Subject of Possible Rule Making: Chapter 388-550 WAC, Interns, residents, teaching physicians, and physician preceptorships.

     Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.510, 42 C.F.R. 413.86, 42 C.F.R. 415.160.

     Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish:

•	To stay current with industry standards for graduate medical education and medical residency programs.
•	To better serve our medical providers and Medical Assistance Administration (MAA) clients.
•	To establish MAA standards for supervising interns and residents in nonhospital settings and to establish payment standards for teaching physicians.
•	To expand definition of allowable services "under primary care exception" to allow payment for well-child exams done by residents-in-training, while being supervised by a teaching physician.

     Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services--MAA will be implementing Medicaid standards or articulating exceptions to Medicaid/Medicare rule.

     Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will be invited to participate in the work group and to provide comment on the draft language.

     Process for Developing New Rule: The department invites the interested public to review and provide input on the draft language of this rule. Draft material and information about how to participate may be obtained from the department representative listed below.

     Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Myra Davis, MAA, Program Manager, P.O. Box 45533, Olympia, WA 98504-5533, phone (360) 725-1306, fax (360) 586-9727, TDD 1-800-848-5429, e-mail daviss@dshs.wa.gov.

February 28, 2002

Brian H. Lindgren, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

© Washington State Code Reviser's Office