News You Can Use

October 25, 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

PNWU Student Ambassadors Meeting

Pictured from Left to Right: Townes Coscarat, PNWU Staff; Crystal Martin, DO; Roseanne Andersen, Executive Director WOMA; Mark Baldwin, DO, FACOI, FASN, WOMA President; Monica Haines, DO, WOMA Vice President; Otmar Borchard, OMS II; and Michael Scott, DO, MPH, FAAD, FAOCPM, FAOCD.

Over 40 students attended the PNWU Student Ambassadors Meeting on October 8, 2024. They were able to discuss their needs as osteopathic medical students and the benefits of WOMA student membership and how to get more involved. It was a successful meeting and WOMA looks forward to more student participation in the future!

Remembering Dr. Lawler

A Celebration of Life for Michael Lawler, President of PNWU, will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, WA. The celebration will be held in the Patricia Wade Temple and Roland M. Seal and Elsie Seal Auditoriums (Room 301-302). There is a reception immediately following the celebration in Butler-Haney Hall Grand Foyer. Live streaming will be available on YouTube. Click the link below for more information.

https://www.pnwu.edu/honoring-dr-lawler/

CR-103 Filed for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons Five-Year Review

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery is adopting language amendments to align the rules with currently accepted language and remove obsolete content.

RCW 43.70.041 requires a formal review process of existing rules every five years to simplify, improve and streamline rules pertaining to health professions. The board conducted a review of all sections in chapter 246-853 WAC that have not been reviewed in the last five years and identified that WAC 246-853-045 and 246-853-210 contain outdated language.

The board is adopting amendments to update the term “osteopathic practitioner” to “osteopathic physician” to be consistent with the entire chapter. The board also identified that WAC 246-853-060 does not contain any rule language content and are repealing this section. 

The board filed a CR-103 as WSR #24-21-095 on October 17, 2024, to finalize the rule amendments. No comments were received regarding the rules, which will be effective November 17, 2024. 

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

Health Care Professionals Demographic Survey Webpage 

In 2023, the Washington state legislature passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB)1503 requiring the department to collect health care professionals' demographic information at the time of license application and renewal beginning January 1, 2025.  More information, including FAQs, are on the ESHB 1503 webpage.  The link can also be found on each professions’ webpage, under “We can help you” heading, titled “Demographic Data Survey Information.”

Contact Info:

Washington Osteopathic Medical Association

PO Box 1187, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

425-677-3930

executivedirector@woma.org