Mo Med • May/June 2025 • Council Minutes Summary

Kevin Weikart, MD, Lake Saint Louis, was elected Chair of Council; Joanne Loethen, MD, was elected Vice Chair of Council; M. Ellen Nichols, MD, Joplin, was elected Secretary; Elie Azrak, MD, St. Louis, was elected Treasurer.

Encouraging young physicians to join their voices in organized medicine, MSMA announced a new membership dues schedule at its July meeting in Jefferson City. Second- and third-year practice physicians will see a dues decrease and first-year practice and new license physicians are free.

In other membership news, MSMA urges physicians to talk to a non-member colleague and invite them to use the Summer Special rate to join MSMA. For a recruitment tool, use the recent Legislative Review that was mailed to all members and can be found at www.msma.org/advocacy. Or you can get paper copies by emailing advocacy@msma.org. Recruit now! The Summer Special ends August 31; some restrictions apply. MSMA also invites all members and non-members to join in for the bi-monthly “MSMA Presents” on Sunday evenings. In July, we hosted a discussion with Heidi Miller, MD, CMO, of the Department of Health and Senior Services regarding residency slots and GME funding.

Another useful gizmo is the SMS texting service available through our member management software that allows members to sign up for text alerts.

David Pohl, MD, MSMA President, reported that the advocacy team has been traveling throughout the state, meeting with legislators in their home districts, and that MMPAC will be sponsoring fundraisers throughout the summer. Watch your ePN emails for details. He encouraged everyone to join in on their local legislator’s visit.

MSMA member physician Lisa Thomas, MD, District 5 Councilor, serves in the House of Representatives and will face a primary opponent in August, as well as a general election opponent in November. George Hruza, MD, is also running for the House, and everyone is encouraged to support their campaigns.

The annual Healthcare Advocacy Workshop on October 12 will be held in conjunction with the Council Meeting in Jefferson City and cosponsored by MAOPS. Registration and details can be found in this issue of Progress Notes. MMPAC will also sponsor a fundraiser dinner that evening for Cindy O’Laughlin of northeast Missouri, the incoming presumptive President Pro Tem of the Senate. And save the date: Physician Advocacy Day at the Capitol will be held on March 4, 2025, in Jefferson City.

The Council acted on Resolutions 7, 15, 19 and 21 from the House of Delegates based on recommendations from the Legislative Committee. The Legislative Committee also discussed a policy proposal related to radon inspectors, SAFE CARE APRNs and office-based surgical procedures.

Please join us for MSMA’s 175th Annual Convention to be held April 4-6, 2025, at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Missouri, inaugurating Brian Biggers, MD, a general surgeon from Springfield. The CME Committee is working on topics for the four general sessions. Registration, hotel reservations, and the preliminary schedule can be found online.A House of Delegates Governance Committee is investigating ways to streamline the Convention to allow for more participation. MSMA’s 2026 Convention will be at the Hilton Doubletree in Chesterfield, Missouri, on April 10-12, and Kansas City will host in 2027.

MSMA thanked its CME providers for 30- plus years of high-quality continuing education for Missouri physicians throughout the state and your community. MSMA made the difficult decision to discontinue its accreditation program and will no longer accredit state providers of CME. While MSMA is withdrawing as a recognized state medical society and will no longer be an accreditor, providers and organizations will have the opportunity to continue to offer accredited CME through the ACCME.

For the 2025 cycle, MSMA is reaching out to our medical schools to identify qualifying students to receive Foundation scholarships. Those scholarships, which total $330,000 this year, will be awarded this month.

Alliance President Donna Corrado highlighted awards and honors from both the Annual Meetings of the MSMA and AMA Alliance. She and MSMAA President Elect Gill Waltman ceremonially presented a check to the Missouri State Medical Foundation for $7,675, representing funds raised by the Alliance in the past year.

Missouri Physicians Health Program has begun to expand its services to non-physician healthcare professionals. Donations to MPHP can be made via the donation box on the next dues invoice.

The Medical Student Section is working on a system for reviewing students’ resolutions before they are formally submitted and would like physicians to be involved in the process in a mentorship role.

Elie Azrak, MD, who offered an overview of the activities of the Missouri delegation to the American Medical Association, thanked Charles Van Way III, MD, for his report on the proceedings of the AMA Annual Meeting, which appears in the July/August issue of Missouri Medicine.

President David Pohl, MD, welcomed everyone. He spoke about the virtual series, “MSMA Presents,” which has been moved back to Wednesday evenings. His recent travels have included a visit to Kansas City University’s Joplin Campus, where he participated in their medical school’s White Coat ceremony. He also traveled to Springfield to celebrate Physician Family Day with members of the Greene County Medical Society at Dickerson Park Zoo.

With the 2025 legislative session coming soon, Rachel Bauer and Jacob Scott have been traveling around the state, visiting legislators in their hometowns. Everyone was encouraged to sign up for the Doctor of the Day program, as well as Physician Advocacy Day, which MSMA will once again co-host with MAOPS on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

The Committee discussed combining Resolutions 19 and 21, and recommends adoption of an amended resolution.

The Committee discussed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 that will appear on Missouri’s November ballot; no position was taken.

Member recruitment and retention efforts are ongoing. Physician-to-physician recruitment is best, and Dr. Pohl encouraged members to have a “two-minute speech” ready when an opportunity arises to engage a non-member. Active member numbers are up for the first time in ten years. Dr. Pohl urged all members to consider reactivating their component societies.

MSMA has an agreement with Resolve Physician Agency, in which members receive a discount on contract review. The Board of Healing Arts has asked that everyone update their contact information online when renewing their license. MSMA will work on providing a list of physicians for volunteer positions on the Board.

The Department of Health and Senior Services will provide MSMA with a preliminary presentation on solutions to the physician workforce issues. DHSS will also bring two legislative proposals to the governor: office-based surgery center language similar to that from the 2024 session and putting the new GME funding program in statute.

The Committee has been meeting over the past two years to discuss ways to replace the current form of governance. After Council review, a bylaws change will be introduced at the 2025 House of Delegates that calls for a threeyear pilot project that would eliminate the House of Delegates and make the MSMA Council the ultimate arbiter of policy. There was lengthy discussion of the merits of the proposal in terms of broadening representation in the policy-making process. Several questions and concerns were addressed.

Medical student Lacey Raper informed the group about the resolution review process that the Medical Student Section has developed. This process will control the number and quality of student resolutions, as well as foster mentoring relationships between students and practicing physicians.

The MSMA Alliance will once again offer the Holiday Sharing Card program to collect contributions for the Missouri State Medical Foundation to fund medical student scholarships. Gillian Waltman, Alliance President, offered details of the many levels of participation available to Alliance members. She also spoke about the AMA Alliance annual meeting format, which entails having business meetings ahead of the meeting, allowing more time for socializing and interesting activities. Betty Drees, MD, emphasized the importance of the work that the Alliance does, and encouraged all spouses to join.

David Pohl, MD, reported on his recent travels as MSMA President. He has visited the Boone County Medical Society meeting with Jacob Scott, and the Kansas City Medical Society meeting with Rachel Bauer. He plans to attend the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society meeting and gala on February 1 and the Bothwell Regional Medical Staff meeting on February 5.

The legislative session has begun, and MSMA lobbyists are actively involved in analysis of proposed legislation. MSMA is collaborating with MAOPS in our advocacy efforts, giving us strength in numbers, including the Doctor of the Day program as well as the Physician Advocacy Day scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, at the Capitol.

MSMA is working to build membership and has seen some increases. Please reach out to your colleagues and let them know of the many ways that they can be involved in MSMA – word of mouth is the best recruitment method.

The Committee approved a letter to be sent to the Rolla City Council in opposition to an ordinance that would allow criminal and civil penalties for physicians who provide otherwise legal healthcare services to women.

The Council received an update on SB 83, relating to collaborative practice agreements for the Safe Care Act APRNs. The Safe Care APRNs want to eliminate collaborative practice agreements, but physicians are opposed to setting apart different groups of nurses or specialties. MSMA will direct oue lobbyists to protect collaborative practice agreements.

Alternate paths to licensure for international medical graduates were discussed. There is currently no legislation regarding this issue, but it is anticipated that legislation will be coming and MSMA wants to have a role in shaping it.

Sarah Wilson, a nurse formerly of the Missouri Hospital Association, has been named director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Graduates, which has now been discussed and evaluated at the AMA level, is not adopted.

MSMA Legislator of the Year award will be presented at the Physician Advocacy Day on March 4 to Senator Cindy O’Laughlin, the President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate.

The VOC online CME program will start in a few weeks. Other associations who offer the VOC program have received significant non-dues revenue from it. MSMA can receive non-dues revenue as well, for any physician who signs up.

MSMA received an update on a pilot project to shorten the Annual Convention and increase member participation, which will be implemented at the conclusion of this year’s meeting. George Hruza, MD, detailed the Committee’s work on revamping the processes for resolutions and the House of Delegates, with the goal of streamlining and garnering greater participation. The Committee recommends a three-year pilot project, beginning at the conclusion of the Annual Convention in 2025 and ending in May 2028, to improve and modernize the process. Proceeding with the pilot project would require suspension of the bylaws, which would then be amended at the end of the three-year period if the new model is adopted.

The operations of the MSMA Insurance Agency and the Missouri Physicians Health Program will cease, with both being completed later this year. Beginning last October, participants in the MPHP program were being moved to the MU physicians health program. Some employees of the MPHP have since started a program on their own for participants in the St. Louis area.

The Physicians Health Foundation board still exists and will seek other opportunities to support physician wellness.

• Report of the Actions and Recommendations on Resolutions from the 2024 Annual Meeting

Gill Waltman offered the report on behalf of Donna Corrado. The Alliance has added several new physician members. During her year as President, Donna Corrado has traveled to the county Alliances who are still active, including the women’s shelter visit in St. Louis. The Alliance has raised $8,800 this year for the Missouri State Medical Foundation, mostly through the Holiday Sharing Card; Mrs. Waltman thanked all who contributed. She reported that Angela Zylka, a long-time Alliance member who was active at both the local and state levels, had passed. Several Alliance members plan to attend the meeting in Springfield in April. They are planning a fall conference for September.