THE VALUE OF MEDICINE UNITED WE STAND
by MONALISA TAILOR , MD
For the last six years , I have been waking up extra early to attend 7:00 a . m . GLMS officer and board meetings . That has been my honor to support our organization and to do over this time . Why is this important to me ? Yes , that thought has crossed my mind when I ’ m waking up early to log on or go in person for a meeting . Not only am I going to these meetings , but they are also on a volunteer basis , and I have adjusted my schedule to start seeing patients at 9:00 a . m . Whyever would you be involved in something like this then ?
Organized medicine is able to impact change and improve things for the patient and physician relationship . That is the part that has driven me to be such an active member of the Greater Louisville Medical Society . We all know there are barriers to us providing the best care possible for our patients . They stem from insurance issues , the ability to get a prior authorization , a medication , see a specific consultant or have a particular surgery .
We all want to provide the best care possible for our patient , the one in front of us in a room . That ’ s our goal , that ’ s what we all strive for every single day . As we do our jobs , we find hurdles in the system , hurdles in the process , hurdles in insurance , hurdles within government regulations that allow us to take care of our patients . Our ability to advocate is not easy with these parties , it requires coordination with parties we don ’ t always want to deal with . Plus , we are just one voice . It is hard to make that collective change happen on our lone watch .
Our ability to sustain ourselves in this profession is to advocate for our profession . It is to advocate for the change we wish to see and take that seat at the table so the decision makers know what we see on a daily basis . The policies we put forth in our Kentucky Medical Association House of Delegates or at the American Medical Association House of Delegates help shape medicine and our interactions with our patients . It helps us influence change in our medical community . Sometimes it is slow and sometimes it is not as fast as we desire . However , we are able to have a collective voice which with time and talk , leads to consensus to find the best option forward . As we look forward to our KMA Annual Meeting and
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