Enjoy these educational sessions at a time that’s convenient for you.
On-Demand Education
Explore webinars and podcasts on topical subjects for the physician community from WSMA’s Continuing Professional Development series, the WSMA Foundation, and more. These on-demand webinars and podcasts, except where indicated, are a benefit of membership. Learn more about membership and join us today.
Measles Webinars and Resources
With measles on the rise in Washington and across the country, the WSMA is providing education and resources together with representatives from the Washington State Department of Health and Public Health – Seattle and King County. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Part I: Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Adult Vaccination
Washington State Health Officer Tao Kwan-Gett, MD, discusses why greater measles vaccine coverage in adults is urgently needed in Washington state, and strategies that health professionals and organizations can implement to increase uptake of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and other immunizations. (Originally recorded on June 26, 2026)
Part II: A New Era of Measles in the U.S. and Preventing Sustained Measles Transmission in Washington
Eric Chow, MD, describes recent trends, outbreak patterns, and key clinical presentations and considerations for patient management, and discusses the benefits of vaccination and guidance about reducing community-level transmission. (Originally recorded on Aug. 7, 2026)
H.R. 1 Implementation with HCA, WSMA, & WSHLA
As implementation of H.R. 1 moves forward, physician practices and health care organizations across Washington will play a critical role in helping patients navigate upcoming changes to Apple Health coverage, eligibility, and care delivery. The WSMA and the Washington State Healthcare Leaders Association partner with the Washington State Health Care Authority to cover implementation timelines, operational impacts, and opportunities for stakeholder feedback. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
(Originally recorded on June 24, 2026)
POLST & Your Practice: Special Cases, Policies, and the Future
Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP, and Barb Hansen, RN, cover complex case studies where Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment completion and use is “tricky.” They provide new tools and information about accessing the toolkit and cover guidelines for making policies and procedures for ensuring proper use in practice. Learners will hear updates on POLST support, revisions, and legislative efforts. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
(Originally recorded on June 5, 2026)
Immigration Law Enforcement and Patient Access to Care
During the past year, Washington has seen increased immigration law enforcement activity. In this webinar, Toren Davis, DO, and Amrita Stark, MD, share their experiences caring for patients who face increased barriers to medical care access due to real or perceived threat of detainment. Genevieve Pagalilauan, MD, shares her experience volunteering to provide her medical expertise for patients already in custody at immigration detention centers. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
(Originally recorded on May 1, 2026)
AI Healthcare Training Designed by Clinicians, for Clinicians
From a WSMA Partner in Medicine.
Developed by physicians and nurses, Ripple’s simulations provide structured, immediate feedback and coaching at scale. The platform uses AI to support deliberate practice, clinical empathy, and continuous improvement, contributing to better outcomes at a lower total cost of care. This approach is not about replacing human connection; it’s about strengthening those interactions through responsive, practice-based learning.
To learn more, visit the Ripple Health AI website to explore available communication courses. WSMA members receive a $50 discount on all courses in the Ripple Health AI Library using code WSMA50. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Access to High-Resolution Anoscopy
Expanding access to high-resolution anoscopy is critical to preventing anal cancer, as HRA is the gold-standard method for detecting and treating precancerous lesions before they become invasive disease. Anal cancer disproportionately affects people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, transgender women, and communities of color—groups that already face significant barriers to care. When access to HRA is limited, those at highest risk are least likely to receive timely screening and treatment, leading to avoidable late-stage diagnoses and worse outcomes. In 2025, the WSMA House of Delegates adopted Resolution C-3 – Expanding Access to High-Resolution Anoscopy. In this webinar, Bob Geise, MD, will explain who needs this screening and when. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
(Originally recorded on Apr. 3, 2026)
View the webinar WSMA members only—sign-in required
POLST & Your Practice: Tools to Improve Patient Conversations
Talking to patients and families about code status and the Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form can be challenging. Furthermore, physicians and practitioners rarely receive training on POLST nor how to approach these discussions with their patients. In this one-hour webinar, speakers Mark Beiter, DO, Hilary Walker, and Hope Wechkin, MD, will provide an overview of the POLST form, discuss ways to identify patients who would most benefit from a POLST conversation, and introduce a five-step framework for having these discussions. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
(Originally recorded on Nov. 13, 2025)
The Physician and Practitioner Wellness Podcast
This series, available as audio or video, provides resources on topics such as creating a culture of wellness, creating effective teams, and drawing on evidence-based work on wellness. Podcast topics are identified as critical for physicians, practitioners, and their health care organizations to commit to prioritizing wellness and aligning their efforts to reduce burnout and improve professional satisfaction. Each episode is moderated by a member of the WSMA and WSMA Foundation Wellness Committee. Each podcast is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Better Prescribing, Better Treatment Podcast with Nathan Schlicher, MD, JD
Each episode features conversations with guest physician leaders from across specialties and systems on how we reduce the dependence on opioids for pain management where appropriate, help those suffering with chronic conditions safely, and help those with addiction. This continuing education podcast supports the goals of the Better Prescribing, Better Treatment safe-prescribing and MOUD program. Each podcast is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Health Equity in Medicine Podcast with Edwin Lindo, JD
Free member benefit meets state requirement for health equity CME. Nonmember pricing is available.
In this four-part audio miniseries, Lindo covers the history of racism in medicine and the impacts of the medical profession on health equity. He shares how some of your colleagues have tackled these thorny issues, structurally and individually, and gives you ideas on how to incorporate equity principles into practice.This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Improving Serious Illness Care for Critical Access Communities
With speakers Caroline Hurd, MD, of UW/Harborview, and Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP. People in rural areas of Washington with serious illness may not have access to a comprehensive range of palliative care and hospice services. This webinar helps teams think through how they might better support their patients at the primary care level with some high-yield palliative care skills, and how to access training for these skills. We also explore models for delivering important supportive care, with examples of using team members of diverse professional backgrounds, who can, with training, provide effective supportive care for individuals with serious illness in critical access areas of the state. Co-sponsored by Whitman Hospital & Medical Clinics, with a grant from Friends of Hospice of the Palouse, and the Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition.
(Originally recorded on Dec. 5, 2024)
POLST Conversation Guidance for Clinicians
Join the Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition for a free two-part webinar series on clinician guidance for discussing Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment with your patients.
Ginny Heinitz, palliative care registered nurse for Virginia Mason, discusses when and how to use POLST. You will learn how, when properly completed, the POLST form can effectively guide emergency care. She also discusses some pitfalls and mistakes to avoid.
You will learn how to identify patients who might benefit from a POLST and how to assess their readiness to discuss their preferences for life-prolonging care. You will see how to use your clinical expertise to build rapport and normalize the conversations that can help patients be ready for your recommendation to complete a POLST.
(Originally recorded on Sept. 12, 2024)
Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP, discusses how to make recommendations related to POLST for your patients who will benefit from having this form completed to provide orders for emergency care. As a follow-up to part one, this webinar offers guidance on how you as the clinician can make the choices in Section B of the POLST form accessible to your patients, and how you can use the choices of Section B to simplify (and make less scary) the choices in Section A (Full Code vs DNAR).
There is a demonstration of how to ask questions that help your patients think about what levels of care (from Section B) they would find acceptable, and how to use your clinical expertise and judgement in helping patients address how to have more control over the care they receive at the end of their lives. You will see how to use the POLST Clinician Guide to ensure that the POLST forms you complete are valid and actionable for your patients.
(Originally recorded on Sept. 26, 2024)
New Washington State Advance Directive and Other Advance Care Planning Resources
Overview of the changes to the WA state advance directive, now a WSMA supported form, and other valuable resources to help capture a person’s preferences for care in serious illness, at end of life and after death.
Offered by Hilary Walker, System ACP Program Manager PeaceHealth and Chair WSICC with other special guests.
(Originally recorded on June 13, 2024)
Assessing and Planning for Your Financial Future
Jonathan Medverd, MD, focuses on financial health and building a strong foundation for your financial future in a webinar tailored to our young physician, resident, fellow, and medical student members.
During his presentation, Dr. Medverd discusses:
- How to assess and plan for your financial future.
- Developing investing strategies.
- And more.
(Originally recorded on July 18, 2022)
View the webinar WSMA members only—sign-in required
Advance Care Planning Documents – Get to Know the New Advance Directive and Washington POLST
The new and improved Advance Directive and Washington POLST forms will be released in early April. Honoring people’s values, goals, and preferences is the cornerstone of our work. The purpose of Advance Directive and Washington POLST documents is to ensure people’s future medical decisions are accurately reflected in enforceable documents. Speakers will review key changes that streamline, clarify, and modernize the documents.
Speakers:
- Sue Bergmann, MBA, BSN, senior director of Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest
- Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP, co-chair of the WA POLST Task Force
- Jessica Martinson, director of continuing professional development at the WSMA and faculty at Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest
- Bruce Smith, MD, co-chair of the WA POLST Task Force
- Lynn Wittwer, MD, medical program director of Clark county EMS division at the Washington State Department of Health
(Originally recorded on April 7, 2021)
Health Equity Strategies in Practice: Learnings from the Field
Health Equity Mini-Series (Part 3)
Co-sponsored by the Washington Patient Safety Coalition and the WSMA
Health equity professionals from CHI Franciscan, MultiCare, Seattle Children’s, and the University of Washington share their experiences creating and implementing a health equity strategic plan, determining how to measure health equity in data, partnering with faith-based organizations to address health needs with a community, and delivering educational programs to faculty and staff.
(Originally recorded on Nov. 13, 2020)
LGBTQ Health Care
Health Equity Mini-Series (Part 2)
Co-sponsored by the Washington Patient Safety Coalition and the WSMA
Amish Dave, MD, MPH, rheumatologist at Virginia Mason, and Amy Etzel, implementation manager at the Bree Collaborative, outline strategies to align care delivery with existing evidence-based, culturally sensitive standards of care for LGBTQ people in Washington state to decrease health disparities. The three focus areas include communication, language, and inclusive environments; screening and taking a social and sexual history; and LGBTQ-specific standards and systems of care.
(Originally recorded on Oct. 9, 2020)
Cultural Agility: Creating Sustained Systemic Change in Health Care
Health Equity Mini-Series (Part 1)
Co-sponsored by the Washington Patient Safety Coalition and the WSMA
This continuing professional development webinar will educate physicians and physician assistants on the current state of health inequity, describe how the systems that were created impact patient care, and outline strategies to create lasting change within health care organizations.
Guest speaker:
Bryon Lambert Equity and Inclusion Program Director Cross Cultural Health Care Program
(Originally recorded on Sept. 1, 2020)
The 3 Most Important Benefits of Implementing a Medical Scribe Program
Medical scribes are the best lever to improve physician efficiency and clinic performance, patient satisfaction, physician retention and recruitment, and clinic revenue. Scribes perform EMR documentation and other clerical tasks for the physician. Delegating these tasks to appropriately trained scribes frees doctors to perform higher-level tasks, making them more efficient and improving their job satisfaction. When clinics implement scribe programs, doctors see dramatic reduction in time spent performing documentation and other non-medical tasks, reduced wait times for patient appointments, improved documentation quality, and better relationships with patients.
In this presentation we review:
- The costs and benefits of implementing a scribe program
- The differences between in-house and outsourced solutions
- And real-world results of case studies in which scribes have been deployed
(Originally recorded on October 7, 2015)
Best Practices in Patient Communication
Cynthia G. Ferrucci, MD, FACP Internist, UW Medicine Belltown
Learning Objectives
- Outline the core principles of effective patient communication.
- Discuss the link of optimum communication to improved patient experience outcomes.
- Review questions in the CAHPS Clinician and Group Surveys (CGCAHPS) and the Washington Health Alliance Patient Experience Survey
(Originally recorded June 25, 2014)
Better Care Practices for Patient-Centered Medical Homes
Sharon I. Eloranta, MD Medical Director, Quality and Safety Initiatives
George W. Merck Institute for Healthcare Improvement Fellow Qualis Health
Learning Objectives
- Identify why implementing Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices such as empanelment, care coordination, and continuous team-based healing relationships are key to achieving Triple Aim results
- Describe how PCMH practices can be created and sustained in primary-care settings
- Identify the common barriers to successfully implementing PCMH practices and outline how to overcome these barriers in small and medium-sized practices
(Originally recorded September 4, 2013)