By Antonio H. Wong, MD, FAAFP
“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together” – Ratan Tata.
As a busy Family Physician, practicing Family Medicine for over 3 decades in South Florida, I always wondered why Physicians should get involved in organized medicine and what can organized medicine do for you. This is why I think all Physicians (in training and seasoned) should get involved.
The only constancy in healthcare is change. Healthcare for physicians changes constantly, and healthcare for our patients changes just as rapidly. Being involved in a medical association allows physicians to focus on caring for our patients while feeling reassured that those we trust are advocating for our shared interests and concerns. Medicine can be better. It should be better for our patients, for ourselves, for all involved in the health delivery system.
How does organized medicine affect the practicing physicians and future in training physicians?
Policies are being signed into legislation constantly that affect the way we practice today and in the future. Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Scope of Practice, Tort Reform, and Payment, all affect health care utilization and the care that we can provide to our patients. The outcome of these legislations directly impacts all physicians, those who are currently practicing and those in training to become future physicians. Unfortunately, these policies tend to be written and created by those who do not have much experience of the financial, emotional, and physical struggles that Physicians face on a daily basis.
As Physicians, we chose medicine to care for patients, but much of our clinical day is spent struggling with insurance companies, worrying about liability concerns, and drowning under ever increasing clerical duties. Antitrust hamstrings our ability to effectively negotiate with payers, and ethically we cannot abandon our patients to go on strike. These issues affect all physicians daily. The most effective way to be heard is through organized medicine. We are more powerful when we speak with a united voice to advocate for our profession, which allows us to achieve our most important mission, to protect public health and defend the practice of medicine.
For all Physicians, especially, the future young physicians, it is imperative to join physicians’ associations to share their voices and represent the future of medicine. Without Physicians, especially young physicians, there will be a significant loss in the membership and momentum created by those who will retire in the coming years.
Dr. Antonio H. Wong is President, Broward County Medical Association.
