State Regulatory

25 September

License expiration extension ending, renew by Sept. 30 to avoid late fee

wsvma   |   State Regulatory

To allow healthcare professionals the ability to focus on patient care during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Secretary of Health extended expiration dates for licenses due for renewal between April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020. All late fees were waived during this period. What does this mean for you? For health care professionals who took advantage of the extended time to renew, this is a reminder that you must renew your credential on or before September 30 in order for your credential to remain...

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11 September

Animal Health Import Requirements Waiver for animals affected by Oregon wildfires

wsvma   |   Animal Welfare, State Regulatory

The Washington State Veterinarian’s Office is waiving import requirements on livestock from Oregon, allowing these animals a temporary stay in Washington state, provided they do not change ownership and return to Oregon within 30 days. This temporary waiver comes as evacuations due to wildfires in Oregon have placed a significant strain in the state on available stalls and pastures for sheltering horses and other livestock. Facilities that house evacuated animals are asked to maintain records of any animals they take in...

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28 August

License expiration extension ending, renew by Sept. 30 to avoid late fee

wsvma   |   Professional News, State Regulatory

To allow healthcare professionals the ability to focus on patient care during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Secretary of Health extended expiration dates for licenses due for renewal between April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020. All late fees were waived during this period. What does this mean for you? For health care professionals who took advantage of the extended time to renew, this is a reminder that you must renew your credential on or before September 30 in order for your credential...

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14 August

Veterinary Board of Governors recruiting members

wsvma   |   Professional News, State Regulatory

The Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance (HSQA) is accepting applications to fill one veterinary position on the Veterinary Board of Governors. They are looking for public-spirited people willing to study the issues and to make decisions in the public’s best interest. The Veterinary Board of Governors operates under legislative mandate to: Protect the health and safety of the public. Promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of health care providers under their authority. The...

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31 July

New WSDA Disease Reporting Tool for Veterinarians

wsvma   |   Animal Health, State Regulatory

The WSDA Animal Disease Reporting Tool is provided to report suspected or confirmed diagnoses of reportable diseases. All suspected or confirmed diagnoses of reportable diseases must be reported to the Animal Health Program as soon as possible. The tool may also be used to report new or unusual animal diseases or disease clusters with potential public health significance, including zoonotic or potentially zoonotic diseases in animals that 1) have never or rarely been observed in WA, or 2) appear in a new species or...

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31 July

Regulations for dogs and cats entering California

wsvma   |   Animal Health, State Regulatory

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) would like to remind state officials and private veterinarians of California’s requirements regarding Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) for dogs and cats entering California. A CVI, also known as a health certificate, is not required for cats and most privately owned dogs being brought into California. A health certificate is required only for persons bringing dogs into California with intent to sell or transfer ownership (California...

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24 July

New client communication rule raises questions

wsvma   |   Practice Management, State Regulatory

The WSVMA and the Veterinary Board of Governors (VBOG) have received several questions related to the new client communication rule that is set to take effect in the coming weeks. We reached out to VBOG and they provided answers to the most common concerns. Q – With the new rule, does it mean veterinarians should review every possible diagnostic, medication, or treatment they might administer to a patient with the owner? A – The spirit of the rule is to set...

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24 July

Proposed changes to reporting notifiable conditions

wsvma   |   State Regulatory

The Washington State Board of Health and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) have filed a Proposed Rule for chapter 246-101 WAC – Notifiable Conditions. The current rule requires veterinarians, health care providers, health care facilities, and other entities to notify public health authorities of zoonotic diseases. The proposed rule eliminates the requirement for veterinarians to notify public health authorities and instead report zoonotic diseases directly to WSDA, who under the amended rules will report to DOH. DOH has historically...

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19 June

New veterinary client communication regulations set to take effect end of July

wsvma   |   Practice Management, State Regulatory

The Veterinary Board of Governors (VBOG) has finalized new rules that establish minimum requirements for veterinarians when communicating evaluation and treatment options to clients. The new rule is intended “to ensure care provided promotes the health and safety of animal patients based on client decisions and emphasizes the importance of consultation with clients.” The decision to establish the new requirements stems from a 2017 petition by a pet owner whose dog died after being given NSAIDs and who wanted to...

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24 January

Veterinary Board of Governors seeks final input on draft client communication regulations

wsvma   |   State Regulatory

The Veterinary Board of Governors (VBOG) has filed a CR-102 for WAC 246-933-310 Definitions and WAC 246-933-345 (New) Client Communication. This is the final phase of rulemaking before the Board votes to approve it. VBOG is proposing to add a definition related to facilities and practice management standards and to create a new section to establish requirements for veterinarians when communicating with clients regarding evaluation and treatment. The new rule is intended to ensure the care provided promotes the health and...

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