Washington State Medical Association (WSMA)

09/09/2026

All WSMA members can be a part of the policymaking process: More than 60 resolutions and other items of business on topics ranging from AI and to the millionaires tax and title transparency are now posted in the WSMA Virtual Reference Committee and available for your feedback and comments ahead of the upcoming Annual Meeting.

The private, password-protected virtual reference committee closes this Friday, Sept. 11, at noon--don't miss this chance to participate in the policymaking process!

🔗 Learn how to access the virtual reference committee: https://bit.ly/4gIGYMm

09/04/2026

Health information is everywhere, but trustworthy answers can be hard to find. Patient-physician relationships matter more than ever, and nine in 10 Americans say they have confidence in the health information they receive from their source of primary care.

Physicians across Washington state are helping to reduce the noise by spending time listening to patients, answering questions, and using all available channels, including social media, to build relationships that lead to better healthcare decisions.

Learn more about those efforts, including a new social media video series from the WSMA designed to deliver trusted health guidance: https://wsma.org/resources/questions-about-your-care/

08/31/2026

📢 Take action on Medicare! The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, H.R. 8163 and S. 5180, modernizes Medicare physician payment by ensuring fairness and predictability for medical practices and stability for physicians and patients. Contact your senators and representative in Congress and urge them to cosponsor this bipartisan bill.

🔗 Send a message: https://wsma.org/advocacy/take-action-medicare

08/28/2026

📢 Take action: A 50% Medicare pay cut would put physician practices at risk! Ask your members of Congress to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to withdraw its modifier -25 proposal in light of concerns raised by physicians and medical organizations and the impact on patients’ access to care.

Send a message here: https://wsma.org/advocacy/take-action-modifier-25

08/28/2026

Finding trusted resources for patients who need supportive services can be hard and time-consuming. Help Me Grow Washington, WithinReach’s flagship program, offers a full spectrum of supports to families across Washington state with young children.

In our free Sept. 14 CME webinar, Janna Houston of Help Me Grow will dive into Help Me Grow's Resource Finder, a public tool that can help physicians and their care teams search for the resources their patients need.

🔗 Register: https://wsma.org/education/upcoming-webinars/.

08/26/2026

Five things every Washingtonian should know about measles. Eric Chow, MD, MS, MPH, of Public Health - Seattle & King County, on what patients should know as measles cases continue to increase across the U.S. and our state. Get more health guidance from trusted sources at wsma.org/care-you-can-trust.

Have a health topic you’d like us to address? 📧 Email us: https://bit.ly/4pIPAFn

08/26/2026

Be a part of the next generation of health care advocates! More than 70 students and residents participated in our inaugural WSMA Medical Student and Resident Advocacy Program last year, and we're thrilled to be bringing it back for 2026-27. Best of all, it's FREE for Washington medical students and residents.

Through five virtual evening meetings, you'll learn about the ins and outs of organized medicine, take a deep dive into a bill being considered by the Legislature and its effects on the physician community, cultivate the skills you need to develop relationships with legislators and testify before a committee, followed by an in-person advocacy day with WSMA staff in Olympia.

🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/gJHZis8a
📄 Help us spread the word. Even if you're not a student or resident, download the program flyer and distribute in your program or setting: https://bit.ly/4gvAhvM

08/25/2026

Two important deadlines for the 2026 WSMA Annual Meeting this week!
✅ Make your room reservations at The Historic Davenport by Wednesday, 8/26, to get our special conference rate: wsma.org/annual-meeting.
✅ Submit your policy resolutions by Thursday, 8/27. For a reminder on everything you need to know about resolutions, including accessing the online submission form, see here: https://bit.ly/4xSS1rQ

We hope to see you in Spokane next month!

08/21/2026

In addition to setting policy for the association, the WSMA Annual Meeting is an opportunity for us to celebrate our members and legislators who advocate for the house of medicine. Join us Saturday, Sept. 26 for these events:

👩‍⚕️Presidential Inauguration and Future Physician Scholarship Fundraising Gala Banquet: We'll inaugurate WSMA’s incoming president, Matt Hollon, MD, MPH; honor Rod Trytko, MD, for his service on the AMA Delegation; introduce the Foundation’s first scholarship recipient, Isabela Lydston, MPH; and fundraise for the Scholarship and Diversity Advancement Fund. If you're attending the Annual Meeting, add a banquet ticket to your meeting registration. For those who would like to attend the gala only, register here: https://bit.ly/4zjNhgq

🏛️ WAMPAC Luncheon: House Health Care Committee Chair Rep. Dan Bronoske and Ranking Member Rep. Joe Schmick will share what's ahead for health care policy in the 2027 legislative session. AMPAC Chair John Poole, MD, and WAMPAC Chair Tony Quang, MD, JD, will discuss the importance of physician engagement in advocacy, moderated by Sheila Rege, MD. Plus, we'll award our 2026 Legislator of the Year!

🍎 2026 WSMA Apple Awards: We'll honor this year's recipients of the President’s Unsung Hero Award, Grassroots Advocate Award, and William O. Robertson, MD, Patient Safety Award.

🔗 More details on all of the weekend's events here: wsma.org/annual-meeting

08/19/2026

: For over a century, the white coat has been the preeminent symbol of the physician, and for more than 30 years, the White Coat Ceremony has marked a physician’s first promise to their patients. This month, thousands of new medical students will slip on their first white coat, continuing a tradition created to instill compassion at the very start of a medical career.

As they take their first oath these students are not just starting school. They are beginning a lifelong commitment to the doctor-patient relationship, to protecting time in the exam room, and to putting patients' needs at the center of every decision.

Read more on the history of White Coat Ceremonies:

Traditional physicians' garb changed from black to white at the time that antiseptic practices became common in medicine. White coats gained symbolic value, and Arnold P. Gold, MD, instituted annual ceremony for medical students.