Operation I.O.W.A. Phase II

In December 2024, IMS launched Operation I.O.W.A. (Innovative Opportunities for Workforce Action), a statewide summit convening more than 60 physician leaders, health care executives, and community stakeholders. That effort, now referred to as Operation I.O.W.A. Phase I, produced a comprehensive report of 24 recommendations to address Iowa’s critical physician workforce shortage through both legislative and non-legislative solutions. 

View the Phase I report here.

Following the release of the Phase I recommendations, IMS advocacy efforts secured historic wins by passing bipartisan legislation to invest $150 million to expand GME residency slots, doubling the rural health care loan repayment fund to $8 million, and securing passage of the most expansive prior authorization reform in recent memory. The report itself and the tangible progress in advancing these initiatives ensure physician voices are central to conversations on recruitment and retention—laying important groundwork for the next stage of this initiative.

Operation I.O.W.A. Phase II represents the continuation and tactical framework of this effort. Building on the priorities identified in Phase I and leveraging the progress already made, this report outlines specific, actionable strategies.

To download the final Phase II report, click here or read below.

For questions, please contact Seth Brown, IMS Director of Government Relations.

Media contact: Sara Opie, IMS Director of Marketing and Communications.