ELEVATING V O I C E S
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or status. I’ ve done it, and you have too. When my phone rings with a life-on-the-line emergency, my immediate instinct is to move to provide the necessary care: no questions asked, no billing codes considered.
But here is the catch. That noble instinct relies on a sacred social contract, the assumption that society values our unique expertise and will look after the health of our practices while we look after the health of our patients. When the world portrays physicians as greedy or claims that anyone with a fraction of our training can deliver the same care, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that instinct begins to erode. This erosion is not because we have become less compassionate people; it is the direct result of moral injury. It is the trauma of being forced to operate within a system that devalues our specialized skills and our dedication.
The ultimate paradox of modern medicine is that while we actively avoid talking about finances, we are forced to make critical business and practice decisions based entirely on them. Whether you are an independent practice owner balancing rising overhead or an employed physician with a complex RVU compensation model, finances dictate your reality. Yet, because we treat“ business” as a dirty word, we enter policy rooms completely unprepared to fight corporate MBAs who speak only in dollars.
Reclaim the Narrative
Let’ s dismantle these defensive frameworks used to keep us quiet. Understanding the business of medicine is not greedy; it is a prerequisite for professional survival. And standing firm on the absolute necessity of rigorous clinical training when determining who delivers independent medical care is not elitist; it is the literal bedrock of patient safety.
2. Step Into the Arena: If you can join your peers at the 2026 KMA Annual Meeting this August, ask about being appointed as a Delegate for GLMS. If no spots are available, we still need you at the meeting. This is where our collective voice transforms into binding policy.
3. Reframe Policy as Preservation: We must view legislative action as a core component of clinical preservation. Showing up to a GLMS or KMA meeting is not walking away from patient care; it is actively defending your right to provide that care in the future.
GLMS is the one place in Greater Louisville where physicians do not have to tackle these monumental hurdles alone. We provide structural infrastructure, peer support and the legislative pipeline. You bring the raw clinical truth; we provide the megaphone.
The future of medicine in Louisville belongs to those who shape it. The hurdles of time and exhaustion are real, but they are not insurmountable. Let’ s stop venting in the lounges, put down the coffee cups and pick up the microphones to collectively amplify the physician’ s voice to a volume that can no longer be ignored.
Dr. Higgins is a rhinologist in private practice at Kentuckiana ENT, a division of ENTCC, and President and Chairman of the Board of ENT Care Centers( ENTCC). He is also the GLMS Board Chair and Policy & Advocacy Committee Chair.
If we fail to master the economic forces shaping healthcare or aggressively advocate for physician-led medicine, we effectively hand over the keys to our profession by default. We cannot protect our practices or the patients who depend on us if we don’ t engage.
But I know what you’ re thinking:“ I am drowning in charts. I don’ t have time to be a lobbyist.”
If you are too busy, remember that your peers are here to lift you up. You can start a chain reaction of advocacy right from your desk:
1. Fund the Defense: Join your local medical societies and pay the GLMS and KMA dues. These funds are the ammunition that have successfully secured prior authorization reform this past session and convinced legislators in Kentucky that physician-led medicine is vastly superior to a dangerous, twotiered medical system run by non-physicians.
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