OLYMPIA — A bill easing the process for retired doctors, to volunteer medical services, passed the Senate last week.

Rep. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, introduced House Bill 1899 to the legislature after a doctor told her he wanted to continue practicing medicine on a volunteer basis but had difficulties due to the cost and time of mandatory continued education.

The bill exempts retired doctors, who volunteer their services, from licensing fees and reduces the amount of required hours for continued education.

“This bill started out trying to simply reduce credit hours required for doctors, but it has evolved into an open discussion about how we can effectively and safely encourage retired doctors to volunteer their time,” Warnick stated. “We want to leave the authority to determine the rules with the quality assurance commission, but I think it’s important for us to look at how we can improve access to medical care in community clinics and other places.”

The Senate passed a slightly different version than what was previously approved in the House of Representatives. It will be sent back to the House for approval before being sent to the governor.

The alterations in the bill allow the Medical Quality Assurance Commission to review the number of required education hours, where they are allowed to volunteer, the number of days they can volunteer and their ability to provide medical services.