News

Your calls to state legislators made a huge difference at the public hearing in the Senate Health Care Committee on March 14th! Over 850 people signed in Con for the hearing and about 950 Physical Therapists (PTs) signed in Pro. There were also numerous Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioners (AEMPs) that were able to testify in support of our amendment request. This was a huge showing of strength for the Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Profession and we were successful in getting the majority of amendments to the bill that we were requesting!! As background, 2023 is quite...

Hi All, The “Physical Therapists Dry Needle” bill passed out of the House of Representatives and the Senate Health Care Committee has now scheduled a public hearing on 2SHB 1039 on March 14th at 8:00 am. WAEMA is still working hard to amend the bill and could use your support!   So far over 400 PTs have signed in to support the bill as Pro…   we need to get as many Con positions noted on the record as we can!   ….and here is how you do it!   Click this link: Committee Sign in or Testify to go to Senate Health Care Committee, 3/14/23 at 8 am. Click on 2SHB 1039 -...

Hi All, The PT intramuscular or dry needling bill, 2SHB 1039 passed out of the House of Representatives with no requested amendments on Monday with yeas, 94; nays, 1; absent, 0; excused, 3. (View Roll Calls) Chaiya Sherman, WAEMA President, and I met with the bill sponsor for an hour and a half this past Sunday afternoon to discuss potential amendments to the bill, but to no avail. The bill now heads to the Senate Health Care Committee for a public hearing sometime after March 8th. There is not a date available yet as to when the hearing will be scheduled. Chaiya and I are still working...

Dear WA State Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioners, “SSHB 1039 Concerning physical therapists performing intramuscular needling” is rolling through the House of Representatives with a lot of support from legislators this year. SSHB 1039 has just been pulled out of the House Rules Committee and now heads for a vote on the Floor of the House of Representatives sometime next week. WAEMA opposes the bill in its current form. Although we appreciate that the bill was amended to increase the number of training hours from 175 to 325 hours, we still have concerns about public safety and...

Dear WAEMA Members, As we are all painfully aware, insurance provider rates have been stagnant for nearly 20 years. On Friday, February 10th (we incorrectly stated February 17th in our original email) the House Health Care Committee held a public hearing on HB 1655 regarding provider compensation that would increase reimbursement by reflecting the Consumer Price Index. Over 500 people signed in to support the bill. Now is a great time to contact your two House of Representatives members and ask for their support! Find your district here. Put in your home address, not business and contact...

In a democracy, there is no stronger connection than between a legislator and the folks that live in their district, their constituents. It’s time for all licensed Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioners (AEMPs) to contact their local legislators and help us Oppose Expanding the Scope of Practice for Physical Therapists to include Intramuscular Needling (Dry Needling) with insufficient training to adequately protect patients in Washington state. The Washington Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Association (WAEMA) is requesting that you please reach out to your local legislators to...

Congratulations! The Department of Health, after conducting a review on AEMP licensing fees and associated profession costs, concluded that AEMPs have a very low complaint rate for the profession. Due to being well-trained and practicing safely, our licensing fees are going down! The fee proposal is to drop the current fee structure from $109 (initial application) and $205 (renewal) to $60/year each! The late renewal penalty will drop from $105 to $50! See the attached brochure for more information. Thank you! Chaiya Sherman President of WAEMA Board View the Acupuncture and Eastern...