News You Can Use

December 4, 2021

 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

2022 AOA Osteopathic Research Funding Available

The AOA is pleased to announce that the 2022 research grant application cycle is now open. Research funding is available to DO and PhD researchers conducting studies that address one of four Request for Applications (RFAs) in three overall areas of foci approved by the AOA Board of Trustees. Grants are also available for new investigators, residents and medical students.  

The AOA will support the development of research projects grounded in osteopathic medicine that have the most promising potential to impact individual patient outcomes and evidence-based medicine, facilitate collaboration within and outside the osteopathic community and enhance the visibility of the osteopathic profession.  

PLEASE NOTE:  Under direction from the AOA Board of Trustees, the AOA will no longer fund basic science research projects. AOA-funded research will address the tenets of osteopathic medicine and advance the distinctiveness of the osteopathic profession through patient-focused research projects.

The four RFAs include:

®  Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMM/OMT).

®  Acute and Chronic Pain Management.

®  The Impact of the Osteopathic Approach on Chronic Disease and Elderly Care.

® Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Observational & Explorative Focused Hypotheses Research Studies which address one of 14 research hypotheses designed to investigate the successful effects of OMM on specific diseases.

For more detailed information on the grants available, please visit the AOA website

Application Submission Timeline

• November 29, 2021: Application submission opens
• Monday, January 31, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. CST.: Deadline for submission
• June 2022: Awards will be announced

Applying for a Grant:

• For more information regarding the available grants, downloading the necessary instructions and applying for a grant, please click the following link: Apply for a Grant:
• Please review the Applicant Tutorial for instructions on accessing the grant portal.

Technical Assistance/Questions: 

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for All AOA RFAs
• Questions should be directed to:

Gloria Dillard, MPH

Director of Research Grants

Department of Research

AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION

142 E. Ontario St.

Chicago, IL 60611-2864

Phone: (312) 202-8006

Fax: (312) 202-8306

2022 WOMA Member Dues

Statements for your 2022 WOMA Membership Dues have been mailed. Please keep and eye out for them! If you would like to pay your dues online you may do so by clicking here and selecting "Pay open orders". You will need to log in using the primary email you gave us along with the password you chose. If you have not set up your online account for dues or are having trouble logging in, please contact hgriffin@woma.org.

Implementation of New Notifiable Conditions Reporting Requirements Delayed until Jan 2023

At the November 10, 2021 meeting, the Washington State Board of Health (Board) accepted the Department of Health’s (DOH) request to amend the effective date of the notifiable conditions rule (chapter 246-101 WAC), and directed staff to file a new CR-103, Order of Adoption, to delay the effective date of revisions to the notifiable conditions chapter to January 1, 2023.

The notifiable conditions rule outlines requirements for information health care providers, health care facilities, laboratories, and other entities must report to the state to protect the public's health by tracking communicable diseases and other conditions.

Last March, the Board adopted amendments to the notifiable conditions rule. The amended rule makes significant changes to the requirements of the chapter and was originally adopted with an effective date of January 31, 2022.

DOH greatly appreciates the engagement of many community partners to update the notifiable conditions rule. The disaggregated race and ethnicity categories, as well as the patients preferred language categories, will provide vital data to identify health inequity and work to improve the health of all people.

As DOH began work to implement the notifiable conditions rule, technical challenges were identified that prevent the work from being completed by the original effective date in regulation, including:

• The capacity of DOH’s IT staff and communicable disease staff to update the 19 IT systems needed to implement the new rule has been impeded by the relentless demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The technology solution for the Washington State Public Health Laboratories to incorporate additional demographic values will take significant time beyond the original rule effective date. When implemented, this change will streamline the reporting process.
• The Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1272 (2021) an Act Relating to Health Care System Transparency. This bill requires DOH to update Washington’s Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System (CHARS). HB 1272 impacts DOH IT systems and requires the collection of similar demographic data to what is required by the notifiable conditions rule. The effective date for HB 1272 is January 1, 2023.

The newly adopted effective date of January 1, 2023 will allow DOH to align with the implementation work required by HB 1272, and provide enough time to successfully complete this critical public health work.

DOH is working to update the timeline for implementation and will coordinate with the Board to provide information, guidance documents, updated forms, and training as it becomes available.

More information about the Notifiable Conditions rulemaking can be found on the Board’s rulemaking webpage. Please direct any questions to notifiableconditions@sboh.wa.gov.

Requesting Your Feedback on Draft CHARS Rule

As part of the DOH rule-making process, they are requesting your feedback on the CHARS draft rule (HERE). The draft rule incorporates initial feedback that was received during the listening sessions, recommendations from community partners, and research of various state and federal reporting standards. 

Project Background: Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (E2SHB) 1272 passed the Legislature earlier this year and requires the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to do rulemaking. On June 18, 2021, the Department of Health filed WSR 21-13-095, a Pre-proposal Statement of Inquiry to consider revisions to Chapter 246-455 WAC, the rule that outlines hospital reporting requirements for patient discharge information (CHARS). 

The draft rule prescribes new standards for reporting patient information related to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, preferred language, and any disability.  

The draft rule also:

• Establishes a waiver process that eligible hospitals may apply to;
• Strengthens protections of patient health care information to align with federal and state law changes;
• Clarifies and add requirements for data collection and reporting;
• Establishes formalized procedures for requesting hospital patient discharge data from the Department; 
• Prescribes direct and indirect patient identifiers; 
• Updates and adds definitions; 
• Makes technical updates and clarifications to existing rules; and 
• Establishes fees for data files.

Providing Feedback: Comments are due by COB December 23. Please email your comments or questions to Katitza.Holthaus@doh.wa.gov.

For more information, please visit the rule making page.

New SB 5380 Waiver Attestation Forms for the E-Prescribing and PMP-EHR Integration Mandate

New SB 5380 Waiver Attestation Forms for the e-prescribing mandate and PMP-EHR integration mandate can be found here. 

Electronic Prescribing Waiver Attestation Form

Washington State law mandates all health care practitioners communicate prescriptions and prescription refills for Schedule II-V controlled substances to the pharmacy electronically.

The law also allows the department to grant practitioners a waiver from complying with the mandate under certain circumstances. Any practitioner meeting one of the below qualifications for a waiver may receive one. Waivers will be granted upon submission of an attestation form.

Attestations last for one year and may be renewed two (2) times for a total of three (3) waivers, except in the case of other exceptional circumstance waivers. Other exceptional circumstance waivers may be submitted an unlimited number of times.

Please note: Waivers are valid for one calendar year. Beginning in December each year you may submit a waiver for the following year. Waivers submitted part way through the year are valid for that calendar year and will not be prorated. Submit your attestation form.

Please contact your programs Program Manager or Executive Director if you have any questions or need assistance.

EHR/PMP Integration Waiver Attestation Form

Washington State law requires all facilities, entities, offices, or provider groups with ten(10) or more prescribers using a federally certified electronic health records (EHR) system to demonstrate that EHR system is able to fully integrate data to and from the prescription monitoring program using a mechanism approved by the Department of Health.

The department may issue a waiver of this requirement to any facility, entity, office, or provider group that meets one of the qualifications for a waiver. Waivers will be granted upon submission of an attestation form. 

Attestations last for one year and may be renewed two (2) times for a total of three (3) waivers, except in the case of other exceptional circumstance waivers. Other exceptional circumstance waivers may be submitted an unlimited number of times.

Please note: Waivers are valid for one calendar year. Beginning in December each year you may submit a waiver for the following year. Waivers submitted part way through the year are valid for that calendar year and will not be prorated.Submit your attestation form.

Please contact the PMP Program if you have any questions or if you need assistance.

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