What’s Our Policy?
The WSMA Policy Compendium collects all policy as passed by the
WSMA House of Delegates. The compendium was last updated August 2023.
Policies are listed below by subject. To search the compendium for a specific policy, enter
a keyword(s) in the search field on this page.
NOTE: Pursuant to policy adopted at the 2022 House of Delegates meeting, the WSMA adopted in 2015 a “sunsetting” mechanism through which the WSMA may remove adopted policies from the WSMA Policy Compendium after a period of 5 years, unless the House of Delegates takes action to reaffirm or amend the policy. If the House of Delegates at any time takes action to either reaffirm or amend an existing policy, such action will reset the 5-year sunset period.
Policy Search
WSMA Policy Compendium Index
Abuse
Children, Elderly Persons, Others at Risk
Domestic Violence
Human Trafficking
Access
Administrative
Appropriate Use Criteria
Children
Community Clinics
Costs
Employment
Health Care Reform in the Criminal Justice System
Immigrant Health Care Coverage
Increasing Investment in Primary Care, Including Utilization of the
Making Care Primary Model
Insurance
Liability (Tort Reform)
Medicaid on Reentry from Incarceration
Public Health
Public Option
Reform - General
Refugee Access to Primary Care (Interpreter Services)
Tort Reform
Universal Coverage
Accident Prevention
Head Protection
Life Vests
Seat Belts
Accreditation/Licensure
Credentials Applications
Criminal Background Checks
Due Process
Information/Education
Joint Commission
License Fees
Maintenance of Certification
Medical Institutions
National Practitioner Data Bank
Non-Traditional Medical Practitioners
Office Laboratory Accreditation
Physician Licensure by State
Uniform Statewide Credentialing Requirement for Medical and Physician
Assistant Students
Adolescent Care
Access
ADHD
Child Marriage
Drivers Licenses
Foster Care Children
Undocumented Immigrant Children
Aging
Increasing Access to Mental Health Care for Older Adults
Injury Prevention
Long-Term Care
Nursing Home Surveys
Paperwork
AIDS/HIV
Confidentiality
Education
Ethical Responsibility to Treat
Health Care Workers
Mandatory Testing
Needle Exchange
Patient Concern and Protection
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Reduce HIV Infection
Reporting
Testing Patients
Testing Pregnant Women
Alcohol and Alcoholism
Advertisement
Impaired Driving
Reporting of Blood Alcohol Content
Taxation
Alternative Dispute Resolutions
Alternative Dispute Resolution Processes
American Medical Association
The AMA
Assisted Reproduction
Access to Infertility Care
Artificial Insemination by Donor
Informed Consent, Rights of the Child
Benefits Packages
Standardized Policies and Procedures, Standardized Data System
Biomedical Research
Humane Animal Research
Blood
Blood and Tissue Donation
Confidentiality
Cancer
Coverage of Low-Dose CT Scans
Equity and Justice in Care and Outcomes of Washingtonians with Cancer
Capital Punishment
Participation in Authorized Executions
Castration
Participation in Castration
Chiropractors
Scope of Practice
Clinical Investigation
Guidelines for Clinical Investigations
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act
Clinical Trials
Reimbursement and Coverage Implications of
Confidentiality
Attorney-Physician Relations
Communicable Disease/Gunshot Wound Reporting
Computers
Insurance Company Representative
Media
Minors
Patient-Physician Confidentiality
Physicians in Industry
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Drug Dispensing
Contractual Relationships
Physician Dismissal
Physician-Group Practice Contractual Relations
Physician-Hospital Contractual Relations
Physician-Insurance Plan Contractual Relations
Physician-Medical Care Plan Contractual Relations
Selective Contracting
Corporal Punishment
Corporal Punishment in Schools
Data Collection
Data Collection and Analysis in Health Care
Release of Provider-Specific Information
WSMA Supports Payment for Health Care Data Collection
Death/Dying
Advance Directives
Cause of Death Certification
Hospice
Living Wills
No Codes
Patient Choice in Managing End of Life Care
Quality of Life
Withdrawal of Life Support
Disaster Response
Disaster Response
Education
Patient Medication Supplies
Disciplinary Procedures
Disciplinary Procedures
Discipline and Medicine
Discipline and Medicine
Discrimination
Advancing Gender Equity in Medicine
Diverse Study Population
Diversity and Inclusion in the Field of Medicine in Washington State
Ensuring Inclusion of Physicians and Medical Students with Disabilities
Increasing Gender Equity in Medicine Through Speaker Invitation and
Selection at Medical Conferences
Non-Discrimination in Physician Employment
Non-Discrimination Laws
Professional Discrimination
Reducing Racism and Discrimination in Law Enforcement
Removing the Race Coefficient from the Calculation of Estimated
Glomerular Filtration Rate
Unionizing Physicians
Violence Against Asian Americans
Drugs
Child Resistant Containers
Elimination of Buprenorphine Dose Limits
Errors
Governmental Group Purchase
Harm Reduction Services
Imprint Coding/Labeling
Improving Access to Evidence-Based Harm Reduction
Improving Access to Post-Acute Medical care for Patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
Increase Access to Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Marijuana
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Methadone
Narcotics and Drug Use
Physician Drug Testing
Physician Loan Repayment
Post Marketing Surveillance/Drug Sampling
Prescribing Practices
Safe-Injection Facilities
Single Name Identifier
Substance Use Disorder
Thalidomide
Treatment
Treatment, Correctional Facilities
Education
CPR/AED Training
Health Education Alliance
Public Education
School Start Times
Work Hours
Education - Medical
Condom Education and Access for Teens
Continuing Medical Education
CME Fees for Retired Physicians
End of Life Patient Care
Evidence-Based Sex Education in Washington State Schools
Expanding and Standardizing Parental Leave in Medical School and
Residency
Financing Medical Education
Medical Student Seats
Promoting Transparency in Medical Education and Access to Training
Promotion of Health Equity Through Graduate Medical Education in
Critical Race Theory for Washington Physicians
Improving Obstetric Care in Rural Communities
Student Loan Deferments
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Clinics
First Aid/Treatment for Overdose Victims
Poison Control
Environmental Health
Clean Air
Climate Change
Environmental Protection
Hazardous Substances in the Work Place
Health Care Gown Waste Reduction in Washington State
Infectious Medical Waste
Medical Waste
Mercury
Nuclear - Hanford
Fees
Charity Care
Competition
Collection Agencies
Fee-for Service as an Effective Model for the Practice of Medicine
Fee Splitting: Clinic or Laboratory Referrals
Fee Splitting: Drug Prescription Rebates
Fee Splitting: Purchase of Medical Practice on a Percentage Basis
Fee Splitting and Hospitals
Fee Splitting: Rentals
Group Practice
Interest Charges and Finance Charges
Medical Cost Containment
Medical Services
Surgical Assistant’s Fee
Fetal Research
Guidelines for Fetal Research
Fireworks
Abolition of Fireworks
Foods and Nutrition
Antibiotic Use in Agriculture
Food Irradiation
Fluoridation of Municipal Water Supplies
Genetically Modified Foods
Genetics
Counseling
Engineering
Genetic Counseling Information for Physicians
Guaranteed Basic Income
Guaranteed Basic Income
Guns and Weapons
Background Checks and Waiting Periods
Children
Development of Firearm Safety Policies
Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Gun Control
Gun Safety Education
Guns as Public Health Issue
National Bureau for Firearm Injury Prevention
Reducing Firearm-Related Injury and Death, 2019 Updates
Reducing Gun Harm by Requiring Gun Owners to Obtain and Maintain
Liability Insurance
Safe Storage
Smart Guns
Trauma Prevention
Violence Prevention Education in Schools
Weapons-free Zone for Health Care Facilities
Health Care
Allocation of Limited Resources
Cost Disclosure
Employment
Financing, Health Care
Health Care Policy Principles
Health Equity
Improving Health Care Experiences for Transgender and Gender
Nonconforming Patients
Incentivizing Quality Patient Outcomes by the Washington Health Care
Authority
Mandated Benefits
Medical Home
Preventive Health Care
Quality, Cost Effectiveness
Quality, Definition
Quality Improvement Programs
Reform
Role of the Consumer/Provider
Supporting the Rights of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Patients
Teleparity
Universal Coverage
Health Care Workforce
Health Care Workforce
Medical Schools
Rural Deficiencies
Health Plan Activities/Policies
“All Products” Clauses
Compensation Schedules
Conversion to For-profit Status
Dispute Resolution
Electronic Data Interchange
Fee Schedules in Capitation Provider Contracts
Health Plan Networks
Health Plan Provisions
Medical Necessity
Premium Payment Cycles
Term and Termination in Provider Contracts
Home Health Care
Medicare Reimbursement
Planned Home Births
Hospitals
Admission Fee
Assessments, Compulsory
Billing for Housestaff Services
“Corporate Practice of Medicine” Doctrine
Emergency Coverage
Health Facility Ownership by Physician
Hospital Utilization Review
Medical Staff
Medical Staff Self Governance
Physician Non-Compete Laws and Improvements
Physician Relations
Protections for Whistleblowers
Staff Privilege
Immunizations
Availability
CHILD Profile System
Flu
Hemophilus Influenza Type B Immunization
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B - Adolescent
HPV
Immunizations - General
Improving Input and Access to Washington State Immunization Information
System (WSIIS)
Liability
Mandatory Health Care Worker Vaccination
Mandatory Long-Term Care Worker Vaccination
Misinformation
New Vaccines
Opt-In Vaccinations for Mature Minors in Washington State
Pharmacy Vaccination Records
Vaccine Exemptions for Personal Reasons
Impaired Physicians
Physician Wellness and Impairment
Reporting of
Informed Consent
Insurance
Care Coverage
Equal Pay for Equal Work
Hospital Staff Requirement
Office of Patient Protection
Prior Authorization
Reimbursement
Standardized Remittance Advice
Take-back Periods
Third-party Carriers
Transparency
Labor and Industries
Independent Medical Examinations
Injured Workers
Labor and Industries Payment
Legislation
Evaluation of Legislation
Legislative Priorities
Washington Physicians Health Program
Liability
Insurance
Liability
Liability-Induced Stress
Liability Reform
Volunteer Physicians
Liability Reform Positions
Managed Care
Ethical Issues
Guidelines for Managed Care
Medicaid
Access
Reform
Reimbursement
Medical Boards
Authority
Governor Appointments
Physician Assistant on Board of Medical Examiners
Medical Directors
Accountability
Medical Directors
Medical Ethics
Medical Ethics
Medical Students
Medical Students
Mentoring Support for Unmatched Medical Graduates
Telemedicine
Medicare
Anti-Emetic Reimbursement in Conjunction with Chemotherapy
Nursing Home Services
Payment Reform
Reform
Regulation
Men’s Health
Access to Health Care for Men
Mental Health Care
Benefits
Electroconvulsive Therapy in Washington State
Involuntary Administration of Drugs
Reimbursement
Mental Health Care
Non-Scientific Practitioners
Non-Scientific Practitioners
Nursing
Education/Training
Nursing in Public Schools
Physician-Nurse Relationship
Optometry
Optometrists
Organs
Allocation of Organs and Other Scarce Medical Resources
Donation
Organ Transplantation
Patient
Choice
Patient Informed Consent
Patient Voice
Principles of Patient Care
Peer Review
Confidentiality
Included in Practice of Medicine Definition
Peer Review, WSMA Principles of
Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants
Physicians
Coercion of Physicians/Surgeons by Internet or Telephonic Threats
Jury Duty
Referral of Patients
Sale of Health-Related Goods from Physicians’ Offices
Sale of Non-Health Related Goods from Physicians’ Offices
Secret Remedies
Unnecessary Services
Worthless Services
Young Physicians
Physician Advertising and Publicity
Guidelines Regarding Physician Advertising and Publicity
Physician Health Plan Participation
Physician-Health Plan Relations
Physician Practice
Addiction Medicine
Appointment Charges
Billing
Case Management
Clinical Practice Parameters
Clinics
Consultation
Contingent Physician Fees
Definition of “Primary Care”
Definition of “Primary Care Physician”
Definition of “Non-physician Primary Care Provider”
Doctor/Physician, Use of the Term
Imaging, Reimbursement of
Laboratory Services
Lien Laws
Physician Assistant Title Change
Practice Parameters
Providers, Use of the Term
Psychiatric Services
Refer to All Medical Professionals by Their Titles
Second Opinions
Testing
Physician Profiling
Principles on Physician Profiling
Physician Records
Availability to Other Physicians
Body Mass Index (BMI), Inclusion of
Discoverability
Electronic Health Records
Health Services Information System
Information and Patients
Records of Physicians on Retirement
Sale of a Medical Practice
Records on Termination of a Partnership
Physician Rights and Responsibilities
AMA Code of Ethics
Civil Rights and Responsibilities
Conflict of Interest - Physician Self-Referral
Domestic Violence
Due Process
Expert Witness Standards
Expert Witness Testimony - Revelation of Financial Arrangements
Family Violence
Free Choice
Gifts from Industry
Harassment
Medical Testing
Patent for Surgical or Diagnostic Instrument
Patient Access to Safe and Legal Information
Physician-Patient Relationship, Sanctity of
Protecting Emergency Reproductive Health Care Services in Religiously
Affiliated Health Care Entities
Professional Corporations
Refusal to Serve a Class of Patients
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Misconduct
Surgical Procedures Donated for Charity Auction
Treatment of Immediate Family
Utilization and Cost, Policies Related to
Political Action
Campaign Finance Reform
Political Action, WSMA Commitment to
Prescribing Practices
Conscientious Refusal to Fill a Legal Prescription
Denial of Prescribed Pharmaceuticals
Prescribing Practices - General
Prescription Drugs
Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical Coverage
Pricing of Pharmaceuticals
Purchasing by Government
Prenatal, Postnatal, And Infant Care
Access
Breast Milk
Chemical Abuse
Ensuring Access to Maternal Blood Pressure Monitoring
Infant Mortality
Maternal Mortality and Race in Washington State
Postpartum Care
Prenatal Care
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Use of Eat, Sleep, Console as Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Use of Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During
Pregnancy
Prisons
Allowing Peritoneal Dialysis Amongst Patients in the Washington State
DOC
Choke and Sleeper Holds
Hepatitis-C
Juvenile Justice
Public Health
Advocating for Heat Exposure Protections for Outdoor Workers
Coal Exports and Oil Transport and Storage in Washington State,
Opposition to
Community Health Clinics
Creating a Washington State Viral Hepatitis Elimination Plan
Cybersecurity Techniques Against the Threat of Medical Misinformation
DDT
Fast Flux Test Facility
Fertilizers, Labeling
Funding
Harmful Chemicals in Consumer Products
Homelessness as a Public Health Priority
Improving Access to Active Transportation
Increasing Access to Menstrual Hygiene Products
Lead
MPV
Needles and Syringes
Obesity
Oral Health of Children
Primary Care Investment
Promotion of Building Electrification to Improve Human Health
Public Health Department
Public Health Nurse Dispensing
Racism
School Based Health Care
Sleep Disorder Screening
Translators/Interpreters
Tuberculosis Control
Universal Free Lunch Program
Reproductive Health Care
Birth Control
Emergency Contraceptives
Resolutions
Resolutions Separate from Reports
Retired Physicians
CME Fees
Rural Health Care
Incentivizing Rural Practice
Maintenance Of Surgical Training Programs For Rural Obstetrics Providers
Washington Rural Health Association
Scope of Practice
Acupuncture
False Advertising as a Doctor
Manual and Manipulative Procedures
Neuromuscular Electrodiagnostic Medicine Consultation
Physical Therapists
Prescriptive Authority
Preventing Medical Title Misappropriation
Scope of Practice - General
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDS)
Chlamydia Screening
Patient-Delivered Partner Therapy
Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Control
Specialists
Specialists
Transparency in Specialist Consults
Sports
Boxing
Physician Role in
Youth Sports
Surgery/Invasive Procedures
Definition of
Laser Surgery
Risks to Health Care Team
Fair and Equitable Taxation
Tax on Alcohol
Television
Social Responsibility
Tobacco
Addiction Treatment
Advertising
Cessation Programs
Combustible Cigarettes, Elimination of
Definition
E-cigarettes
Education
Labeling
Legislation
Public Places
Regulation
Taxes
Tobacco Settlement
WSMA Meetings
Veterans Medical Care
Veterans Administration Health Care Program
War
Nuclear War/Weapons
Washington Medical Commission
Complaints
Organizational Structure
Women’s Health Care Issues
Mammography
Wrongful Birth/Wrongful Life
Wrongful Birth/Wrongful Life