The Key is Access

Whether you believe that the future of medicine will be advancements in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) or good old-fashioned in-person doctor visits will change the way medicine is practiced in the future or not, access to care is paramount. There can be no healthcare delivery without healthcare access. Physicians have understood this for a century. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with the patients of our community advocating for more resources to improve the access to and delivery of high-quality patient care. Are we being heard? Winston Churchill’s famous statement, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” seems to describe our government in great detail. I, on the other hand, am not willing to stand idly by and let our healthcare system go into crisis in the first place.

It seems that every article I write starts off gloomy and tries to end with some rallying-ofthe-troops closing. Sadly, this one is unlikely to be different. There are challenges ahead on every front and it seems like at times we are on the dirty end of the stick. I want all of you to remain upbeat and positive, however. As I have stated before… We are not alone. The San Joaquin Medical Society (SJMS) is our voice in the dark. With the Board of Directors’ leadership, alongside the California Medical Association (CMA), we are constantly engaging local, state, and federal politicians in advocacy for our physician members and for the medical community as a whole. SJMS and CMA worked hard to enshrine protections in MICRA and minimize potential disastrous legislation that would surely have been worse than compromise. Together, we have an agenda full of legislative advocacy for this year and the next. We are using every resource to try to stave off cuts to CMS reimbursements and to fight for increases.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrus Fram Buhari, DO is the current president of the San Joaquin Medical Society and practices at the San Joaquin Cardiology Medical Group

As a physician in this community for over 10 years and having lived here all of my young and most of my adult life, I care too much about the medical staff and our patients to allow this system to descend into crisis. And I don’t need to ask any AI ChatBot to know that that is certainly what will happen when physician practices start to feel the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) short-sighted cuts. In our community we are familiar with physician early retirement, out-of -state migration, and burnout. It almost seems that physician shortages are what is wanted or needed by Governmental agencies and payers before any action is taken. When a physician decides to retire or move away, it is usually met with both happiness and sadness. While the physician now gets to experience the much-deserved retirement, they move on from those they have spent their lives caring for and patients lose a friend and advocate. Additionally, and most seriously, the overall access to care in the community is diminished, again. This is especially harmful to the community in the case of early retirement. Does CMS or Congress not understand any of this? I think we know the answer.

I want to always bring us back to the one thing that we have protected and that we should all hope never wavers or fractures… the doctor-patient relationship. No amount of AI can bring a patient or family comfort like a hug from their doctor. CMS’s failure to eliminate cuts and enact increases that are long overdue is both sad and less than smart (I’m trying to be tactful). We can be certain that forces are lining up to embrace any technology that they feel can replace physicians and reduce cost. So much money is being spent in technology and AI, it is mind blowing. If a fraction of that money was spent on supporting physician practices in underserved communities like ours, we could practically eliminate most barriers to access and care. Technology and AI are welcome tools for us to deliver care. They are not and never will be cheaper substitutes for proven quality healthcare.

Despite the fact that I am a fan of technology in daily life and in healthcare, I believe that we as the physicians of this community will not stand for any substitute for human contact and the opportunity to be WITH our patients through hard times and good. We continue to deliver the best care at CMS’s discounted and inadequate reimbursement rates and will continue to do so until we no longer can afford to. This is because we will NEVER stop caring for our patients and their families.

Join me in support of SJMS and CMA in their efforts to advocate on behalf of physicians and physician practices. Cuts from CMS and other health plans must be fought with every ounce of our resolve for they will only reduce access to care. We owe it to our patients and our community. The financial solvency of physician practices is an essential aspect of healthcare access. I urge you to stay focused and stay with me in our fight ahead. Thank you.