Society launches WisMed Perks program for members

The Wisconsin Medical Society has launched WisMed Perks, a comprehensive offering of member benefits providing discounts to Society members on a wide variety of services. The first new partners to the WisMed Perks program include Avis and Budget, Office Depot, UPS, RingCentral and Constant Contact. Click here to see a full listing of discounts available.

WisMed Perks will continue to grow its list of discount programs throughout the year. Watch future issues of Medigram and the Perks page as new programs and services are announced.

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COVID frontlines – from death to hope

By Wendy Molaska, MD - Wisconsin Medical Society President-elect 

In the past year I have gone from the frontlines of caring for patients dying from COVID to the frontlines of administering vaccines against COVID. I’m sure you can guess which one has been more enjoyable. It has been refreshing to see people so excited to get vaccinated. However, our work is not nearly done. As vaccine supply now starts to exceed demand, we need to get creative to make sure as many people as possible can get vaccinated, especially those groups who have historically not had adequate access to health care.

Vaccination rates continue to be lagging in some of the groups hardest hit by COVID - in particular Black and Latinx communities. The reasons are multi-factorial. Distrust in the mainstream medical community due to years of systemic racism. Worries about the cost of vaccines, or of needing certain documentation to get vaccinated. Worries about taking time off to be able to get the vaccine or having to miss work due to vaccine side effects. Not having easy transportation to clinics or vaccine sites. Language barriers preventing adequate communication regarding the vaccines. Not having internet access to sign up online for vaccine clinics... and these are just a few of the barriers people are facing to get vaccinated. 

The conundrum is that many of these people are actually not vaccine hesitant as many people have said. A gentleman from Guatemala told me that he was excited to be able to get his vaccine because he knew ‘back home’ they did not have access to the COVID vaccine at all. However, when he did try to get vaccinated at a pharmacy, he was turned away due to not having an insurance card. A Black man told me he was tired of going into clinics for any reason because as he would sit down in the waiting room, other patients would inevitably get up and move seats to be further away from him. However, he wanted to get the vaccine because so many members of his family had been affected by COVID. 

For the past several months I have had the privilege of working with Fitchburg Family Pharmacy, a community pharmacy, which is striving to vaccinate everyone they can. They have an amazing concept and have worked with their staff, volunteers from the community and students from the UW School of Pharmacy to help take vaccines into the community. Knowing they were willing to bring vaccines to sites outside their pharmacy I was able to work with the pharmacy and other trusted community sites, and people, to set up vaccine clinics in a Black barbershop and a Hindu temple. We also had an amazing turnout for the Latinx community at the Literacy Network where we had all information in Spanish and English and bilingual volunteers available throughout the event.

How I connected with Fitchburg Family Pharmacy was a bit of serendipity. But the state’s Department of Health Services (DHS) is now helping to take the serendipity out of it. They are able to help connect community-based organizations throughout Wisconsin with a vaccine provider willing to hold on-site vaccination clinics. Community-based COVID vaccine clinics are successful because they offer convenience, improve access for hard to reach individuals and reassure people as they see others in their community and trusted social circles getting vaccinated. As we continue to help patients throughout Wisconsin, consider any affiliations you have with your local organizations and consider setting up a vaccine clinic.

Organizations can communicate their interest in having a clinic to DHS via the vaccine provider matching survey. This is also available on the COVID-19 partner resources webpage and includes the following vaccination clinic guidance materials: 

• COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
• Planning a COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Checklist

DHS will assist in matching organizations with a vaccine provider or developing a solution to allow for vaccination. 

Thank you to the physicians throughout the state who continue to encourage your patients to get vaccinated. This may help provide additional opportunities for your communities. As for me, I’ll be spending my weekend with Fitchburg Family Pharmacy at a few local high schools vaccinating those ages 12 years and up!

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Desi Physician Mom Foundation organizes to fight the COVID-19 crisis in India

The Desi Physician Mom Foundation (DPMF) is seeking donations for its Operation O2, to support oxygen, medication and beds in the fight to overcome the relentless COVID-19 crisis India is currently facing. DPMF is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization of almost 7,000 female physicians across the United States and Canada. One hundred percent of funds are allocated towards direct physician supported equipment.

Operation O2 is currently halfway to its goal of $500,000. The Wisconsin Medical Society made a donation in support of this initiative and asks others to join them in supporting this cause. To make a donation click here. For more information about DPMF click here.

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The leading conference for health care innovation

The OnRamp Healthcare Conference brings together corporations, investors, startups and members of the health care team. With the goals of lowering cost, increasing access and improving outcomes, OnRamp Healthcare is for anyone striving to change health care for the better. This unique event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Medical Society and WisMed Assure and will be held virtually on August 19, 2021.

The Conference also features curated, one-on-one pitch sessions between selected startups and leading corporations, investors and accelerators to discuss potential customer relationships, strategic partnerships and potential investment opportunities. Pitch sessions are scheduled based on mutual interest.

Who Should Attend?

STARTUPS
Apply to meet one-on-one with participating health care innovation executives and investors at the 2021 OnRamp Healthcare Conference. The deadline to apply is June 18, 2021. Participation is free for selected startups.

HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVES & INVESTORS
Registration for the OnRamp Healthcare Conference includes access to conference programming, the full list Startup Track applicants, curated one-on-one pitch meetings with startups and potential speaking opportunities.

GENERAL ATTENDEES
Join hundreds of attendees including Corporate Venture Capital, Innovation, Strategy, Medical Officers, Business Development, Corporate Development, M&A, IT and C-suite executives for the speaking sessions and networking.

Click here for more information and to register.

Originally posted here on April 9, 2021.

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Simons Named Chair of Federation of State Medical Boards

Wisconsin Medical Society member Kenneth B. Simons, MD, senior associate dean for graduate medical education and accreditation at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), was installed as Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) at the organization’s 109th annual meeting held virtually on May 1. Dr. Simons, a professor of ophthalmology and pathology, is only the second person from Wisconsin in this FSMB leadership role. He will serve a one-year term as chair.

The FSMB is a national non-profit organization representing all 71 medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians. The FSMB supports state medical boards through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices.

“This opportunity in chairing the FSMB is truly a reflection of the great work done with my colleagues during our tenure on the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board where we worked collegially with the Wisconsin Medical Society in ensuring patient safety – a critical piece of the FSMB mission,” Dr. Simons said.

Dr. Simons served on the State of Wisconsin Medical Examining Board (MEB) for more than nine years and was elected Chair of the MEB eight times by his peers. Dr. Simons was first elected as a member of the FSMB board of directors in 2017 and was a 2015 recipient of the FSMB's Award of Merit for his work on Telemedicine regulation.

Prior to joining the MCW faculty in 1989, Dr. Simons received his MD from the Boston University School of Medicine and completed a residency in Ophthalmology at UNC Chapel Hill followed by a fellowship in Ophthalmic Pathology at the JSEI-UCLA. He has served in a number of leadership roles at MCW and is a member of the MCW Society of Teaching Scholars, in addition to his prior national service with the ACGME, ACGME-I, LCME and NRMP.

Reach out to Dr. Simons on WisMed Community to congratulate him.

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How to get super quick life insurance

There’s a new life insurance option for busy Residents who know they need life insurance but just can’t find the time.

The option is called “Bestow,” and the entire process takes about 20 minutes. Just go online, fill in some information, choose the amount of life insurance, decide the coverage term, get an instant quote, answer some questions and stay tuned for a decision.

If approved, the process continues; pay the premium, and the contract gets sent to the insured … all done in very short order.

To apply for coverage before leaving Residency, just click here.

Dave Serena of WisMed Assure will be the agent and gets notified whether applications are approved or not. He’s always available to answer questions and can help determine the best amount and time frame options.

If, for some reason, an applicant doesn’t qualify for coverage with Bestow, Dave will follow up and find out if another option will work. There is often coverage available using a more traditional process. And, Dave can also help explore the best options for long-term financial protection.

Please note that this is straight up, no frills, term life insurance which will pay in the event of a death from an illness or an injury. It is NOT accidental death insurance. It has no other waivers, converters, nor riders; just plain old term life insurance with a guaranteed monthly premium for the entire length of the term.

So, to get coverage now… it’s time to Bestow!

David Serena, Insurance Advisor
The Physician’s Insurance Agent and Your Financial Partner for Life
414.238.6105
dave.serena@wismedassure.org

Originally posted here on April 9, 2021.

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