Orthotics and Prosthetics Advisory Committee

The Orthotist and Prosthetist Committee's mandate is to protect the public's health and safety, and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional health care providers under its jurisdiction. The committee accomplishes this through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division.

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Committee Information

Mission statement

The Orthotics and Prosthetics Advisory Committee's mandate is to protect the public's health and safety, and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers under its jurisdiction. The committee accomplishes this through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division.

Committee duties:

Provide advice on matters specifically identified and requested by the secretary, such as applications for licenses.
Approve examinations required for licensure.
Review and monitor the exemptions to requirements of certain orthoses and prostheses and recommend to the secretary any statutory changes that may be needed to properly protect the public.
Recommend rules relating to standards for appropriateness of orthotic and prosthetic care.

Qualifications

The committee has one orthotist, one prosthetist, one physician, and two public members. One member is initially appointed for a term of one year, two for a term of two years, and two for a term of three years. Subsequent appointments are for terms of three years. Members must be residents of this state.

The orthotist and prosthetist members:

Must be a holder of license for practice of either prosthetics or orthotics, or both, in this state.
Must be practicing.

The physician member:

Must specialize in orthopedic medicine or surgery or physiatry.
Must be licensed by the state.

The public members must:

Represent the public at large.
Be unaffiliated directly or indirectly with the profession being credentialed.
To the extent possible, be consumers of orthotic and prosthetic services.
Have an interest in the rights of consumers of health services.
Not be or have been a licensee of a health occupation committee.
Not be an employee of a health facility.
Not derive his or her primary livelihood from the provision of health services at any level of responsibility.

Committee participation expectation guidelines

These guidelines are a reference for current members and prospective appointees:

Attend regular committee meetings, scheduled twice a year, on Fridays during business hours. The committee sets its meeting schedule each fall for the following calendar year.
Prepare for regular meetings by reading materials sent one to two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting date. The packets take an average of two to four hours to read.
Mentor newly appointed committee members as necessary.

Total annual time commitment

Meetings: Two days per year. Two to four hours of preparation and follow-up per meeting.

Compensation

Members of the advisory committee shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as authorized in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
Members of the committee shall be compensated in accordance with RCW 43.03.240 when engaged in the authorized business of their committees.

Committee Members

Members	Term End
Daniel Abrahamson, prosthetist and orthotist	March 30, 2026
Shevy Treichel, prosthetist and orthotist, vice chair	March 30, 2026
Erin Andrade, physician, chair	April 1, 2025
Vacant, public member	- -
Vacant, public member	- -

Committee Meetings

All meetings start at 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Date and Location	Activity	Documents
October 22, 2024 Hybrid/DOH – Zoom webinar and Department of Health Town Center 2 111 Israel Rd. S.E., Room 155 Tumwater, WA 98502	Business meeting	Agenda and Packet (PDF)

Meeting Minutes