RICHARD PADDOCK, MD – PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH On Saturday, August 5, 2023, the Louisiana State Medical Society installed Dr. Richard Paddock as the 143rd president of the organization.
I am truly honored to stand before you as your 143rd president of the Louisiana State Medical Society. In our audience as you have seen are many of our past presidents who have helped lead the society in our mission to be the trusted advocates for patients and physicians in the state of Louisiana. From Dr. Noble to Dr James Egan in 1878, I have some big shoes to fill and some great acts to follow. I may be taking the helm, however, I come aboard a ship that already has a steady course chartered with an excellent chief navigator, Mr. Williams and a phenomenal crew with the staff at the Louisiana State Medical Society. This team has had many successes regarding major medical legislation and deserves our thanks for their hard work. As we are all aware, the practice of medicine has been under constant challenges. Physician scope of practice, prescriptive rights, lessening the educational requirements to independently practice medicine, unauthorized practice of medicine, prior authorizations and denial of care and payment of needed medications and procedures are just a few. At LSMS, we will continue to be your advocates on a local and national level. However, the latest growing challenge and exciting new medical frontier is the introduction of the use of artificial intelligence in medicine. Dr. Paddock is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He obtained his medical degree from Tulane School of Medicine and completed a residency in Urology at Ochsner Medical Institutions. He then entered private practice and was board certified in 1985. Dr. Paddock recently retired in 2022 after 44 years of practice. He has held every position on the Jefferson Parish Medical Society board including President. He was also alternate delegate for Louisiana to the AMA and until recently was the Secretary-Treasurer of the LSMS for many years. Dr. Paddock has been married for 53 years to Shelia and has 2 children and 7 grandchildren. They presently split their time between their residence in River Ridge and a summer house in Pass Christian.
In recent weeks representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, including Steve Udvarhelyi, MD, BCBSLA CEO, have met with your LSMS Board of Governors and addressed our House of Delegates regarding the pending acquisition of BCBSLA by Elevance Health (formerly Anthem). On both occasions the representations made included things such as “nothing will change” or “its business as usual”. However, I believe that anything that occurs on a scale of this magnitude rarely happens without considerable change and lots of questions and concerns. In addition to our two meetings, LSMS staff members were present and monitoring the joint meeting of the Senate and House Insurance Committee on August 15, 2023, wherein many concerned parties expressed a desire for additional time and more information before the Department of Insurance grants its final decision, pending prior approval of BCBSLA policy holders. Therefore, the LSMS would like to applaud Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon’s decision to delay, until October 5th, any possible decision on the final approval of the proposed acquisition. Additionally, we welcome the involvement and scrutiny of Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office, as the final decision of this sale impacts everyone in Louisiana and the maximum amount of due diligence should be exercised. The LSMS has serious concerns as well, as should you. All physicians should be concerned about potential lower reimbursement rates, increased denials, and additional hassle factors. Physicians who own their own business should also be cognizant of the likely possibility of paying higher rates while receiving reduced benefits for their health insurance coverage. As additional public hearings occur and more information is gleaned, the LSMS will keep you informed of how, we as a policy holder, will vote. Until then, we encourage you to do your own due diligence in order to make an informed decision for yourself, your practice, and your patients. In the interim, if anyone has any questions or concerns, they would like to share please send them to president@lsms.org . If you are interested in submitting your own public comments or reviewing those already submitted by interested parties, as well as the consultant reports being relied upon they can be located here: Public Hearing and Rulemaking Notices (state.la.us) A MESSAGE FROM LSMS PRESIDENT RICHARD J. PADDOCK, M.D.
A quick story. Has anyone gone to a quest lab lately? The reason I ask is because I recently went to have some labs drawn. I walked in, it was early, and I was the only person in the room. There was no one there but myself and a wall with four kiosks with gray TV screens looking at me. I walked up to one of the screens and it flashed touch here and I did, hoping that some sort of candy or reward would come out of a slot. It didn’t. It then flashed scan in your driver’s license which I did and then the screen read hello Richard. Then I replied hello back not realizing I was talking to a computer screen. It asked me to verify my address and date of birth then scan in my insurance cards which I did and pressed finish. It then asked me to have a seat. A TV in the waiting room area quickly displayed my name and the time I registered. Almost immediately the phlebotomist opened the door, called my name and I had my blood drawn. The whole episode took about 20 minutes. I left realizing that I had briefly seen only one human during this exchange. Most of you who know me know that I am very afraid of needles. I missed the receptionist checking me in and assuring me that it wasn’t going to hurt and that I was going to be fine. Sitting in the car I thought this was efficient and quick but very impersonal.
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