Posts by Brian Hunsicker

The MATE Act, recently passed by Congress, changes requirements for physicians who prescribe controlled substances — most notably by requiring the completion of a one-time, eight-hour training session prior to their first registration or renewal of their DEA license. The AAFP has published a webpage collating this other requirements and guidance from federal agencies as…

WAFP members now may submit written testimony for the resolutions that will be debated by the 2023 House of Delegates. The House will consider nine resolutions and one bylaws amendment. Additionally, there are two late resolutions, which will be subject to a vote of acceptance by the House. Comments on the late resolutions are welcome,…

If you are a WAFP member who qualifies in one of the five AAFP-defined special constituencies, we invite you to apply today. This award pays for travel expenses and registration fees for the recipients. The deadline to apply is March 12. Read more about the conference here. NCCL special constituencies are as follows:

Among the bills appropriations bills signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29 was legislation to officially eliminate the X-waiver for physicians and other providers who treat patients with substance use disorder. That means any member of the care team with a Drug Enforcement Agency registration that includes Schedule III medications may now prescribe buprenorphine.…

In response to the voluntary recall of Abbott infant formula, the Washington State Department of Health temporarily added 93 formulas to its approved list. The additional formulas were added thanks in part to a waiver from the US Department of Agriculture. Those waivers, however, will begin to expire on Feb. 28. Because of this, WIC…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is investigating a data breach at one of its subcontractors. The data breach may affect as many as 245,000 Medicare beneficiaries, and both personally identifiable information and protected health information may have been compromised. Although it is unclear where the affected patients may reside, CMS is asking physicians…

WAFP President Mark Johnson, MD, and more than 35 other health officers and health care leaders released a joint statement Friday urging the public to wear masks indoors to mitigate the surge in respiratory viruses. The full statement is below: Communities across our state and around the U.S. are experiencing an unprecedented surge in viral…

The Northwest Healthcare Response Network, a coalition of public and private partners to help the health care community respond to emergencies, has asked WAFP to alert its membership to a dire need at the inpatient pediatric unit at Yakima Memorial Hospital. More information from NWHRN and the hospital below: Washington is experiencing the same pediatric…

The Bree Collaborative, established by the state legislature in 2011 to bring together public and private stakeholders to identify improvements to health care quality, outcomes, and affordability, is spotlighting two of its recommendations this month. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, at noon, the Collaborative will highlight its recommendation on opioid prescribing in older adults. During the…