INSIDE WVSMA
Message from the President
Reflections on the WVSMA Annual Meeting
Suzanne Gharib , MD
For this issue , I ’ d like to share my impressions of our second annual joint summit with the West Virginia State Medical Association and West Virginia Hospital Association . Overall , this was a very successful event . We kicked off the meeting with the boards of both organizations sitting down together and discussing our positions on various issues and ways we can work together going forward . I had several takeaways from that encounter . The first was that both hospitals and physicians recognize there are some complex issues that face the state of West Virginia regarding healthcare . While ideas on how best to address this vary , caring for the residents of West Virginia is a priority for all . Additionally , the overall feeling was that both groups are willing to work together for the common goal of improving the health of the state .
Another highlight of the meeting was a robust lecture about the future of artificial intelligence ( AI ) in medicine . As we get busier with immense amounts of paperwork that has become such a major strain on our time and resources , AI appears to be a viable solution to help reduce the workload . The most promising part to me was the concept of natural language processing . To my understanding , in this application , AI is used to interpret natural language into data points and dictation . Essentially , it ’ s a perfect scribe that can listen to a conversation and generate a note detailing the pertinent information . This can be used throughout a clinic , including during intake , obtaining vitals , and so forth . In theory , I can see where this would markedly decrease the time spent charting . Unanswered questions for me remain , however , which include the pitfalls , which are always present , and the cost , specifically , who will cover the cost .
Also during the summit , we were fortunate to have representation from our three medical schools , including two of our deans and Linda Nield , MD , who filled in for Clay Marsh , MD , on our dean ’ s luncheon panel . I was incredibly impressed with the depth of their understanding of the changing landscape of medicine , including the financial cost of medical school education and the nuances of changing technology and how it applies to medicine . They all shared novel and interesting insights on solutions to these various issues . With a nephew and a niece going into the medical profession , it was reassuring to me to hear the forward-thinking approach that they all mentioned .
Arguably the most fascinating presentation of the entire meeting was the presentation of Redonda Vaught . She is the nurse who was working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center when she made a medical error that resulted in a patient death . As a result of that , she was accused and found guilty of a felony . Her presentation , delivered in a soft voice and with no embellishment , held the entire audience spellbound . In a room full of physicians , nurses , lawyers , hospital administrators , and various business representatives , you could have heard a pin drop . The emotions in that room just hearing her presentation ranged from sympathy for her situation to anger at the way this was handled at every level . Her bravery in sharing her story was truly astounding . However , my takeaway from the presentation was not about emotion but about the need for a call to action . Tort reform needs to be , and remain , a priority for medical professionals as well as the need for other protections for medical personnel in the event of errors . Sadly , I think this will become a bigger concern as personnel shortages continue to be a looming reality and patient complexity continues to increase .
Finally , for the wrap-up of the summit , we had an update from Matthew Christiansen , MD , MPH , regarding the Department of Health Services ’ vision going forward for the state of West Virginia . We also heard from legislators in both the House and Senate in our legislative panel in regard to the direction they see the state going , specifically our capacity for growth and how integral the healthcare of the state is to that process . Again , this presentation reassured me of the importance of physicians being involved in every step of the process . Advocacy efforts must remain a priority , and making our thoughts known to our legislators when it comes to medical policy is vitally important .
Overall , it was a wonderful meeting that provided some fascinating new ideas and perspectives .
Best regards ,
Suzanne Gharib , MD
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