State Assembly pulls back from independent nursing bill vote following physician outcry

While the good news is only short-term for now, a key Wisconsin State Assembly committee retreated from voting on legislation allowing certain advanced practice nurses to diagnose and treat patients without physician supervision or collaboration requirements. Last Friday afternoon (January 12), the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care scheduled the legislation (Senate Bill 145/Assembly Bill 154) for a vote the following Wednesday, prompting the Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) to issue a statewide advocacy alert. That alert urged physicians to contact their State Assembly representatives and ask them to oppose the bills unless amendments are made to provide better protections for patient safety and awareness. The day before the scheduled vote, the bills were removed from the scheduled action items – reportedly because SB 145/AB 154 lacked the votes to gain a majority in that 16-member committee (11 GOP members and 5 DEM members).

The physician coalition-requested amendments include:

• Requiring four years of real-world nursing experience in a team-based care setting – with at least two of those years as an advanced practice nurse – before being allowed to practice independently.
• “Truth in Advertising” protections so that nurses cannot use physician terms like “anesthesiologist,” “pediatrician,” etc. in their title.
• Requiring advanced practice nurses providing pain medicine to work in collaboration with a physician specializing in pain medicine.

Governor Tony Evers vetoed similar legislation in the 2021-22 biennium due to lack of patient protections and has also made it clear that an independent nursing bill reaching his desk this session without those minimum protections would face a veto. While support for the bill with the physician-suggested amendments is bipartisan, the main authors of SB 145/AB 154 and major nursing organizations have refused to compromise. State Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison), the ranking Democratic member of the Assembly Health committee, has authored an amendment that would accomplish the necessary patient protections.

Physicians Need to Remain Vigilant as Session End Nears

The official legislative calendar shows a final regular-business floor period of April 11, but most Capitol insiders expect the legislature to wrap up its main session by mid-March. And per usual at the end of a biennium, legislative business is flying through the Capitol, with dozens of bills introduced, heard and voted on each week. To ensure legislators keep this legislation in their awareness, SB 145/AB 154 will be one of the priority issues at next week’s Doctor Day (see story below).

Physician constituent contacts are the backbone of any advocacy strategy, and especially so on this kind of legislation where physicians have direct knowledge of the education, training and experience necessary to provide high quality medical care to patients. While any system allowing broad independent nursing practice is troubling, a move to that system requires a thoughtful and moderate approach. All physicians are urged to contact their State Assembly Representative to share information about the bill and the needed amendments. You can find the contact information for your representative on the State Legislature’s website by typing your home address into the “Who Are My Legislators?” box.

For more information, contact WisMed’s Mark Grapentine, JD. 

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Last call for Doctor Day!

Doctor Day 2024 is next Tuesday and if you’re able to join us in Madison, it’s not too late to register. The day starts at The Concourse Hotel with breakfast, briefings, speakers (Governor Tony Evers is invited), panels and break-out sessions. After lunch, the sea of white-coat-wearing physicians and medical students will head to the Capitol to meet and educate our legislators on our two main issues. After the Capitol visits, join your colleagues for happy hour at Madison's, just a block away from the Capitol square.

The timing for Doctor Day is intentional – we’re in the final weeks of the 2023-24 biennium, and now is the time to push good ideas over the finish line and prevent bad ideas from becoming law. Our priority issues accomplish both goals. So even though the weather isn’t ideal, your decision to spend time at the Capitol is well worth braving the cold!

The day is free thanks to our fantastic group of sponsors and includes everything but your parking. Please join your fellow physicians for a very important day of advocacy in Madison. Don’t forget your white coat!

If you have any questions, contact Heidi Green. 

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State Med Board keeps current board leaders for 2024

The state of Wisconsin’s Medical Examining Board (MEB) held its annual leadership elections during its monthly meeting on January 17. With special leadership elections held in November 2023 due to the State Senate’s rejection of then-MEB Chair Sheldon Wasserman, MD’s nomination for another four year term, the MEB unanimously reelected all three MEB officers selected in November. The officers for 2024 are:

Chair: Clarence Chou, MD
Vice-Chair: Sumeet Goel, DO
Secretary: Gregory Schmeling, MD

The MEB meets monthly via Zoom, with one in-person meeting per year. The 13-member body consists of 10 physicians (currently nine MDs and one DO) and three public members.

Contact Wisconsin Medical Society’s Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

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Student scholarship and fellowship applications due Feb. 1

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (Foundation) scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year and fellowship applications are open and due on February 1. Medical students are encouraged to check out these opportunities on our website and submit their application by February 1, 2024.

Scholarships
Several scholarships with specific eligibility requirements are available through the Foundation including the following:

• Victor A. Baylon, MD, Scholarship
• Robert Jason Gore Scholarship
• Amy Hunter-Wilson, MD, Scholarship
• Marathon County Medical Society Scholarship
• John D. and Virginia Riesch Scholarship
• Rukmini and Joyce Vasudevan Scholarship
• Edmund J. and Estelle D. Walker Scholarship Fund
• Presidential Scholar Award

More information on each scholarship and the application form is available here.

The Foundation’s Scholarship Committee takes great care and pride in selecting the best applicant for each scholarship offered and gives preference to students who are from Wisconsin and attending medical school here. Students currently in their first, second or third year of medical school are encouraged to apply.

Summer Fellowships
The Foundation’s Summer Fellowship program supports important physician-directed research or health education in critical public health areas, while also providing medical students with learning opportunities. Medical students, including those who are pursuing a Master of Public Health, may apply. Learn more on our website or apply here.

Please email Jaime Craig at [email protected] with any questions.

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Helping clients with strategies, not just quotes

Managing the costs of employee benefits while still providing robust resources for your employees can be a challenge. If your insurance agent just gives you a few quotes to compare, you might not be getting the best plans for your team.

Recently, Chris Noffke and his team at WisMed Assure met with a health care clinic that offers benefits for employees and has been struggling with rising premiums. Their agent had been showing them health insurance quotes, but not looking at strategies to reduce costs. WisMed Assure was able to find an option for them that saved almost $20,000 without reducing benefits for their employees. By using unique funding options, they were able to reduce overall premium costs without increasing costs for employees.

As the Wisconsin Medical Society’s insurance agency, WisMed Assure is a niche insurer specializing in insurance for health care professionals. Our team understands cybersecurity needs for health businesses, medical professional liability coverage and exactly how a disability insurance policy needs to be written for a physician. And WisMed Assure has unique contracts available only to their clients.

To illustrate the power of the niche programs WisMed Assure has built for WisMed clients and members, they recently worked with a small health care practice that received a group disability quote from another agent with a 4% reduction in renewal pricing. That may have looked good on the surface, but with the same top insurance carrier, due to WisMed Assure’s volume and relationship, they were able to offer a 5% decrease with a 3-year rate lock. The savings to this client from working with WisMed Assure were substantial.

When you work with WisMed Assure, you’re not alone in the insurance process. They’re hands on and help you with:

• Open enrollment materials
• Benefits booklets
• Claims and payment issues
• Help you use your money more wisely

Don’t deal with the average agent, talk to a professional dedicated to physicians. Please contact Chris Noffke, Vice President, Employee Benefits, WisMed Assure, at [email protected] or call 608.442.3734.

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as insurance advice related to your specific policy or situation. Please consult with a qualified insurance advisor or professional before making any policy decisions. Full disclaimer and contact information.

Originally published in the Antidote December 6, 2023.

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Apply to be a host site for the Community Health Internship Program

Northern Highland Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) works to bring health professions students (future health care professionals) to northern Wisconsin communities this summer. AHEC runs a Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) that matches college students with an interest in community health to local health departments, tribal health centers, community health centers and community/human service organizations throughout urban and rural Wisconsin for an eight-week summer internship. 

The CHIP program is working to involve more community partners to address Wisconsin’s health workforce shortages. Host site organizations designate a mentor to provide technical support, project guidance and connections to job shadowing opportunities. CHIP would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of partner host sites organizations like yours!

Past interns have engaged in host site projects such as program and policy development, monitoring, evaluation, research and education. Interns gain valuable public health knowledge, skills and experience while providing host sites with the capacity needed to strengthen and extend their practice in ways that might not otherwise be possible.

Click here for the program website to learn more. The CHIP host site proposal form for Summer 2024 participation is open now. The 2024 CHIP program is scheduled for June 3-July 26, 2024.

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