Message from the CMS President

A Year of Many Firsts

THERE WERE many firsts this year, as the delegation from the Chicago Medical Society made its way to Peoria for the Illinois State Medical Society’s annual meeting. Not only was this the first time ISMS met in the town that headquarters Caterpillar, but it was also the first event to experiment with a different format and policymaking process. The change in venue and other features are part of a three-year pilot program initiated at the state level to encourage membership engagement.

What did not change is the Chicago Medical Society’s rigorous vetting of resolutions, well thought out discourse, and enthusiasm brought by our members. While ISMS members can now bring resolutions individually throughout the year, under the new rules, many CMS members took advantage of our local vetting process and input from other members of Region 3, better known as Cook County.

Our vetting process allowed CMS members to study and debate measures weeks or months prior to the ISMS meeting. As a result, we came with a well-coordinated plan to deliberate resolutions from CMS. Indeed, our Region 3 produced more resolutions this year than any other region in the state. Nearly all of these measures advanced successfully, and go on to the AMA, for consideration this June.

We do not view our participation at the ISMS annual meeting as passing the torch but rather as partnering to advance the practice of medicine and the betterment of patient care.

Not only did CMS benefit from a strong showing at the state but we also had an ample number of members with extensive experience in specialty care, organized medicine, and prior leadership roles. Among our member physicians giving standout testimony were Drs. Thomas Anderson; Howard Axe; Adrienne Fregia; Tripti Kataria; Jerrold Leikin; and Peter Orris. All of them made a real impact with their invaluable comments, thus shaping resolutions as they made their way through the “legislative” process of the meeting. The resolutions had common themes reflecting the continuing changes in the medical practice landscape. There was particular emphasis on administrative burden, overreach by nonphysician providers, and patient-centered healthcare issues.

The Chicago Medical Society will maintain its strong engagement with legislators and policymakers at all levels in support of our members and fellow physicians. We also continue to look to our members to identify areas of need and concern, since this has historically provided us real-life stories to augment data during our discussions with policymakers, and to intervene before troublesome policies become entrenched.

In the coming year, your CMS will be working directly with elected leaders and moving our resolutions through the AMA House of Delegates. Future messages will report on Chicago Medical Society initiatives to advance the interests of physicians in Cook County.

A. Jay Chauhan, DO
President, Chicago Medical Society