Governor Tony Evers signed legislation into law earlier this morning that provides civil liability protection against opportunistic COVID-19 lawsuits. Under the new law, entities such as physician offices will be immune from civil liability for harm related to someone’s exposure to SARS-CoV-2, unless the entity engaged in reckless or wanton conduct or intentional misconduct.

The bill was January 2021 Special Session Senate Bill 1, which the State Senate approved Feb. 18 on a bipartisan 27-3 vote and was unanimously approved in the State Assembly on Tuesday. It is now 2021 Wisconsin Act 4. The lawsuit protection begins for any incidents from March 1, 2020 or later, but does not affect any official claims that have already been filed.

“Protecting physicians and their clinics from unscrupulous lawyers looking for an easy payday has been one of the Society’s priorities this winter,” Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA said. “While it’s extremely difficult to determine where someone was exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, that doesn’t stop some people from trying to make a quick buck at a physician’s expense by claiming their client caught the virus at a medical facility.

“That’s not acceptable, and the Society wasn’t going to let that happen,” Dr. Chumbley said.

The Wisconsin Medical Society is a founding member of the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council (WCJC) – a tort reform watchdog entity that includes a variety of advocacy groups like the Society. The WCJC was the driving force ensuring these protections were enacted.

Contact Society Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

WI Doctor Day Announces Opening Keynote Address
Featuring AMA President, Susan R. Bailey MD

Dr. Susan R. Bailey, a distinguished allergist/immunologist from Fort Worth, Texas, is the 175th president of the American Medical Association. Doctor Bailey's presentation, What Will Healthcare Look Like Post COVID-19?, will touch on delivery of care, rebounding from physician stress, and the impact of the pandemic on the physician workforce. 

Register for Doctor Day Here! 

Wisconsin Medical Society members can get free Stop the Spread buttons. In an effort to encourage conversations with patients about healthy COVID-19 behaviors and vaccine hesitancy, the Wisconsin Medical Society’s COVID-19 Task Force developed a button that can be worn by physicians and other members of the health care team to help spark those conversations. Through a partnership with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, buttons were produced and are currently being distributed around the state.

Buttons are free to Society members, but there is a limited quantity, so requests will be filled in the order they are received. Click here to order for you and your team today!

Wisconsin Medical Society President, Erik Gundersen, MD, MA, is featured in a COVID-19 PSA. In addition to reminding patients of the basic safety precautions of masking, physical distancing and handwashing, Dr. Gundersen encourages everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are able.

To help encourage timely vaccinations, please feel free to share the PSA which can be found on the Wisconsin Medical Society’s social media channels.

While Doctor Day 2021 has shifted to a virtual format, the May 5^th event promises to offer equally important hot topics and content.

This year’s policy and politics panel will include members of the powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance.  Committee co-chairs Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) will be joined by their Democrat colleagues Representative Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) and Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point).  

You will hear a first-hand account of important budget topics, and during the middle of budget negotiations. This includes policy related to the Department of Health Services and funding for the Medicaid Program. This is a great opportunity to hear differing views on policy and spending priorities for the 2021-23 Biennial Budget and current legislative session.

Other components of the day will again include policy breakouts, priority issue briefings, a keynote presentation and of course, legislative visits.

Whether you’ve attended many advocacy days in prior years or none at all, be sure to sign up for Doctor Day 2021 and make your voices heard! The unique multi-specialty nature of Wisconsin's Doctor Day offers all physicians across the state from all specialties to come together and advocate for issues affecting their patients, their practices and their specialty.  Learn more and sign up at www.WIDoctorDay.org.

On Tuesday, February 9th at 5:30pm PST/6:30pm MST/7:30pm CST/8:30pm EST, Dr. Suraj Muley, will present “The Role of Complement in Adult Patients with Anti-Acetylcholine Receptor (AChR) Antibody Positive Generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG).”

Click Here for the Event Flyer

Suraj Muley, MD Director, Neuromuscular Program, Barrow Neurological Institute Professor of Neurology, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix

If you are interested and available to attend, please register with the link below:

Registration link:

https://alexion.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_30voipOyTp-ZoJZ-OmX5cw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Feel free to share this opportunity with colleagues as appropriate. Call-in spots are limited, so please respond quickly.

This news story was provided by Alexion

WNS Announces: Neurological Complications from COVID-19 | Virtual Program

Save the Date
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
6:00pm-8:00pm

Join the Wisconsin Neurological Society for a program covering the practical complications neurologists are seeing from COVID-19. The first hour will cover acute complications and the second hour will cover long-term consequences. The program will be held virtually so no need to plan for travel!

The program is Free for Residents, $25 for WNS Members and $50 for non-members. Not a member? Join today to receive a discount!

Registration will open in January! 

Put the major financial pieces in place for your future by joining one or all of the lunch and learn classes hosted by WisMed Financial. The Retirement Readiness series is focused on decisions for those near or in retirement. Financial Planning 101 provides a good knowledge base for anyone. All of the sessions start at noon. To register please visit wismedfinancial.org/lunch-learn.

Retirement Readiness
12/3 Wills, estate documents and charitable giving
12/10 Replacing the paycheck with investments and smart tax planning
12/17 Health insurance, Medicare and long-term care

Financial Planning 101
12/1 Saving for retirement and kids’ college
12/8 Building an investment portfolio
12/15 Smart tax strategies, life and disability insurance

To learn more or for questions, please contact Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF® of WisMed Financial, Inc.

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

The current rise in COVID-19 cases has shown that a significant portion of the general public remains unsure about activities that put them more at risk for catching the underlying virus despite widespread information about COVID-19. To help inform your patients, the Wisconsin Medical Society’s (Society) COVID-19 Task Force has created this downloadable display that you can use when talking with your patients, have on display in your examining rooms, lobby or other areas where patients may see it or give to your patients at discharge.

The Society’s COVID-19 Task Force meets every other week to discuss the latest issues related to the pandemic and strategize on ways to support physicians and better educate the public. Contact Society Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD with any questions or suggestions.

Building off of Governor Tony Evers’s November 18 announcement that he will declare another public health emergency and extend the face coverings order through mid-January 2021, the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) called on the state to help protect physicians and other health care staff in the face of a growing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every day, more Wisconsin physicians... are personally affected by the pandemic, and that means hospital capacities are even more strained,” Society President Erik Gundersen, MD, said in a press statement provided to the state’s media outlets. “Everyone in Wisconsin needs to rally around what can attack this pandemic.

“If we all do this, we can save lives,” Gundersen said.

As various gubernatorial orders have been challenged in the state’s courts as an overreach of executive branch power, Wisconsin’s COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise – dragging hospitalizations and ICU bed usage numbers along with them. Combined with more health care staff succumbing to the virus itself or quarantining due to exposure, dramatic action is needed to help stave off even worse overall outcomes.

“The Society is continuing to call for all private and public entities to help fight the pandemic and protect our heroic health care workforce,” Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA, said. “Physicians can lead the way in urging our communities to put politics aside and do the things that we know make a difference: wash hands, wear masks and stay home.

“The Society will continue to use all of its means to help physicians during the pandemic,” Dr. Chumbley said. “And that includes urging the public to step up for their physicians and the communities they serve.”

As the holiday season approaches – and as COVID-19 cases continue to rise at alarming rates – the Society’s COVID-19 Task Force created this downloadable display that can be used when talking with patients, as a display in examining rooms, lobbies or other areas where patients may see it or give to patients at discharge. Additionally, Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) produced an informational piece about how to celebrate the holidays safely.

Physicians can access the Society’s COVID-19 Resources page for additional tools that can help them educate the public about smart COVID-19 behaviors and other information.

Contact Society Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.