Editors: Ellen W. McKnight, M.D. | Erica Huffman, Executive Director
www.escambiacms.org
Bulletin JULY/AUGUST 2015 VOLUME 45, NO. 4
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Many groups have adopted the Serenity Prayer over the years, but I think it applies to physicians in these turbulent times of change. We are facing the challenges of trying to do more with less. The costs of practicing medicine are going up and reimbursement is going down. ICD-10 is looming just around the corner. Maintenance of certification (MOC) has become a big issue as the American Board of Internal Medicine continues to be under scrutiny for the way it uses the funds it receives from physicians who are being forced to comply with arbitrary requirements. There are some things we cannot change. For example, on October 1 we had better be ready to start coding with ICD-10. The so-called “Affordable” Care Act and “Meaningful” Use are still in place, too. Regardless of how we feel about them, these realities are here, and we have to accept them as part of the way we practice. I don’t always feel very serene about the loss of autonomy, over-regulation and unreasonable demands placed on us as physicians. But I have to remind myself that it does no good to stress out over things out of my control. That brings me to the second line of the Serenity Prayer: “The courage to change the things I can.” There are lots of issues facing us that we can change. However, we must have the courage to step out, speak up and raise a unified voice. The most significant way to do that is by being involved in organized medicine. Every summer the Escambia County Medical Society (ECMS) sends delegates to the Florida Medical Association’s (FMA) annual meeting. We craft resolutions and review those submitted by others across the state that will influence the legislative agenda for the year. In the years that I have been on the board, we have seen tremendous progress in improving the way physicians practice in medicine. Being active here locally with the ECMS and with the FMA gives each of us the opportunity to impact how we practice medicine in a very concrete way. Previously, we successfully defended our scope of practice, and we have tackled issues related
CONTENTS to malpractice and liability. This year our county medical society and others are addressing the important problems with maintenance of certification, continuing medical education, and prior authorizations – and how they impact your ability to practice medicine. Our very own Dr. McKnight has been leading the way in the fight against MOC. The American Board of Medical Specialties is a private organization (as are each of the individual boards) that has lobbied to make their product mandatory for physicians. They can set the price and we are required to pay-to-play. In other words, physicians are being forced to participate in MOC in order to get privileges and credentials with some organizations. I won’t go into all the ways that is wrong in this limited space, but the fact is that MOC has not been proven to improve patient safety or make us better physicians. I am glad to be a part of organizations like ECMS and FMA who are doing something to protect my freedom and ability to practice medicine. “The wisdom to know the difference.” It is a privilege for me to work with and serve alongside physicians who have been involved in organized medicine for a long time. They are invaluable in knowing what things we have tried in the past, what things we can change, and what battles aren’t worth fighting. Collectively, we can all benefit – as individuals and as a profession – by getting involved in a meaningful way with the issues that impact our practice of medicine. I wish for each of us to find the serenity to accept the things that are out of our control. There is no sense in being stressed out about them after all. But even more important, I urge you to become more actively involved in changing those things that we can. Let us have the courage to impact our profession through organized medicine. If there is an issue I mentioned above that you feel strongly about, talk to me or one of the other board members. We would be happy to share with you some ways you can make a difference.
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SAVE THE DATE Tuesday, August 11, 2015 V.Paul’s Italian Ristorante Young Physicians Section Meeting Speaker: Patricia Clark Social Sponsor: Rick Lambert, CFP®, Financial Advisor Edward Jones & FD Insurance Sunday, September 27, 2015 Hemingway’s Bimini Beach Bar Women in Medicine Brunch Sponsors: Danna Gracey Insurance, Rick Lambert, CFP®, Financial Advisor - Edward Jones, Fisher Brown Insurance, Safe Harbor Tax Advisory, Physicians Indemnity, Plateful of Yum Founded in 1973
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