Walking Together: Unity

As your new Chicago Medical Society president, I am proud to have been a member since 1983. Back then, physicians simply focused on delivering the best possible medical care to patients without distractions. Obviously, that scenario has changed.

Today, we face more regulations along with threats to our ability to deliver care as medicine moves from fee-for-service to value-based care. Our country remains divided politically in Washington and in Springfield.

It’s against this backdrop that CMS is charting a path forward. Based on the success we had this past year, we know we can influence our future.

Case in point: CMS’ role in advancing Illinois’ new network adequacy legislation, which we did through effective education and advocacy. During my term, we will redouble our efforts, by not only advocating for physicians and their patients but also educating our profession in this complex and complicated environment.

As attempts to fix the ACA continue in Washington, we want to make sure we are part of the conversation, as we have been this past year in meetings we conducted with Senator Durbin and others in Illinois Congressional Delegation. This discussion with the national and local leadership must and will continue. We will embrace all stakeholders and policymakers at all levels to ensure we are reaching our goals.

We’ll also be asking for your expertise. As private practice shifts to employment and some practices are ahead of others when it comes to technology, whether it be the latest electronic record software or the move to pay doctors via telehealth, CMS wants to learn from your experiences.

What we’ve found in recent years is that we cannot resist ideas or we will not be a part of a conversation that has been already taking shape. Government policymakers will move on without us if we are adversarial or do not intend to work with them.

This is true of the MACRA law. In spite of intense political partisanship, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 was one of the few bipartisan bills that became law. Its implementation began under the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration has thus far not proposed much change. Even if slowed down, quality measurement of physicians and patient outcomes isn’t going away in the private sector. This is the reality we are facing.

Thanks to our collaboration with the American Bar Association, CMS is educating physicians, preparing them to succeed in a complex and complicated environment. As we look ahead, we can help shape value-based models and learn from the experiences of our members who are already dealing with certain payers and their new efforts.

As an officer, I’m sometimes asked why physicians should join CMS. My answer is always based on the Medical Society’s track record of delivering what it promises and opportunities for involvement. In short, advocacy, education and networking.

It takes minimal effort to walk together with hands joined as members of CMS. Together we can uphold what every physician wants: providing the best possible care to our patients and preserving the freedom and dignity of our profession.

Vemuri S. Murthy, MD

President, Chicago Medical Society