A Letter from the President:
Making DC a More Attractive Place to Practice Medicine

by Christopher Spevak, MD, MPH, JD, 142nd MSDC President

Thank you sincerely for the opportunity to serve as the 2007 President of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia, which has been serving the needs of DC physicians for 190 years. It is an honor and a responsibility I take very seriously.

Your Medical Society has been very active this past year and the fruits of our labor became apparent in a big way last month.

First and foremost, history was made with regard to medical liability reform in the District. After 26 years without tort reform in DC, we now have legislation that creates an important first step toward meaningful reform. But, our work must continue in 2007. Coalition building, grassroots work by physicians and patients, and strong communication outreach to all stakeholders must be key components of our ongoing advocacy efforts on this issue. Over the next two years, MSDC will study the effects of this bill on malpractice insurance rates and compare them to benchmarks set by model plans in California and Texas. Be sure to read Dr. Peter Lavine’s article, “Medical Liability Reform Bill Passes – Now What?,” in this edition of Newsline for a recap of our three-year journey on this issue and an update on our next steps.

In addition, late last month Medicare payment cuts were averted for 2007. Your Medical Society worked closely with the AMA, as well as state and specialty medical societies, to make sure Congress took appropriate action. According to the AMA, without Congressional intervention, 44% of DC physicians would have faced Medicare pay cuts of six to 15% in 2007. This year, we will continue to advocate for a permanent solution to the problem. The Medicare physician payment system must be reformed.

Your Medical Society is also placing pay-for-performance initiatives under the microscope. Many insurers, including Medicare, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, and—most recently—UnitedHealthcare, have announced, launched or are sustaining programs aimed at rewarding physicians for care that meets or exceeds certain benchmarks. Will they truly result in better health care for our patients? We will find out by scrutinizing the methodology employed in these programs and speaking out on behalf of DC physicians. This is a very controversial issue and your Medical Society will be thorough in its analysis.

We also need to make sure that DC physicians receive monies from insurance settlements that are owed to them. MSDC is working closely with the Physicians Advocacy Institute, which was formed with settlement funds from the Prudential MDL class action lawsuit, to make sure health insurers comply with settlement terms.

And, we continue to launch new member benefit programs. With our latest venture, we are embracing new technology and making it work for you. This month, we will launch the first-ever online MSDC Career Center. This will be a robust, online tool that will allow DC physicians to review and apply for employment opportunities in the District and for companies to actively recruit DC physicians for jobs they need to fill. Be sure to visit www.msdc.org frequently for updates on this new member benefit.

Among my goals for 2007 is to make sure our legislative advocacy is more focused, visible and effective than ever before. The DC physician community and its Medical Society are uniquely positioned to make important contributions to a host of emerging issues that will impact the practice of medicine and the patients we serve. We will continue to represent the views of DC physicians on "hot-button" issues, such as scope of practice, the spending of tobacco fund monies and the City’s overall health plan for its residents.

We are off and running in 2007. Our overriding goal this year is to make the District of Columbia a more attractive place to practice medicine. This is a goal we take very seriously and it will be an intricate part of all advocacy work we perform on your behalf.