From The Chair

Apply to Serve as a Board or Public Member

The podiatric medical board is actively recruiting to fill one (1) DPM vacancy and two (2) public member vacancies.

If you are interested in serving on a board or commission, please complete and submit an online application. You may attach your resume and any additional materials you would like considered at the bottom of the application before submitting. Appointed board members' duties and responsibilities can be viewed on the department's website.

You may apply for a board or commission at any time, even if there aren’t any current publicized vacancies, as vacancies may occur at any time throughout the year. If you have any questions about completing the application, please contact Governor Ferguson's Office by email or call 360-902-4111.

^{Note 1: Please do not email, mail or fax additional copies of your application, resume or supplementary materials to the Boards & Commissions Office.}

^{Note 2: Pursuant to the state's Public Records Act (RCW 42.56), applications submitted for these appointments are public records and may be subject to public disclosure.}

Protecting Licensed Professionals: Ongoing Scams Targeting Health Providers

Washington State’s Department of Health continues to receive reports of scams targeting licensed health care providers. Scammers often pose as Department staff, using real employee names and email addresses that closely resemble official DOH addresses.

Messages may request payment, personal information, or documents related to licensing issues, investigations, or disciplinary action. Some providers report receiving phone calls or letters that also appear to come from the Department.

Do not respond to suspicious messages or click on links or attachments. Verify communications by contacting the Office of Health Professions at (360) 236‑4700 or emailing hsqa.csc@doh.wa.gov.

_{Click here to read the full article.}

Become Familiar with the Washington State Podiatric Medical Association (WSPMA)

The WSPMA is a separate and distinct professional association from the Podiatric Medical Board that provides monthly newsletters and weekly updates with information on the association, industry news, advocacy efforts, and continuing medical education (CME) opportunities to its members. 

• Member Benefits: WSPMA members enjoy access to newsletters as part of their member benefits.

• Advocacy News: The association also provides  news and updates related to federal and state advocacy affecting the podiatric profession.

Disclaimer: This article is being shared for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with the contents by the Podiatric Medical Board, or the Department of Health.

AI is flipping the script on healthcare and when used appropriately, can make life easier for both doctors and patients. The potential benefits include streamlined workflows, improved care and access to the same without losing the human touch.

AI isn’t just knocking on healthcare’s door—it’s kicking it wide open, bringing game-changing upgrades to diagnostics, human-centered treatment, and improved patient outcomes. Days of drowning in paperwork and playing phone tag with insurance companies is quickly becoming a thing of the past. AI is stepping in to handle the administrative headaches such as appointment reminders, billing, and patient communications which frees up valuable time such as caring for patients.

But let’s address the elephant in the room—privacy, job security, and ethics. No, AI isn’t coming for your stethoscope. It’s here to assist, not replace, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations while making practices run smoother than ever. The key to success is thoughtful and smart integration to improve workflows leading to  better patient experiences all without sacrificing the human touch that makes medicine an art, not just a science. Oh, and let’s not forget greater profit margins.

^{Sources referenced for this article:}

^{American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), “APMA Pushes for Responsible Artificial Intelligence Application in Health Care”, published originally on 3/1/2026, referenced on 9/1/2026}

^{Jared Ferreira, MSIT, “8 Ways A.I. will Transform the Podiatry Field”, a guest article and post for the New Jersey Foot and Ankle Institute published on 12/19/2023, and referenced on 9/1/2026}

^{Matthew McClure, “AI in Podiatry: Revolutionizing Healthcare with Precision and Efficiency”, published on 11/17/2024, referenced on 9/1/2026}

^{Maxim Topaz, Laura Maria Peltonen, Zhihong Zhang, “Beyond human ears: navigating the uncharted risks of AI scribes in clinical practice”, a peer-reviewed, open access  article published on 9/24/2025 by the National library of Medicine (NLM)/National Institute of Medicine, referenced on 9/1/2026}

^{TJ Ahn, DPM, Entrepreneur, Educator (Video), published originally on 12/7/2024, referenced on 9/1/2026}

Disciplinary Corner

^{From the Office of  Investigative and Legal Services (OILS), Health Systems Quality Assurance (HSQA)}

One of the board’s primary duties, in collaboration with departmental program staff, is to decide whether a podiatric physician and surgeon license shall be issued with or without restrictions, or denied altogether. Whether approved or denied, decisions must always align with established statutes or RCWs (under Title “18”), and rules or WACs (under Chapter 246-922). Any disciplinary action taken is mandatorily reported to the National Practitioner Database (NPDB) and the Federation of Podiatric Medical Board (FPMB).

On this topic, The Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards (FPMB) supports Member Boards with services and initiatives that protect patients and the public, promote the integrity of podiatric medicine, and advance regulatory best practices. The FPMB is a National Committee for Quality Assurance NCQA)-listed source for podiatric sanction verification.

Timely reporting helps FPMB maintain accurate and comprehensive disciplinary information for Member Boards and supports patient and public protection.

For your convenience, we have attached the FPMB Disciplinary Action Report Form, a fillable PDF designed to simplify reporting. The form requests identifying and disciplinary information needed for accurate record searches and asks that supporting board orders or findings be included when available. A copy of the form accessed online.

Finally and for reference, FPMB currently directs individuals requesting official score reports to the “Requesting Official Score Report” section of the APMLE website that includes separate instructions for new versus older examination records: https://apmle.com/after-the-exam/#transcripts

HELMS Project Updates

HELMS has modernized our licensing and enforcement processes, improving data security, reducing paper-based activities, and enhancing access to information for our teams, partners, licensees, and the public. 

While the major releases for HELMS were completed in March this year, the department  continues to work on HELMS to support staff and customers. 

More information is available on the DOH’s HELMS information webpage.