ISMA’s 13 districts held their 2021 annual meetings virtually throughout May and June, with the final two meetings taking place this week. Congratulations to the 13 district presidents and trustees and alternate trustees who were elected or re-elected. The meetings included a legislative update and question-and-answer session with state lawmakers, as well as an overview of recent initiatives by Executive Vice President Julie Reed, JD, ISMA physician leaders and members of the AMA delegation.

Legislators who attended the meetings talked about health care bills they worked on during the 2021 legislative session. The bills discussed dealt with topics such as scope of practice, dispensing of oral contraceptives by pharmacists, flavoring of e-cigarettes, local health departments’ authority, increasing the cigarette tax and an increase in funding for mental health and public health services. In response to questions from district members, they discussed those and other issues, including truth in advertising for health care professionals, what it will take to increase the cigarette tax in Indiana to deter and prevent smoking, health care disparities and funding for minority health initiatives, this session’s extension of Medicaid postpartum coverage from six months to one year, and smoking cessation and intervention programs.

Julie Reed encouraged members to support ISMA’s advocacy by donating to IMPAC. She also provided an overview on the ISMA vision, mission and strategic plan to drive the future of health care in Indiana and noted the importance of physician involvement in the legislative process. She discussed innovative member benefits such as telehealth and electronic prescribing services available through DrFirst and continuing medical education on opioid prescribing and abuse that is free to ISMA members through the ISMA Online App. She reminded District 3 members that 2021 is a CSR renewal year and that opioid CME available on the ISMA app counts toward the CME mandate to renew a CSR. Reed also described ISMA’s work to build a future membership and leadership pipeline through engagement with new physicians; for instance, ISMA created the Residency Program Liaisons program in February, and has recruited 32 members around the state. Reed recommended reading ISMA Legislative News and the weekly stoplight-style visual summaries of what’s happening at the Statehouse during session. ISMA created a flyer describing many key legislative successes during the 2021 session, including immunity protections for health care providers, expansion of telemedicine and facilitating physician wellness program protections.

ISMA President Roberto Darroca, MD; ISMA President Elect J. Elizabeth Struble, MD; and ISMA Immediate Past President Lisa Hatcher, MD; also updated attendees on ISMA staff’s all-hands-on-deck response to the COVID-19 pandemic by making discounted PPE, telehealth and other vital services available to members and reported on the formation of the Indiana Physician Coalition to address inappropriate scope of practice expansion, initiatives to increase member engagement and build a future leadership pipeline, and the formation of the ISMA Committee on Minority Affairs. AMA delegates and alternate delegates also spoke about AMA initiatives and resolutions. 

Congratulations to the following physicians who were elected or re-elected to district offices!

Darla Grossman, MD, District 1 president; Michael Gamble, MD, District 2 president; Giavonne Rondo, MD, District 3 president; Vipul Brahmbhatt, MD, District 3 trustee; Suzanne Martini, MD, District 4 president; Daniel Walters, MD, District 4 alternate trustee; Victoria Potoczak, MD, District 5 president; Anita Toussi, MD, District 5 alternate trustee; Thomas Huth, MD, District 6 president; Jacques Daoud, MD, District 6 trustee; Mercy Hylton, MD, District 7 president; Robert Flint, MD, District 7 trustee; Luke Philippsen, MD, District 8 president; Daniel Wegg, MD, District 8 alternate trustee; Seung Sim, MD, District 9 president; Angela Wagner, DO, District 9 trustee; Christopher Osan, MD, District 10 president; William Mohr, MD, District 11 president; John Yarling, MD, District 11 alternate trustee; Sara Brown, MD, District 12 president; Ryan Singerman, DO, District 12 trustee; Annamarie Lim, MD, District 13 president.