After a two-year absence, the sea of white coats from across the Hoosier State flooded the Indiana Statehouse once again. On March 15, ISMA Day at the Statehouse was held for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, as physicians, residents, and medical students came together in Indianapolis to make their voices – and the voices of their patients – heard.
More than 70 ISMA members attended the advocacy day, which started at the Indiana State Library before moving to the Capitol.
At the library, ISMA Vice President of Government Affairs John Ruckelshaus and Director of Policy and Government Affairs Luke McNamee, JD, gave an introduction while attendees reviewed a packet of materials examining key issues.
Lawmakers involved in health care matters then spoke and took questions, including Sen. Tyler Johnson, DO, (R-Leo), Rep. Brad Barrett, MD (R-Richmond), Rep. Rita Fleming, MD (D-Jeffersonville), and Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis).
Dr. Barrett, who chairs the House Public Health Committee, said ISMA is an organization he feels dedicated to and encouraged the crowd to maintain relationships with legislators.
Issues discussed included Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, public health spending and the biennial budget, scope of practice, prior authorization, and physician noncompetes, among others.
Attendees then walked to the Statehouse, where ISMA members could meet with their legislators and connect with other lawmakers in leadership positions to discuss issues relevant to the practice of medicine and beyond.
ISMA President Pardeep Kumar, MD, MBA, said having legislators see physicians in the Statehouse is important.
“This tells the legislators that physicians are concerned about their future and making sure that patients are served well,” Dr. Kumar said. “We want to show our legislators that these issues are important to us. That's why we are spending time away from our practices to come here – so that we feel our voices are heard.”
David R. Diaz, MD, ISMA president-elect, said physicians need to keep lawmakers in the know about what physicians are seeing.
“It's important to be acquainted with the work going on here, and it's important to know the people doing the work,” Diaz said. “We provide the expertise that they might not have in complicated issues in health care.”
At least 15 lawmakers were scheduled to meet with ISMA members, and additional legislators dropped in during a lunch held in the Statehouse atrium, including House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers).
One of the legislators who attended the lunch was Rep. Denny Zent, R-Angola, assistant majority floor leader. Zent, a dentist, said physicians must educate their legislators.
“It's hugely important for the physicians to come here,” Zent said. “They don’t realize how much of an impact it has on the legislators. They’ll come up to me and say, ‘my doctor was in today,’ or ‘my dentist was in today,’ and quite truthfully them coming up to me resonates with me. They typically dig a little deeper into the issues, and that's what it's all about: educating.”
General surgeon David Welsh, MD, MBA, ISMA past president and current delegate to the AMA, echoed Zent’s sentiments, saying it’s essential that ISMA continue to engage in events like the one at the Statehouse.
“ISMA speaks for everybody,” said Welsh, who is also a member of the Governor’s Public Health Commission. “Gatherings like this have short-term and long-term positive effects. I met with elected officials today that I've worked with for years. I work with them on those small things so that when a big thing comes along, they’re going to listen to me. If there's an important issue, if you're engaged with your elected official, they'll take your call.”