Physician Leadership
Course
Wear The White Coat
October 2013
(continued from page 21)
The newly launched GLMS Policy and Advocacy Team, headed
by Chair Mary Helen Davis, MD, and Vice-Chair Tracy L. Ragland,
MD, has been busy educating members on public policy and legislative issues impacting medicine as well as cultivating relationships
with state legislators in order to advocate policies that advance
patient safety, patient care and medical practice.
Through the hosting of numerous receptions and other informal
gatherings, the team has succeeded in influencing state lawmakers.
At a January reception, Kentucky State Senator Dan Seum said
he had never seen such a large turnout for a legislative reception
in 31 years.
The Policy and Advocacy Team is looking for physician volunteers
to help with this vital effort. Contact GLMS about the many ways
to get involved, even if it’s only for a single issue. There is strength
in numbers, and if we don’t speak up, who will?
Insurance is a link, or sometimes an obstacle, between the physi-
On Mission:
To Protect
the
integrity of
the patientphysician
relationship
Robert “Bob” Couch, MD, MBA, has served the GLMS as
Treasurer but will soon be joining the board in a new role
as President-Elect. Dr. Couch will also direct the new GLMS
Information Technology Modernization Project designed to
better bring Louisville’s medical technology into the modern
era. He has been active in leadership roles in Emergency
Medicine and also active politically, lobbying in Frankfort and
visiting Washington D.C. to discuss policies with lawmakers
which affect Kentucky physicians and patients.
22
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Novem
cian and patient, and often disputes arise over patient care. Over
the past decade, GLMS has worked with insurance carriers to mediate disputes between them and physician practices. This process
evolved to become the Insurance Issues Resolution Committee
(IIRC), which has tackled issues such as the bundling of services,
nonpayment for certain medications or procedures, unreasonable
pre-certification procedures and customer service issues. This committee, which is chaired by Cathy Hammond, MD, is important
because it gives the physician a voice in protecting his or her practice
from a strictly bottom-line mentality. GLMS simplified the reporting
of insurance hassles through their recently launched GLMS Mobile
App, available for iPad, iPhone and Android devices. There is a big
button on the app that reads, “Report Insurance Hassle.” If a member
pushes that button, our dedicated GLMS staff immediately goes to
work to resolve the issue. The goal is to simplify the dispute process
so physicians can spend more time practicing medicine and less
time caught up in bureaucratic red tape.
On December 11, GLMS hosted a Town Hall gathering, designed
to help GLMS members and staff deal with the extensive changes
stemming from the launch of the Affordable Care Act. Presidentelect Bruce Scott, MD, hosted the panel, which also included Susan
Zepeda, PhD, CEO of the Foundation for Healthy Kentucky, Bill
Wagner, Executive Director of Family Health Centers, Inc., and
member of the Metro Louisville Board of Health Steering Committee
on Enrollment, Tim Marcum, Director of Planning at Baptist Health
Louisville and Chairman of the Metro Louisville Board of Health
Steering Subcommittee on Workforce Issues and Jessica Williams,
GLMS Director of Physician Education & Practice Support.
The gathering, which was covered by The New York Times as part
of their ongoing coverage of the ACA rollout in Louisville, focused
on educational issues to ensure local practices were prepared for
the overwhelming number of changes. GLMS developed numerous
resources and tools for members, as well as training for physicians
and staff.
The Affordable Care Act brings a flood of change to the practice
of medicine, and GLMS members are at the forefront of the effort
to ensure that, as the new regulations are implemented, patient
care doesn’t suffer.