Notice Regarding the Washington State Ferry Preferential Medical Boarding Program

We have recently seen a significant increase in requests from patients—particularly those residing in the San Juan Islands—seeking access to preferential ferry boarding passes by way of our clinic. We want to provide clarity regarding the intent, legal obligations, and limitations of this Washington State program.

The Preferential Medical Boarding Program is a narrowly defined policy governed by WAC 468-300-700. It allows for medical priority boarding only in cases where a licensed healthcare provider or a designated clinic administrator certifies, under penalty of perjury, that a ferry wait would pose a medically detrimental health risk to the patient. To be clear, the program is not designed to "get a reservation", but is an "exemption from the standard first-come, first-served policy for waiting in line, when the patient has a medical condition that an extended wait on the dock would cause detrimental risks to their health. The program is not for use to get to appointments on time when waiting at a terminal would NOT cause any health risks."

This program states explicitly it is not designed for general appointment access, convenience scheduling, reservation bypassing, or routine travel for non-urgent medical visits. It is expressly prohibited to use the medical boarding certification as a means to obtain a ferry reservation or appointment time. Patients should not expect or request this accommodation unless their health condition genuinely meets the state’s criteria.

As healthcare providers, we are required to affirm the following statement under legal penalty:

“By checking this box, I certify under penalty of perjury under the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 468-300-700 that I am the licensed health care provider, or the clinic administrator designated by the licensed provider, authorizing the named applicant has a medical necessity and that an extended wait would cause detrimental health risks.”

This means that we cannot issue this certification unless there is a serious and documented medical need, such as acute conditions requiring urgent attention like operative bleeding, where delays would significantly worsen a patient’s health. In the field of dermatology, such situations are rare.

While we value all our island patients and understand the logistical challenges of ferry transportation, we must remain in strict compliance with the law. To put it simply, we are unwilling to committ perjury to allow more convenient travel times for patients.  Improper use or abuse of this program places our clinic and providers at serious legal and ethical risk, and may jeopardize the integrity of a program intended for truly vulnerable patients.

We kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions about travel logistics or need help with scheduling that works within standard ferry access, we are happy to assist—but we cannot circumvent state regulations for convenience. For complaints on this policy, please contact the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Anacortes Dermatology Inc

1801 Commercial Ave,

Anacortes, WA, 98221

360-399-6036 (ph)

360-588-1691 (fax)