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COVID-19 Vaccines Webinar Series

COVID-19 Vaccines Webinar Series

Maintaining a patient population immunized against the COVID-19 virus is a large-scale challenge requiring a coordinated effort, one where primary care physicians play a crucial role—more so now that mass vaccination clinics are becoming a thing of the past. Physicians are ideally suited to educate people about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, communicate the safety and efficacy in an understandable way, address individual concerns and create a culture of confidence around the vaccines. By leveraging the trust patients have in their physicians, you can help ensure Washingtonians are receiving guidance based on sound science and good medical practice—and help counter the increasing barrage of misinformation circulating on- and offline.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to embed the COVID-19 vaccine into routine preventive care in your practice. The WSMA has joined the Washington State Department of Health to help physician practices and clinics access the tools and information they need to incorporate the COVID-19 vaccines into their practice workflows and employ effective strategies to engage patients in conversations about the vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccines: Strategies to Discuss the COVID-19 Vaccine with Your Most Reluctant Patients


An expert panel of physicians reviewed effective strategies to engage patients in conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine by addressing their questions, fears, and concerns. Physicians from communities with low vaccination rates provided real world examples of how to discuss the pediatric and adult vaccines, as well as booster vaccines. Representatives from DOH outlined the key elements of Power of Provider (POP) and the resources included in the toolkit.

Guest speakers:
  • Amy Carter, MD, FAAP, chief medical officer, Allegro Pediatrics
  • Shireesha Dhanireddy, MD, medical director, Infectious Disease Clinic, Harborview Medical Center
  • Alison Hilkiah, provider outreach supervisor, COVID-19 Vaccine Initiatives, Washington State Department of Health
  • Geoff Jones, MD, hospitalist and family medicine, Newport Health Center and assistant clinical dean, University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Gretchen LaSalle, MD, family medicine, MultiCare Rockwood Clinic – Quail Run; AAFP Vaccine Science Fellow; and clinical associate professor, WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

Originally recorded on August 26, 2022.

COVID-19 Vaccines: How to Embed them into Routine Preventive Care


The logistics of delivering COVID-19 vaccines in a practice or clinic setting may have been a barrier in the past for some organizations, particularly our smaller practices. Today, however, there have been many advances that have made administering the vaccine more convenient for practices of all sizes. In this session you'll learn how to:

  • Bill for COVID-19 vaccine counseling and administration.
  • Access small, more manageable quantities of COVID-19 vaccines from Vaccine Depots across the state.
  • Join the more than 65,000 Washington physicians, PAs, and health care providers who have already committed to educating and empowering their patients to vaccinate.
  • Leverage the physician toolkit and public-facing resources to help protect the health and wellbeing of your community.

Guest speakers:

  • Alison Hilkiah, provider outreach supervisor, COVID-19 Vaccine Initiatives, Washington State Department of Health
  • Kim Huey, MJ, CHC, CPC, CCS-P, PCS, CPCO, COC, KGG Coding and Reimbursement Consulting, LLC
  • Danielle Koenig, health promotion supervisor, Center for Public Affairs, Washington State Department of Health
  • Mark Jowett Tan, owner, Bainbridge Island Community Pharmacy
  • Ariel VanZandt, COVID-19 vaccine ordering and distribution coordinator, Washington State Department of Health

Originally recorded on July 29, 2022.

How to participate and obtain CME credit

To participate in this activity, you must read the objectives, watch the recording, and complete the evaluation and credit claim form. This enduring material will take up to two hours to complete. Click below to evaluate the session, after which you will be directed to a credit claim form and a printable certificate for your records.

Claim CME Credit

Evaluation & credit claim

Learning objectives

After completing the activity, learners should be able to:

  • Describe effective strategies to engage patients in conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine by addressing their questions, fears, and concerns.
  • Review real world examples of how to discuss the pediatric and adult vaccines, as well as booster vaccines.
  • Outline the key elements of Power of Provider (POP) and the resources included in the toolkit.
  • Leverage the physician toolkit and public-facing resources to help protect the health and wellbeing of your community.
  • Access small, more manageable quantities of COVID-19 vaccines from Vaccine Depots across the state.
  • Bill for COVID-19 vaccine counseling and administration.

CME information

Release date: September 8, 2022.

Reviewed: May 17, 2023

Expiration date: September 7, 2025.

Credit statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and Washington State Department of Health. The WSMA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The WSMA designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure

The following faculty have indicated relevant financial relationships with an ACCME-defined ineligible company, also known as a commercial interest:

Gretchen LaSalle, MD:

  • Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp – AAFP Vaccine Science Fellowship
  • Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp – Research consulting fees

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

All other planners and speakers in control of content have indicated no relevant financial relationship with an ACCME-defined commercial interest. All clinical content presented will be evidence-based and unbiased.

Educational resources

  • Let’s Talk Vaccines: A Clinician’s Guide to Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Saving Lives by Gretchen LaSalle, MD
  • Subscribe to the weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter on GovDelivery. Important – Select: COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter under the Immunization heading.
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