News You Can Use

July 25, 2022

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

Seeking Volunteers to Plan DO Day 2023

Please SAVE THE DATE for Tuesday, February 28, 2023, for our DO Day in Olympia! We are looking forward to returning to the Capitol campus to advocate for important issues affecting osteopathic physicians in WA.

Dr. Kim Ha Wadsworth, WOMA Director of Public Affairs, is seeking volunteers for the DO Day planning committee, which will convene virtually in the fall. Please reach out to her at Kim@WadsUpDoc.com if you are interested in helping.

If you have specific issues or concerns affecting osteopathic medicine that you want to bring to our attention, feel free to pass them along as well. As we move forward to our big advocacy day, we will start prioritizing our legislative agenda in Sept/Oct. We appreciate your participation and feedback!

New EDRS Questions on Homelessness

On the evening of Wednesday, July 27, 2022, the Center for Health Statistics (CHS) at WA DOH will be launching the new questions on decedents’ homelessness experience in our Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS).

Medical examiners, coroners, funeral homes, and health care providers who register deaths in EDRS on or after this date will be asked to complete these questions for all deaths. To help you acclimate to the new questions, we will be providing the following resources:

A short guidance document to help you respond to these questions as consistently and completely as possible.
Training session and optional drop-in meetings
Wednesday, July 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, July 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, August 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
If you have additional questions or concerns after these meetings, you are always welcome to contact edrs@doh.wa.gov.

If you have any questions, please contact any of the following email addresses:

Brianna.pergola@doh.wa.gov

Katitza.holthaus@doh.wa.gov

Maya.bhat@doh.wa.gov

Training and Q&A Sessions:

Wednesday, July 27 training session - 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or join by entering a meeting ID

Meeting ID: 288 952 489 452

Passcode: Lwy9z4

Or call in (audio only)

+1 564-999-2000,,165598456# United States, Olympia

Phone Conference ID: 165 598 456#

Find a local number | Reset PIN

Learn More | Meeting options

Thursday, July 28 drop-in Q & A session – 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or join by entering a meeting ID

Meeting ID: 253 673 163 460

Passcode: LF4AHU

Or call in (audio only)

+1 564-999-2000,,331363265# United States, Olympia

Phone Conference ID: 331 363 265#

Find a local number | Reset PIN

Learn More | Meeting options

Wednesday, August 3 drop in Q & A session – 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or join by entering a meeting ID

Meeting ID: 264 333 559 294

Passcode: PZp8zT

Or call in (audio only)

+1 564-999-2000,,680479952# United States, Olympia

Phone Conference ID: 680 479 952#

Find a local number | Reset PIN

Learn More | Meeting options

Washington PMP Login Loop Error and

Auto-Logout time

On Wednesday, July 13th, the Washington Department of Health became aware of a user issue resulting in intermittent SAW to PMP login loops and PMP workflow logouts. The issue seems to have been corrected with a software patch that was uploaded at 6pm July 18th. If you are still experiencing issues, please clear your browser cookies and cache, fully close all browser windows, restart the browser, and attempt login again. You can also try opening an “Incognito window” in Google Chrome or an “InPrivate window” using Internet Explorer. (Ctrl+Shift+N) for both. Users experiencing ongoing issues should contact Bamboo Health at 1-877-719-3121 or create a support request at https://pmpawarxe.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

You may notice that the inactivity auto logout time seems reduced and this may be frustrating to some users. To be compliant with HIPPA regulations and Industry Security Standards, the inactive logout time is set to 20 minutes. This has always been the standard but a glitch in the software that was previously unknown caused users to remain connected to the PMP all day as long as the window remained open.

Child Blood Lead Testing

A recent article published in the AAP is calling on pediatricians to reengage and increase childhood blood lead level (BLL) testing. In line with the article, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is urging pediatricians to increase their BLL testing in children.

Despite the risks of lead exposure in our communities, Washington State ranks near the bottom nationally for testing children for lead poisoning. The number of blood lead tests has increased in Washington State over the past decade, but the proportion of children screened in Washington State remained well below the national average. In 2018, only 4.2% of Washington children under 3 were tested for BLL, while the national average was 17.6% in the same year.

Evidence shows that screening and testing are strong secondary prevention tools that we should be utilizing, behind primary prevention tools like removing lead hazards in the environment.

There are two types of blood tests available: venipuncture and capillary draw (finger stick). While venipuncture tests are more reliable, finger sticks are less invasive and easier to obtain. Any testing is better than no testing.

All children in Washington state should be screened for lead poisoning at 12 and 24 months of age. DOH recommends using the clinical algorithm for targeted childhood lead testing tool when screening children.

All children enrolled in Medicaid are required to receive blood lead screening tests at ages 12 months and 24 months. Completion of a risk assessment questionnaire does not meet the Medicaid requirement. It is essential that children enrolled in Medicaid receive appropriate blood lead screening tests. As of January 1, 2022, there are 83,640 kids enrolled in CHIP across Washington state.

High-risk populations should be prioritized in screening and testing efforts. These populations include refugee children, children enrolled in Medicaid, and children that live in a home built before 1978. In Washington, currently, only refugee children who are entering the country are routinely tested for lead.

As a reminder, WAC 246-101 requires laboratories (including those who use Point of Care Machines) to report all blood lead test results to the Washington State Department of Health. All elevated blood lead levels (5 µg/dL or higher in youths under age 15, and 10 µg/dL or higher in adults) must be reported within two days. All other test results must be reported within one month.

For more information on lead testing and reporting, please see the DOH website at www.doh.wa.gov/lead, contact lead@doh.wa.gov, or call 360-236-4280 or 1-800-909-9898.

Advocates for the AOA

Board of Directors Applications

The Advocates for the AOA nominating committee is accepting nominations for the Board of Directors.

Please submit nominations on the AAOA website on or before August 1, 2022.

This application is to be completed by the candidate personally and submitted prior to the above deadline by email. Receipt for this application will be sent by email from the AAOA Affiliate Director advocates@osteopathic.org and from the Chairperson of the 2022 Nominating Committee:

Caryn Tabby,caryn.tabby@gmail.com.

The positions to be filled for the 2022-2023 AAOA Board of Directors are as follows:

President-Elect

Vice President

Recording Secretary/Treasurer

Director (2 year position) term ending 2024

A candidate for elective office shall meet the following qualifications:

1. A member in good standing for at least one year.

2. A candidate for the office of President-Elect or Vice President shall have served on the AAOA Board of Directors for at least two years.

3. Further information on specific duties may be found in the AAOA Bylaws.

Any interested persons should submit a completed application to the Nominating Committee before August 1, 2022.

Submission of an application does not guarantee a position on the board. Applications will be reviewed by the nominating committee who will then present a slate of nominees at the Annual Business Meeting of the Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association in October 2022. The slate will also be posted in advance on the AAOA website.

Nominations will be accepted from the floor during the annual business meeting of the AAOA.

Those wishing to encourage the participation of other individuals should pursue this prior to the August 1, 2022 deadline period.

Warm regards,

Caryn Tabby

AAOA Immediate Past President

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The Washington Osteopathic Medical Association