PAMED RFS Chair Column, Vol. 1, No. 2: Spring 2010

Recently, Congress passed health care legislation that will undoubtedly change the way our patients obtain care and the way we as physicians deliver it.

In the past few weeks, every doctor has no doubt faced a long list of questions and concerns form family, friends, and patients regarding the bill and its intended (and feared) effects. It can be difficult to stick to the facts in such conversations, especially when the issue has emotions running so high.

For me, I feel confident engaging in dialogue regarding health system reform thanks to my involvement in organized medicine. My involvement with the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) not only helps me to understand the reasoning of both sides in the health system reform debate but also offers the resources to shape the next important steps.

Advocacy

The PAMED Resident & Fellow Section (RFS) continues to stay involved on your behalf. In March, several residents and students joined the PAMED delegation in Washington, DC, for the AMA National Advocacy Conference.

The meeting featured speakers like Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Rep. Michael Burgess, MD, (R-Texas). They gave inside perspectives on the political sausage-making in Congress. The PAMED delegation also advocated our causes to Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey on Capitol Hill.

To continue to carry our message to state legislators, on April 20 residents and students joined forces in Harrisburg for our fifth annual Advocacy Day. More than 20 young physicians and students met with five legislators to discuss our concerns about various health care policy issues and specific pending legislation. We discussed topics such as tort reform, student loan debt, and patient access to care. Attendees were also treated to a pre-event social, where we had the opportunity to meet with James Goodyear, MD, PAMED president, and Bret DeLone, MD, an active physician in the Harrisburg area who has successfully influenced state legislation on many levels.

I encourage you to join your Governing Council members at upcoming meetings. Your next opportunity is the AMA Annual Meeting on June 10-12 in Chicago, where you can influence the policy of the AMA from within. The AMA meeting will also include sessions on financial management, contract negotiations, health care reform, and medicine and the media with the Discovery Health Channel.

Virtual Mentor

Involvement in organized medicine is not just about the political process. PAMED is a community of physicians, and many members of the community are reaching out to students, residents, and fellows on the Virtual Mentor program through the Institute for Good Medicine. The new program serves as a place for advice, encouragement, support, and perspective from those with more experience. Stay tuned for details.

As we fight for our patients and profession, the PAMED-RFS Governing Council encourages you to get involved, in any way you can during this busy time in your career. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

John Vasudevan, MD
Chair, PAMED-RFS Governing Council