Page 10 - Delaware Medical Journal - January 2017
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PRESIDENT’S PAGE
A survey of over 17,000 doctors conducted this year by The Physicians Foundation reveals that the two things doctors find most satisfying about medicine are the patient relationships and the intellectual stimulation.
opioid and heroin epidemic, though many of us were taught that we MUST treat
of the work that the Medical Society
of Delaware (MSD) has already done
in combating the problem of substance abuse. MSD provided the initial
funding for two drug-take-back boxes and helped to create the prescription monitoring program. We have provided valuable input in trying to make the
new regulations for opiate prescribing reasonable for physicians. We know there is more work to be done, but also realize that it is imperative our government needs to spend more money on public education regarding the hazards of opiates, as we are now on the third set of regulations regarding opiate prescribing since April 2014.
Certainly the changes don’t end here. Learning how to navigate multiple different EMR’s and responding to emails through patient portals take up what
little time you have left in the day. As
physicians and professionals, we commit ourselves to lifelong learning to best take care of our patients. However, we are
now essentially forced to participate in programs that more than 65 percent of anything to quality of patient care. Many of the member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties are having to rethink the whole concept of MOC. This year, The AMA House of Delegates ultimately approved resolution 309 as amended, which includes language
that “calls for the immediate end of any mandatory, secured recertifying examination by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or other certifying organizations as part those specialties that still require a examination.” The Medical Society
is here to help navigate these changes while advocating for the physician community and safety of our patients.
We don’t know exactly how President- Elect Trump’s policies will affect
the way we practice medicine. But,
if we’ve learned nothing else from
this election, it is that we can affect positive change for physicians and patients if we continue to speak with a united and strong voice while working efforts to improve patient access to quality medical care and to maintain physician autonomy. Your involvement in our Society is essential to giving doctors a voice in Delaware, and I hope you’ll consider honoring us with your participation this year.
Prayus Tailor, M.D.
President, Medical Society of Delaware
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Del Med J | January 2017 | Vol. 89 | No. 1
