Standing Committees

committe members at table during conference

The five committees defined in the WSMA bylaws that carry out various association activities.

Standing Committees

All standing committee members and chairs shall, except for the American Medical Association delegation and as otherwise provided in the WSMA bylaws, be appointed by the WSMA president with the approval of the WSMA board of trustees. Each of the standing committees shall, at the annual meeting of the association, report in writing to the House of Delegates concerning its activities during the past year.

WSMA Executive Committee

The executive committee carries out the mandates and policies of the WSMA as determined by the board of trustees and the House of Delegates. The executive committee supervises and directs the CEO and has the power to exercise all powers of the board in the management of WSMA’s affairs and business, except when the board is in session.

Officers of the executive committee include the president, president-elect, immediate past president (who serves as its chair), vice president, and secretary-treasurer.

Staff: Jennifer Hanscom

WSMA Finance Committee

The finance committee supervises the funds, investments, and expenditures of the association, together with the board. The finance committee is composed of five members, three of whom are elected by the House of Delegates to serve a three-year term, plus the secretary-treasurer from the executive committee. The finance committee annually designates one of its three elected members to serve as chair, and the chair also serves as a voting member of the board of trustees.

Staff: Amy Fredericks

WSMA Nominating Committee

The nominating committee reviews applications to serve on the board of trustees and nominates at least one candidate for each open position on the board to be elected by the House of Delegates during the WSMA Annual Meeting each fall. The nominating committee is composed of one member from each of the state's congressional districts and is chaired by the immediate past president of the WSMA (who does not represent a congressional district). The president-elect serves as an advisory member. Nominating committee members are appointed by the president and serve three-year terms.

Staff: Shannon Bozarth

WSMA Bylaws Committee

The bylaws committee reviews and makes recommendations to the House of Delegates on proposed amendments and other issues pertaining to WSMA bylaws. The bylaws committee is composed of six members, all of whom are appointed by the president with the approval of the board of trustees. Committee members serve three-year terms.

Staff: Shannon Bozarth

AMA Delegation

The WSMA’s delegation to the American Medical Association represents the interests and needs of Washington state physicians and their patients in the creation of policies and programs at the AMA. The AMA delegation comprises delegates and alternate delegates based on AMA membership. Currently, the WSMA is allocated four of each. AMA delegates and alternate delegates are elected by the House of Delegates for two-year terms.

Staff: Shannon Bozarth

Physician Leadership News

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Member Profile: Greg May, MD

Leadership

Shared_Content/News/Latest_News/2023/member-profile-greg-may-md

<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/Reports/2023/september-october/member-spotlight-greg-may-website-image-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" alt="Member Profile: Greg May, MD graphic" /></div> <h5>Sept. 19, 2023</h5> <h2>Member Profile: Greg May, MD</h2> <p> <strong>Works at:</strong> Harbor Regional Health Orthopedics in Aberdeen. </p> <p> <strong>How long in practice:</strong> 28 years. Specialty: Orthopedics and hand surgery. </p> <p> <strong>Why WSMA: </strong>I'm active in the WSMA because the politics of health care demand unity, and the WSMA supports physicians and physician leadership. I've been more active over time and have particularly enjoyed the WSMA Leadership Development Conference, which I try to attend annually. </p> <p> <strong>Top concerns:</strong> One of my top concerns in medicine, which affects all specialties, is the onerous requirements of prior authorization. It is an additional burden the insurance industry has placed on us. My academy [the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons] and the WSMA are actively working on changing this unnecessary delay tactic. </p> <p> <strong>Why my specialty: </strong>I'm drawn to my specialty because I'm a happy tinkerer. I've always been mechanically inclined and enjoyed discovering how things work. My specialty is mechanically oriented, particularly regarding the intricacies of hand anatomy. Orthopedics also treats all musculoskeletal conditions and patients of all ages. I enjoy this variety that my patients bring to the clinic. </p> <p> <strong>Proud moment in medicine:</strong> I'm proud that three of my four daughters have chosen medicine as their profession. My wife (WSMA member Anne Marie Wong, MD) is also a physician, and the fact that my children feel this is a worthy profession to pursue after living with their medical parents makes me feel like I've done something right. Unrelated to medicine, I am proud of my daughter who is in engineering and also a happy tinkerer. </p> <p> <strong>Challenges in profession:</strong> The shortage of physicians and attempts to replace them with advanced practice practitioners is a major change challenging our profession. This lack of physicians, particularly in rural areas, contributes to the already exorbitant cost of care and affects those most vulnerable due to social determinants of health. </p> <p> <strong>What people may not know:</strong> I have kept bees for the last three years. I have two hives in my backyard, and I enjoy them and their honey. Bees are wonderful and an important part of our ecosystem. </p> <p> <strong>Spare time:</strong> When I'm not at work, I spend my time enjoying craft beer, going to yoga class, downhill skiing, and spending time with my grandchildren. </p> <p> <strong>Favorite quote:</strong> "Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine." -English poet Lord Byron. </p> <p> <em>This article was featured in the September/October 2023 issue of WSMA Reports, WSMA's print magazine.</em> </p> </div>

9/19/2023 12:00:00 AM

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM

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Weekly Rounds: September 15, 2023 - On the State of Physician Well-Being

Leadership

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<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/Weekly%20Rounds/Weekly-Rounds-Article-Graphic-2022-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" alt="Weekly Rounds logo" /></div> <h5>Sept. 15, 2023</h5> <h2> On the State of Physician Well-Being </h2> <p>Jennifer Hanscom, CEO</p> <p> In anticipation of <a href="https://npsaday.org/">National Physician Suicide Awareness Day</a> this Sunday, The Physicians Foundation has announced findings from its annual survey on the state of physician well-being. Surprising to no one within health care, the findings paint a picture of low physician morale and well-being. Additionally, the survey breaks out young physicians and physicians in training for the first time, and notes that residents and medical students are also plagued by the effects of burnout and suicide. </p> <p> Key survey findings include: </p> <ul> <li>Medical students' overall well-being is lower than both residents and physicians. <ul> <li>More than six in 10 residents (61%) and seven in 10 students (71%) report experiencing feelings of burnout.</li> <li>Though just starting their careers, a shocking proportion of students (45%) know a colleague or peer who has considered suicide, compared to residents (38%) and physicians (36%).</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Current and future physicians alike report stigma and structural barriers negatively affect their overall well-being and mental health. <ul> <li>Nearly eight in 10 physicians (78%), residents (79%), and medical students (76%) agree that there is stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health care among physicians.</li> <li>Nearly five in 10 residents and medical students were either afraid or knew another colleague fearful of seeking mental health care given questions asked in medical licensure/credentialing/insurance applications.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> Find the full survey findings from the 2023 Survey of America's Current and Future Physicians on <a href="https://physiciansfoundation.org/research/amplifying-physician-resident-and-student-voices-to-drive-wellbeing-and-care-delivery-solutions/">The Physicians Foundation website</a>. </p> <p> Physician and clinician burnout and related resignations and early retirements continue to pose a major threat to a health care industry that remains in need of clinical leaders, physicians, and other front-line staff to ensure capacity. </p> <p> The issue has been in the forefront of industry news for years, with the pandemic bringing it firmly into the national spotlight: In May 2022, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/health-worker-wellbeing-advisory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country</a>, pointing to the record numbers of health workers who are quitting or reporting that they intend to quit. </p> <p> The future of medicine is dependent on change to offer the right resources and eliminate barriers that impact physicians' well-being. The solutions to improve physician well-being and prevent suicide are not a secret-physicians, residents, and medical students have identified the solutions they need. At the top of the list, physicians (80%) and residents (85%) agree that reducing administrative burdens, such as low-value work, insurance approvals, and unnecessary mandatory training, is helpful to improving well-being. </p> <p> The health worker burnout and workforce retention crisis, if not addressed, will make it harder for patients to get care when they need it, cause health costs to rise, hinder our ability to prepare for the next public health emergency, and worsen health disparities. </p> <p> To that end, the WSMA has convened a small work group with members from the Washington State Medical Group Management Association and several large group leaders to create a package of workforce policy solutions in advance of the 2024 legislative session. This workforce work group is putting the finishing touches on its draft recommendations, which will go before WSMA leadership this month. Look for a wider release of these recommendations later this year. </p> <p> In addition, the WSMA Foundation has been awarded a grant from The Physicians Foundation for a physician wellness initiative that will look at systemic solutions to physician and physician assistant burnout, including convening health systems and large groups to develop best practices and to pledge their commitment to meet those best practices. We are seeking physician and PA members to join a new committee to help lead this work, with compensation available for your time and commitment. To learn more about the expectations of service on the committee, reach out to WSMA Associate Director of Quality and Leadership Programs <a href="monica@wsma.org">Monica Salgaonkar</a>. </p> <p> For this Sunday's day of awareness around physician suicide, I hope you'll join me in doing what you can to raise the visibility of the issue. Find social media and other materials in the <a href="https://npsaday.org/toolkit/">Toolkit</a> section on the <a href="https://npsaday.org/">NPSA Day website</a>. </p> </div>

9/15/2023 12:00:00 AM

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM

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Ya Es Tiempo (It's Time)

Leadership

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<div class="col-md-12"> <div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/Reports/2023/september-october/heartbeat-meljen-website-image-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" alt="Heartbeat: Vivienne Melvin MD logo" /></div> <h5>Sept. 15, 2023</h5> <h2>Ya Es Tiempo (It's Time)</h2> <p>By Vivienne Meljen, MD</p> <p> Most of my patients have a look of surprise on their face when they first see me stepping into the exam or hospital room clad in casual scrubs, sneakers, a mask, and with my short wavy hair. Yet, so often I watch this common reaction melt away as it sets in that I'm speaking Spanish with them and I am their doctor. Just as my entrance often elicits surprise, my exit will end with some variation of them saying "Gracias, que Dios te bendiga doctora" (Thank you, God bless you, doctor). At the end of my day, these are the patients who fill my soul. Yet my heart hurts for them when I see how their struggles with the health care system affect their lives. </p> <p> When I first started my OB-GYN practice, I felt patient questions about my age, life, and background were distractions from the care I was giving. I would try to address their questions honestly but briefly to maximize my time with them. That was, until I later recognized that for most of my patients, I am the first Latina physician and surgeon they are meeting. When I reflect on this, I realize that even at the diverse academic institutions where I trained, I hadn't met someone who was "like me" until I was a resident. </p> <p> Patients are genuinely curious about how a young Latina, not unlike them, came to be in a position to care for them. They are hungry for culturally competent health care. They want someone to understand. I've never been more certain that maternal care in this country is not in a good place right now, and this is especially true for the ethnic minorities who make up much of Washington's medically underserved. </p> <p> We know that diversity in the health care workforce improves the provision of care and patient experience. We also know that the few patients who can access health care in a culturally competent way are more likely to do so and thus have better outcomes. In this context, the closing of hospital maternity units across Washington and gaps in clinics accepting pregnant patients with Medicaid are creating wounds to our most sensitive communities that can only be fixed by taking the exact opposite actions and increasing access and care. </p> <p> When compared to other gender-matched specialties, obstetric and gynecologic care is beyond disproportionally reimbursed. Health systems will say higher reimbursements are "not sustainable," but neither is providing high-risk services to the medically underserved on shoestring budgets and burning out the clinicians who are choosing to serve them. </p> <p> I recognize each day that as the daughter of Cuban immigrants, my path could have been very different. As a teenager I interpreted for my Abuela (grandmother), who died unnecessarily from a preventable cervical cancer. I received Pell grants and went to medical school with not only student loans, but also medical debt. I've been a Medicaid patient. When patients tell me their struggles, I am looking at my own reflection. It's why I sought to work for an organization where I could have the greatest impact on the Latino community. </p> <p> It will take deliberate work, but if we are going to support every woman in Washington there are no other options in my mind: </p> <ul> <li>We need to bolster community-building around health care centers, so patients feel welcome and comfortable seeking care and the physicians and practitioners who are looking to serve these communities can be validated.</li> <li>We need to support the education and pipeline programs of our youth in a meaningful way, much like the efforts of WSU's homegrown physician mission. I am an National Health Service Corps and Truman scholar-it is possible. These initiatives work.</li> <li>We need to improve reimbursement for obstetric and gynecologic care so our clinicians and organizations can sustain care models that allow for the actual time it takes to counsel patients in their native tongue or with interpreters in a meaningful way. Not be rushed to meet the system's bottom line.</li> <li>We need to maintain the caring clinicians we have and listen to the frontline voices.</li> <li>We need to support women and diverse candidates to fill true leadership positions across all facets of this industry so they can be change agents.</li> </ul> <p> Policy makers, insurers, leaders, and health care conglomerates may say they are "caring for mothers and infants," but their actions speak louder than words. Maternal services in Washington will continue to be plagued by staffing shortages and physician, midwife, and nurse burnout if we don't see radical change. Ya es tiempo. (It's time) </p> <p> <em>Vivienne Meljen, MD, is an OB-GYN at SeaMar Vancouver Women's Health Center and an assistant professor at Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University.</em> </p> <p> <em>This article was featured in the September/October 2023 issue of WSMA Reports, WSMA's print magazine.</em> </p> </div>

9/15/2023 12:00:00 AM

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