Back to School: Vaccines And Exemption Forms

The following is provided by Maria Huang, MD, FAAP, co-chair of the WCAAP’s Vaccine Committee: As much as we would love all Washington kids to be fully immunized, we know there remains a sizable vaccine hesitant population. Washington state law allows parents or guardians to exempt their child from the school or childcare immunization requirements by claiming…

Read More

Take AAFP’s Survey to Inform Its New Compensation Comparison Dashboard

The American Academy of Family Physicians invites members to fill out an anonymous, 10-minute survey on salary, benefits, and work satisfaction. Your responses will help build a database that, when launched, will be searchable by state, gender, and other factors, allowing members to compensation for peers in similar professional circumstances. The survey will be open…

Read More

AAFP President Writes on Immunizations for The Seattle Times

Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAFP, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, wrote an op-ed in The Seattle Times on the importance of stopping and reversing the erosion of public trust in vaccines. The piece ran on Aug. 18. “As we think about returning to school and with more people going back to…

Read More

How You Can Help Lahaina

The ferocious wildfire that ravaged Lahaina on the island of Maui has claimed 111 lives, destroyed nearly 3,000 structures, and laid waste to much of the historic Hawaiian town. You can help. The Hawai’i Academy of Family Physicians has launched a webpage that includes information on how to donate to aid organizations and how to…

Read More

Mark Your Calendars for 2024 Events!

Two of WAFP’s annual events now have dates: the 2024 Family Medicine Advocacy Day will be held Jan. 22 in Olympia, while the 2024 Student & Resident Retreat will be held Feb. 10-11 in Leavenworth. At Family Medicine Advocacy Day, WAFP members work to advance family medicine and primary care in Washington state. In 2023,…

Read More

Washington to Participate in New CMS Primary Care Model

Earlier in June, the Centers for for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Washington would be one of eight states to participate in Making Care Primary, or MCP. According to CMS, the new model aims to “improve care management and care coordination, equip primary care clinicians with tools to form partnerships with health care…

Read More

Eat, Sleep, Console Now the Preferred Treatment for Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

The Washington State Department of Health, in conjunction with the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Washington State Hospital Association, announced that Eat, Sleep, Console is the new best practice for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome. “The announced change formally recognizes Eat, Sleep, Console as the new best practice for birthing hospitals,”…

Read More

Stay Up to Date on Viral Hepatitis Guidelines

Our colleagues at the Washington State Department of Health remind you to promote viral hepatitis testing, vaccination, and treatment with your patients. The following resources are curated by DOH for you and your patients: Visit the DOH’s provider information webpage for more details. If you have questions or need support, please contact them at hepatitis@doh.wa.gov.

Read More

A Focus on Primary Care in the Other Washington

In Washington, DC, two events took place Thursday that highlighted the current state and future hope for primary care. The first was a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, which considered the effect of corporate consolidation in health care. Among the witnesses was the AAFP’s executive vice president and chief executive officer, Shawn Martin. Martin…

Read More

WAFP Mourns the Loss of Dr. Jonathan Sugarman

The Washington Academy of Family Physicians is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, FAAFP. Dr. Sugarman is a former WAFP president (2008-09), represented WAFP at the AAFP Congress of Delegates, and was an officer with the WAFP Foundation. He was and will remain a leading light for the Academy. His…

Read More