The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Med Journal May 2020 Final 2 | Page 10

I Am a Member Because … “The physician voice muffled both by regulation and limited numbers has not been heard by policy makers. As a re- sult, our profession has suffered in terms of autonomy, quality of life, and effec- tiveness.  The AMS serves to condense many voices into one amplifying our message. Without a forum to speak with one voice we will not be heard.” “I’m a member because AMS legisla- tive advocacy supports all doctors in our state including osteopaths. Doctors do not take an active enough role in the po- litical landscape, and we will suffer for it if we don’t take notice. Legislators hear only the loudest voices and we need a collective to be noticed.” “It’s an educational vehicle for me.” “One thing’s for sure: The regulators will continuously change the practice of medicine. Our only choice is whether we want to be involved in those choices or not.” Advocacy Is Job #1 Every time there is an active session of the Arkansas Legislature, AMS Governmental Affairs Director Scott Smith and his team are in place and working on issues facing medicine. Smith gave examples of advocacy measures past and present. In the past, AMS led the fight for public health issues like the Clean Indoor Air Act, a to- bacco tax increase that helped pay for the state- wide trauma system, graduated driver’s license restrictions on 16- and 17-year-olds, and a Pre- scription Drug Monitoring Program, just to name a handful among many successful initiatives. “One of the biggest issues we’ve been in- volved in [recently] is the optometrist fight last year. That is still ongoing,” Smith said, referring to Act 579, which says that optometrists can perform eye surgery with minimal training. “We 250 • The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society believe surgery should only be done by those who have gone to medical school and then have had residency training. Scope of practice issues like this one come down to protecting the public by insisting on the highest quality of training possible. Other recent scope of prac- tice issues have included APRNs and CRNAs, both seeking independent practice. “These issues will come back in 2021, so we have to gather as many physicians together as we can in order to fight for the highest level of training in protecting the patients of Arkansas.” AMS also regularly advocates at the Capitol in Washington, DC, the Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas State Medical Board, the Arkansas Insurance Department, and the Arkansas Department of Labor. According to Smith, joining the AMS non-partisan political action committee, ArkMed-PAC, is the easiest and quickest way to help AMS advocacy efforts. ArkMed-PAC helps support candidates who are medicine-friendly. (Go to the AMS website and look under “Advocacy” or go directly to https:// www.arkmed.org/advocacy/arkmed-pac/. Be- cause of federal rules, ArkMed-PAC membership is available to AMS members only, so the link to join is password protected. Contact AMS at [email protected] for the password.) A service provided by AMS that has been a great inspiration to those physicians who have taken part in it is called Doctor of the Day Pro- gram. Organized by AMS Legislative Support Specialist Laura Hawkins, the Shuffield Infirma- ry is open to everyone during an active session at the Capitol. Hawkins schedules the doctors, works with the Department of Health, contacts the Senate and the House, and is physically there each day to introduce physicians to their legislators and act as a liaison. “Doctors at the Capitol may feel a little out of their element at first, but they quickly feel at home there,” said Hawkins. “The program is a great service for the legislators, but it also gives Arkansas doc- tors a chance to be a part of the process and to have their voices heard.” Physicians who have participated in it call the program “meaningful” and “appreciated.” One physician said, “It was good recognition for physicians, and I feel proud to be involved at that level… the appreciation for it, and the respect that they offered us.” Another added, “Just being at the state capitol and being in- volved and listening in the public health com- mittee hearings, and to know that I could ac- tually make a difference by my presence, was phenomenal.” Help with the Practical Side of Medicine If you’re a member, you can call AMS with questions about private insurance, Medicare/ Medicaid, staffing issues, medical records, HI- PAA violations, cybersecurity, human resourc- es, coding, and more. In all points of managing your practice – or if you need help managing as an employed physician – AMS Director of Practice Management Billie Jean Davenport, BRST, is available to help. Davenport helps physicians with the practical side of medicine, from starting a practice to retirement, and all points in between. “We also stand up for phy- sicians in payer issues,” said Davenport. “In January, we were made aware of an issue with Arkansas Health and Wellness about the STAT lab policy, which would limit in-office laborato- ry procedures. Physicians and office manager contacted us, and we were able to talk with the company and get them to rescind their policy.” AMS Physician Outreach Specialist Tere- asa Holmes, CMPE, is also available to help. Recently, the Society became aware of a phy- sician who had an issue with his Medicaid li- cense. “The physician was able to get his Med- icaid license back on in a minimal amount of time,” said Holmes. “Ultimately, we worked to get the patients the medicine they need, and the doctor and his staff were so appreciative.” The group has sometimes acted as a voice to the opposition for physicians. Davenport gave an example. “We wrote Walmart and urged them to reconsider their policy on re- quiring electronic prescriptions for controlled substances,” she said. “They had this policy to help combat the opioid epidemic, but what it did was put a burden on rural physicians and patients who don’t have the IT infrastructure to comply with the policy. We’re definitely sup- portive of e-prescribing, but we have to make sure that physicians are supported in meeting the state mandates.” In addition to practice management issues of all types, Hawkins, Davenport, and AMS Di- rector of Administrative Services Kay Waldo www.ArkMed.org