College of Rheumatology workforce study shows the demand for rheumatologists exceeded supply by 700 full-time physicians in 2015. The shortage is expected to soar to 4,133 by 2030 with increased demand, retirements, and more physicians working part-time.
</p>
<p>
Jeff Peterson, MD, president of the Washington Rheumatology Alliance, said Washington has only about 75 full-time rheumatologists and many regions in the state don't have any. A few big reasons behind the shortage, he said, are the relatively lower pay for rheumatologists because they perform fewer procedures, a lack of training spots for rheumatologists, early retirements, and the pressure to work in hospital systems that are buying up independent practices.
</p>
<p>
"You spend two more years in training and you're going to earn about the same as an internist," he said.
</p>
<p>
But perhaps more important than the pay gap is the pressure to join hospital systems, he said.
</p>
<p>
"We're the cowboys; we think out of the box," Dr. Peterson said. "We're the last stop for most people when they try to figure out the disease process. That spirit needs to be fostered and I think it's being squelched by people who say, 'You need to do it this way.'"
</p>
<p>
Dr. Peterson said the alliance is reaching out to fellows to let them know they have choices. If they do want to practice independently, the alliance can offer support on how to set up smaller businesses. The hope is that will help keep up rheumatologists' satisfaction rates and keep them in the state, he said.
</p>
<p>
Lack of rheumatologists in surrounding states mean patients are turning to Washington for help, contributing to wait times that range from three to six months, he said.
</p>
<p>
It's even worse for pediatric patients, Dr. Peterson said, because those specialists are all at one hospital, Seattle Children's.
</p>
<p>
Geographic disparities nationally are stark as well and numbers show rheumatologists are often centered in urban or suburban areas. The 2015 ACR study showed that 21 percent of adult rheumatologists are in the Northeast and 3.9 percent are in the Southwest.
</p>
<p>
Another area of significant need in Washington is neurology. According to the American Academy of Neurology, Washington had 351.9 neurologists in 2012, 51.3 short of the number needed to meet current demand. By 2025, the shortage is expected to almost double, with a workforce of 411 and a need for 508, leaving a shortage of 97 neurologists.
</p>
<h3>Looking for answers</h3>
<p>
Across the state, many are looking to telehealth as a solution. John D. Scott, MD, medical director for University of Washington Telehealth, said telehealth is advancing on three fronts. One is the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program, under which primary care physicians all over the Northwest and in rural areas link with a group of specialists at a weekly teleconference and present cases so they can help deliver the care in primary care settings.
</p>
<p>
Another is the electronic consult system for primary care providers who have a question about a patient or are on the fence about whether the patient needs a specialist. The physician can send a message through the electronic health record to a pool of specialists and the appropriate specialist answers on how to proceed.
</p>
<p>
"The beauty of using the EHR is a lot of the relevant data is already in the EHR," Dr. Scott said. "We're now doing that for 14 different specialties and have had more than 4,000 patients who have benefited from this," he said. "A good example is in dermatology; we do about 150 consults a month."
</p>
<p>
The third route is traditional telemedicine with video and high-tech imaging. UW physicians can consult remotely and determine what medications are needed and whether the patient needs to be transported for further care.
</p>
<p>
However, traditional telemedicine has been stuck because of payment barriers that often make performing the service cost-prohibitive for physicians, Dr. Scott said.
</p>
<p>
"The idea is we try not to move people, but to move the knowledge," Dr. Scott said. "We're trying to make the primary care physicians work at the maximum of their training and trying to keep more patients in their communities."
</p>
<p>
A smaller program to add specialists, managed by Fullerton at the DOH, is the J-1 physician visa waiver program. Washington state employers can sponsor international physicians who have done their residencies and fellowships to work in an underserved area of Washington for three years.
</p>
<p>
However, only about 15 specialists are part of the program each year and the program must be a last resort. Employers have to show that have tried and failed to find an American candidate. Typically, the spots have been vacant for quite a long time, Fullerton said.
</p>
<p>
"It's not a first-line option, but it's a way to get access to care," she said.
</p>
<h3>Legislative wins for specialists</h3>
<p>
Katie Kolan, JD, director of legislative and regulatory affairs for the WSMA, said the association has successfully fought for changes in the legislature that have provided support for the state's specialists.
</p>
<p>
The WSMA was also able to help fend off the state's attempts to prohibit balance billing—the practice of charging patients for the difference between the dollar amount a provider bills for a service and the amount an insurer is willing to pay.
</p>
<p>
"Balance billing is a big [issue] for anesthesiology, emergency departments, radiology, and pathology," she said.
</p>
<p>
Even more significant was the passage of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, signed into law in 2017, which will make it easier for physicians to practice in any state that is a partner to the compact rather than having to go through each state's licensing demands.
</p>
<p>
"It's really important for specialists to be able to practice across multiple states," she said, "especially in the age of telemedicine."
</p>
<p>
<em>Marcia Frellick is a freelance journalist who specializes in health care topics.</em>
</p>
</div> | 11/12/2018 9:46:15 AM | 11/12/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| historic_midterm_election_sees_dr_schrier_sent_to_congress | Historic midterm election sees Dr. Schrier sent to Congress | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Latest_News/2018/November/historic_midterm_election_sees_dr_schrier_sent_to_congress | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>November 7, 2018</h5>
<h2>Historic midterm election sees Dr. Schrier sent to Congress</h2>
<p>
After months of unprecedented campaign spending, voter enthusiasm, and political divide, the votes were finally tallied on Tuesday (or most of them, anyway). The result? Progressive gains but not the full-on "blue wave" that was seemingly portended in the August primary election, as Republicans stemmed the tide in the state Legislature and added seats in the U.S. Senate.
</p>
<p>
At the congressional level, Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives, highlighted locally by the likely election of WSMA member Dr. Kim Schrier—one of 100 new women in the House. A pediatrician from Issaquah, Schrier is comfortably leading Republican Dino Rossi and looks to be the only female physician in Congress. Not surprisingly, Schrier ran on a platform that featured health care policy prominently.
</p>
<p>
Schrier will join a new Democratic majority that will surely provide a foil to a Republican-retained Senate and the Trump administration—and likely usher in even more political divide in D.C. Two other closely-watched Washington races saw incumbent Republicans re-elected to Congress, with the victories of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler.
</p>
<p>
Statewide ballot measures yielded a victory for a gun control initiative that largely aligns with WSMA policy on requiring safe storage and restricting the purchase of firearms under certain circumstances. But a proposal to establish a new state carbon tax to combat climate change, endorsed by the WSMA at October's House of Delegates, was defeated. Elsewhere, three states approved ballot measures to expand Medicaid (Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah).
</p>
<p>
The state Legislature looks likely to add several Democrats to the House of Representatives and Senate, widening Democratic control of both chambers. While a less drastic swing than some had predicted, the gains are significant and will have implications for health care policy and the state budget over the next two years.
</p>
<p>
In the state Senate, Democrats lead in two seats that are currently held by Republicans, the 30th District centered on Federal Way and the Kitsap Peninsula's 26th District, with several other races too close to call. And Democrats are leading in seven state House seats that Republicans hold, though again, final tallies will depend on late returns that have favored Republicans in recent years. If those results hold, however, Democratic margins of control would shift to 27-22 in the Senate and 57-41 in the House.
</p>
<p>
Voter turnout in Washington state is on the highest pace for a midterm election in generations. That type of turnout would typically benefit Democrats (as Republicans are more reliable voters in midterms), though the effect was muted by high enthusiasm by folks on both sides of the aisle. Whether the enthusiasm is attributable to Trump, the campaign spending that resulted in a deluge of ads and mailers, or just general increased interest in politics remains to be seen.
</p>
<p>
What we do know is that the next election cycle started even before this update will be published, with the 2020 presidential race gearing up and folks jockeying for position at the state level. WSMA's advocacy will transition to the legislative session that begins in January, but WAMPAC—the WSMA's nonpartisan campaign arm—is always monitoring the state's election landscape and looking for opportunities to engage physicians. If you're interested in getting more involved, consider joining the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Advocacy/WAMPAC/WSMA/Advocacy/WAMPAC/WAMPAC.aspx?hkey=269c3c03-cf72-4568-be5b-7893557300a7">WAMPAC Diamond Club</a> to help ensure the physician voice remains relevant as campaigns continue to get more expensive, and more important, than ever.
</p>
</div> | 11/7/2018 11:11:39 AM | 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| got_questions_about_your_ballot_the_wampac_vote_tracker_can_help | Got questions about your ballot? The WAMPAC Vote Tracker can help | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181024/got_questions_about_your_ballot_the_wampac_vote_tracker_can_help | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-md-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/images/Logos/WampacLogo_645px.png" class="pull-right" />
</div>
<h5>
October 24, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Got questions about your ballot? The WAMPAC Vote Tracker can help</h2>
<p>The 2018 midterm election will determine partisan control of Congress and the state Legislature, with major ramifications for health care policy. Ballots here in Washington were recently mailed. If you want to know if and how your state legislators have supported the house of medicine, then the WSMA and its nonpartisan campaign arm, WAMPAC, have got you covered.</p>
<p>The 2018 WAMPAC Vote Tracker details the voting records of our state legislators on WSMA's priority issues during the 2017 and 2018 legislative sessions. <a href="https://wsma.org/doc_library/advocacy/2018/wsma_2018legreport_forweb.pdf" target="_blank">Download the vote tracker</a> to see how your lawmaker voted on issues of importance to medicine (the tracker begins on p. 16).</p>
<p>Looking to get more involved? Join the <a href="@/WSMA/Advocacy/WAMPAC/Give_to_WAMPAC" name="WAMPAC Diamond Club"></a><a href="[@]WSMA/Advocacy/WAMPAC/Give_to_WAMPAC.aspx">WAMPAC Diamond Club</a> and gain exclusive access to political information and events. We're offering a special Diamond Club election cycle sale for $100<strong>&nbsp;</strong>(regular membership rates are $250/$500/$1,000). <a href="[@]WSMA/Advocacy/WAMPAC/Give_to_WAMPAC.aspx">Take advantage of this special rate and join the club</a>.</p>
<p>This is also a great time to get to know candidates for office in your area. Visit the <a href="https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVoteOLVR/OnlineVotersGuide?language=en&amp;electionId=71&amp;countyCode=xx&amp;Group=Legislative">Secretary of State's webpage</a>&nbsp;for more information about state and federal candidates for office in your area.</p>
<p>Be sure to vote by Nov. 6. <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/10/03/vote-doctors-politics/">Physicians vote at a lower rate</a>&nbsp;than the general public and far lower than other professions such as lawyers. Remember—your vote will help determine who is in office when major health care bills are debated in the next two years.</p>
<p>If you have questions, contact Sean Graham at <a href="mailto:sean@wsma.org">sean@wsma.org</a>.</p>
</div> | 10/24/2018 9:57:58 AM | 10/24/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| gun_violence_clean_air_public_option_and_more_new_policy_adopted_at_wsma_annual_meeting | Gun violence, clean air, public option and more: New policy adopted at WSMA Annual Meeting | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181024/gun_violence_clean_air_public_option_and_more_new_policy_adopted_at_wsma_annual_meeting | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
October 24, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Gun violence, clean air, public option and more: New policy adopted at WSMA Annual Meeting</h2>
<p>Each year, the <a href="[@]WSMA/About/Leadership/House_of_Delegates/House_of_Delegates.aspx">WSMA House of Delegates</a> (HOD) meets to establish the mandates and policies of the medical association. At this year's meeting, Oct. 13 and 14 at the Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, the 128<sup>th&nbsp;</sup>annual meeting of the HOD since the founding of the association, 30 resolutions were adopted, directing the association's work on behalf of physicians, patients and the house of medicine for the months and years ahead.</p>
<p>Echoing the actions of AMA delegates during the AMA meeting earlier this year, WSMA delegates took a strong stance on gun violence, adopting policies directing the WSMA to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Support policy that raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 years of age.</li>
<li>Support the elimination of laws intruding on physicians' and patients' rights to discuss gun violence.</li>
<li>Support legislation that would restrict the sale and private ownership of large-clip, high-rate-of-fire automatic and semi-automatic firearms.</li>
<li>Support closing loopholes in gun purchases online and at unregulated gun shows.</li>
<li>Support policy that creates weapons-free zones for medical practice settings, allowing exceptions for law enforcement.</li>
<li>Encourage members to screen for risk factors of firearm injury and educate patients about prevention and safe storage.</li>
<li>Urge the state and federal government to fund research on the causes and prevention of firearm violence and injury and ensure that the databases and systems necessary for research and public health surveillance are available and publicly accessible.</li>
</ul>
<p>Other public health policies adopted during the meeting direct the WSMA to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Advocate for measures to identify, treat, and eliminate sources of childhood lead poisoning in Washington state.</li>
<li>Publicly oppose the enforcement of immigration policy on undocumented immigrants that impose increased adverse childhood events.</li>
<li>Support the elimination of the manufacture, distribution, and sale of combustible cigarettes.</li>
<li>Take measures to promote clean energy, including endorsing <a href="https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVoteOLVR/OnlineVotersGuide/Measures?language=en&amp;electionId=71&amp;countyCode=xx&amp;ismyVote=False&amp;electionTitle=2018%20General%20Election%20#ososTop">Washington Initiative Measure 1631</a> on the 2018 general election ballot.</li>
<li>Initiate a collaborative effort with relevant organizations to encourage hospitals in Washington state to treat opioid use disorder as a chronic disease</li>
<li>Support policy that eliminates barriers to, increases funding for, and promotes access to medication-assisted treatment at all state-certified drug treatment facilities.</li>
</ul>
<p>Resolutions adopted regarding other legislative and professional affairs direct the WSMA to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Support a public option for Washington state (offering for purchase by all Washington residents the same coverage as that offered to Washington state employees through the Public Employees Benefit Board and the School Employees Benefits Board, with subsidies available to those who cannot afford the premium cost and who do not qualify for Medicaid), but not to the exclusion of other potential models.</li>
<li>Support changing the current physician assistant delegation agreement from the current Washington Medical Commission-based model to an employer/practice-based model and support defining the physician assistant scope of practice by the practices of the local supervising physicians.</li>
<li>Endorse non-discrimination in physician employment, compensation, and advancement opportunities consistent with the Washington State Equal Pay Opportunity Act.</li>
<li>Support physician whistleblower protections in legislation.</li>
<li>Promote the sole use of the metric system across the entire health care system.</li>
</ul>
<p>Visit the <a href="[@]WSMA/About/Leadership/House_of_Delegates/House_of_Delegates.aspx">House of Delegates page</a> for a comprehensive list of policies adopted at the 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting.</p>
<p>Plan now to attend the 2019 WSMA Annual Meeting, Oct 12 and 13 at the Hilton Seattle Airport &amp; Conference Center—save the date. To learn more about the Annual Meeting of the WSMA House of Delegates and its role shaping policy for the medical association, visit the <a href="[@]/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx">meeting webpage</a>.</p>
</div> | 10/24/2018 9:47:28 AM | 10/24/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| new_opioid_bill_passes_congress_with_bipartisan_support | New opioid bill passes Congress with bipartisan support | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181010/new_opioid_bill_passes_congress_with_bipartisan_support | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
October 10, 2018
</h5>
<h2>New opioid bill passes Congress with bipartisan support</h2>
<p>To address the ongoing opioid epidemic, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr6">SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6)</a>. The bill is now headed to President Trump, who is expected to sign the bill into law. H.R. 6 is expansive in its approach, attempting to tackle the epidemic from all sides, including considerable increases in federal funding for programs. Physicians should take note of the following bill provisions.</p>
<p>The bill would:</p>
<ul>
<li>Require physicians and other providers treating Medicaid patients to check relevant prescription drug monitoring programs (with timing, manner and form specified by the state).</li>
<li>Require prescriptions for controlled substances under a Part D or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan to be transmitted in accordance with an electronic prescription drug program by Jan. 2, 2021.</li>
<li>Require the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to update its regulations dictating how prescribers may authenticate prescriptions.</li>
<li>Require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a standard, secure electronic prior authorization system by 2021.</li>
<li>Expand the kinds of information drug and device manufacturers are required to report to the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services' Open Payments program, which tracks transfers of value given to physicians and other providers. Additionally, the <a href="https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/">Open Payments program website</a> would be allowed to display new information such as National Provider Identifier numbers.</li>
<li>Expand the availability of services to treat Medicaid and Medicare patients for substance use disorder.</li>
</ul>
<p>Notably, the bill would reauthorize and improve the state targeted response grants from the 21<sup>st</sup>Century Cures Act, providing additional funding and flexibility for states to bolster programs that aim to prevent and treat substance use disorder.</p>
<p>For details on the many provisions of this wide-ranging bill, contact Jeb Shepard, <a href="mailto:jeb@wsma.org">jeb@wsma.org</a>, or Tierney Edwards, JD, <a href="mailto:tee@wsma.org">tee@wsma.org</a>.</p>
</div> | 10/10/2018 10:00:35 AM | 10/10/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| state_proposes_licensing_fee_increases_for_asfs | State proposes licensing fee increases for ASFs | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181010/state_proposes_licensing_fee_increases_for_asfs | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>
October 10, 2018
</h5>
<h2>
State proposes licensing fee increases for ASFs
</h2>
<p>The Department of Health is conducting rulemaking that proposes increases in initial and renewal licensing fees for ambulatory surgery facilities. In a <a href="https://wasca.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/WASCA-Fee-Increase-Letter.pdf" target="_blank">letter to lawmakers opposing the proposal</a>, the Washington Ambulatory Surgery Center Association details its concerns that the significant fee increases (in excess of 350 percent) would make it difficult for some ASFs to keep their facilities available at a reasonable cost to patients or to stay in business altogether.</p>
<p>Visit the <a href="https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/policyreview/">DOH rules comment page</a> for the rule and to comment (feedback is due by Oct. 30). A public rulemaking hearing on the fee increases is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Department of Health, Town Center 2, 111 Israel Road S.E., Room 158, in Tumwater. For questions on this issue, contact Emily Jones at <a href="mailto:emily.jones@wasca.net">emily.jones@wasca.net</a>.</p>
</div> | 10/10/2018 10:21:15 AM | 10/10/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| the_2018_wsma_annual_meeting_is_this_weekend_in_spokane | The 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting is this weekend in Spokane | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181010/the_2018_wsma_annual_meeting_is_this_weekend_in_spokane | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
October 10, 2018
</h5>
<h2>
The 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting is this weekend in Spokane
</h2>
<p>If you didn't pre-register for the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">2018 Annual Meeting of the WSMA House of Delegates</a> but would like to attend, walk-in registration will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Historic Davenport Hotel on the mezzanine level. Visit the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">event webpage</a> for a meeting agenda and details of the many activities scheduled during the meeting. For social media users, use the hashtag #WSMAannual on Twitter and Facebook for posts about the meeting—and be sure to follow the WSMA for real-time meeting updates. For those of you attending the meeting, we'll see you in Spokane! This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™</em></p>
</div> | 10/10/2018 10:33:07 AM | 10/10/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| the_2019_wsma_legislative_summit_and_state_legislative_session_just_around_the_corner | The 2019 WSMA Legislative Summit and state legislative session just around the corner | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20181010/the_2019_wsma_legislative_summit_and_state_legislative_session_just_around_the_corner | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
October 10, 2018
</h5>
<h2>
The 2019 WSMA Legislative Summit and state legislative session just around the corner
</h2>
<p>Be sure to mark your calendars for the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Legislative_Summit/WSMA/Events/Legislative_Summit/Legislative_Summit.aspx?hkey=c4c18627-bc2d-4d1e-9ab3-090ee305603f">2019 Legislative Summit</a>, Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Capitol. The Legislative Summit is WSMA's annual "physicians' day on the Hill," scheduled during the state legislative session to give our members an opportunity to come to Olympia, help amplify WSMA's advocacy message and potentially change a few minds on issues of importance to the house of medicine.</p>
<p>Visit the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Legislative_Summit/WSMA/Events/Legislative_Summit/Legislative_Summit.aspx?hkey=c4c18627-bc2d-4d1e-9ab3-090ee305603f">Summit webpage</a> to learn more about the how the event can help you forge relationships with your lawmakers while helping support WSMA policy. The 2019 state legislative session begins on Jan. 14. More details on the Summit, session and WSMA's legislative agenda will be featured in future WSMA communications.</p>
<p>For a look at the impact of WSMA and physician advocacy during the state legislative session, visit our <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Advocacy/Legislative___Regulatory/WSMA/Advocacy/Legislative_Regulatory/Legislative_Regulatory.aspx?hkey=c0dc6e7c-4385-497a-99db-4a6b6f4e56bd">Legislative &amp; Regulatory webpage</a>.</p>
</div> | 10/10/2018 10:33:51 AM | 10/10/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| 2018_wsma_annual_meeting_updates_registration_deadline_cme_info_and_more | 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting updates: Registration deadline, CME info and more | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180926/2018_wsma_annual_meeting_updates_registration_deadline_cme_info_and_more | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>
September 26, 2018
</h5>
<h2>2018 WSMA Annual Meeting updates: Registration deadline, CME info and more</h2>
<p>The 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting, WSMA's premier policymaking and networking event, is nearly here. If you have yet to register for the meeting, scheduled for Oct. 13-14 at the Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">do so soon</a>; online registration ends at midnight, Tuesday, Oct. 9 (walk-in registration will be available). The meeting is free for members.</p>
<p>If you’re joining us at the meeting, be sure to catch the following featured events:</p>
<ul>
<li>The WAMPAC luncheon (Saturday at 12:30 p.m.), featuring <strong> Cathy McMorris Rodgers</strong> (R-Spokane), fourth-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives and member of the Health Subcommittee.</li>
<li>Keynote presentation from <strong>Harry Kraemer Jr.</strong>, author of “From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership†(Saturday at 2 p.m.). Meeting attendees will receive a copy of Kraemer's book.</li>
<li>Meeting reception/WSMA presidential inauguration (Saturday at 5:45 p.m.), honoring incoming president, <strong>Tom Schaaf, MD</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>WSMA Foundation 50th Anniversary Banquet </strong>(Saturday at 7 p.m.). This fundraising dinner will feature music provided by Imagine Jazz.</li>
<li>A presentation from <strong>AMA president Barbara L. McAneny, MD</strong> (Sunday at 8:30 a.m.) on AMA’s current advocacy activities (Dr. McAneny’s presentation will include a question and answer session).</li>
<li><strong>Medicine 2018</strong> (Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton), a pre-annual meeting CME presented by the Spokane County Medical Society. <a href="http://www.spcms.org/event/scms_medicine_2018_cme/1207">Separate registration is required</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™</em>.</li>
</ul>
<p>For more information on these and other meeting highlights, visit <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">the WSMA Annual Meeting webpage</a>. This activity has been approved for <em>AMA PRA Category 1 Creditâ„¢</em>.</p>
</div> | 9/26/2018 10:56:40 AM | 9/26/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| new_medicaid_payment_rate_for_medication_assisted_treatment_available_oct_1 | New Medicaid payment rate for medication-assisted treatment available Oct. 1 | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180926/new_medicaid_payment_rate_for_medication_assisted_treatment_available_oct_1 | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>
September 26, 2018
</h5>
<h2>New Medicaid payment rate for medication-assisted treatment available Oct. 1</h2>
<p>During the 2018 state legislative session, one of the critical investments in treatment services made by the Legislature, with strong WSMA support, was raising Medicaid rates for physicians and other prescribers providing medication-assisted treatment to people suffering from opioid-use disorder. The enhanced payment rate will be available starting Oct. 1. The Health Care Authority is now offering guidance on the new rate as well as on a new reimbursement policy for primary care services provided in substance use disorder treatment settings.</p>
<p>For questions about policy or billing, email <a href="mailto:HCASUD@hca.wa.gov">hcasud@hca.wa.gov</a>. For questions about rates, email <a href="mailto:ProfessionalRates@hca.wa.gov">professionalrates@hca.wa.gov</a>. The HCA has two dedicated webpages, one for <a href="https://www.hca.wa.gov/billers-providers-partners/behavioral-health-recovery/substance-use-treatment">substance use treatment</a> and <a href="https://www.hca.wa.gov/billers-providers-partners/behavioral-health-recovery/medication-assisted-treatment-mat">medication assisted therapy</a>, where the agency will be featuring education and information on the new rates. A webinar explaining the policy and process for the new rates was held by the HCA earlier this week and will be archived and available on those pages shortly.</p>
</div> | 9/26/2018 10:43:04 AM | 9/26/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| virtual_reference_committees_available_until_oct__10_to_comment_on_39_resolutions | Virtual reference committees available until Oct. 10 to comment on 39 resolutions | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180926/virtual_reference_committees_available_until_oct__10_to_comment_on_39_resolutions | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
September 26, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Virtual reference committees available until Oct. 10 to comment on 39 resolutions</h2>
<p>WSMA's "virtual" reference committees give our members an opportunity to discuss and debate, in the weeks leading up to the event, the resolutions and other business that will be considered for action at the WSMA Annual Meeting each fall. Thirty-nine resolutions covering an assortment of public health and professional affairs issues are now posted in the password-protected virtual reference committees and available for member testimony until midnight on Wednesday, Oct 10.</p>
<p>To read the resolutions and leave feedback (as well as review comments from your peers), visit the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum.aspx?hkey=4ea4ed56-61ce-4121-89b9-636415daa863">virtual reference committees webpage</a>. Note: you'll be prompted to sign in to the website to review resolutions and comment.</p>
<p>Resolutions passed by delegates at the WSMA Annual Meeting help to guide WSMA's advocacy efforts and policy positions on behalf of physicians and patients (<a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f#about">learn more about the role of the annual meeting in determining WSMA policy</a>). Comments in these virtual reference committees will be considered during deliberations at the meeting. If you'd like to provide testimony in person, reference committee meetings are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday of the <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f#agenda">meeting</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/26/2018 11:03:51 AM | 9/26/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| washington_receives_21_5_million_to_support_efforts_to_combat_the_opioid_crisis | Washington receives $21.5 million to support efforts to combat the opioid crisis | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180926/washington_receives_21_5_million_to_support_efforts_to_combat_the_opioid_crisis | <div class="col-md-12">
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</div>
<h5>
September 26, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Washington receives $21.5 million to support efforts to combat the opioid crisis</h2>
<p>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Washington state $21.5 million to help tackle the opioid epidemic, part of more than $1 billion in State Opioid Response grants <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2018/09/19/hhs-awards-over-1-billion-combat-opioid-crisis.html?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">recently issued</a> by the federal agency.</p>
<p>The state has earmarked the funding for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increasing access to medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder.</li>
<li>Community prevention services such as outreach and training on safe storage and safe opioid prescribing, and school-based specialists.</li>
<li>Recovery support services including evidence-based peer support.</li>
<li>Expanding two projects to support treatment and care for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder.</li>
<li>Enhancement of the statewide <a href="https://getthefactsrx.com/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">Starts with One</a> public education campaign.</li>
</ul>
<p>The funding is welcome, as the state continues implementing Gov. Inslee’s 2016 executive order calling for a coordinated effort by state agencies, health provider organizations (including the WSMA), law enforcement and other partners to combat the opioid crisis in Washington. For an overview and update on the progress of this effort, visit the <a href="https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/PoisoningandDrugOverdose/OpioidMisuseandOverdosePrevention">DOH website</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/25/2018 11:16:31 AM | 9/26/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| countdown_to_the_2018_wsma_annual_meeting_heres_what_you_need_to_know | Countdown to the 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting: Here's what you need to know | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180912/countdown_to_the_2018_wsma_annual_meeting_heres_what_you_need_to_know | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>
September 12, 2018
</h5>
<h2>Countdown to the 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting: Here's what you need to know</h2>
<p>The 2018 WSMA Annual Meeting, WSMA's premier policymaking and networking event, is nearly here. If you have yet to register for the meeting, scheduled for Oct. 13-14 in Spokane, <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">do so today</a>. The meeting is free for WSMA members and members of the Washington State Medical Group Management Association. Here's what members should know as the meeting approaches.</p>
<ol>
<li>Tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 13) is the final deadline for WSMA delegates to submit resolutions (proposals asking the WSMA to take a position or act on an issue) to the WSMA Seattle office. <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/How_to_Write_a_Resolution/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/How_to_Write_a_Resolution/How_to_Write_a_Resolution.aspx?hkey=0b33a619-8be9-4a6f-b5b8-7be298a616ee">Learn more about the “whats†and “whys†of resolutions</a>.</li>
<li>The 2018 Delegate Handbook—the compilation of resolutions and other business to be considered by the House of Delegates at the meeting—is now available for <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f#handbook">download from the WSMA Annual Meeting webpage</a>. Delegates may order the handbook on flash drive by emailing <a href="mailto:hod@wsma.org">hod@wsma.org</a>. The handbook will be updated with additional items following Thursday's resolution deadline and the revised handbook will be available on <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f#handbook">the meeting webpage</a>.</li>
<li>More than 30 resolutions, covering a wide swath of public health and professional affairs issues, are now available in our password-protected <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum/Online_Reference_Committees_and_Forum.aspx?hkey=4ea4ed56-61ce-4121-89b9-636415daa863">"virtual†reference committees</a>. WSMA members are encouraged to take a moment to review these proposals and provide input, which is crucial to shaping good policy.</li>
</ol>
<p>Find the full agenda, speaker and activity detail and register for the WSMA Annual Meeting <a href="https://wsma.org/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/WSMA/Events/Annual_Meeting/Annual_Meeting.aspx?hkey=fea49254-3815-4dc9-8710-53ff2e3a100f">online</a>.</p>
<p>The WSMA would like to thank our corporate partners for helping to make the meeting possible: exclusive premier partner <a href="http://www.phyins.com/">Physicians Insurance A Mutual Company</a>, and silver partners <a href="http://www.premera.com/">Premera Blue Cross</a>, <a href="https://www.fchn.com/">First Choice Health</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hallrender.com/">Hall Render</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.wpmgcareers.org/index.html">Kaiser Permanente</a>. The WSMA also wishes to thank the following meeting sponsor for its generous contributions: platinum sponsor <a href="https://www.providence.org/">Providence Health &amp; Services</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/12/2018 11:18:50 AM | 9/12/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| medical_commission_finalizes_opioid_prescribing_rules | Medical Commission finalizes opioid prescribing rules | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180912/medical_commission_finalizes_opioid_prescribing_rules | <div class="col-md-12">
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September 12, 2018
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<h2>Medical Commission finalizes opioid prescribing rules</h2>
<p>Culminating a year-long rulemaking effort, the Washington State Medical Commission has finalized and voted to approve new opioid prescribing rules for physicians and physician assistants treating all phases of pain (acute, subacute and chronic). The Medical Commission will release final rule language this fall, with the new prescribing requirements scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.</p>
<p>Based on the draft language available at the final public hearing, the WSMA remains greatly concerned about the volume of administrative burden the new requirements would add to a physician's typically limited patient encounter and the lack to time afforded for related physician and public education. For more on our concerns, <a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/Resources/Clinical Quality/Opioids/WSMA_WSHA_commentsforsubmission_CR102opioidRxrules.pdf]">review formal comments</a> submitted on behalf of the WSMA and Washington State Hospital Association.</p>
<p>Many thanks to the many physicians and providers who provided feedback during the rulemaking period and who responded to our calls to action on the issue. WSMA staff will review the final rule language in detail once available and will prepare to assist you and your patients in being successful under these new rules. If you have questions about the rules, contact Jeb Shepard <a href="mailto:jeb@wsma.org">jeb@wsma.org</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/12/2018 10:42:43 AM | 9/12/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| update_on_medicaid_reimbursement_increase_for_pediatric_services | Update on Medicaid reimbursement increase for pediatric services | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180912/update_on_medicaid_reimbursement_increase_for_pediatric_services | <div class="col-md-12">
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September 12, 2018
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<h2>Update on Medicaid reimbursement increase for pediatric services</h2>
<p>One way the WSMA supports practice viability is to support fair Medicaid reimbursement, and this past legislative session we helped pass a funding provision, contained in <a href="http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6032&amp;Year=2017&amp;BillNumber=6032&amp;Year=2017">Senate Bill 6032</a>, that took a small, but significant, step forward: an increase in reimbursement rates for Medicaid pediatric primary care and vaccine services. Health Care Authority staff has been working to determine allocation amounts across the identified codes and has announced it will make the individual codes with the enhanced reimbursement rates available on Sept. 24.</p>
<p>Both physician and non-physician providers will be eligible for these increases, which are effective for dates of service beginning Oct. 1, 2018 and ending no sooner than June 30, 2019. For physicians and providers offering primary care for fee-for-service pediatric clients, the rate will increase 9.5 percent for evaluation and management services. For vaccine administration, the rates have increased to 77 percent of Medicare rates for vaccines administered through <a href="https://www.doh.wa.gov/ForPublicHealthandHealthcareProviders/PublicHealthSystemResourcesandServices/Immunization/VaccinesforChildren">Vaccines for Children</a>&nbsp;(VFC) and 100 percent of Medicare rates for vaccines administered outside of VFC. Physicians and providers serving clients covered by a contracted managed care organization should contact the individual MCO for the increase percentage. </p>
<p>The HCA has added <a href="https://www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/apple-health-medicaid/rate-increase-pediatric-primary-care">a webpage with information on these rate increases</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/12/2018 11:16:11 AM | 9/12/2018 12:00:00 AM |
| wsma_advocacy_on_reported_problems_with_health_net_federal_service_and_tricare | WSMA advocacy on reported problems with Health Net Federal Service and TRICARE | Advocacy | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/20180912/wsma_advocacy_on_reported_problems_with_health_net_federal_service_and_tricare | <div class="col-md-12">
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September 12, 2018
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<h2>WSMA advocacy on reported problems with Health Net Federal Service and TRICARE</h2>
<p>In January, Health Net Federal Services took over the contract for the TRICAREWest Region that was previously handled by UnitedHealthCare. There were some significant challenges with the transition at the beginning of the year and it appears as if these challenges are still impacting practices. The WSMA has been working with HNFS on addressing the challenges impacting physicians and providers. As of July 1, HNFS ended waivers to facilitate this transition.</p>
<p>At this time, we are hearing that problems are still occurring with the TRICARE program and that some of these issues are also impacting Medicare Advantage plans offered by Centene, the parent company of HNFS. The WSMA is communicating these practice-specific concerns to HNFS leadership for their direct intervention in resolving these problems. If you are encountering such issues, contact Michelle Lott at <a href="mailto:mml@wsma.org">mml@wsma.org</a>.</p>
</div> | 9/12/2018 11:27:24 AM | 9/12/2018 12:00:00 AM |