Physician Workforce

The number of people age 65 and older are expected to double in Wisconsin by 2030, including health care providers that will be retiring. Wisconsin faces a shortage of physicians over the next 20 years, and WHA’s 2011 Physician Workforce Report included recommendations to establish new State-funded grant initiatives to generate more physicians in Wisconsin as part of a “grow our own” strategy.

WHA developed and successfully garnered bipartisan support for the creation of new grant programs in both 2013 and 2017 that have provided $13 million in State funding for the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Initiative.

GME expands rural residencies to create more primary care doctors and psychiatrists for Wisconsin. By 2020, Wisconsin will now have 133 more primary care residents and four new psychiatrists in the pipeline.

Physician Workforce Advocacy and GME Grant Program

• WHA Praises Grant Program Addressing Wisconsin Physician Shortage (05-11-18)
• WHA Lauds Introduction of Physician Residency Bill (Federal GME Caps) (03-16-16)
• WHA Lauds Grants to Help Create New Physician Training Programs in Rural, Underserved Areas (05-28-14)

Balanced Medical Liability System

• WI Supreme Court Upholds Non-Economic Damage Cap: Key WHA physician workforce advocacy priority remains intact (06-27-18)
• WHA President Eric Borgerding Statement on Supreme Court Decision Regarding Medical Liability Caps (06-27-18)
• Supreme Court's Decision (06-27-18)
• WHA/WMS Joint amicus brief filed with the Court of Appeals in 2015 (10-15-15)
• Valued Voice: Governor Doyle signs bipartisan non-economic damage cap (03-24-06)

Physical Payment

• CMS Issues Proposed 2019 Physician Reimbursement Rule (07-17-18)
• House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing Examining Stark Law Burden (07-24-18)
• CMS Requesting Comment on Impact of Physician Self-Referral “Stark Law” (07-10-18)
• WHA Physician Leaders Council Discusses EHR Workload; Psychiatrist Reimbursement Advocacy (12-08-2017)
• Statement by the Wisconsin Hospital Association on Passage of Permanent “Doctor Fix” (04-15-15)

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

• WHA Applauds Signing of Physician Licensure Compact: Compact Creates Efficiencies for Hospitals, Physicians and Quicker Access for Patients (12-14-15)
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Expedited Process Goes Live (04-07-17)
• Webinar Powerpoint: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Expedited Process (05-23-17)
• Webinar Audio: WHA On Demand Webinar: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Expedited Process (05-23-17)
• WHA Act Summary for Act 116: Interstate Physician Licensure Compact
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact website

Physician Regulatory Burden and Reform

• WHA Physician Leaders Council Guides MD Regulatory Burden Agenda (06-15-18)
• WHA Physician Leaders Council Discusses EHR Workload; Psychiatrist Reimbursement Advocacy (12-08-17)
• UW Study: Over Half of Physician Workday Spent in EHR (9-15-17)
• WHA Regulatory Update - Status of Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) reporting under EHR Meaningful Use and MACRA/MIPS
• Governor Walker Signs WHA Team-Based Care Bill (Physician co-signatures) (12-01-17)
• WHA Act Summary for Act 119: Advance Practice Clinician Orders and Medicaid
• Emergency Detention: WHA-led bipartisan bill addresses provider liability, EMTALA concerns (10-27-17)
• Gov. Walker Signs WHA-Championed Emergency Detention Bill (03-09-18)
• WHA Act Summary for Act 140: Emergency Detention Liability, Disclosure, and EMTALA-Related Clarifications and Reforms
• School Safety Bill Signed into Law: Includes WHA amendments protecting health care providers acting in good faith (03-30-18)
• WHA Act Summary for Act 143: School Safety Plan
• WHA, member organizations testify to Controlled Substance Board on ePDMP rule (05-12-17)
• Joint WHA/WMS Letter to Controlled Substance Board (03-09-17)
• WHA Physician Leaders Council Requests Additional MEB Clarity on PDMP Compliance (03-10-17)
• WHA Letter to MEB (03-09-17)
• Wisconsin Medical Examining Board Halts Action on Telemedicine Rules after Public Testimony (1-22-16)
• WHA Testimony to MEB (01-19-16)
• MEB Approves Final Telemedicine Rule Language (11-18-16)