WisMed weighs in on EPA’s Heavy Duty Vehicle Emissions Rule Proposal

The Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) Clean Air policy (EOH-008 in the policy compendium) supports limiting vehicle emissions to help reduce the amount of pollution harming public health. To that end, on June 16 WisMed registered its support for a proposed federal rule that would set new emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles.

“Implementing the strongest possible limits on greenhouse gas emissions from heavy duty vehicles will help limit climate change and improve public health,” WisMed’s memo reads. “The American Lung Association estimates that if fleets move toward zero-emission trucks by 2050, we could see $735 billion in public health benefits due to cleaner air, 66,800 fewer premature deaths, 1.75 million fewer asthma attacks, and 8.5 million fewer lost workdays.”

WisMed’s effort joins numerous other physician societies across the nation supporting the rule, as well as the Healthy Climate Wisconsin coalition, whose members include physicians and other health care professionals. You can browse through all comments the EPA received on its proposal here, and read more about the EPA’s proposal on its website.

Contact WisMed’s Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

Back to top

Doctor Day 2023 sees return to in-person Capitol visits

For the first time in three years, physicians and medical students from across the state and from more than a dozen specialties gathered in Madison on June 15 to participate in the 10th annual Doctor Day – the state’s premier physician advocacy event. Held virtually in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event gave 300 physicians the opportunity to enjoy face-to-face interactions with their colleagues during special breakout sessions, hear a keynote address from newly-minted AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, and advocate for important health care issues in their elected officials’ Capitol offices.

Physicians focused on two priority issues during their visits with their State Assembly Representative and State Senator:

• Asking for sensible alterations to a proposal allowing certain advanced practice nurses to practice independently (Senate Bill 145/Assembly Bill 154), such as four years of real-world experience working on a health care team before being authorized to practice on their own, and “Truth in Advertising” protections for physician-specific terms to ensure patients have a better opportunity to understand the credentials of who is providing their care. (Language providing such protections have been introduced as Senate Bill 143 and Assembly Bill 317.)
• Supporting legislation that would allow Wisconsin to provide Medicaid coverage for new mothers a full year post-partum. The companion bills, Senate Bill 110 and Assembly Bill 114, would help prevent coverage gaps for mothers at a medically vulnerable time.

Even if you weren’t able to attend Doctor Day, you can still reach out to your own elected officials at a time convenient for you and ask them to support these proposals. Read the issue papers that were provided to every legislative office and attendee at Doctor Day at APRN legislation and Post-Partum coverage.  

Doctor Day is a partnership among the Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed), more than a dozen Wisconsin physician specialty societies and the state’s two medical schools. While various physician organizations hold separate advocacy days, Doctor Day is a unique opportunity for physicians to convene regardless of specialty. Doctor Day 2024 will likely be held earlier in the calendar year to coincide with legislative activities, so stay tuned for the date announcement. Contact WisMed’s Heidi Green or Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

Back to top

Mike Flesher reflects on first year as WisMed CEO

Mike Flesher, CEO

Guest article by Mike Flesher, Wisconsin Medical Society CEO

As I reflect on my first year as your CEO at the Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed), I wanted to share some thoughts.

First, I want to thank you all for being so generous with your time and input in helping me learn more about the history, challenges and opportunities for WisMed and our partner organizations (WisMed Assure, WisMed Financial and our Foundation).

Through our leadership and committee meetings and events, as well as individual in-person and virtual meetings with physician leaders and key health care stakeholders across the state, I have learned a great deal. I am also reminded how fortunate I am to be part of this group and have the opportunity to work alongside such a talented team of leaders and staff.

Our shared vision for WisMed is to be the central medical home in Wisconsin for all medical students and physicians, regardless of medical specialties or practice setting, and to ultimately improve overall health in our communities. To meet these goals, it is important that our network of organizations have actionable strategies in place along with the right combination of resources, leadership and direction. With your valuable input, we have made considerable progress on that front by developing key strategic plans for each entity. WisMed’s new 2023-2027 Strategic Plan focuses on four key strategic pillars:

• Trusted Voice of Medicine
• Healthy Physicians and Medical Students
• Healthy Wisconsin
• Healthy WisMed

This is no doubt a critical time for health care in Wisconsin and your medical society is committed to improving the health of the people of Wisconsin by supporting and strengthening physicians’ ability to practice high-quality patient care in a changing environment. Together we will work to position WisMed as the trusted authority for relevant and timely medical information in Wisconsin, serve as the chief advocate of the Wisconsin physician voice at the state and federal levels and foster the physician voice to champion equitable and sound health care policies.

In order to achieve success, it is important that we keep an open mind, look to challenge the status quo and approach things differently. I am proud of the many new innovative programs, paths and partnerships WisMed is undertaking in service to our mission. The WisMed staff is optimistic about the second half of 2023 and the exciting opportunities we have to strengthen Wisconsin’s medical society. I look forward to updating you on these important initiatives.

We are committed to serving our physician members and doing our part to ensure that the challenges and obstacles impacting health care today do not detract from your ability to continue to provide the highest quality health care to your patients. Please reach out to me at mike.flesher@wismed.org or our staff with any comments, questions or concerns.

Back to top

DEA registration CME requirement begins soon

Beginning June 27, physicians and other health care professionals obtaining a new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration or renewing their current registration will be required to attest to requirements under the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act. To ensure you have the most accurate information, review the letter sent by the U.S. Department of Justice to all DEA registrants here. 

Frequently asked questions were addressed in an April 6 Medigram article titled New DEA training requirement: What physicians need to know about the 2023 MATE Act.

The Wisconsin Medical Society offers on-demand webinars approved by the MEB, visit our Education Center to view our entire catalogue of programs. Courses continue to be added.

Interested in hosting an education session for your organization? Or have lingering questions? Email education@wismed.org.

Back to top

Reconnect, renew and relax in La Crosse

Play ball! On a gorgeous evening physicians from La Crosse County Medical society welcomed staff from the Foundation, Wisconsin Medical Society and WisMed Financial, along with physician leaders from Milwaukee to a wonderful socializing event at the La Crosse Loggers Baseball game. While the Loggers made a strong comeback, they eventually fell by a final score of 13-11. Despite the result, the connections that were strengthened at the event were a home run.

Having the opportunity to connect outside of busy meetings with full agendas, away from the stress of work and competing demands, physicians were able to relax, have meaningful conversations and connect with staff to discuss important ideas that aren’t easily communicated via email or brief phone call. The Foundation specifically heard recommendations on areas for potential grant programs that could be supported through the fund that was established with the Foundation by the La Crosse County Medical Society. We discussed opportunities to create resources for physicians who are experiencing burnout and isolation in their work. We also had fun conversations about ways to create more opportunities to reconnect, renew and relax with colleagues in a supportive fashion, including really fun ideas for the next annual meeting and event.

There are great intangible benefits in coming together and we hope to be present at many more gatherings around the state. From the annual physician survey we know that many physicians report a sense of isolation and a lack of autonomy. County Medical Societies like La Crosse provide valuable resources to empower and support physicians and to connect with ideas and opportunities across systems.

We would love to come to your County Medical Society event and hear from you ways to meet our mission to improve health in Wisconsin, increasing health equity and access by supporting a strong physician workforce and supporting physician-championed community health programs. For questions or to learn more about the Foundation or our programs, please contact Executive Director, Elizabeth Ringle at elizabeth.ringle@wismed.org at anytime. You can provide direct support for the mission of your Foundation here.

Back to top

Married filing separate tax returns and Roth IRA contributions – Ask the Expert

Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial, wants Wisconsin Medical Society members to ask him your personal finance question for an upcoming article or video. Here’s one about filing tax returns and Roth IRA contributions.

Q: My spouse and I plan to file taxes next year as married filing separately to reduce my student loan payment on the PAYE plan. However, I heard married filing separately would prevent us from making Roth IRA contributions. Is this true? We don’t want to fall behind on retirement savings, so what should we do?

A: You can still make Roth IRA contributions when married filing separately, but you need to use the backdoor Roth IRA contribution strategy. Here is a bit more on this strategy.

Submit your Ask the Expert question at wismedfinancial.org/ask-the-expert.

For personalized help eliminating debt, investing smart and securing retirement, please contact Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF® 608.442.3750.

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

Back to top

Study in latest issue of WMJ explores the impact of short interpregnancy intervals

Pregnancies occurring within short interpregnancy intervals increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, and current recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggest avoiding interpregnancy intervals shorter than six months. A study in this issue of WMJ seeks to evaluate the prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes among people with short interpregnancy intervals in Milwaukee, Wis.

Read the full issue here.

Subscribe to WMJ and submit a manuscript here.

WMJ (the Wisconsin Medical Journal) is a peer-reviewed, indexed, scientific journal published quarterly and online ahead of print each month.

Back to top

Member discounts on summer travel, digital marketing and more with WisMed Perks

Through WisMed Perks, Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) members can access vendor discounts on a variety of products and services, including hotels, car rentals and digital marketing. Below are a few examples.

Car rental deals with Avis and Budget

Make the most of your summer travel plans with this limited-time offer on car rentals. Through July 31, WisMed members that spend at least $175 when booking a minimum consecutive three-day rental with Avis or Budget will save on base rates. Terms apply.

To make a reservation with Avis, click here and use your Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number A672086.

To book with Budget, click here and use your Budget Customer Discount (BCD) number B079592. 

Hotel Discounts

Planning your summer travel? Hotel Engine is a free and exclusive members-only hotel booking platform that connects WisMed members to deeply discounted hotel rates. Take advantage of an average of 26% off public rates at more than 150K+ hotels; no contracts, annual fees, or minimum spends; and superior 24/7, U.S.-based customer support. Sign up for free at members.hotelengine.com/join/wismed101.

Travel Savings Center

WisMed members have access to exclusive travel savings from car rentals, hotels, and ticketing discounts to condos, villas, cruises, guided tours and group travel packages. Find exclusive savings from brands like Avis and Budget, Wyndham, Collette and member-exclusive hotel discount aggregators. 

Check back often for new providers and promotions! Whether you simply want to get from here to there or make your dream vacation a reality, WisMed members have all the tools right at your fingertips. Learn more here.

Digital Marketing

WisMed members can access an exclusive discount to produce a digital marketing or TV broadcast campaign with WMSN Fox 47 News. Digital marketing (commercials on streaming services) is a fraction of the cost of traditional TV commercials.

Additionally, this discount includes creative design and bilingual services. There are no production fees on the commercial, the ads can be targeted to key market segments and the campaign results can be tracked.

Learn more about this great opportunity or contact Chris Lezotte at clezotte@sbgtv.com or 608.662.5019.

Back to top