State opening COVID-19 vaccine eligibility on April 5; Physicians can lead the way

(Clockwise from top left) WisMed members Ortiz, Letzer, Charles, Trebian and Burmeister get their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Citing an increasing supply of COVID-19 vaccinations and success in vaccinating large percentages of those already eligible, the State of Wisconsin earlier this week announced that all Wisconsin citizens age 16 and older will be eligible to receive vaccinations as of Monday, April 5.

The move signals that Wisconsin is reaching a tipping point where vaccination supply will finally meet or even surpass demand. As that happens, physicians can play a meaningful role helping boost the numbers of those who eventually seek out vaccinations.

"Nationally we have seen surveys showing that a significant percentage of the population remains vaccine-hesitant - including many of our health care colleagues," Wisconsin Medical Society COVID-19 Task Force Chair David Letzer, DO, said. "We also know that people are often moved from hesitancy to willingness when encouraged by physicians who can help with their concerns.

Now is a critical time for physicians to talk to their health care colleagues, patients and neighbors about COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness, and the Society urges all physicians to play an active role in spreading the word.

WisMed COVID-19 Task Force Chair David Letzer, DO

Contact Society Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

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Your ideas needed at 2021 virtual Annual Meeting

Hearing from WisMed Members is the priority during the Wisconsin Medical Society’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Membership Briefing on Saturday April 17, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This is an opportunity to chat with fellow members in small groups, pose questions to Society leaders and share your opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the Society - all in just two hours!

More than a standard Zoom meeting, this format will be centered around conversations between Society officers and members in a way that will be engaging, inclusive and provide insights into what is most relevant and needed by members. To register, click here.*

The meeting is sponsored by WisMed Assure, the only Wisconsin-based insurance firm exclusively serving the health care community, and WisMed Financial. The Society created WisMed Financial to provide financial advice physicians can trust.

*Please note that Zoom may require you to sign up for a free Zoom account before registering for the event. You will receive a confirmation email once your event registration is complete. Please contact membership@wismed.org for assistance. 

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Doctor Day is May 5 – advocate for your profession; Vote April 6

Registration is open for a virtual 2021 Doctor Day and the agenda is set. Now we just need you to be part of this day of advocacy for physicians and patients. It’s important that legislators hear from physicians during this unprecedented year. Click here to register and view the line up for the day! 

Breakout sessions will focus on Health Equity, Public Health and a Legal Update. The keynote speaker is American Medical Association President Susan R. Bailey, MD. Additionally, this year’s Policy and Politics Panel will include members of the powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance. Attendees will also virtually meet with their legislators and/or staff.

Contact Heidi Green if you have any questions. We look forward to “seeing you” on May 5!

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, April 6!
Wisconsin’s spring election is next Tuesday. To learn more about what is on the local ballot, go to myvote.wi.gov.

The only statewide race is for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Learn more about candidates Deborah Kerr and Jill Underly.

There are many other local races depending on where you live.

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RFS and YPS nominations due April 11

Nominations are now being accepted for a variety of leadership positions within the Resident Fellow Section (RFS) and the Young Physician Section (YPS) of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Both sections are accepting applications until April 11 and the nominees’ statements of interest will be posted to the respective WisMed Communities when voting opens.

Positions within RFS* include the following one-year terms:

• RFS representative to the Society’s Board of Directors
• RFS representative to the Society’s Nominating Committee
• Chair
• Vice-chair
• Secretary-editor
• At-large governing council member (two positions)
• American Medical Association (AMA) RFS delegate (13 positions)
• District regional councilor (eight positions—one from each Society-designated state region)

Click here to complete an RFS application.

Positions within YPS* include the following:

• Chair-elect
• At-large YPS governing council member
• American Medical Association (AMA) YPS Delegate

Click here to complete a YPS application.

*Please contact membership@wismed.org for assistance logging in to WisMed Community or with any questions. 

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CMS Blue Button - kickstart your awareness before physician scoring goes mainstream

At the push of a button, many more patients and payers will be comparing the cost of the care you provide to the cost of the same care provided by other physicians. They will also be able to ask why your quality scores are different compared to other physicians.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established Blue Button, an application program interface (API), in 2010 to provide health information access to more than 53 million Medicare beneficiaries. Even though it has been slow to impact physicians, that is about to rapidly change as innovators clamor to produce tools that will compare and score physicians.

As a physician you will – at the push of a button – be able to review where you stand in cost and quality compared to your partners and competitors. You will also be able to determine where you can improve and grow your practice.

Not sure how to manage this? Register and attend CMS Blue Button: Physician Scoring - Kickstart Your Awareness on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, from 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. CST.

Hosted by OnRamp Healthcare, the webinar will introduce you to the cutting-edge innovators at Onyx Health who are speaking to physicians for physician benefit. Mark Scrimshire, Chief Interoperability Officer at Onyx Health will share Onyx Health's role in Blue Button 2.0, specifically how it enables marketplace changes, and how it will be used by innovative health care teams and patients in the coming months and years.

Attend the webinar and find out:

• What physicians need to know now.
• Innovations that will give providers tools, like apps for their patients that can collect and share their health data with them.
• How this can improve care coordination between you and your patients, and between the entire care team and the patient.

The Blue Button vision is to use information technology to empower greater collaboration between health care providers and patients. If its goal of improving health is to be realized, physicians will have to be able to use this technology to their advantage. Click here to register.

Shawna Bertalot, CIC, ACI
President, WisMed Assure

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Know your WISMedPAC board member

Bradley Burmeister, MD

Bradley Burmeister, MD, is the newest member of the WISMedPAC board, who brings a strong passion for politics to the mix. He’s an ER physician at Bellin Memorial in Green Bay.

How long have you been politically active?
I started attending advocacy days in medical school and have been to more than a dozen advocacy days in Madison, Lansing (during medical school) and DC. I became more active over the last few years as my understanding of the importance of advocacy became more clear. 

How does being politically active make you a better physician?
This is a really complex, multi-faceted question. I think there are two main themes. First is that being politically active helps me understand the real-world issues that our patients experience even outside of their medical issues and possible solutions (i.e. the social determinants of health). Second, regulations and laws/budgets have significant impacts on physician practices and our ability to deliver care to our patients. Every day there are stakeholders competing against us in Madison and DC and physicians must have that leading voice in health care.

What is your advice for physicians regarding how to get more involved in issues that affect their profession?
There are two main ways. The first is an active role where physicians can get involved with the Wisconsin Medical Society or their specialty society. Attending Doctor Day in Madison is probably the easiest. Of course ongoing involvement in your community by attending other political events can be helpful as well. The second really is a passive role, you can support the Wisconsin Medical Society financially by being a member and supporting the WISMedPAC so that you have a team of people doing this necessary work for you.

Other than politics, what else interests you at the moment?
I really got into skiing both cross country and down-hill the last two winters. I’m not the best but I love a quick drive over to Granite Peak in Wausau for a few hours. They still have snow and think they might make it another week or so this year!

What is the best part of being a physician?
Having the opportunity to change the trajectory of people’s lives is something I always appreciate. If I can help make their life better now and in the future I feel like I have accomplished something!

To learn more about our political programs, Doctor Day or the WISMedPAC board, contact Heidi Green.

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White Coat Investor event shared keys to financial success

James Dahle, MD, founder of the White Coat Investor®, recently presented to Wisconsin Medical Society members about financial topics crucial to the success of early career physicians.

Among the topics discussed were:

• The secret to physician financial independence
• Your financial education and having a financial plan
• Criteria when looking for a good financial advisor
• Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
• Insurance recommendations, both personal and professional coverage
• Investing dos and don’ts

The replay is available on WisMed Communities. After viewing the webinar, please share your feedback!

As a follow-up to this presentation, consider attending WisMed Financial's Early Career Financial Classes this spring.

A special thank you to Dr. Dahle, ProAssurance, WisMed Assure, WisMed Financial and the Wisconsin Medical Society for making this event possible.

Please contact Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF® 608.442.3750 with questions.

Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®
WisMed Financial, Inc. part of the Wisconsin Medical Society

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National Healthcare Decisions Day: April 16

April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). The purpose of NHDD is to inspire, educate and empower the public and physicians about Advance Care Planning (ACP). NHDD is a program to encourage patients to express their wishes regarding health care and for physicians to respect those wishes. After ACP, the patient is encouraged to complete an Advance Directive. Advance Directives can take many forms; many believe that a health care power of attorney is the most useful.

NHDD was founded by Nathan Kottkamp, a Virginia-based health care lawyer, to provide clear, concise and consistent information on health care decision making to both the public, physicians and facilities through the widespread availability and dissemination of simple, free and uniform tools to guide the process.

What can you do as a physician? Encourage all physicians and anyone in health care to have an Advance Directive. If you do not have an Advance Directive, complete one. If you do have an Advance Directive, make sure it still represents your wishes. Encourage your office, clinic, hospital or system to promote patients to complete an Advance Directive.

Reach out to your community through professional organizations, places of worship, libraries, health departments and community organizations to promote Advance Directives.

If you have any questions, want to request a presentation or want to sign up as a local Advance Directive leader, please contact Society Past President George M. Lange, MD.