📢 Contact your representative in Congress today and urge them to cosponsor the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693! This bipartisan bill would help create a more stable and predictable Medicare payment system so physicians can keep caring for patients in their communities by:
✅ Providing a permanent annual payment update tied to the Medicare Economic Index to better reflect increases in practice costs.
✅ Modernizing budget neutrality policies, including provisions from H.R. 8163.
✅ Creating a physician-led process for developing simplified, clinically relevant quality measures.
✅ Expanding opportunities for physicians to participate in alternative payment models.
📧 Send your message here: wsma.org/advocacy/take-actio…
Happy #PAWeek to Washington's physician assistants! Thank you for your partnership in providing excellent patient care for Washingtonians and for your efforts at making the WSMA a vibrant, effective statewide medical association. This Oct. 6-12, the WSMA thanks you for your service to medicine: to patients, to the profession, and to Washington state.
#Flu activity is ramping up earlier than normal in Washington, and COVID cases are ticking up, as well. Now is a great time to make sure you're up to date on your vaccines. Questions about the vaccine? Contact your physician's office. #YourCareIsAtOurCore axios.com/local/seattle/2026…
Washington State Medical Association retweeted
NEW: Flu is surging unusually early in some parts of the western US. Seattle Childrens’ health system has been seeing case levels they typically see in early December. Experts saying consider getting shot now instead of waiting. My story.
washingtonpost.com/health/20…
The final session in our webinar series with Help Me Grow Washington is next Monday, Oct. 12, featuring Marie Spiker, PhD, from the @uwsph and co-lead of the Washington State Food Security Surveys. Marie will do a deep dive on food security measurement:
📊What exactly are we measuring?
📊How is measurement done in population settings and clinical settings?
📊 How can physicians act on data from food security screeners?
🔗 Register for the webinar here: bit.ly/473TvnY
🔗 Catch up on the sessions you missed as videos or podcast episodes here: bit.ly/47nUhfL
Congratulations to WSMA's 2026-2027 President Matt Hollon, MD, MPH, who we inaugurated Saturday, Sept. 26, at the WSMA Annual Meeting in Spokane!
Dr. Hollon has practiced primary care internal medicine for more than 30 years, including 20 years in Spokane. He is program director of @MultiCareHealth’s new internal medicine residency program in Spokane and serves as a clinical professor at both the @uwsomwwami and @WSUMedicine. He is past president of the Spokane County Medical Society and past governor of the @ACPIMPhysicians Washington Chapter.
Joining him as WSMA officers are President-elect Bindu Nayak, MD; Vice President John D. Scott, MD; Secretary-Treasurer Colin Fields MD AAHIVS; and Immediate Past President Bridget Bush, MD, FASA.
Congratulations to Dr. Hollon and the entire 2026–2027 WSMA leadership team!
Read more about Dr. Hollon here: bit.ly/3TsswPL
📸 Photos by Lisa Venticinque Photography.
The WSMA House of Delegates begins its voting this morning, voting on issues of importance to physicians, physician assistants, patients, and the practice of medicine in Washington state. #WSMAAnnual
Washington State Medical Association retweeted
Grateful to the Washington State Medical Association for the invitation to keynote its annual meeting.
At a difficult moment for American medicine, defending our profession matters. A healthcare system worthy of our patients must have clinicians lead the way @WSMA_update
Thank you to all of our members who gave such thoughtful testimony on resolutions during our reference committees this morning. This is the heart of WSMA policymaking and we’re grateful for everyone for who was a part of this process! #WSMAAnnual
Thank you to WA Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham for joining us again to give an update on his priorities for @WADeptHealth, including addressing health inequity, vaccine access, workforce issues, and more. #WSMAAnnual
Outgoing WSMA President Bridget Bush, MD, recaps the past year of advocacy, education, and community at the WSMA.
Speaker Ray Hsiao, MD, kicks off the morning. We’re without our second speaker Matthew Grierson, MD, who is being inaugurated as the president of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science in Australia. Congrats to Dr. Grierson!
WSMA members are gathering in Spokane this weekend for the 2026 Annual Meeting! We’re excited for a fun weekend of setting policy, a keynote from @VinGuptaMD, and much more! #WSMAAnnual
Washington State Medical Association retweeted
We can’t wait to head to our first WSMA Meeting!
Stop by and see how Privia equips local practices to thrive with:
• Strategic payer contracting
• Actuarial support & a shared-savings models
• Group purchasing power & admin support
[email protected]
Come together with your fellow physicians, physician assistants, and medical students from across the state for WSMA's premier policymaking event this September in Spokane! In addition to setting policy for the association, this year's Annual Meeting features:
✅ A keynote presentation from @VinGuptaMD, on "Leading Through Change: What Physicians Need to Thrive in the Future of Healthcare."
✅ A special WSMA Foundation gala dinner on Saturday, Sept. 26, honoring our first Future Physician Scholarship recipient Isabela Lydston, MPH, and fundraiser to award medical school scholarships to more students.
✅ Presentations from @AmerMedicalAssn board Chair-Elect Toluwalasé “Lasé”Ajayi, MD, and @WADeptHealth Secretary Dennis Worsham.
✅ All at the beautiful Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane.
🔗 Registration is free for all WSMA members: wsma.org/annual-meeting.
#PhysicianLeadership #PhysicianAdvocacy #WSMAAnnual #HealthPolicy
Today is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, #NPSADay, an an opportunity for the WSMA and health organizations to reinforce physician well-being, peer support, suicide-prevention education, and systems that make confidential mental healthcare easier to access.
💙 Learn the 7 actions you can take to prevent physician suicide: npsaday.org/
If your organization is looking to update or launch wellness efforts, or if you’re simply looking for engagement and inspiration from colleagues in the field, the WSMA Foundation Physician and Practitioner Wellness Podcast provides ideas for taking meaningful action to reduce burnout and improve professional satisfaction, all informed by the latest research. The 13-episode podcast is free and open to all practitioner types.
🔗 Access the podcast:
On the WSMA website: bit.ly/4xvlpE3
On Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/3HrBV3C
On Spotify: bit.ly/3ZkVb97
"People need to see and feel the heart of medicine again." In celebration of #WomenInMedicineMonth, we're sharing our latest Member Spotlight on Elizabeth Wako, MD, the only female physician health system CEO currently in Washington state. Read more from Dr. Wako on why she's a WSMA member, her top lessons for leadership, what she's reading, and more: wsma.org/advocacy/your-care-…
#YourCareIsAtOurCore
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 #priorauthorization 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: bit.ly/4gIGYMm
Health info is everywhere, but trustworthy answers can be hard to find. Nine in 10 Americans trust their primary care doctor. Physicians across Washington state cut through the noise with a new social media video series. Learn more: wsma.org/resources/questions… #YourCareIsAtOurCore
📢 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: wsma.org/advocacy/take-actio…
📢 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: wsma.org/advocacy/take-actio…


























