While steering the organization in a new strategic direction—one which engages physicians and helps position them as leaders—was a key focus of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s (PAMED) annual meeting, more than 200 physicians and medical students debated numerous issues ranging from medical liability to collective bargaining to regulation of medical spas.
PAMED’s House of Delegates meets annually to set Society policy and strategies for the coming year. Delegates considered 23 resolutions during the two-day meeting held Oct. 15 and 16, 2011, in Hershey.
Some of the resolutions adopted by the House include:
- Energy sources, risks to public health: Supporting energy sources that decrease environmental risks to public health and studying the state’s public health infrastructure
- State regulation of medical spas: Collaborating with state and national medical organizations to advocate for state regulation of medical spa facilities
- Professional liability coverage for physician volunteers: Seeking legislation requiring the state to provide free professional liability coverage in return for volunteering at free non-government clinics
- Medical Staff Code of Conduct: Adopting the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Model Medical Staff Code of Conduct
- Observation care codes; Medicare reimbursement: Advocate for an increase in Medicare reimbursement for observation care codes
- Physical fitness guidelines: Work with other organizations to develop a checklist to identify risk factors in patients starting physical fitness programs
- Water fluoridation: Working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Dental Association to urge the state to adopt federal fluoride standards and apply them through legislative or regulatory initiatives
- Collective bargaining: Supporting federal legislation authorizing collective bargaining
Several issues were referred to PAMED’s Board of Trustees for further study or decision, including Medicare as a public option, reforms to address problems with health plan pre-authorization programs that are outsourced to benefit managers, and controlling children’s misuse of prescription drugs.