PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Spring 2023

BY DAVID E. BOBMAN, MD PRESIDENT OF CHESTER COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY

Spring is here! Trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming, birds are chirping. The days are longer and the weather warmer. This gives me a cheerful and optimistic feeling. Our Medical Society Board has been working hard on many issues which also creates optimism for the future.

One of the issues we have been grappling with is introspection; trying to make sure that we continue to have our finger on the pulse of our members and remaining relevant to their needs. To this end, we emailed a brief questionnaire to get your viewpoints. First, I would like to thank the numerous member and non-member physicians in the community for taking the time to respond. While all responses have not yet been tabulated, I am seeing some common themes. One of the more common issues includes the stress of working in today’s environment – too many hurdles to get testing and treatment effected, time consuming EMR programs, and wasted time attending to peer-to-peer interactions. This not only limits the time we can spend with patients, but also the free time we have available to spend with family and friends. Difficulties in hiring physicians, physician extenders and staff, putting further stress on daily practice further exacerbate this.

The issue of venue shopping in malpractice cases is also a significant cause of concern among our responses, bringing flashbacks of the difficulties encountered about 20 years ago.

Scope of practice by physician extenders was yet another common concern with many physicians raising concerns over a drop in quality of care delivered to patients. This is particularly a concern given the push for extenders being allowed to practice without physician oversight.

Several other issues were raised as well. While these are all very important issues, they have many aspects, making them too complex to cover here. Suffice it to say, your concerns are well taken. The Chester County Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Medical Society are already in the process of addressing these issues, though some will require a rather Herculean effort. We have already established or are in the process of establishing working groups to address these very issues. I encourage anyone interested to join our efforts.

While progress moves slowly, I am optimistic that we can make a difference!

Fond Regards,

David