Physician Advocacy: Four Things to Know This Week

By Jennifer Hanscom

Next week, state legislators head into the third week of this year’s 60-day legislative session. As they do, advocacy remains top of mind as they grapple with a significant state budget deficit. The WSMA is closely monitoring the discussion in Olympia, while also tracking developments at the federal level that could affect funding and resources for states.

At the federal level, the U.S. House has reportedly reached a compromise that may support the continuation of telemedicine and state funding. Additionally, on Jan. 8, the House voted to extend the enhanced premium tax credit for three years, but it’s unclear at the moment how the Senate will react to these proposals when it returns from recess.

Here at home in the “other” Washington, if you’d like an insider’s overview of what’s happening at our own Capitol, WSMA’s government affairs team held a pre-session webinar earlier this month that was attended by more than 100 physicians, residents, and medical students. The webinar provided a high-level overview of legislative issues expected to impact the physician community and their patients this session. If you weren’t able to attend, a recording of the event, in both podcast and video formats, can be found here.

In other news of interest:

Immigrant welfare and access to care

Physicians in Minnesota have raised concerns about access to care for many of their patients. While the WSMA is unaware of barriers or disruptions in care in our communities, please note we do have resources on immigration law enforcement and clinic and patient rights on our website. On that page, you’ll also find links to regional and national immigrant legal resource networks for further support. If you have concerns you wish to share with the WSMA or resources that would be helpful to other members, please let us know. We want to know what’s happening in our communities, so we can help ensure that all patients feel safe when accessing care.

National Women Physicians Day event: ‘1001 Cuts’ screening

At the request of WSMA President Bridget Bush, MD, and in honor of National Women Physicians Day, the WSMA is offering a free online screening of “1001 Cuts” on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

Please join Dr. Bush and director Sarah Temkin, MD, for a special screening of this award-winning 24-minute film examining the challenges faced by women surgeons, while amplifying those issues for all physicians and health care professionals. The film seeks to inspire solutions to overcome barriers that persist for women in medicine, create collaborative health care environments that support excellence in care for all patients, and celebrate the contributions of women in medicine. Dr. Temkin will join Dr. Bush in hosting the screening and facilitating a Q&A.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Space is limited so if you are interested, please register soon.

A new way for rural physicians to engage with the WSMA

The WSMA is looking to engage more rural physicians in our policymaking process. Our Rural Regional Section Kickoff and Listening Session will be held Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join us to learn about the WSMA’s new Rural Regional Section, a section for physicians practicing in counties where local county medical societies have disbanded or no longer meet the WSMA’s definition of an “active medical society.”

At this virtual kickoff meeting, Amy Ellingson, MD, Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH, and the WSMA will share more about the Rural Regional Section, outline opportunities for engagement, including periodic virtual meetings, and hold a listening session focused on the joys and pains of practicing medicine in rural Washington to learn how this section can best serve rural physicians.

If you practice in or reside in a county without an active medical society, we hope you’ll join us! Register on the WSMA website.

(Counties with members who qualify for the new Rural Regional Section include Asotin-Garfield, Clallam, Cowlitz-Wahkiakum, Grant-Adams, Jefferson, Klickitat-Skamania, Lewis, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pacific, Northeast Tri-Counties, Walla Walla-Columbia, and Whitman.)

Exploring drivers of health and trust at the Leadership Development Conference

Registration is now open for WSMA’s popular annual Leadership Development Conference. At this year’s conference, we will explore our evolving understanding of what it means for physicians and their care teams to lead in today’s health care environment. Physicians, practitioners, and patients are facing multiple challenges unique to our era, including the politicization of health care, the spread of incorrect or misleading health information, and increasing downstream effects of social drivers of health, and these unique challenges call for new competencies.

The 2026 Leadership Development Conference will feature speakers and presentations that will look at leadership from underexplored angles, including how to show leadership as community health advocates, utilizing popular communication technologies to platform physician voices and evidence-based information, and embracing opportunities to harness cutting-edge solutions to social drivers of health. Confirmed speakers so far include Jim Krieger from Healthy Food America, speakers from the Help Me Grow network, physician influencers Kelly Casperson, MD, and Lora Shahine, MD, and a panel of local physician advocates on what they are doing in practice to address drivers of health, with more speakers to be confirmed.

This day-and-a-half educational event is for professionals at all leadership levels, from experienced leaders to up-and-comers, from large systems to small practices, rural and urban. Consider bringing your clinical team-the conference is an ideal opportunity for fostering collaboration, communication, and engaged team members. A discounted registration rate is available for WSMA members; non-member pricing is available. Register online. And remember, your registration fee will come with a discount on our suite of immersive leadership courses to help you continue on your leadership journey.

Additional speakers and an agenda will be announced shortly. This activity has been approved for MA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

As this year’s legislative session progresses, as always, we will continue to update you on issues being debated in Olympia via our Advocacy Report and Membership Memo. Additionally, you can follow us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn for real-time updates.

Thank you for all you do for your patients and communities and for being a member of the WSMA.

Jennifer Hanscom is WSMA’s CEO.