Foundation Event special appeal to support community health grants

Get your tickets now for Health & Harmony's Foundation Fundraising Dinner, to be held on Friday, April 14, 2023 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Beyond the incredibly fun, high-energy Piano Fondue dueling piano sing-along celebration, we will recognize excellence in medicine and hold a special appeal to raise funds for community health grants.

The grants supported through the special appeal will help to make it possible to fund projects across the state providing direct support for a healthier Wisconsin. Grants that support health literacy, disease prevention, reduce adverse childhood experiences and increase access to mental health services. Programs supported have been identified by physicians for their work to increase health equity and access.

The Foundation Event will be a great social time with colleagues, a lively raffle and wine pull and musical entertainment. We will recognize several notable physicians in the state, including our Superhero of Medicine, Karen Watson, MD, and incoming Wisconsin Medical Society President Don Lee, MD.

Plan your weekend for Health & Harmony, the WisMed Annual Event:

• Medical Education Conference - April 14, 9 a.m.
• Foundation Fundraising Event - April 14, 5 p.m.
• Annual Business Meeting - April 15, 9 a.m. 

Register here for part or all of the weekend.

The education conference has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and will help learners define social determinants of health inequity and identify strategies to apply Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into clinical practice encounters and medical decision-making.

We hope you can join us! Purchase an education conference ticket for just $149 and get one Foundation event ticket for free. Additionally, WisMed members get discounted CME registration! Contact education@wismed.org to get your coupon code. Register here for part or all of the Annual Event. Please help us spread the word by sharing this article or this Facebook post.

We are excited to offer sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for Health & Harmony! Exhibitors will spend the day connecting with Health & Harmony attendees from across the state. In addition to the booth, you will have the opportunity to have a table at our evening event allowing for the connection (and fun!) to continue.

Learn more here or contact Mikaela Powers. 

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Doctor Day 2023 – registration is open!

Learn how you can make a difference in the legislative process! Our tenth Doctor Day is scheduled for Thursday, June 15, 2023 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Click here to sign up and view the schedule for this day of advocacy.

The day is free of charge thanks to our generous sponsors and is packed with speakers, panels, breakout sessions and visits with your legislators and staff at the Capitol. Breakfast, lunch and a happy hour at the end of the day are included as well. We just need you. 

Doctor Day is one of the largest and most unique advocacy events for physicians in the country. The event is an equal partnership of multiple medical associations gathering together to advocate in person on behalf of medicine and is open to physicians, residents and medical students.

Register today! If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Green.

Don’t forget to vote!

Absentee and in-person voting is underway for the April 4 general election. The My Vote Wisconsin website offers information such as your voting location, how to vote early and a list of what is on your specific ballot.

Learn more about the candidates:

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly

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Meet the WisMed Assure team – Tara Julien

WisMed Assure provides employee benefits to clinics and health care groups throughout Wisconsin. Tara Julien, Account Director, is licensed in life and health insurance and works with Chris Noffke, CSFS, GBDS, VP of Employee Benefits, to ensure their clients have the best employee benefits for their employees and owners.

What products/services does your area of the WisMed Assure team provide?

Group Benefits – Health, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability

Individual Benefits – Health & Dental

Why is it important for physicians/groups to have this coverage or these services in place?

When there’s a gap in coverage, it’s important to look at short-term options or alternative options to avoid expensive health care costs if treatment or care would be needed.

Who should reach out to your team for coverage (what stage of life, what age, etc.)?

Anyone who is need of a health plan. If a group health plan is not available, or you find yourself between jobs or not yet eligible for Medicare, we can help look at individual plan options.

Tell us a little about your background and why you do what you do?

My own health-related struggles with infertility and understanding the high cost of treatment led me to the insurance field and obtaining my life and health license and wanting to help others have the proper coverage in place.

What is different about WisMed Assure?

We are the only insurance and financial services firm exclusively serving the health care community. In doing so we help support the mission of the Wisconsin Medical Society to improve the health of the people of Wisconsin by supporting and strengthening physicians’ ability to practice high-quality care.

What is your favorite client story?

I had a physician frantically call as he had lost his individual health coverage and had been unaware. It was outside of open enrollment, so he was unable to get back on that same plan. We were able to quickly work together to find a short-term plan option to cover the gap until open enrollment. At open enrollment time we worked together again to find a better plan option for the following year.

To learn more about how WisMed Assure can help you, reach out to Tara Julien at tara.julien@wismedassure.org or 608.665.9441.

WisMed Assure offers Wisconsin Medical Society members discounts and exclusive access to insurance products including medical malpractice insurance, business owners’ insurance, WPS Medicare Supplement program, dental, health, disability and life insurance. 

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“I’m a Doctor…Now What?” webinar series available on demand

The Wisconsin Medical Society recently concluded a series of six webinars with the theme of “I’m a Doctor…Now What?” This series was developed by the National Medical Health Collaborative, a non-profit organization established by the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Arizona Medical Association and the Missouri State Medical Association. The Collaborative has a mission to promote and advance the health care field by providing education, policy development and resources aimed at improving the delivery of patient care. The target audience for this series was early career physicians, residents and students and offered to all parties in all three states.

The six-part series featured the following topics:

• Managing Student Debt
• Employment Contracts
• Choosing a Specialty & Interview Tips
• Exploring Different Practice Settings
• Investing & Retirement
• Diversity & Health Equity

Each state contributed experts for the series. WisMed President Wendy Molaska, MD, FAAFP, served on the panel for Exploring Different Practice Settings and Mark Ziety, WisMed Financial, presented Managing Student Debt.

The recordings for the full series can be accessed here.

Partnering with the excellent leadership and staff at Arizona Medical Association and Missouri State Medical Association was most rewarding. WisMed was honored to collaborate in this endeavor to assist our early career and future physicians.

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WMJ seeking Deputy Editor – apply by March 31

The Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) is seeking candidates to serve as Deputy Editor. The WMJ is an indexed, peer-reviewed journal published since 1903 that is owned and operated through a collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). Click here to learn more and download the position description.

The Deputy Editor will report to the WMJ Editor in Chief and assists in guiding the WMJ to consistent high quality and fulfillment of its mission: to provide an opportunity to publish original research, case reports, review articles and essays about current medical and public health issues.

This volunteer position averages 2 to 4 hours per week and requires a three-year term, with the potential for renewal.

The successful candidate will:

• Be a faculty member at MCW or UW-Madison with MD, DO or clinically oriented PhD
• Have a record of successful previous publications in peer-reviewed journal(s)
• Possess a broad medical vantage point
• Have extensive knowledge of research methods
• Possess excellent writing and editing skills

Previous experience as an editor or associate editor is strongly preferred, as is prior editorial board experience.

Interested candidates should submit the following by March 31, 2023 to wmj@med.wisc.edu with the subject “Deputy Editor Search”:

• A current curriculum vitae
• A one-page letter summarizing why you are interested in and qualified for the role
• A current conflict of interest form (download here)

Email wmj@med.wisc.edu with any questions.

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