2017 Washoe County Medical Society Farewell Speech

Sowjanya Reganti, M.D.

It’s been a very productive and exciting year. We spent a great deal of time on membership, which is the key to our success.

Here are some of our key initiatives:

We met with our local hospital CEOs to engage in a dialogue about the importance and role of the medical society.  This was an important meeting because many of the bills under debate would impact all practicing physicians in Nevada.  The meeting went well and I would like to thank St. Mary’s for their support in the process.

Due to rapid changes in health care policy, we re-devoted ourselves to monitoring and better understanding these changes and sharing this information through the CME format and conducting town hall meetings. The ability to understand any changes currently being discussed and making sure that there is a thoughtful discussion and explanation of the changes is critically important to healthcare providers and the community we serve.

We must view these legislative changes through accountable care organizations (ACO), MACRA, and MIPS programs. These programs impact physicians, care providers, our local healthcare institutions, and patients. WCMS monitors those changes and provides clarity to our members and the healthcare community on the best way to handle the initiatives.

During the 2016 campaigns, our SIMPAC committee conducted interviews with the candidates to better understand their positions on healthcare and value-based medicine. We will continue to engage with these individuals offering our best thinking around the healthcare policy areas that are critical to our members and the community we serve.  It’s very hard to forecast the range of outcomes in the policy world, but it is our responsibility as WCMS members, to prepare the community and our membership for a number of outcomes.

In summary I encourage everyone to be involved with WCMS. Not everyone has the time commitment available to be on the board, but I want to encourage all my friends and colleagues to stay in engaged with the organization, stay active in the membership, and to speak up on issues that they believe in passionately. WCMS is a wonderful organization, and like any organization, it reflects the depth, breadth, intelligence and compassion of its members.

Thanks to board members and commission chairs for the dedication of their time and effort.  Additionally, I would like to thank local hospitals and the University of Nevada Medical School for their ongoing engagement with WCMS.  They’re wonderful institutions to work with, and they help make our northern Nevada medical community a great place to live and work.

I would also like to thank my husband Srikant, and my two daughters Shree and Sitara for all their support this year.

Finally I would like to thank WCMS staff. They have worked very hard this year.