WSR 20-09-024
PERMANENT RULES
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
(Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery)
[Filed April 6, 2020, 12:58 p.m., effective May 7, 2020]
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: WAC 246-854-076 and 246-854-086, the board of osteopathic medicine and surgery (board) adopted two new sections of rule to chapter 246-854 WAC. The new section WAC 246-854-076 implements a process for issuing expedited temporary practice permits for osteopathic physician assistants (OPAs). The new section adopts the secretary rule, WAC 246-12-051, by reference for qualified applicants who hold out-of-state credentials as OPAs to obtain a temporary permit. By adopting the secretary rules, the board ensures consistent standards with other health care professions. New WAC 246-854-086 establishes reentry to practice requirements for OPAs. Establishing return to practice requirements makes sure that OPAs who have been out of practice for more than three years are properly qualified to resume caring for patients.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: New WAC 246-854-076 and 246-854-086.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 20-02-052 on December 23, 2019.
A final cost-benefit analysis is available by contacting Tracie Drake, P.O. Box 47852, Olympia, WA 98504-7852, phone 360-236-4766, fax 360-236-2901, TTY 711, email tracie.drake@doh.wa.gov, website www.doh.wa.gov.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 2, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 2, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: February 7, 2020.
John Finch, DO
Board Chair
NEW SECTION
WAC 246-854-076Temporary practice permit—Military spouse eligibility and issuance.
A military spouse or state registered domestic partner of a military person may receive a temporary practice permit while completing any specific additional requirements that are not related to training or practice standards for osteopathic physician assistants. The board adopts the procedural rules as adopted by the department of health in WAC 246-12-051.
NEW SECTION
WAC 246-854-086Reentry to practice requirements.
(1) An osteopathic physician assistant who has not actively practiced medicine for a period of at least three years in any jurisdiction in the United States must fulfill one of the following:
(a) Successfully pass a board approved competency evaluation;
(b) Successfully pass a board approved exam;
(c) Successfully complete a board approved retraining program arranged by the osteopathic physician assistant; or
(d) Successfully complete a board approved reentry to practice or monitoring program.
(2) For the purposes of this section, a person is considered to have actively practiced medicine if they can demonstrate that they hold an active, unrestricted license as a physician assistant in the United States.