President’s Page can begin here at home by letting our Arizona members of congress know our opinions, so they can better understand the unintended consequences of some of their decisions. This can range from meeting personally with your congress member to sending an email or leaving a phone message. Another even simpler way to have your voice heard is to simply answer one of our own email surveys from the Maricopa County Medical Society, thereby helping to illustrate the opinions of our membership on a variety of issues. At the local level there are issues pending right now before the Arizona legislature which affect all of us, including the ability for outpatient laboratories to offer direct to patient testing, scope of practice issues regarding the independent practice of non-physician allied health professionals, proposed mandatory use of a PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Progam) to control opioid prescribing, and the proposed consolidation of all statewide licensing boards under a single state entity. A myriad of other local issues are also worthy of our attention including but not limited to vaccinations, gun safety, human trafficking, air pollution, e-cigarettes, and concussions in young athletes. The Arizona Medical Association offers a unique way to meet and interact with the Arizona legislature, called the “Doctor of The Day” program. This requires one half day during which you would be the designated “Doctor of The Day” at the state legislature. You would observe the legislative session that day and meet several senators and representatives. You don’t need any prior legal or legislative experience, and I guarantee you will be surprised by how little the legislators know about health care. The program is open to all members of the Arizona Medical Association. (For more information please contact either the Arizona Medical Association or the Maricopa County Medical Society.)
We can begin here at home by letting our Arizona members of congress know our opinions, so they can better understand the unintended consequences of some of their decisions.
Adam Brodsky, MD, MM MCMS PRESIDENT 2016 abrodsky@msmsonline.com 602.307.0070
There are many other non-physician entities fully engaged in healthcare policy at the local, state, and federal levels, spending much more money, time and resources on their lobbying efforts than are we physicians. We are routinely outflanked by hospitals, insurance companies, non-physician allied health professionals, drug and device manufacturers, even food and beverage companies. Despite the fact that we indeed are all stake-holders and deserve a voice in public debates, there is only one group who routinely has to stare patients in the eye and personally and continually care for them one decision at a time – and that is us. Dr. Brodsky specializes in Interventional Cardiology He joined MCMS in 2005. Contact Information: Heart & Vascular Center of Arizona 1331 N. 7th Street Suite 375 Phoenix, AZ 85006 http://heartcenteraz.com
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