The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Med Journal Jan 2019 Final 2 | Page 8

Scope of practice issues will be back again, from groups with plenty of representation. Ad- vanced practice nurses, pharmacists, athletic trainers, and others will be asking for more inde- pendence from physician supervision. AMS has fought these issues repeatedly, and will continue to do so with support from its members. “We understand that their organizations are there to advance their profession,” Smith has said, “but we believe physicians have the most compre- hensive training suited to provide the highest quality of care to patients.” Issues related to hospital relations may center on accountability, patient right-to-know, and peer review fairness, while public health is- sues may include proposed legislation for PDMP “safe-harbor,” medical records clarification, ex- emptions, and more. Other issues Smith expects to track include medication-assisted treatment, health insurance issues, and telemedicine. “Teladoc will be back again. They want to be able to use the telephone to establish the pa- tient-physician relationship,” said Smith. “In ad- dition, the administration may be looking to add amendments to tighten up current opioid legisla- tion; these will likely include shortening up days for new prescriptions and requiring more opioid- related continuing education.” members statewide,” said Smith. “Arkansas physicians have, historically, been good at keep- ing abreast of the issues before the legislative session, looking for our alerts and – most im- portantly – responding when asked to contact legislators. With a larger number of issues al- ready being pushed by other groups, I expect the need for active physician participation to be even greater this session than in past sessions.”   Doctor of the Day Being a presence and making your voice heard is as important as ever, and one way to do that is by participating in the Society’s long- running Doctor of the Day program, coordinated by Laura Hawkins. “This has become an expect- ed part of each general assembly. Legislators expect and appreciate it, and physicians gain valuable insight from being at the Capitol,” said Hawkins. Rep. Deborah Ferguson and Rep. Steve Ma- gie, MD, have encouraged doctors who serve in this way to make full use of their time at the Capital. As legislators, they suggest participants get out of the infirmary and network with legis- lators. For more information about Doctor of the Day, call Hawkins at [phone]. Membership and Moving Forward In the past, AMS worked tirelessly with Sen. The Society has a new employee. Laura Hay- Cecile Bledsoe and Rep. Deborah Ferguson on wood, membership and communications special- the Telemedicine Act, passed ist, will be responsible for increas- in 2015 and amended in 2017, ing membership engagement and which helps protect the patient- longevity, as well as communicat- physician relationship. On this ing the value that AMS brings to its and so many other issues, the members. “With Laura’s help, and AMS legislative team will con- your help, we want to reach the tinue to fight. In addition to Smith physicians that we’re not reach- and Wroten, AMS Legal Counsel ing,” said Wroten in introduction members Mike Mitchell, David of Haywood and a discussion of Ivers, and others will be hard at membership and participation. work at the Capitol on behalf of Laura Haywood AMS membership. With them, At the Board of Trustees No- members of the AMS staff and Board of Trustees vember meeting, Haywood encouraged them will be there as needed. The Society may call on you for help and asks you to be ready. (Visit ark- to engage with the Arkansas Medical Society’s med.org to learn how to contact your legislator). social media sites as there would be more posts and interactions in the future on those pages. “Successful AMS legislative advocacy is She also facilitated a discussion of the most directly tied to the support and participation of important AMS benefits and how best to share 152 • THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY those with prospective members. Top benefits of AMS membership discussed included: » » Advocacy – Legislative, Local, State, National for MDs, DOs on important issues. » » Networking – Maintaining collegiality and building relationships with all physicians. » » Educational Opportunities for physicians and office staff. » » Communication on federal requirements and with payers. Wroten pointed out the monetary value of AMS membership. “Medical Society dues are $400. You know the last time they were raised? Thirty years ago. The Society has increased membership and has been able to remain a lean organization. To keep that up, we need to boost participation.” But while AMS brings a lot of value for the cost of members, there are also challenges of maintaining membership and recruiting new members. These challenges included specialty- specific devotions, lack of time, lack of interest/ apathy, and a lack of true understanding of the role and the value of AMS membership. Haywood and the AMS staff will continue to work on membership appeal and strategy, and welcome any suggestions that you may have. You can contact Laura Haywood at lhaywood@ arkmed.org. While the leaves of the final fall meeting have long since blown away and winter has set- tled in, the promise of a lively spring is close at hand. Likewise, the HOD may be gone, but rest assured, your Society remains healthy, commit- ted to further growth, and dedicated in its repre- sentation of members like you. Have you told a physician colleague lately about the Arkansas Medical Society? If you’d like to share what the Arkansas Medical Society means to you, call (501) 224- 8967 or send a brief, written paragraph to [email protected], for possible use in a future issue of The Journal (and please indicate your willingness to speak on video) or for use on social media. VOLUME 115