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Alaska
Academy of Family Physicians
President’s Letter - June 2009
The patient is
ill. That patient is the medical system in this country. This is one
of the themes at the recent AAFP Advanced Leadership Forum in Kansas
City. We all agree that we give good medical care, but we cannot deny
that the finances to support this system are under severe stress. We
have only to look at the Medicare crisis to understand this in a very
personal level for each of our practices.
We are at the most
significant changing point for the practice of medicine as we know it.
Like it or not, the changes are coming. We can choose to get stuck at
denial or resistance, which are the first two stages of change.
Otherwise, we could explore those changes and find a way to commit to
the part that makes sense to us. These are the last two stages of
change. One of the national speakers has said, we can either choose to
be at the table or we will definitely be on the menu.
Luckily, we have
impressive leadership and they are definitely at the table. At a
recent meeting of all interested parties in Washington, D.C., we were
represented by the president of AAFP, Dr. Ted Epperly. There were also
representatives from other specialties, insurance companies,
businesses, unions, and multiple other areas of local and national
government. President Obama wanted to hear from the medical community.
The one he chose to hear from was Dr. Epperly because he was
representing the family practitioners. Our national leaders are
beginning to see family medicine as the basis for efficient medical
care in this country. They recognized it as the best care at the most
affordable rate. They see the primary care physician as the
cornerstone in the Patient-Centered Medical Home. This is not just an
ideal, but it is a big part of the solution. Our National AAFP
leadership is working for a reasonable increase in fee-for-service,
recognizing care management as requiring reimbursement and quality
incentives determined by physicians and not by insurance companies or
politicians.
Our local
leadership in Washington D.C. is also looking to the medical community
for input. Senator Lisa Murkowski had a recent teleconference with
eight representatives from the Alaska State Medical Association. I was
able to represent the Alaska Academy of Family Physicians at this
conference. Over half of the physicians were primary care physicians
and she really listened to our input. No one knows what the changes
are going to be, but we can be sure that we will need to get out of
our comfort zone. I only hope that the leadership will keep in mind
one of the ideals of our profession when looking for healthcare reform
and that is “First, do no harm.”
I want to thank
all of our members who have helped make this year a successful one for
our academy. Our educational conferences have been well attended and
appreciated. Dr. Cate Buley hosted a wonderful scientific assembly in
Juneau last June. Dr. Julie Sicilia was Course Director for ALSO in
November. Dr. Elizabeth Roll helped organize the winter conference. We
are also anticipating a great scientific assembly in Seward with our
thanks to Dr. Michelle Hensel. As always, Marilyn Dodd is doing and
incredible job as our exec. She puts in countless hours helping the
chapter run smoothly and is the backbone for getting wonderful
conferences together. Please let the Board of Directors know if there
are any needs that we can address for our members and we will look
forward to this next year with great anticipation.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Foland,
M.D. |
