LEGISLATIVE TOWN
HALL KICKS OFF
2016 SEASON
THE KMA ANNUAL
MEETING IS THIS
WEEKEND
Despite a short session, 2015 was a big year for health care legislation in the KY General Assembly.
The 165th KMA Annual Meeting is just a few weeks away. Taking
place August 28-31 at the Hyatt Regency Louisville, physicians from
across the state will visit downtown Louisville for the weekend to
address health care in Kentucky.
In addition to the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate at the
federal level, the Kentucky Congress passed 11 bills related to
health care. While the most press was given to the Good Samaritan/Heroin bill, important legislation was also enacted regarding
full coverage of colorectal cancer screenings, the elimination of
outdated HIV/AIDS training and the expansion of collaborative
care agreements, just to name a few.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Foundation for the Future:
Promoting Physician Leadership,” and the weekend is full of ways
for physicians can get involved. For example, AMA President Steven Stack, MD, will address medical students and residents in a
town hall format from 5-6 p.m. on Friday, August 28.
With the successes of this year’s session fresh in our minds, the
GLMS Policy & Advocacy Team is excited to invite you to a town
hall meeting at the Old Medical School building on Thursday, Sept.
24 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The team will quickly review the progress
of last session before transitioning to plans for 2016.
KMA is also looking for physicians to participate in the “Meet a
Mentor” reception where medical students and residents will have
the opportunity to learn from an individual physician mentor. If
you’re interested in participating as a physician mentor, please
visit kma2015annualmeeting.eventbrite.com to register.
Several issues including fair contracting, maintenance of certification amendments and Smoke Free Kentucky saw more attention
this year but not enough for legislation to pass. These and several
other issues will be discussed as the P&A Team determines which
priorities to pursue in the 2016 session.
As part of the Annual Meeting, the KMA will host a Leadership Academy throughout the day on Saturday, August 29. The all-day CME
symposium is designed to provide physicians with strategies to:
If you are interested in having a voice in health care legislation in
Frankfort, please RSVP for the Sept. 24 town hall by contacting
Onvia McDaniel at 502-736-6302 or [email protected]
BOARD OF GOVERNORS CONTINUED
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Achieve accurate and meaningful public comparisons on
Physician Compare and Hospital Compare government-run
websites.
Use new community health data to improve the health of
communities in Kentucky.
Become a leader in the transition of health care delivery.
Improve public health at the local level.
The event, sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Medical
Care through a grant awarded by The Physicians Foundation, will
also feature several guest speakers including Dr. Kevin Pho, the
founder and editor of KevinMD.com, and Dr. Richard Wild, the
CMO of Atlanta Regional Office Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services.
Also on Saturday, Linda Gleis, MD, will be honored with the 2015
KMA Distinguished Service Award during the KMA Leadership Dinner. This award is presented annually to a KMA member who has
provided outstanding service to patients, organized medicine and
the community at large. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gleis.
Lelan Woodmansee, CAE, receiving his Kentucky Colonel designation
from board chair Bruce Scott, MD.
membership to GLMS, as well as several gifts including a plaque
commemorating his 35 years and a designation of Kentucky
Colonel from Governor Steve Beshear. The GLMS Foundation
also thanked Woodmansee for his service by naming a $5,000
scholarship after him. The Lelan K. Woodmansee Scholarship
will be given to one deserving medical student each year at the
annual golf outing. Speaking to the board, the Woodmansee
expressed his gratitude and love before encouraging everyone
to keep pursuing the change they seek. “When times are chang-
GLMS NEWS AUGUST 2015
To register for this year’s KMA Annual Meeting and learn more
about each event, visit www.kyma.org.
ing as much as they’re changing now, that means we have a
lot of opportunity to make a difference and craft the future for
medicine as you want it to be. If nothing’s changing, if everything’s status quo, how do you improve it? ... I’ll miss being a
part of all that. I’ll be on the sidelines cheering you all on and
celebrating your successes.”
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