From the outset, it was not “business as usual” at the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s (PAMED) annual House of Delegates held Oct. 23 and 24, 2010, in Hershey.
The PAMED Board made it clear to the more than 225 physician delegates that they were seeking a major change in direction for the organization to help physicians deal with rapidly accelerating changes in health care delivery.
“If you can increase your value, you can increase your ability to weather the storm,” Board Chair John J. Pagan explained to the delegates about the Board’s motivation.
That new direction is defined in a strategic goal, aligned with the PAMED 2013 VISION plan, outlined in a “blueprint” document titled, “Get in the Game: Why Physicians Must Engage in this Era of Change.” The delegates debated the blueprint during a special reference committee on Saturday, Oct. 23.
The blueprint advocates that the PAMED “must position physicians to lead and shape health care delivery to assure that the evolving system provides quality and value.”
While enthusiastically embracing the blueprint, the delegates recommended some refinements. They asked for a comprehensive communication plan to get the message to all members, and to all Pennsylvania physicians. To communicate effectively, they asked that PAMED seek a consensus on the definitions of key terms, including “engagement,” “leadership,” “value,” and “quality.”
Newly inaugurated PAMED President Ralph Schmeltz, MD, recommended two refinements: that PAMED define the new skill sets that physicians will need as the practice of medicine evolves, and collaborate with other health care stakeholders in an open, agile, fashion.
A key message of the blueprint focuses on supporting physicians in all settings. The delegates agreed that no single clinical integration and or collaboration model is inherently better able to deliver quality and value than any other, and that a variety of such models should have the opportunity to thrive.
This includes group practices, contractual partnerships linking physicians and other health care providers, physician organizations, physician-hospital joint ventures, and physician employment by health systems.
The Medical Students Section was particularly supportive of the new direction, and added a sixth principle to the blueprint, that “Physician engagement in the future is dependent on student engagement now.” The MSS recommended that PAMED invest in mentorship, leadership development, and educational opportunities for students as an essential element of the plan.
The delegates agreed that PAMED should direct resources toward physician education on utilizing using data and on understanding the political process.
The next steps in the implementation plan for the blueprint will include continued call for feedback from members, and regional meetings to gather input and spark collaborations.