Society partners in physician financial assistance letter to HHS

The Wisconsin Medical Society joined with numerous state and national medical societies to send a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting “immediate financial assistance for physicians across the country who are taking heroic action to treat patients with the novel coronavirus, providing ongoing care for patients with chronic conditions and urgent needs, and incurring significant financial losses due to postponing non-essential procedures and visits.”

The letter recommends that HHS provide immediate relief to physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to ensure a sufficient workforce.

Thank you to all health care staff who continue to put their patients’ needs first.

Please contact HJ Waukau with questions.

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How the stimulus can help you

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, there are wide-ranging resources available for physicians and health care professionals. However, identifying which resources will benefit your health care practice can be difficult. The Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed), gener8tor and WisMed Assure are here to help protect your practice and your employees.

On Tuesday morning, Troy Vosseller (co-founder, gener8tor), WisMed and WisMed Assure hosted a free webinar to share information about the government resources available to independent physicians and health care practices, as it relates to the stimulus package.

At the end of the presentation, Troy answered participant questions, and one listener wrote that they “have listened to multiple webinars and this one was very concise and understandable!”

To view a recording of the webinar, it is available under the ‘Insurance’ tab on the resources page, along with other COVID-19 resources.

Please contact Anne Hauer with questions.

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Communicating social distancing to patients

Some estimates place the state’s peak late next week, while the Department of Health Services says it may be in the next 3 to 6 weeks. Regardless, the importance of social distancing remains the same since proper social distancing protocols appear to be working.

As appropriate, please remind patients to exercise proper social distancing when they are in public and, whenever possible, adhere to Governor Evers’s Safer at Home order. Individuals are recommended to follow state and federal guidelines at all times, and are particularly encouraged to:

• Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between themselves and others in public spaces
• Wear face masks to reduce the possibility of transmission in public (cloth face masks are acceptable)
• Wash hands frequently

Especially as the weather warms and cabin fever sets in, communicating the importance of social distancing to patients might not be so easy. Here are a few tips from the AMA.

• Make it personal
• Explain that it’s not about infecting one person, but potentially hundreds
• Explain that slowing the spread allows for health care staff and resources to be available when needed
• Remind them about the state Safer at Home mandate

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has print resources that clinics can post or share with patients. And just yesterday the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released updated guidelines on infection control in response to COVID-19.

The Society wholeheartedly thanks all physicians and health care providers for their tireless efforts to care for patients during this crisis.

Please contact HJ Waukau with questions.

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Financial Wellness for Physicians – New WisMed OnCall

After being talked into buying an insurance product that did not fit his financial needs and goals, third-year medical student Rufus Sweeney decided to do something about it. Funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Medial Society Foundation, he developed a financial wellness course that is being offered to students at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also recorded a series of podcasts about each course module.

The goal is to help medical students, residents and attending physicians make smart financial decisions now so they can enjoy life with far less financial stress later. The hope is that reducing financial stress can help med students and physicians focus on other things like their families, friends and patients.

In this first podcast in the series, Rufus is joined by Peter Welch, former Wisconsin Medical Society COO. They discuss why the course is important and how to identify and achieve your most important financial goals.

You can subscribe to Wisconsin Medical Society's podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Related blogs by Rufus Sweeney:
Financial Wellness Matters
Is Your Money Unemployed? Replace budgeting with goal setting and give your money a job

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