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WHERE RESILIENCE, OPTIMISM, and TRANSFORMATION CONVERGE
Hyatt Regency
Sonoma Wine Country
Santa Rosa, California
Wednesday, February 25, 2025 3:00 – 7:30 p.m.
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Thrive in 2025: Join Us at the SMLMA Healthcare Conference!
Kick off the new year with fresh ideas, meaningful connections, and actionable strategies to elevate your practice. The 2025 SMLMA Healthcare Conference is designed for physicians across all specialties and practice sizes—from solo practitioners to large organizations.
Why Attend?
- Dynamic Roundtables led by top regional business leaders and wellness experts offering practical insights into practice management and physician well-being.
- Expert Consultations with business consultants and organizations specializing in practice excellence, professional solutions, and self-care—tailored to your unique needs.
- Unparalleled Networking opportunities during the Happy Hour and farm-to-table dinner.
- The evening culminates with an inspiring keynote address by Dustin Corcoran, CEO of the California Medical Association, followed by thought-provoking insights from Drs. Mickey Trockel and Linda Hawes Clever to set the stage for a thriving 2025.
Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired.
Make 2025 your best year yet!
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Dustin Corcoran, CEO
CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOC.
"State of Healthcare as
We Begin 2025"
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Linda Hawes Clever, MD RENEW
"Let's Create a Wellness Tsunami in 2025"
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Mickey Trockel, MD
STANFORD MED WellMD
"Professional Fullfilment: Mitigating Isolation"
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Tickets and sponsorships
Individual conference tickets include: Wellness and practice management roundtables, Expo, meetings with regional professional and personal business consultants, a lively happy hour, and farm-to-table dinner.
$135 for Physician Members & Staff*
$185 for Non-member Physicians & Staff
$185 for General Public Attendance
$70 for Resident Physicians
$1350: Designated Table for 10 Guests
(*Members of all California Medical Societies,
including the physician member and their staff.)
Discount room block available at the Hyatt Regency for night of event.
See website for details.
See brochure for event sponsorship and vendor opportunities.
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Presented by the Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake Medical Association
THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS: Cooperative of American Physicians • Eye Care Institute Exchange Bank • First Citizens Bank • Medical Society of Sonoma County • ProAssurance • Sudha Schlesinger/Realtor • Sutter Medical Group of the Redwoods • Thakur Law Firm. AND PRESENTING MEDIA PARTNERS: Sonoma Health magazine • Sonoma Magazine • North Bay Business Journal.
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URGENT: Contact Congress re Medicare cuts
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As Congress begins the year-end Lame Duck Session, CMA and AMA are urging physicians to contact your Members of Congress to urge them to cosponsor HR 10073. This bipartisan legislation would stop the pending 2.8% Medicare payment cut and provide a partial inflation update for a total Medicare payment increase of 4.73% in 2025.
Click here to contact your representative. It only takes 60 seconds!
Download and print CMA's patient flier “WILL YOUR DOCTOR BE THERE” for your waiting room. The flier asks Medicare seniors to urge their representatives to cosponsor HR 10073 and protect patient access to care. Download the CMA Lame Duck Session Talking Points with background information. Feel free to share this document with your representatives.
We need a high volume of physicians to contact Congress immediately! Working together, we can make a difference.
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OFFICERS ELECTED AND MAJOR POLICIES ESTABLISHED
House of Delegates 2024 wrap-up
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CMA recently convened its 153rd annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting in Sacramento. More than 800 California physicians and medical students gathered to debate and establish broad policy on current major issues that have been determined to be the most important issues affecting members, the association, and the practice of medicine.
The association also installed its new officers, including CMA President Shannon Udovic-Constant, MD, a board-certified general pediatrician practicing in San Francisco. Major issues the delegates focused on were maternal health equity, obstetric deserts, reproductive health, and rural health. See complete wrap up here.
Thank you to SMLMA delegates who attended with District X: Drs. Warren Chin, Brad Drexler, Rachel Mayorga, Indranushi Chaliha, Harjot Bhandal, Marshall Kubota, Gigi Magan Mendoza, Robert Martinez, and SMLMA Executive Director Wendy Davies.
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FIGHTING FOR ALL PHYSICIANS ON ALL FRONTS
California Medical Association's 2024 legislative wrap-up
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In May, Governor Newsom's revised budget proposal cut all of the proposed new Medi-Cal funding from the MCO Tax and swept the entirety of the tax, over $21 billion, into the state’s general fund coffers to cover normal operating expenses of the state.
This is why CMA led the charge to pass Proposition 35 this past November. Voters overwhelmingly approved Prop 35, which will secure ongoing funding for Medi-Cal and dedicate these funds to protect and expand access to care for all Californians. And importantly, it prevents the state from redirecting these revenues for non-healthcare purposes.
While the battle for Medi-Cal funding has been CMA’s top priority this year, the association engaged on multiple fronts on behalf of the physician community. Read the full report for important updates regarding key legislative battles, prior authorization, health system consolidation, scope of practice, public health and more!
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Virtual presentation for SMLMA members
by Pamela Tahim Thakur, Esq.
What you need to know to comply with the new Corporate Transparency Act
Passcode: sU^!PW6j
Are you in compliance? New federal legislation called the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect Jan. 1, 2024, and could impact your practice. The CTA requires compliance by Dec. 31, 2024, and failure to do so will result in the imposition of unnecessary penalties.
The CTA requires certain businesses, called “reporting companies," to provide a beneficial ownership information report. Because medical practices are professional medical corporations in California, medical practices generally are considered reporting companies. Full details here.
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SMLMA members may contact SMLMA Business Partner Thakur Law Firm for assistance complying with CTA requirements: Email info@thakurlawfirm.com or call 844-394-6430.
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County Health Officer
Department of Public Health - Administration
County of Mendocino, California
Annual Salary: $185,224 - $225,139 DOE/DOQ
The County of Mendocino is seeking an innovative County Health Officer (CHO) to serve as the county's chief public health strategist, developing health policy, overseeing public health efforts, and ensuring initiatives meet community needs.
View the recruitment brochure for details. Click here to apply BY DECEMBER 16, 2024.
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Did you know? SMLMA members can run FREE classified ads in News Briefs ($1 per word for non-members). To place an ad in the January issue, contact Susan Gumucio at susan@smlma.org or 707-481-8995. |
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LAST CALL: SMLMA physician leadership scholarship | |
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The Northern California Medical Association Physician Leadership Program addresses the fact that physicians are, and should be, placed in roles with organizational responsibility, but have limited formal opportunities to learn the concepts, skills, and tools of leadership. The Leadership Program runs from Feb. 22–23, 2025 (in person) and then continues with virtual sessions in March, April and May 2025.
COST: $1,600 w/participants receiving up to 22.5 hours of educational training.
Download the program here
SMLMA offers a scholarship opportunity for one physician member, providing course reimbursement upon successful completion of the program and verification of participation. Email completed scholarship questionnaire to exec@smlma.org by Dec.6, 2024.
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Welcome Class of 2027 Residents | |
Please join SMLMA in extending a warm welcome to our newest members, the RESIDENT CLASS OF 2027. These Residents are now beginning their three-year family medicine programs in Santa Rosa and Ukiah. Click the links below to see program information and individual members of each class. | |
Human Bones [Osteology] for Sale
A Sonoma County DC is offering his collection of real human bones for sale. Originally purchased from the Carolina Biological Supply in 1979. If interested, contact Denny Freeman, DC at 707-529-1332 or via email at dance@sonic.net.
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CURRENT WEBINAR OFFERINGS | |
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California Medical Association
CME Accredited Programs
Documentation and Discoverability: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 • 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
Log in to your CMA account and REGISTER HERE
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Sutter Health
The Sutter Health Virtual Grand Rounds is a Continuing Education (CE) webinar series hosted by Sutter Health Network providers for all medical professionals across Northern California. Interactive Q&A session takes place with each live event.
Sarcopenia: Age-Related Muscle Loss
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
Pills for Longevity
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
Management of Perinatal Opioid Use Disorder
Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
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Cooperative of American Physicians
Navigating Key 2025 ICD-10 Coding Updates
The discussion will include audience Q&A. Register now to receive the recording and slides once they are available.
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
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CAP'S CASE OF THE MONTH
The retained foreign object: All is not lost
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As Dr. OS, an orthopedic surgeon, was completing surgery, one of his assistants told him that the sponge count was incorrect. Dr. OS stopped the surgery, had the nurses recount the sponges, and inspected the wound. He also ordered a portable X-ray, which a radiologist interpreted as showing no radiopaque material. Dr. OS then completed the surgery. The next morning, Dr. OS ordered another X-ray, in which the radiologist noticed a “linear opacity” near the junction of the prosthesis and the prosthetic portion of femoral head. Continue reading. | | | | |
