New Member Benefit – Staffing Support with PS Companies

PS Companies is a family-owned staffing company based in West Allis, Wis. PS Companies’ health care team focuses on health care staffing across nursing, allied health, and non-clinical sectors. They specialize in travel, per diem, and direct hire placements for both nursing and allied health professionals. They are committed to delivering high-quality, personalized staffing solutions that meet each client’s unique needs, whether for temporary assignments or long-term placements. 

Wisconsin Medical Society Members receive an exclusive 6% discount on all staffing services through PS Companies. Their direct hire fee is 25%, and they work directly with your practice to negotiate up to an additional 15% off direct placements, making it easier and more cost-effective to bring the right staff to your team for long-term success. Click here to learn more.

PS Companies will host an informational session on Wednesday, December 17 from noon to 1 p.m. You can join the meeting via this link: PS Companies & Wisconsin Medical Association Partnership, Q&A | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

To learn more or get started, contact Ryan Pflanz, WisMed Membership Director, at [email protected] or 608.442.3763. Click here to explore your other member benefits.

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WisMed Assure Joins Tropolis to Strengthen Service for Physicians

WisMed Assure, the insurance agency formed by the Wisconsin Medical Society, is entering an exciting new chapter that expands its capabilities while preserving everything physicians value most about their trusted insurance partner. WisMed Assure has officially joined Tropolis, a move designed to enhance long-term stability and strengthen support for physicians, practices, and health care organizations.

By joining Tropolis, WisMed Assure gains access to national carrier relationships, expanded resources, and upgraded technology that will deliver smarter, more efficient solutions for physicians and health care professionals. These additional capabilities further strengthen WisMed Assure’s continued role as the exclusive insurance agency partner of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

The WisMed Assure agents, service team, leadership, and policies remain exactly the same, and all Wisconsin Medical Society member benefit programs, including discounts, remain in place. This strategic alignment positions WisMed Assure for long-term growth and stability while preserving the personalized service physicians rely on. It allows the team to offer new coverage options, enhanced tools, and more robust support for both individual physicians and health care organizations.

Visit wismedassure.org for information on insurance solutions for you and your practice.

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FoodRight: Empowering Youth through Food

FoodRight is Milwaukee’s elevated and re-embedded home economic curriculum promoting health equity and improving food access for the community. FoodRight stemmed from a community health needs assessment (CHNA) that revealed a youth population with a consistently poor diet, high prevalence of obesity, and a lack of programming to address the issue. Officially launched in 2015, FoodRight has encouraged and empowered youth and their families to adopt healthier diets through hands-on gardening, culinary, and nutrition education.

FoodRight’s Youth Chef Academy (YCA) program teaches 1,200 students and 150 parents how to cook and enjoy healthy plant-based meals through a series of eight weekly classroom lessons every year. A 2025 grant from the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (Foundation) strengthened the impact of the YCA program by enabling 600 students to take home a meal kit during the fall semester, impacting 2,200 individuals in underserved Milwaukee communities. These meal kits are designed to feed a family of four and include virtual family cooking lessons led by a dietitian educator. These lessons extend classroom learning into the home, teaching families how to prepare, access, and enjoy a variety of healthy, affordable foods.

Children are not only offered opportunities to try new, delicious, healthy recipes through the YCA program, but they are encouraged to cook and share with their family members. FoodRight has found that “over 80% of parents participating in virtual lessons intend to cook more frequently with their children and incorporate more whole food, plant-based meals.” FoodRight teaches age-appropriate cooking techniques and knife skills that inspire youth to enjoy cooking. One student said, “Foods made with plants are actually really good. Before the class I didn’t really like plant foods especially vegetables, but now I know you can make them taste really good if you know how to cook them.” Nutrition education and teaching cooking skills from a young age prove to be impactful at encouraging healthier eating habits.

Currently, non-profits across the country are facing unprecedented challenges with the elimination of the SNAP-Ed program, which has resulted in a loss of 75% of FoodRight’s funding. In an interview with Lisa Kingery, CEO and Founder of FoodRight, she encourages reinvesting and advocating policy change regarding public health. She highlights that every dollar invested in public health saves about $14 in related health costs. To learn more, you can visit the FoodRight website and sign up for their newsletter. Volunteers are always needed, and you can contact Lisa to get involved.

FoodRight is a physician-championed organization that was recommended to apply for a Foundation grant through the Annual Physician Survey. In response to being invited to apply for a Foundation grant, Lisa expressed “FoodRight is deeply grateful for the recommendation and the opportunity to share our mission with the Foundation's network." The Foundation works to support community organizations beyond funds awarded by offering additional resources, outreach, and spotlighting the amazing work they do.

It is your generous support to the Foundation that allows us to uplift community organizations making positive changes for a healthy Wisconsin. We use the voices of physicians to guide how to allocate time and resources to build a strong physician workforce and advance community health initiatives. You can voice your opinions and recommend an organization to be invited to apply for a Foundation grant by taking our Annual Physician Survey.

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Help Your Foundation Support Students

The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (Foundation) is dedicated to the mission of a healthy Wisconsin for all. In 2025 the Foundation invested more than $634,000 that impacted more than 33,000 individuals in the state – including more than 2,700 students in programs that encourage and support students pursuing careers in health and medicine!

With your help, we can reach even more. We have one goal. A healthy Wisconsin. Together we can make a difference. Join us!

Students

Applications are open for Scholarships, Fellowships and Student Loans! Scholarship and Fellowship applications are due on February 1, 2026. Learn about all the opportunities for support from your Foundation here.

Also, watch for the sign up for Operation Education! Operation Education is your chance to have fun, win prizes, and get to know a variety of medical specialists who are happy to answer your questions about the specialties you may be considering. Operation Education will be at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, and at Medical College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Operation Education is hosted with the generous support of specialty societies and the medical alumni associations at both schools.

Physicians

We still need to know what matters most to you. Your input directly influences how the Foundation prioritizes funding of community health grants, medical research, and continuing medical education. Only organizations that physicians recommend in the annual Physician Survey are invited to apply for Foundation grants. Let your voice be heard by completing your Physician Survey today.

The Foundation is committed to supporting programs that build a medical and health workforce that reflects the communities being served, supporting current and future students who are underrepresented in medicine, and addressing the needs of underserved communities. You can support the Foundation’s youth and workforce programs and partnerships through the Brighter Future Club or by donating to the Foundation’s scholarship program.

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Member Feedback Regarding WisMed Board Action Due November 26

The Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) Board of Directors on November 8 acted on a policy proposal submitted through the always-accessible PolicyLink portal, which provides all WisMed members an easy way to submit ideas to create or alter WisMed policy. This Board action is now posted on PolicyLink for member advisory feedback through Wednesday, November 26.

The proposal, Enacting a Strategy for Fair Medicaid Reimbursement in Wisconsin, creates a new policy prioritizing Medicaid payment advocacy and suggests that the Board create a special Task Force dedicated to improving Medicaid payments for physician services. The Board approved both of those items on Nov. 8.

Did the Board make the right decision? Go to PolicyLink (you may need to sign in*), and under the “Comment on Proposal” pulldown menu, select “Vote on Board Action.”

Contact WisMed Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD with any questions.

* PolicyLink requires your WisMed username and password. Click here to retrieve your username or password, or call 866.442.3800 or email [email protected] for assistance.

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Get Involved – Apply by January 9 for a WisMed Office

Applications are being accepted for Wisconsin Medical Society (WisMed) office of President-Elect for 2026-2027, and all nomination materials are due to the WisMed Nominating Committee by Friday, January 9, 2026.

All candidates must submit:

• a curriculum vitae not to exceed three pages
• a cover letter no longer than one page
• a completed President-elect candidate questionnaire form
• a completed Disclosure of Significant Affiliations (conflict of interest) form

The Nominating Committee will meet Friday, January 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. via Zoom. The Committee will interview and evaluate the candidate(s) for the office of President-Elect and prepare a slate of nominees for presentation to WisMed membership.

Those serving on 2025-2026 Nominating Committee are:

• District 1—Chintan Desai, MD; Manish Gharia, MD, FACMS; Kartik Kesavabhotla, MD; Ahmed Malik, MD, MPHIL, FASN; Natalie Mironov, DO; Charles Rainey, MD, JD; Meaghan Reaney, DO; Katheryn Hope Wilkinson, MD
• District 2—Jade Anderson, MD; Amy Doherty, DO; Sophie Kramer, MD; Suzanne Norby, MD; Abbigayle Willgruber, MD
• District 3—Justin Boge, DO, DABA; James Rauschnot, DO, MBA
• District 4—Lopa Kabir-Islam, MD, FACP
• District 5—Joanne Pasiuk, MD
• District 6—Stephen Hathway, MD; Kenneth Pechman, MD, PhD, MMM
• District 7—Divya Korpu, MD
• District 8—Leo Bay, MD
• Specialty Sections—Leslie Abitz, MD
• Resident/Fellow—Nichole Zembol, MD
• Medical Students—Julia Hasik, Medical College of Wisconsin; Andrew Norton, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Communications to the Nominating Committee should be addressed to Mike Flesher, CEO, Wisconsin Medical Society, PO Box 1109, Madison, WI 53701. Communications also can be emailed to Stephanie Taylor.

Note: WisMed will post the completed candidate questionnaires and cover letters on its website. WisMed will post the conflict-of-interest form of any candidate selected by the Nominating Committee as a nominee on its website after nomination by the committee.

For questions or more information, email Stephanie Taylor.

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Navigating Stock Concentration Risk

Many brokerage accounts are essentially frozen today as selling positions would generate substantial capital gains tax. When those positions are individual stocks, the portfolio is exposed to a magnified level of concentration risk. A sudden downturn in the company or industry could severely impact your financial future. There are ways to mitigate the concentration risk, some without incurring taxes.

Advanced Tax-Managed Strategies

• Exchange Funds (for accredited investors): These are private partnerships that allow you to contribute your highly appreciated single stock and receive a proportionate ownership in a diversified basket of stocks from other investors. The transaction is often structured as a tax-deferred contribution. You gain immediate diversification while deferring your capital gains until you sell the diversified basket of stocks later at your discretion.
• Gifts to Charity: If philanthropic goals are important, donating highly appreciated stock to a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) or other charity can be highly effective. You receive an immediate tax deduction for the fair market value of the stock and avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation.
• Option Collars: Buying an out-the-money put option while simultaneously selling an out-the-money call option on the stock doesn’t eliminate the capital gains tax. However, it protects the value of the concentrated stock position as you will always be able to sell the shares at the put option strike price, even if the stock price falls.
• Tax Loss Harvesting: If other assets have fallen in value, recognizing the capital losses can offset the capital gains of the concentrated stock.

For personalized help with your financial plan, please contact Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF® 608.442.3750.

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial or tax advice. Please consult with a qualified financial advisor or tax professional before making any financial decisions.

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Latest Issue of WMJ Topics Include Mindfulness, Cold-related Illness, Homelessness

The most recent issue of the WMJ features research and commentary exploring wide array of topics, including the power of mindfulness in medicine; cold-related illness and deaths in Wisconsin; the impact of homelessness, housing barriers, and health care barriers on mental health outcomes; and much more.

Read the full issue here.

Subscribe to WMJ and submit a manuscript here.

WMJ (the Wisconsin Medical Journal) is a peer-reviewed, indexed, scientific journal published quarterly and online ahead of print each month.

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