Letter from the EVP / CEO
Built to Be Useful: Getting Better Where It Matters Most
Letter from the EVP / CEO
Bert T. Guinn, MBA, CAE EVP / CEO, Greater Louisville Medical Society
Getting better sounds simple. It rarely is.
Progress often comes not from big, sweeping change, but from doing countless small things well, consistently and over time. Paying attention. Fixing what slows you down. Being creative when the opportunities arise. Staying committed to improvement as a team, even as the environment around you grows more complex and demanding.” That same mindset has shaped our work at GLMS this past year.
It has been a genuine privilege to serve alongside GLMS President, Dr. Thomas Higgins, whose creative, balanced leadership and commitment to the profession helped guide us through a strong and productive year. I am also grateful for Dr. John Roberts, whose chairing of the GLMS Foundation continues to extend our impact beyond our membership and into the community in meaningful ways.
Across the medical society, we continued to strengthen how we connect, support and deliver value to physicians. More members are engaging with GLMS through our programs, events, activities and services designed to make practice life more manageable and meaningful. And while we have continued to grow and improve, we have remained grounded in a commitment that has become part of our identity: keeping dues flat for 24 consecutive years.
Behind the scenes, our focus has remained practical and results-driven. Faster credentialing timelines. Reduced administrative burden. Real dollars recovered. Less time spent navigating systems that were not built with patients or physicians in mind. This work may not always be highly visible, but it is felt every day in practices across our region.
In his book Better, surgeon and author Atul Gawande explores a simple but powerful idea: improvement in medicine often comes from doing the small things well. That perspective resonates deeply with our work at GLMS. Much of what we do is steady, intentional and focused on making the everyday experience of practicing medicine in our community more efficient, more manageable and more meaningful.
Our advocacy efforts continue to be a defining part of that impact. In partnership with the Kentucky Medical Association, GLMS has remained deeply engaged in advancing policies that support physicians and protect patients. This year marked a significant milestone with the passage of HB 176, a prior authorization reform bill representing five years of sustained advocacy work. The legislation creates an exemption pathway for qualified physicians and introduces new transparency requirements, helping reduce unnecessary administrative burden and prevent delays in patient care. It is one of many meaningful steps forward and a clear example of what can happen when physicians have a strong, unified voice.( As of the publication deadline, the Governor signed HB 176 into law.)
Through our GLMS Foundation, we continue to invest where it counts by supporting the next generation of physicians through medical student scholarships and advancing community-based initiatives that improve patient access and well-being in underserved populations. We also provide resources that support advocacy for physicians and patients while recognizing their service and contributions through our annual Doctors’ Ball, where we honor outstanding physicians of the year.
What is most encouraging is this. Physicians and physicians in-training are choosing to be part of it. With new members joining and membership retention remaining among the strongest in the nation, GLMS is not only steady. It is strengthening. None of this would be possible without the dedication and creativity of our GLMS staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes.
At its best, this organization is more than a membership. It is a place where physicians can connect, be supported and have a clear voice that carries.
There is more ahead.
Thank you for the work you do every day. Thank you for the trust you place in GLMS.
We are building something that matters, creative, purposeful and built to last.
And the best part is, we are building it together.
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