ONCE AND FOR ALL, WE MUST END THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE BATTLES IN OUR STATE LEGISLATURE.
are here because you are the best society has to offer.” So to the physicians here today, I echo that you are the best society offers. By far and away, you are some of the most educated and dedicated people in our country. So, the best and brightest of society attend college, four years of medical school, and complete a three-year residency in primary care but might earn a lower starting salary than a community college graduate with a process technology degree. Why does this occur? It happens because of soaring overhead and ridiculous reimbursement policies. This is not economic justice. But behind every storm cloud is a silver lining. I have great hope and optimism for the future. Despite the problems we face today, there is no greater privilege than that of a healer. It is an incredible honor that patients trust us enough to treat them and to share their most personal secrets. They trust us enough to perform potentially life-threatening procedures on them. There is no greater sense of accomplishment than curing a life-threatening infection or a patient’s cancer. There is exhilaration when we fix a patient’s hip or open a clotted vessel. Heraclitus also said, “big results require big ambitions.” Our staff and our physician leaders have grand ambitions. We envision a modern medical society focused on growing its membership. We will do this by providing value-added services such as affordable health insurance and improved 401{k) plans for our members. We will foster an improved business environment for our colleagues. It is my desire for us to partner with new regional and national associations focused on improving business fundamentals to support the independent practice of medicine for those who desire to remain independent. Our executive director and staff have catalyzed the growth of the physician coalition. We will continue to grow this coalition and work collaboratively with specialty societies. There are many other initiatives underway, some too premature to announce, but suffice it to say that we will work very hard for our state’s physicians. It has been an absolute honor to address such a distinguished audience this afternoon. I want to thank the House of Delegates for selecting me as the next president of our esteemed organization. I am honored and humbled. I am fortunately the beneficiary of an excellent executive director and supporting staff. I would be remiss, however, if I failed to acknowledge my family for enduring my absences over the years. Of course, this is not unique to me and is something virtually all physician families go through. My wife has tolerated my overflowing schedule for 27 years. This sacrifice has allowed my practice to flourish, allowing me to help many patients along the way and has allowed me to participate in such things as organized medicine.
The collaborative practice agreement is broken and must be reformed. We must continue to improve the standards that govern these agreements. Admittedly, some of our colleagues who collaborate must also do better. We must call on our boards and agencies to resolve this impasse. Legislators are not qualified to determine who should be practicing medicine. I know this because they say so. I have also heard them say they would love to resolve this issue permanently so that collectively we can focus on matters crucial to our state. We must emulate other states that have been successful in resolving this issue. Once and for all, we must end the scope of practice battles in our state legislature. Most physicians didn’t go to medical school to fight political battles. Many of us feel it is undignified to be involved in the political process. However, this attitude and lack of interest and engagement have allowed many groups to chip away at privileges previously felt to be sacrosanct. We must be courageous and do everything in our power to fight the push to diminish the physician’s role as the team leader. Our opponents are outraising us and outspending us, particularly when adjusted for per capita earnings. Our members must engage in political dialogue and fundraising. We must never, ever give up the fight for patient safety. Our medical society has indeed changed, which is necessary and inevitable. In years past, we had the luxury of being an organization that could be all things to everyone. But over generations, we have seen the development of specialty societies that have sometimes fractured our unity. As with all organizations today, we struggle with limited resources. We can no longer be a social organization or one consumed by frivolous tasks and objectives. We must solely focus our attention on preserving our profession so that we may better care for patients and improve the quality of life for society. How can we provide the best care for our patients if we constantly look over our shoulders? There are many political sensibilities amongst physicians, particularly those of different generations. Some organizations spend time and resources on issues that don’t affect the day-to- day business of physicians. I prefer alignment with national and regional organizations that care less about climate change and more about economic fairness for the most educated of our society. Inflation has had a devastating impact on physician earnings over the years. We’ve seen our fees reduced dramatically when compared to inflation adjusted dollars over the last 40 years. Where are our national leaders? Why are they not yelling from the rooftops to fix this travesty?
May God bless all of you, and may God bless and protect our great profession.” ■
In the first few weeks of medical school, I had a professor who said something which has remained with me forever. He said, “You
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J LA MED SOC | VOL 174 | FALL 2022
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