Committees

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) recognizes the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) as an accreditor of intrastate continuing medical education (CME) providers. The Committee on CME Accreditation oversees IMS' accreditation program. Its purpose is to assure ready access to high-quality medical educational experiences in order to raise the standards of medical care for Iowans, enhance professional development of Iowa physicians and facilitate compliance with Iowa relicensing requirements. This purpose is achieved through periodic surveys leading to reaccreditation of currently accredited CME providers, and surveys of new provider applicants.

Committee meetings: One meeting each winter (approx. three hours)

“I give most of the credit for my love of CME to my mentor in the accreditation world, Dr. Doug Dorner. He opened my eyes to the endless possibilities CME offers for making better physicians. By the nature of our business, we’re life-long learners and we seek out information when we see opportunities to improve our care of patients. CME provides us with a vehicle that maximizes the effectiveness of those searches. Accredited CME is as close as we can get to guaranteeing we will learn from the information we’ve ingested.”

– Michael Romano, MD, MHA

The Committee on Empowerment and Opportunity works to ensure that IMS reflects and promotes shared values for empowerment and opportunity. The committee provides recommendations on education to increase awareness of opportunities and empowerment tactics; data collection and analysis to better guide organizational and statewide efforts; better integration of concepts in workforce recruitment and retention efforts; organizational and statewide policy changes to better support empowerment and opportunity efforts; and engage with community partners on these efforts.

Committee meetings: Quarterly meetings (approx. one hours)

“When I joined the IMS Board of Directors in April 2020, I had a longstanding interest in driving workforce equity for physicians. In establishing a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force in the second half of 2020, IMS sought to evaluate which issues were important to our members and our stakeholders. All efforts to evaluate how biases and systemic barriers create outcomes that are counter to our stated commitment to justice and equity are humbling. They start with introspection and self-reflection. The Task Force has become a standing committee so IMS can address issues identified in our initial work as well as be prepared to meet the changing needs of physicians and their communities.”

– Lillian Erdahl, MD

The Committee on Law & Ethics is responsible for addressing medical practice issues with significant legal or ethical implications for Iowa physicians, serving as a liaison on behalf of the Iowa Medical Society to the Iowa State Bar Association, serving as a liaison with the Iowa Board of Medicine on issues impacting medical ethics, and addressing issues referred to the Committee by the IMS Policy Forum or IMS Board of Directors. Committee members are nominated by the leaders of the state specialty societies, and the leaders of the medical student sections at Des Moines University and the University of Iowa. 

Committee meetings: One meeting each fall (approx. three hours)

“Since I joined the IMS Committee on Law and Ethics in medical school, I have enjoyed the chance to wrestle with some of the most difficult questions facing Iowa physicians and patients. The diverse representation of physician specialties from across the state makes for challenging and rich discussions I look forward to each year. In the past 12 years, our debates have included topics such as physician aid-in-dying, IPOST utilization, undocumented dialysis patients, and firearms.”

– Nick Kluesner, MD

The IMS Committee on Legislation seeks to support legislation in the interest of public health and scientific medicine, endeavoring to secure the best results for the whole people, done with the dignity becoming a great profession. This committee annually establishes recommendations for the IMS Legislative Agenda, which are vetted through the other IMS policy committees and approved by the IMS Board of Directors; the committee also provides regular guidance on new policy and IMS advocacy strategy. Committee representatives are appointed by the IMS President. 

Committee meetings: Two meetings each fall (approx. three hours) and weekly Friday conference calls during session (Noon)

“It’s refreshing to see younger members engage in the legislative process which is often painstaking and disappointing. These members provide a good foundation for the future of the Iowa Medical Society and have the benefit of advice from seasoned members. The future remains challenging but our underlying mission of serving our patients will help us persevere in our efforts.”

– Kevin J. Cunningham, MD, FACP

The Committee on Medical Services is responsible for issues relating to the provision of medical services under commercial insurance systems; medical services provided to Medicaid, Medicaid, and CHIP patients; medical services provided to veterans of the Armed Services of the United States; and the interrelations of hospital and medical services. Committee members are nominated by the leaders of the state specialty societies, and the leaders of the medical student sections at Des Moines University and the University of Iowa.

Committee meetings: One meeting each fall (approx. three hours)

“This committee offers an opportunity to listen to and share the concerns of Iowa’s physicians, and the barriers they face in their practices with state and national leadership. Our members want to provide the most effective and best quality care to our patients. The goal of the committee is to assist our membership in continued efforts to make that happen.”

– Carol Frier, DO

The IMS Committee on Physician Workforce serves to guide the medical community in efforts to improve physician training, recruitment, and retention efforts in the state. The committee is charged with identifying and studying emerging issues impacting the workforce needs of physicians and practices in Iowa. This work includes review of policy barriers and opportunities for success in workforce efforts, as well as potential supports and services IMS might provide to individual physicians and practices across the state. This committee provides recommendations for policy changes to the IMS Committee on Legislation and recommendations for additional supports and services to the IMS board of Directors.

Committee meetings: Biannual meetings (approx. two hours) 

“I enjoy being part of this group of physicians who are highly engaged and motivated in improving the physician workforce in Iowa. We discuss ways to improve physician recruitment, education, and retention. We try to come up with ways to shore up existing programs such as loan forgiveness and brainstorm novel ideas of incentives and strategies to retain the physicians that do come to our state. Hopefully, we will continue to make a positive impact on this difficult but important topic.”

– Humphrey Wong, MD

The Programming Committee serves to guide development and execution of IMS in-person and virtual educational offerings. The group provides insight into the educational needs of the IMS members and critically evaluates potential content and external speakers to ensure they benefit the physicians, residents, and medical students of Iowa.

Committee meetings: Quarterly meetings (approx. two hours) 

The County & Specialty Society Policy Council serves as the formal policy connection between IMS and the societies, chapters, and associations in the state that represent the interest of physicians and physicians-in-training. Committee members discuss policies priorities of their respective organizations and provide feedback on policy issues under consideration by IMS. Committee members are appointed by the leaders of county and state specialty societies, the medical student sections at Des Moines University and the University of Iowa, and the Iowa Medical Group Management Association.

Committee meetings: One meeting each fall (approx. three hours)

The Iowa Medical Society (IMS) Committee on Sports Medicine serves as a resource for setting medical policies with the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU).

Committee meetings: Biannual meetings (approx. two hours)

“We really appreciate the opportunity to engage the sports medicine leaders throughout the state to help promote and encourage safety, prevention, and treatment of sports medicine issues.  We work to help establish consensus policies and stay engaged with athletic trainers, physical therapists, and providers throughout the state in addition to dialoguing with legislative leaders. This gives us a chance to give back to the sports medicine field and pay it forward to the next generation of leaders.”

– Sarah Bancroft, DO and Bryan Warme, MD

The Iowa Medical Political Action Committee exists to strive for the improvement of government by encouraging physicians and others to take a more active and effective role in governmental and political affairs. IMPAC works encourage physicians to understand the nature and actions of their government, important political issues, and the records of office holders and candidates for elective office. IMPAC provides endorsements and financial support to state-level candidates and provides recommendations to AMPAC for support to federal-level Iowa candidates.

Committee meetings: Election Years - Two meetings/candidate interviews each fall (approx. three hours) and Non-Election Years - one meeting each fall (approx. two hours)

The Maternal Mortality Review Committee is a joint effort between IMS and the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure a thorough, confidential review of all deaths occurring while a woman is pregnant or within one year after delivery. Composed of experts in obstetric medicine and maternal mortality, the committee’s review is a component of the state’s overall efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

Committee meetings: One meeting annually (approx. six hours)