Initial 2022 Legislative Priorities

At their September 17 meeting, the IMS Board of Directors voted to approve recommendations from the Committee on Legislation for our initial 2022 Legislative Agenda. These priorities are as follows:

Read the full Initial 2022 Legislative Priorities

These priorities represent the top focus areas for the organization as we prepare for the next legislative session, however, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Each session, IMS engages on hundreds of pieces of legislation to ensure the voice of Iowa physicians is a part of the policy discussions that impact medical practice in our state.

IMS Legislative Planning

Early each fall, the IMS Committee on Legislation meets to establish recommendation to the Board of Directors for the organization’s Legislative Agenda for the coming year. Ideas for these priorities come from a host of source. A member might submit a legislative request through the Policy Forum process, staff flag trends in issues that they hear from member contacts throughout the year, and partner organizations regularly contact IMS to request that we partner to work on a legislative idea.

Regardless of its source, an idea for legislative action follows the same path. Staff review the issues and work to identify potential legislative and non-legislative solutions, including legislation that has been proposed in other states to address the problem. This information is then shared with the IMS Committee on Legislation – a diverse group of physicians from various specialties, practice settings, and areas of the state, as well as representatives from both medical schools. This group finalizes the recommended priorities to the IMS Board of Directors for approval at their September meeting.

Once approved, these initial priorities are shared with the membership, the impacted IMS standing committees that meet throughout the fall, and other key IMS partners for feedback and additional insights. This input is brought back to the Committee on Legislation when it reconvenes in late fall to determine if any refinements or additions should be made to the IMS Legislative Agenda. If adjustments or additional priorities are recommended, these are approved by the IMS Board of Directors at its December meeting.

For more information on the IMS legislative priority development process, to share your thoughts on the initial 2022 Legislative Agenda, or to get more involved in this work, please contact Dennis Tibben with the IMS center for Physician Advocacy.