Executive Director Report

Several years ago, my predecessor, Melanie DeLeon, did a series of articles for this newsletter that detailed the Commission’s disciplinary process. Those four articles are still available on the Commission’s website, and I commend those articles to all readers. These articles offer a broad outline of the processes behind the Commission’s statutory mandates. These articles are particularly worthwhile considering the Commission’s January adoption of a procedure for managing conflicts of interest. Read More

PA News -
Medice, Cura Te Ipsum

I remember a time over four decades ago when as a young man, after finishing college and my PA education, that I had hoped for a long lasting, fulfilling and rewarding career. A career that I would dedicate my talents, my energies and my life to serving the sick and injured and then look back some day on a meaningful life and career thereafter thinking that it was worth the sacrifice and the journey. And while in general, I cannot complain so far, but medicine for many, or dare I say most of my friends and colleagues working in medicine today, has not been so great. And so, I ask myself, “What happened to that dream, that hope and that naïve ambition that we once clung to?” Was it progress, time, politics, corporate takeovers, population growth, rising costs and new paradigms that spoiled it all? Continue Reading

Cultural Beliefs and Health
Practices Among Washington’s Immigrant Communities: Guidance for Medical Providers

Washington State is home to a diverse and rapidly growing immigrant population, with individuals from Mexico, India, and China representing the top three countries of birth for foreign-born residents. Whether practicing in urban centers like Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma or in rural communities across the state, medical providers are likely to care for patients from these diverse backgrounds. Continue Reading

What is the Washington
Physicians Health Program & How it Helps the Medical Community

In this article, we will look at the mission of the Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP) and some of the common questions about it. An integral part of WPHP’s mission is to inform and educate the medical community about physician health and impairment. Our goal is to empower physicians with accurate information so they may make informed decisions should they find themselves, or a colleague, in difficulty. Continue Reading

Rulemaking Efforts

Topics Include:

• New Profession:
  Anesthesiologist Assistants
• General Provisions for Opioid Prescribing for Physician
  Assistants (PA) and Allopathic Physicians (MD)
• Establishing the use of nitrous oxide in office based surgical settings, WAC 246-919-601
• Collaborative Drug Therapy Agreements
• Regarding SSB 5389 – define “qualified physician”
• Opioid Prescribing for Physician Assistants (PA) and Allopathic Physicians (MD)

Read More