News You Can Use

December 6, 2024

This is a publication to keep you informed of issues and events pertaining to the osteopathic profession in Washington State. We invite you to submit topics or articles of interest to your colleagues for consideration. Submissions may be emailed to executivedirector@woma.org

Thank You for Your Donations!

Giving Tuesday was December 3rd and WOMA is SO grateful for all the donations received! Our organization relies on it's members to keep it going and we thank each and every member who took the time to think of us on this national day of generosity. 
If you missed the letter from WOMA President, Dr. Mark Balwin, please click HERE to read. If you haven't donated yet, but would like to, please make checks payable to WOF earmarked for WOMA and send to the WOMA office at P.O. Box 1187, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. If you are unable to donate by check, credit card donations are available by clicking on the form below.

CR-103 Filed for Continuing Education

Requirements for Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon License Renewal

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery is adopting amendments to WAC 246-853-080 to update the continuing education requirements for licensure renewal of osteopathic physicians to clarify Washington-specific mandated CE requirements.

The board recently adopted a new health equity CE rule in WAC 246-853-075 to implement Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 5229 (chapter 276, Laws of 2021). ESSB 5229 directs the board to adopt rules establishing the standards for health equity CE, which must be completed at least once every four years.

Currently, WAC 246-853-080, Continuing education, does not refer to the new rule in WAC 246-853-075 or mention the new health equity CE requirement. Amending this rule is needed to ensure osteopathic physicians are aware that they are required to take the health equity training requirement and all other legislatively mandated CE. 

The board filed a CR-103 as WSR #24-24-038 on November 25, 2024, to finalize the rule amendments. No comments were received regarding the rules, which will be effective December 26, 2024.

Please direct any questions regarding this rule adoption to Becky McElhiney at 360-236-4766 or osteopathic@doh.wa.gov.

Have You Paid Your WOMA Dues Yet?

WOMA Membership dues are due January 1st. Another Email notification went out with membership renewal invoices on December 1st and physical statements will be mailed out within the week. You can also view your membership invoice HERE by logging into your account. 

If you did not receive it, please contact hgriffin@woma.org. 

In trying to cut down on mailing costs, we have added a place in your profile that you can select if you would prefer email or physical statements mailed to your address. Once you select "Email", you will no longer receive a physical statement. If you select "Mail" you will receive both a physical statement and and emailed statements. Please take the time to login to your profile HERE and update your preference. 

In Need of Last Minute CME??

Sessions from WOMA's Annual Convention

Now Available On-Demand 

If you were unable to attend the 110th Annual NW Osteopathic Convention in June, we have 16 new sessions available for On-Demand participation through the CME Center. Each session is worth 1 Category 1-A AOA credit. We are coming to the end of the 2022-2024 CME cycle, so if you are in need of a few extra credits check out our on-demand sessions below! 

Please note: dues must be current to register for member prices. 

Live Webinar on CY2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

On Monday, December 9 at 8pm ET, the AOA will be holding a live webinar to share an overview of the CY2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. The webinar will provide key information physicians need to know to navigate payment policy changes in the coming year. including:

• Discussion of the Medicare conversion factor reduction and efforts to mitigate payment cuts in 2025;
• Updates to payment for E/M services and advanced primary care that support coordinated, longitudinal care;
• Changes to Medicare telehealth policies that support continued payment and access;
• Updates related to 90-day global surgical payments;
• Changes to the QPP, including Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scoring changes for 2025.

A summary of changes can also be found in the AOA's recently published resource. 

Contact Info:

Washington Osteopathic Medical Association

PO Box 1187, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

425-677-3930

executivedirector@woma.org