On July 29, 2022, Governor Inslee announced his intent to rescind 12 Proclamations, including Proclamation 20-32, which have been in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

When these 12 healthcare-related emergency orders terminate this fall, approximately 87% of all COVID emergency proclamations will have ended.

To ensure that allopathic physicians (MDs) and physician assistants (PAs) have ample time to resume pre-COVID licensing and regulatory requirements Proclamation 20-32’s rescission will become effective on October 27, 2022.

Webinar Recording and Powerpoint

On September 27, 2022 the WMC held a webinar regarding Proclamation 20-32. You can view the webinar recording and PowerPoint if you were unable to attend. 

Continuing Medical Education

Proclamation 20-32 has suspended sections of the Washington Administrative Code (chapter  246-919 WAC for MDs and chapter 246-918 WAC for PAs) continuing medical education (CME) requirements. However, with the impending rescission of Proclamation 20-32, practitioner CME requirements will resume this fall.

In conjunction with the Department of Health and other medical professions, the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) will exercise enforcement discretion for MDs and PAs regarding the resumption of CME requirements. WMC will be instating a grace period for MDs and PAs to complete their CME requirements.

If you have questions regarding CME requirements or timelines, visit our CME webpage, or contact our Licensing Unit at (360) 236-2750 or via email.

Waivers by Profession

Each WMC licensed profession listed in Proclamation 20-32 will be the focus of future profession-specific notices with reference points to their respective WAC. To ensure you receive these emails, please subscribe here.

PAs, Limited License holders, Retired Active MD licensees, and Retired Active PA licensees should begin now to prepare for the termination of Proclamation 20-32.

Effective on October 27, 2022, the following pre-COVID requirements will all return:

• Physician Assistants – physician supervision ratios, and delegation agreement requirements;
• Limited License holders – will have restrictions regarding geographic locations or specific jobs as described in their appointments;
• Retired Active MD licensees – will have restrictions that include not receiving compensation for health care services and only practicing in emergent or intermittent circumstances; and
• Retired Active PA licensees – will have requirements to have a delegation agreement and will be prohibited from receiving compensation for health care services.

If you have questions regarding the rescission of waivers, please contact our Licensing Unit at (360) 236-2750 or email.

Please note that in March of 2020, the WMC posted information regarding Proclamation 20-32 and its associated waivers and suspensions. Those announcements have since been removed to avoid confusion. For reference to those documents, please contact the WMC.