Credentialing Freeze in February, Apply and Renew in January
The Washington State Department of Health is excited to announce the upcoming launch of a new licensing system for all health professionals and facilities in Washington during the third week of February 2025! The Health Enforcement and Licensing Management System (HELMS) will help create efficiencies, improve user experience, streamline processing, strengthen data access, and reduce paper-based activities.
February Credentialing Freeze
Ahead of the HELMS launch, all licensing and credentialing systems will be unavailable in order to make system upgrades. This freeze will be during President's Day weekend from Friday, February 14th at 5pm until the morning of Wednesday, February 19th to allow the team to transition data and launch the new system.
Although the freeze will only impact one business day, it could impact health professionals and facilities and it is strongly recommended that everyone consider applying or renewing early. You are able to renew your license or credential up to 90 days before your expiration date.
What you need to know:
- Do not wait to renew your license or credential. Renew in January to avoid delays.
- Finish applications ahead of the freeze and do not expect updates between February 14-19, 2025.
- No updates or changes will be made to licenses for health professionals and facilities during the freeze. Search tools like Provider Credential Search and Facility Search will still be available, but will not be updated during the freeze.
- For more information on the licensing freeze and the new licensing system, please visit DOH.wa.gov. You can find information about your specific profession or facility type within the Licenses, Permits, and Certificates tab.
If you have questions or concerns regarding the licensing freeze, please reach out to the HELMS team at HELMS@doh.wa.gov.
