Page 9 - Delaware Medical Journal - November/December 2020
P. 9
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
JOSEPH J. STRAIGHT, MD
MSD President Joseph J. Straight, MD
is a Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician with First State Orthopaedics.
My Last Hurrah!
The past year serving as your President was not at all what I had expected. Like you and the rest of the world, I was not prepared for what interesting, and different in so many ways from those that came before. Even so, this year has been the most valuable in my career for understanding the landscape
of our health care system in Delaware, as well as across our nation.
The past eight months of my service to the Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) have been consumed by the coronavirus, from its initial acute affects and consequences, to the shutdowns and social distancing practices it necessitated, to its continued presence and associated fear, which has changed access to care and the practice of medicine throughout our state.
You should be proud of your Medical Society and how it navigated the pandemic under very trying workplace, health care, and will continue to be actively involved
of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the Delaware Healthcare Association (DHA),
as well as other stakeholders both at the federal and state levels. MSD has been integral in getting important and timely information to its member physicians as well as non-member physicians across
the state during this time. We have been
an active participant in regular calls with the Governor and on the coronavirus testing committee, as well as being in communication with our surrounding state medical society presidents and executive directors. MSD partnered with DPH for biweekly, then weekly calls during the early stages of the pandemic to allow our physicians and practice managers to gain answers to their questions surrounding the pipeline for both DPH and Delaware physicians.
Adapting quickly, MSD has also been
a driving force for the utilization and proper reimbursement of telemedicine services. We have worked closely with
our state legislators, the Governor, and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester
to ensure that telemedicine services are supported and patient access is continued. MSD has also been a leader in providing protocols for the safe re-opening of medical practices throughout the state, as well
as helping our members access personal protective equipment (PPE).
practices, facilities, and hospital systems
decreases in patient visits, caused not only by precautions to reduce the spread of
the coronavirus, but also by patient fears about seeking any kind of medical care. To help with the economic impact, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. MSD
Del Med J | November/December 2020 | Vol. 92 | No. 6 249
