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The Governor has issued the healthcare worker licensing proclamation. You can find it here. It’s effective now until midnight on April 25, 2020, unless extended by legislative approval. Below is a summary of how these waivers affect the medical assistant professions.
Physical-presence supervision requirement waived
The governor waived language in the medical assistant supervision definition in RCW 18.360.010(11) to allow all medical assistants to perform duties during the waiver period without a supervising health care practitioner physically present in the facility.
This waiver changes the supervision requirement language to state, “(11) "Supervision" means supervision of procedures permitted pursuant to this chapter by a health care practitioner who is immediately available.” The department considers immediately available to mean that if the supervising health care practitioner is called by phone, he or she would answer or return the call immediately.
One-year limit on interim MA-C credential waived
The governor waived language in the medical assistant-interim credentialing requirements in RCW 18.360.040(1)(b) and WAC 246-827-0220(2)(c). This waiver extends, during the waiver period, the one-year limit that a medical assistant can work under a medical assistant-interim credential.
Currently an interim credential is only good for one year or until the medical assistant completes their exam and obtains their full credential. The waiver allows them to continue to work on their interim credential after the one year due to the inability of medical assistants to complete an examination with many examination companies closed in the current situation.
60 day work limit on pending MA-R credential waived
The governor waived language in the medical assistant-registered credentialing requirements in RCW 18.360.040(5)(d). This waiver removes language that allows medical assistants-registered to work no more than 60 days while their medical assistant-registered application is pending. This waiver allows them to continue to work on their pending application while the waiver is in effect.
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