Speakers’ Letter
2025 SCMA Annual Meeting
Columbia, South Carolina – Pastides Alumni Center
Friday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26, 2025

SCMA Members:

I hope you are all well.  This letter is intended to help in your preparations for the South Carolina Medical Association Annual Meeting in Columbia. I will continue offering updates on key topics leading up to the Annual Meeting but want to begin by asking you to mark your calendars for April 25 and April 26, 2025.

As you may remember from last year, there are changes at the annual meeting.  Most notably, you will notice that the meeting is only two days. You may also notice that we no longer have a House of Delegates but a Legislative Delegate Committee.

For many years, SCMA has requested resolutions that served as policy suggestions from members and County Chapters prior to the Annual Meeting. Delegates from these chapters and Specialty Societies would gather to discuss, debate, and vote on submitted resolutions. However, with the increasing demands on physicians' time, fewer members can commit to the traditional three-day policy discussion process. To address this, we have expanded opportunities for all interested members—not just delegates—and introduced a more flexible, year-round approach to policy discussions called the Legislative Delegate Committee.

Legislative Delegate Committee and Town Halls

Is the House of Delegates still active?

• No. The Legislative Delegate Committee (LDC), also appointed by County Chapters and Specialty Societies, takes the place of the House of Delegates. The LDC listens to proposed policies and makes recommendations to the SCMA Board of Trustees (BOT).
• Now all SCMA members will have access to proposed policies in advance of the Town Halls and can submit written comments or sign up to speak at the meetings.
• County Chapters submit members for both the LDC and SCMA Board of Trustees ensuring that our county members have representation.

How does the Policy Process work?

• SCMA members may submit policy ideas for consideration. The LDC will listen, vet, and create formal recommendations for policy to send to the SCMA Board of Trustees to consider.
• The SCMA Board of Trustees will consider all policy submissions from the LDC, along with legal counsel and other interested stakeholders to make a final decision.
• The Board has always played an essential role in reviewing policy and prioritizing action items to ensure effective advocacy and policy action.  Now, with a small SCMA team—including just one full-time lobbyist and one contract lobbyist—the Board of Trustees will review policy recommendations and make final decisions to ensure that SCMA's resources are directed toward issues that best can benefit the majority of members.

What is a Town Hall, and when are they held?

• A Town Hall is an open forum for SCMA members to discuss and propose policy changes for healthcare in South Carolina.
• While we will host an in-person Town Hall at the Annual Meeting, to increase engagement and flexibility, the SCMA is adding two Virtual Town Halls each year, giving members more opportunities to shape the future of healthcare policy.
• At the in-person Town Hall on April 26, 2025, we will also provide updates on SCMA’s ongoing policy efforts and recent legal changes.

Continuing Medical Education
Friday and Saturday will be filled with various CME topics, including the President's session on The Intersection of Business & Medicine. Required controlled substance training will also be available. 

MSS/RFS Poster Competition
The SCMA Resident and Fellow Section and Medical Student Section will participate in the Annual Scientific Research Poster competition. Cash awards will be given during the gala on Saturday night. Applications can be found on the SCMA annual meeting website page. More information will be sent later in the year, but please reach out if you would like to donate to the prize for the poster session or would like to serve as a judge (and earn CME!).

Inauguration and Gala
Saturday evening will see the induction of Dr. Henry F. “Fritz” Butehorn III as the 164^th President of the South Carolina Medical Association. Following the induction ceremony, attendees will be invited to a gala held in honor of Dr. Butehorn and the new SCMA Alliance President, Mrs. Jennifer Britanisky.

Registration
Please be on the lookout for the full agenda and registration information in January 2025. We expect rooms to fill up and would encourage you to register and book your rooms early!

Meeting Attire

• Annual Meeting/Town Hall: Business casual
• Inauguration and Gala: Business / Cocktail / Black Tie Optional

We look forward to an exciting year and your continued involvement in the policy making process for the SCMA.  Please continue to follow the SCMA Physician Alerts and SCMedNews, as well as our website at scmedical.org for updated information.

Yours in service,

Jeff Cashman, DO, Speaker
Stefanie M. Putnam, MD, Vice-Speaker