Our Mission And History

Mission:

The Medical Society of the District of Columbia:

• dedicates its effort to the well being of physicians in metropolitan Washington and their patients;
• advocates on behalf of our member physicians of diverse cultural and ethic backgrounds;
• promotes high standards of character and professionalism;
• ensures that physicians are and are recognized as the primary professionals who define and guarantee high quality, appropriate, and cost effective medical care.
• aggressively defends the highest principle of all: the integrity of the physician-patient relationship.

History:

The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC) is part of the federation of state, county and specialty medical societies that constitute the American Medical Association. MSDC has approximately 1,500 physician members, mostly from the District of Columbia and surrounding counties.

Founded in 1817 and chartered by an Act of Congress in 1819, the Medical Society has been a major player involved in the health of Washington DC’s residents:

• in the early 1900s, the Medical Society was active in the improvement of the District’s water supply and the control of contagious diseases;
• in the 1960s the Medical Society worked to eliminate polio and to improve standards for the licensing of nursing homes;
• in the 1990s the Medical Society worked in support of anti-smoking legislation and bills aimed at providing health care to the District’s uninsured, spearheaded a major city-wide campaign to vaccinate infants and children, and created an AIDS Task Force,

Now, MSDC continues to advocate for physicians and patients by:

• leading legislative efforts to protect physicians and patients from some of the onerous practices of managed care organizations;
• pursuing legislation for tort reform and collective bargaining;
• helping physicians make informed practice management decisions and contracts.

MSDC maintains high standards of medicine through peer review activities focusing on ethics and physician health. MSDC publishes a monthly newsletter MSDC Newsline, which features timely news about the Society and the local medical marketplace.