As January comes to a close, I’m reflecting on our strong start to the new year. We began 2015 with two advocacy conferences—the State Legislative Strategy Conference in January, and the upcoming National Advocacy Conference in February—bringing together the top minds to work for physicians’ interests.
It is so important for physicians to be active in advocacy efforts. There are seismic changes sweeping through medicine, from electronic health records to regulatory programs and increased consumer engagement to debilitating chronic diseases. These are major opportunities. No one understands these challenges more than those of us on the front lines. As physicians, we are one of the most important voices at the table.
So now we must maximize this opportunity to shape and lead health care transformation and reform. At the State Legislative Strategy Conference, the AMA’s Advocacy Resource Center brought state and specialty societies together to discuss state-level issues that affect physicians and their practices. We learned how physicians can influence these issues and policies to create change at the local level. From telemedicine to big data to Medicaid reform, look for more on these issues from the State Legislative Strategy Conference in coming weeks at AMA Wire®.
Next, we’re turning to federal issues with our National Advocacy Conference, Feb. 23-25 in Washington, D.C. Attendees will hear from political insiders, industry experts and members of Congress about current efforts in Medicare physician payment reform and regulatory relief. We’ll also have time to march up to Capitol Hill and speak to our legislators face-to-face, which is sure to impact the future.
The year ahead promises many changes and challenges for the medical profession. It’s the perfect time to lead, collaborate and chart a path forward to establish a better environment for patients and physicians. Leveraging the unified voice of medicine, we are positioning ourselves as leaders—if we don’t speak up, someone else will. Together, with a focused set of objectives and a unified voice, we are stronger.
