Medigram, the Society’s electronic newsletter for physicians, features timely news, upcoming events, answers to frequently asked questions and all the information you need to know to make your practice run more efficiently. Topics include legislative updates, legal information, practice management information, government regulations, and much more. Published weekly, Medigram is delivered via email on Thursdays.

If you have a Medigram story idea or would like to offer feedback, please email us or call 866.442.3800.

Thank you to Doctor Day 2021 sponsors
Since the first Wisconsin Doctor Day in 2014, this day of advocacy has been a partnership among many specialty and member organizations with one purpose: to be a unified voice of medicine at the Wisconsin State Capitol. This day has grown every year and has stayed true to that intention.

Attend the Annual Meeting to help shape the future of the Society
Don’t miss the chance to help shape the future of the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society). Registration closes Friday for the Society’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Membership Briefing to be held on Saturday April 17, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Residents, Fellows and Young Physicians looking to lead - nominations due April 18
Calling resident, fellow and young physician leaders! 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.

Annual Reports posted on WisMed Community
The annual report of the President of the Wisconsin Medical Society, Erik Gundersen, MD, MA, FAAFP, and the Report of the Treasurer has been posted in the WisMed Members Community* for members’ information and review.

Retiring and low interest rates
Retirement investing used to be relatively straightforward. Retirees in the 1950s and 1960s would buy bonds, live off the interest and keep their principal intact.

Gov. Evers issues Healthcare Decisions Day proclamation
Governor Tony Evers has issued a proclamation declaring Friday, April 16 as Healthcare Decisions Day. The day is designed to encourage physicians and patients to have conversations about Advance Care Planning (ACP) as a way to help ensure treatment wishes are followed at important times of a patient’s life through Advance Directives (AD).

Recommended by Wisconsin Medical Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA

 

Preventing future pandemics and controlling SARS-CoV-2 may be much more difficult given the political rancor and social unrest in America and across the world. Peter Hotez, MD, PhD’s, new book, Preventing the Next Pandemic, is reviewed by Jerome Groopman in the recent issue of The New Yorker. The review was frightening enough to cause me to order the book.

WisMed Meet Up Virtual Trivia contest May 20 6-7 p.m.

Thank you to Doctor Day 2021 sponsors

Doctors at the capitol

Doctors at the capitol

Doctors at the capitol

Since the first Wisconsin Doctor Day in 2014, this day of advocacy has been a partnership among many specialty and member organizations with one purpose: to be a unified voice of medicine at the Wisconsin State Capitol. This day has grown every year and has stayed true to that intention.

A committee representing many of these organizations produces Doctor Day every year. This committee is very grateful to the many sponsors that step up repeatedly to make sure this day of advocacy remains free for attendees.

Thank you to our sponsors!
American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists Wisconsin Section
Axley
Badger Bay Management, LLC
Lee Government Relations, LLC
UW Health/School of Medicine & Public Health
Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians
Wisconsin Academy of Ophthalmology
Wisconsin American College of Emergency Physicians
Wisconsin Council of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Wisconsin Dermatological Society
Wisconsin Medical Society
Wisconsin Neurological Society
Wisconsin Orthopaedic Society
Wisconsin Psychiatric Association
Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine
Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.
Wisconsin Surgical Society
WisMed Assure

There’s still time to sign up for Doctor Day which is on May 5! Contact Heidi Green with any questions or to become a sponsor.

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Attend the Annual Meeting to help shape the future of the Society

2021 virtual annual meeting

Don’t miss the chance to help shape the future of the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society). Registration closes Friday for the Society’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Membership Briefing to be held 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 annual 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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Residents, Fellows and Young Physicians looking to lead - nominations due April 18

Calling resident, fellow and young physician leaders! 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.

The application deadline for both sections has been extended to April 18 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 YPSinclude 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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Annual Reports posted on WisMed Community

The annual report of the President of the Wisconsin Medical Society, Erik Gundersen, MD, MA, FAAFP, and the Report of the Treasurer has been posted in the WisMed Members Community* for members’ information and review.

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

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Retiring and low interest rates

Retiring and low interest rates - contact WisMed Financial - Member benefit

Retirement investing used to be relatively straightforward. Retirees in the 1950s and 1960s would buy bonds, live off the interest and keep their principal intact. Then a shift came with higher inflation of the 1970s and the need for increasing income. Dividend paying stocks filled this gap. Stocks also provided the added benefit of share price appreciation or capital gains. Additionally, principal could be spent down over time, and retirees could rely on four sources of portfolio income: interest, dividends, capital gains and principal.

Today, Federal Reserve policy has pushed interest rates to near all-time lows, reducing the benefit of bond interest. Do bonds still have a place in the portfolio? Yes!

  • Bonds have some of the lowest correlations with stocks. In other words, if stocks zig, bonds usually zag. According to Vanguard research, investment-grade bonds returned more than 8% during the global financial crisis while stocks declined approximately 34%. Even at the start of the 2020 pandemic when stocks fell 16%, bonds returned 1%. In fact, 71% of the time bond returns are positive in months when stocks are negative. [1]
  • Bonds provide one of the best sources when rebalancing with stocks. Buy low and sell high, right? When the next stock market correction arrives, sell what is high (presumably bonds due to their low correlation) and buy stocks low.
  • There has been a recent increase in yield (i.e., interest rates). And while a rising yield means declining bond prices, that rising yield also means higher interest payments to bond investors in the future.
  • Finally, bonds limit risk. An all-stock portfolio might be okay for a 20 something starting to save for retirement, but that is too much risk for a retiree that needs income from their portfolio next month.

Of course, retirement income planning goes well beyond interest, dividends, capital gains and principal. Deciding when to receive Social Security, choosing the right pension option, withdrawing from accounts tax efficiently, minimizing investment expenses, locating assets in the right types of accounts, planning for health and long-term care expenses and annual tax planning are all important decisions. WisMed Financial can help with your current or upcoming retirement.

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

[1] Aliaga-Diaz, PhD, Roger, “Rising rates don’t negate benefits of bonds” Vanguard, April 2021. Accessed April 2021.

WisMed Financial

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

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Gov. Evers issues Healthcare Decisions Day proclamation

Governor Tony Evers has issued a proclamation declaring Friday, April 16 as Healthcare Decisions Day. The day is designed to encourage physicians and patients to have conversations about Advance Care Planning (ACP) as a way to help ensure treatment wishes are followed at important times of a patient’s life through Advance Directives (AD). According to the proclamation, “the state of Wisconsin joins the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Medical Society, and dedicated individuals and organizations throughout our state in engaging all Wisconsinites in the advance care planning process and working to increase the number of people with advance directives.” Read more about National Healthcare Decisions Day here.

Earlier this week attorney Ben Adams of McCarty Law LLP in Appleton and Ellen Koski, executive director of the Fox Valley Advance Care Planning Partnership in Appleton, appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Larry Meiller Show to discuss the importance of end-of-life planning. You can listen to that recording here.  

Society Past President George M. Lange, MD, continues to champion ACP and ADs, and urges all physicians to complete their own Advance Directives and have conversations with patients to raise awareness of the importance of health care decision-making. Dr. Lange is also eager to help physicians and medical students who want to be ACP champions in their own communities and/or give presentations about ACP – anyone interested should email him to learn more.

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