I‘d like to share with you the reasons
I accepted the position as President
of the Bexar County Medical Society
and review a few important agenda
items for the upcoming year.
I feel fortunate and blessed to be
able to practice edicine. What other
profession provides you with so many
wonderful opportunities including the
ability to have a positive affect on
someone’s life?
With these privileges come huge responsibilities
which all of you know very
well. I’ve chosen to serve, however, to
fulfill a responsibility which I feel is often
overlooked: “giving back to our profession.”
I strongly believe that as a physician
I have a duty to devote my time and
expertise to organizations that contribute
to the improvement in patient
care and the profession of medicine.
I can think of no better avenues to
fulfill that obligation than the TMA and
our very own BCMS. As physicians, we
are the natural leaders in healthcare initiatives
and decisions which affect the
cost, access and quality of that healthcare.
When the opportunity to serve
calls, it's our responsibility to accept that
challenge and become active participants
rather than “sideline spectators.”
Every one of you, no matter how long
you've been in practice, has witnessed
change in our profession. It is as much
a part of medicine as a history and physical
exam.
I continue to be amazed how advancements
in technology and pharmaceuticals
have improved our ability to provide
patient care. Of course, there have been
other changes: RVUs, HMOs, preauthorization,
drug formularies and involvement
in our profession by numerous outside entities
all also affecting how we provide care.
Unless organized medicine stays
involved in the development and implementation
of these changes, we have no
one to blame but our own apathy when
one occurs that harms our profession or
our patients.
I truly believe our profession is secure
and our future is bright but only if we
continue to nurture and protect it. I’m
proud of the work that so many of my
colleagues have done to ensure that
future and I ask each of you to consider
becoming more involved in organized
medicine and join us. The work is
oftentimes challenging and difficult but
never unrewarding or unappreciated.
As your BCMS President, my primary
responsibility will be to help
direct and guide your Society, keeping
it true to its purpose: “to foster and
maintain high standards of medical
practice in our community and to exert
its efforts in favor of those concepts
that promote the best interest of the
patient and the public.”
To accomplish this mission requires
the creation and follow up of several
initiatives involving many physicians,
staff personnel and volunteers. Each
agenda is extremely vital to our overall
success but I’d like to address a few of
the more important.
BCMS will continue to serve as the
resource of information and education
for our Bexar County legislators as they
develop laws affecting healthcare policy.
We have several challenges this year
from transparency in healthcare delivery
to funding CHIP and Medicaid. Our
work is cut out for us but is in the very
capable hands of our Legislative Committee
chaired by Dr. James Humphreys.
BCMS will remain active in addressing
practice management issues from
insurance contracts to declining reimbursement.
Fortunately, we have our
hard working Socioeconomics Committee
chaired by Dr. Robert Kottman to
help us address and answer these and
other concerns.
BCMS plans to increase its participation
in civic and community affairs,
working closely with County and City
officials, the San Antonio Chamber of
Commerce and BioMedSA. We will
strive to make sure that decisions which
have a bearing on the healthcare of our
citizens have input from our physicians,
that public health issues receive the level
of attention they so rightly deserve and
that the rest of our business community
stays aware of the problems we face in
managing our practices.
BCMS will maintain its close relationship
with the UTHSCSA. We have one
of the finest medical schools in the
country offering the best in education,
research and patient care, and our
Society is proud to call them our partners.
Efforts such as increasing the level
of participation by physicians-in-training
and medical students in organized medicine
among other academic/private
practice initiatives will fall under the
responsibility of our Academic Affairs
Committee co-chaired by Drs. Raul
Ramos and Martha Medrano.
BCMS will continue to be actively
involved in public health issues and
looks forward to working with our city
leaders to develop a first class facility for
our homeless population. Problems with
obesity, immunization and the uninsured
still need solutions. Dr. Fernando Guerra
and his committee, Public Health and
Patient Advocacy, continue to address
these and other public health concerns.
We all owe them our support and gratitude.
Lastly, BCMS will remain the “face
and voice of your practice” always focusing
on the concerns of our membership
and their patients.
I want to thank each of my colleagues
for your trust; but I also want to ask for
your help. It’s almost impossible for
any one individual or group of individuals
to effectively run this organization,
given the complexities that face medicine
today, without input and guidance
from our membership.
I encourage your involvement and
support and call for your suggestions,
comments and recommendations.
Even thought we've all heard this before,
it's still true: “together we can make
a difference.”
