COVID-19 Professional Resources
WSMA professional resources to help Washington's physician community
respond to COVID-19. For questions on COVID-19 clinical issues not
covered here, contact your local public health officer. For information
on COVID-19 vaccines, visit our dedicated
COVID-19 Vaccines webpage.
WSMA Guidance and Checklist for Non-Urgent Procedures
On Nov. 25, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee issued updated guidance for the
continued performance of non-urgent health care services, procedures,
and surgeries.
Proclamation 20-24.2
amends and extends proclamations 20-05 and 20-24, and applies to all
health care facilities, practices, and practitioners. It is effective
Dec. 3, through the end of the state of emergency, or until it is
rescinded or updated.
The WSMA has updated two resources for our members:
Thank you to the Washington State Medical Group Management Association
for their assistance developing the practice guidance. If you have
questions on these new WSMA resources or what the proclamation means
for you and your practice, contact the WSMA policy department at
policy@wsma.org
Health System Reactivation
COVID-19 Risk Assessment "Dial Dashboard"
- A high-level overview, updated weekly, of the main data points
discussed among state leaders and the level of risk experts perceive
around the current numbers. This data informs decisions related to the
governor's Safe Start reopening plan for the state.
Washington Healthcare Forum Recommendations for Health System
Reactivation
- Recommendations developed by the Washington Healthcare Forum, with
input from the WSMA, delivered to Gov. Inslee and Washington's COVID-19
health systems response director V. Admiral Bono, MD. The
recommendations outlines steps to increasing elective patient care in
Washington in a manner that comprehensively addresses the foundational
concerns of the March 19 gubernatorial proclamation on nonurgent
procedures. The recommendations are for all hospitals, ambulatory
surgery centers, outpatient care facilities, and dental practices.
(April 15, 2020)
Other Professional Guidance
COVID-19 Discussion Forum
The WSMA offers a private discussion forum dedicated to issues related to
the pandemic for physicians and PAs in Washington state, regardless of
membership status.
Visit the forum.
Continuing Medical Education on COVID-19
-
The CDC holds regular Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity
(COCA) Calls.
More information.
-
Honoring Choices PNW is holding a series of free webinars on
communication skills and tools that physicians, advanced
practitioners, and other members of the health care team can use as
you respond to the COVID-19 crisis. This activity has been approved
for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Click here for session details and to register online.
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The WSMA hosts a bi-weekly call on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. for critical
care physicians and advanced practitioners to discuss patient cases
and develop recommendations for care. This activity has been
approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. To join the calls,
please email
brendan@wsma.org with your
name, credentials, specialty/title, and organization.
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The PNW Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine hosts a weekly
webinar on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. intended for hospitalists to provide
updates regarding COVID19 related illness, including diagnosis,
treatment and other operational concerns. This activity has been
approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. For more
information, visit:
https://www.hospitalmedicine.org/clinical-topics/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-resources-for-hospitalists/media/
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The
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
has an extensive listing of online COVID-19 CME activities.
On-Demand COVID-19 Virtual Grand Rounds webinars
Visit the WSMA
On-Demand Webinars page
for archived presentations from our COVID-19 Virtual Grand Rounds
series featuring physician experts on a variety of clinical topics.
These on-demand sessions are for WSMA members only.
VitalTalk crowdsourced the
COVID-ready communication playbook, which provides practical advice on how to talk about difficult
topics related to COVID-19.
Respecting Choices® is offering an
open-source toolkit
for those caring for high-risk COVID-19 patients. The toolkit includes
guidance for conversations about treatment preferences before a medical
crisis, as well as resources to support specific treatment decisions in
high-risk individuals. Washington Health Care Authority
certified
Respecting Choices' patient decision aids on "Help with Breathing" and "CPR"; both of which are included in Respecting Choices' open-source
toolkit, along with many other resources.
Honoring Choices® Pacific Northwest, jointly sponsored by the WSMA
Foundation and the Washington State Hospital Association, has partnered
with Respecting Choices to offer an online course to physicians and
advanced practitioners in Washington state. Three-module online course
are free of charge and will enhance your ability to effectively
introduce and motivate patients to participate in basic advance care
planning (ACP); guide and document basic ACP conversations with
patients and families; and successfully integrate and bill for basic
ACP in everyday practice. Get started at:
wsma.org/BasicACPModules.
Caring for High-Risk COVID-19 Patients
Respecting Choices® has just announced it is offering an
open-source toolkit
for those caring for high-risk COVID-19 patients. These patients are
feeling especially vulnerable, as are their loved ones. The toolkit
includes guidance for conversations about treatment preferences before
a medical crisis, as well as resources to support specific treatment
decisions in high-risk individuals.
Washington Health Care Authority
certified
Respecting Choices' patient decision aids on "Help with Breathing" and "CPR"; both of which are included in Respecting Choices' open-source
toolkit, along with many other resources.
Additionally, Honoring Choices® Pacific Northwest, jointly
sponsored by the WSMA Foundation and the Washington State Hospital
Association, has partnered with Respecting Choices to offer an online
course to physicians and advanced practitioners in Washington state.
Through a grant from The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the online
modules are free of charge for WSMA members and
members of the Honoring Choices PNW initiative (use discount code:
HCPNWPartner) until February 2021. Designed for physicians and advanced
practitioners, the three-module online course will enhance your ability
to effectively introduce and motivate patients to participate in basic
advance care planning (ACP); guide and document basic ACP conversations
with patients and families; and successfully integrate and bill for
basic ACP in everyday practice. This activity has been approved for
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Get started at:
wsma.org/BasicACPModules.
Post-COVID-19 Recovery Resources
Understanding of long-term effects of COVID-19 continues to evolve. The
Washington State Hospital Association features resources dedicated to
post-COVID-19 recovery, including professional resources, information
for your patients, links to online support groups, news stories,
infographics, and more. Visit the
WSHA Post-COVID Recovery Resources webpage.