KMS Newsletters
September 2023 Newsletter
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day - September 17, 2023
Physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. More than half of physicians know a physician who has either considered, attempted or died by suicide in their career. It's estimated that one million Americans lose their physician to suicide each year. We can all help prevent physician suicide.
Kansas Medical Society's Professionals' Health Program protects the health of Kansans and promotes medical excellence by seeking early identification, rehabilitation, and treatment of physicians affected by mental/emotional disorders, physical health, substance use disorders, disruptive behaviors, and other life circumstances that affect medical competency. If you or one of your colleagues is affected by one of these challenges, please call us today.
- Professionals Health Program - Call 785-231-1306
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Call or Text 988
- Kansas Physician Leader Forum - November 3, 2023
The Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association are continuing their popular cosponsored meeting series focusing on physician leadership issues with an in-person, one day meeting at the Jimmie A Gleason, MD Educational Center, 623 SW 10th Ave, Topeka, KS on Friday, November 3.
The Physician Leader Forum is a no-cost event bringing together Kansas physician leaders to foster discussion regarding critical issues impacting health and health care in Kansas and our nation. This year’s meeting will focus on the impacts of national trends reshaping the healthcare environment; the challenges of leveraging technology to reduce burden and improve value; current efforts to evolve peer review from practitioner policing to safety and system process improvement; and updates on current advocacy priorities.
Who should attend: current or potential physician leaders in your clinic, hospital or other healthcare organizations.
Mark your calendar on Friday, November 3, 2023 from 9:00am-3:00pm to join your peers for this unique event designed to enhance the ability of physicians and their organizations to work together to improve the environment of the workplace. A complete agenda and registration will be available soon.
Summer 2023 Newsletter
Call for Nominations
The KMS Nominating Committee annually seeks and considers recommendations for nominees from the general membership, component/county societies and specialty societies. This year, the Committee will be present a slate of nominees for the following Board positions: President, President-elect, one Central District Trustee, one Eastern District Trustee, one Western District Trustee, and two AMA Delegates.
The Nominating Committee is charged with selecting nominees who possess the skills, experience, integrity and commitment necessary to enable the Board of Trustees to properly exercise its governance and oversight role in the best interests of the Society. In making its nominations, the Committee seeks to work toward a Board composition that is diverse and broadly representative of the Society membership, and which also reflects geographic location, specialty and practice type.
May 7, 2023 - Newsletter
A Note From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
Now that the 2023 Legislative Session has concluded, I want to take a moment to again thank you for allowing the Kansas Medical Society to actively advocate on your behalf. Though the healthcare landscape is divided over some of the current ideological issues of our day, there is still much that unites this sacred profession on behalf of the patients you serve. It is on these issues where we can most effectively use our collective voice and expertise as an organization.
Most of the legislative session was dominated by ideology around health-related matters, often pitting polarizing politics against more precise policy. Though this dynamic is not new when considering issues of personal belief, it has become decidedly more predominant in the health arena, making our commitment to advocating on issues of agreement within the house of medicine even more critical and difficult.
March 26, 2023 Newsletter
Legislative Update
Most of the activity this past week and a half has been at the committee level in the legislature, as House and Senate committees worked to clear their agendas of pending bills. Beginning next week the bills that made it out of committee will be debated and perhaps further amended on the floor of each chamber, and then most likely ending up in a conference committee where House and Senate differences will be worked out.
February 25, 2023 Newsletter
Legislative Update
The first major deadline of the 2023 legislative session was reached this week, with what is known as “turnaround”, the date at which most bills have to pass their chamber of origin in order to be alive for further consideration this session. However, there are exceptions to this deadline, as bills can be “blessed” which keeps them alive even though they have not passed their chamber of origin. Certain committees which are exempt from normal deadlines can also introduce bills about anytime, and the contents of a “dead” bill can always be added to an unrelated bill. So, even though there are deadlines, as a practical matter no issue is truly beyond the reach of the legislature as long as it is in session.
An example of an issue that failed to pass the Senate, but was “blessed”, keeping it alive for further consideration, is SB 112, which allows CRNAs to practice independently. Although the bill made it out of the Health Committee, the Senate deferred action on it for the time being. KMS opposed the bill and would like to thank everyone that reached out to their senator following Thursday’s call to action.