Calendar

Free webinar: Washington’s New Law to Address the Opioid Crisis

Join us Thursday, July 27 at 1 p.m. to learn more about House Bill 1427, Washington state’s new law to address the opioid crisis through enhancements in the state prescription drug monitoring program.

HB 1427, passed during the 2017 legislative session, represents a successful joint effort by the WSMA, the Washington State Hospital Association and the Department of Health to support medical group practices’ ability to identify and help prevent drug abuse and overdose by leveraging data in the prescription drug monitoring program. Provisions of the bill include:

• Issuing prescribing reports to physicians and other providers, which include a comparison of a clinician’s prescribing patterns with others from the same specialty and license type.
• Issuing quarterly prescribing data to facilities and group practices with more than five prescribers for the express purpose of quality improvement.
• Data sharing by the Department of Health with the WSHA Coordinated Quality Improvement Program for quality improvement initiatives.
• Establishing an overdose notification system.

During this free, one-hour session, experts from WSMA, WSHA and DOH will provide physicians and practice managers an overview of the new law, how it will be implemented and how you can prepare your practice. Attendees will learn about the coming enhancements to the prescription drug monitoring program and how they can leverage prescribing reports to review prescribing practices and work on quality improvement initiatives.

Register for Addressing the Opioid Crisis, Thursday, July 27 at 1-2 p.m.

2018 Proposed Rule on MACRA

Webinar
Tuesday, Aug. 1, Noon-1 p.m. PDT
Free
Registration details on WSMA website.

Free webinar: 2018 Proposed Rule on MACRA
This free, one-hour webinar will address the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2018 proposed rule changes regarding MACRA. These proposed changes would affect the second and future years of MACRA’s Quality Payment Program. CMS’s goal with the proposed changes is to simplify the program, especially for small, independent and rural practices, while ensuring fiscal sustainability and high-quality care within Medicare.

Physicians and practices have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes. Comments are due to CMS by 2 p.m. PDT, Aug. 21. This webinar will help you understanding the proposed rule by focusing on a comparison between calendar year 2017 and the proposed changes for 2018.

Dr. Nancy Fisher, chief medical officer of CMS Region 10 and Lauri Tan, health insurance specialist, will present.

Register for 2018 Proposed Rule on MACRA, Tuesday, Aug. 1 at noon.

WAPA Annual Fall Conference

October 5-7, 2017
Heathman Lodge, Vancouver WA
Save the date and join us for great CME!
Register Online
Meeting Brochure

EXHIBITORS
Exhibitor Prospectus

2017 WSMA Annual Meeting

Conference
Oct. 13-15
Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center
Free for WSMA/WSRS/MGMA-WA members, residents and medical students
Registration, agenda and meeting info on the WSMA website.

2017 Choosing Wisely Summit: Improving Value in Health Care

Conference
Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
DoubleTree by Hilton (Seattle)
By Oct. 2, fee: $200
After Oct. 2: $225
Registration, agenda and meeting info on the WSMA website.

Reducing unnecessary care in Washington state: The 2017 Choosing Wisely Summit, Friday, Oct. 27: Join health care leaders, stakeholders and national Choosing Wisely® representatives for a day-long, in-depth look at how the Choosing Wisely initiative in Washington state is moving from education to implementation. If your practice or organization is working to integrate Choosing Wisely recommendations into daily operations, this conference will give your team the tools and inspiration to implement change within your care setting.

Learn more about the Choosing Wisely Summit and register on the WSMA website. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Physician Assistant Lobby Day

January 11, 2018 (Thursday)
Columbia Room, Legislative Building Olympia, WA
Save the date and join WAPA
Learn about the legislative issues critical to our profession and advocate directly with state legislators.

WAPA Board of Directors meetings

All WAPA members are invited to attend WAPA Board of Directors meetings. Please RSVP to attend: LMK@WSMA.org

AAPA CME Activities

The AAPA offers a broad range of fully accredited CME activities, including:
JAAPA post-tests and other activity post-tests
Webcasts from AAPA annual conferences
Home study programs