Welcome to the Wisconsin Medical Society Web site, where you will find a wealth of information about the Society's activities, as well as information on important health care matters.

Among those I see as most critical are access to health care, quality of care and the cost of that care. Too many of our citizens lack health insurance. We need to build on the current employer-based insurance model and cover everybody so patients get the right care at the right time. This is outlined in the universal health insurance proposal the Wisconsin Medical Society has developed. It is not, by the way, a government-run, single payer system. When patients see a physician regularly and receive treatment based on the best evidence, we will have healthier patients who consume fewer health care resources.

Whether or not Wisconsin develops a health insurance system that covers everybody, we still must attract more medical professionals through various incentives to meet patient access needs. In many rural communities and in inner city neighborhoods, we don't have enough physicians and other health care professionals now. Imagine what could happen when demand for health care increases as the population ages.

What a shameful irony it would be if the very professionals who are in great demand are forced to retire early or close their practice because they can't afford their insurance! Wisconsin has been fortunate that medical liability insurance is available and, for the most part, affordable, meaning we have enough medical specialists to care for those in need. But we have to remain vigilant in protecting our tort laws because there always seems to be a new threat coming around the corner. Wisconsin's medical liability law is a national model and shouldn't be tinkered with.

Our members must continue to impress their state legislators about the importance of maintaining a strong, fair liability environment that enables enough physicians to care for everybody in Wisconsin. One important way to do that is by pooling our resources through the Society's conduit account known as WISMedDIRECT or through WISMedPAC, the Society's political action committee. Either way, you're supporting those candidates who understand health care. If physicians don't recognize those voting in the best interest of our health care system, whom can these leaders count on? When we give together, the clout of the profession magnifies the contribution and carries much more weight.

Similarly, membership in the Wisconsin Medical Society is one of the most important and effective ways for physicians, collectively, to be part of the solution to our many health care challenges. A strong, vibrant Society will always have the ear of legislators because they respect the fact that doctors are uniquely qualified to help form health policies that work as intended. It's heartening to know the vast majority of Wisconsin physicians, more than 11,000 to date, have chosen to become members of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Our members not only help support a vibrant, effective medical profession, but support the system of the future as well through contributions to the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation. Our Foundation provides scholarships for medical students and those pursuing allied health care careers as well as other initiatives to support public health efforts. A Foundation contribution that helps a medical student or nursing student with his or her education can literally benefit thousands of patients throughout their career. That's a legacy physicians want to be part of, especially at a time when the need for health care professionals is growing dramatically.

Thank you for visiting wisconsinmedicalsociety.org, and I hope you continue to take advantage of the many valuable resources it has to offer.

—Susan L. Turney, MD, CEO/EVP