ACCP’s commitment to providing exceptional global education for our international members remains very strong. And we plan to strategically expand this important commitment. Excitement continues to grow around CHEST World Congress 2014 to be held in Madrid, March 21-24. If you haven’t registered yet, do so soon. You won’t be disappointed. Drs. Richard Irwin and Joan Soriano, our co-chairs, and their program committee, have put together an exceptional program in collaboration with our sister society, SEPAR, the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery.
Health-care reform
What’s glaringly missing from this focus list? I purposely left to last the area creating the greatest anxiety for health-care providers today – health-care reform. Notice, I didn’t say "doctors," but instead "health-care providers." We cannot, and must not, forget that the entire medical team is impacted by these changes. Most importantly, our patients and their families are impacted. And, this is not an issue isolated to the United States. Globally, health-care systems, – including regulators, payers, and governments – want excellent, quality patient care for less cost, or, at least for no increased cost. But, through all of these health care reform efforts, we must keep in mind that we can’t lose the patient’s voice.
My dad is 92 and my mom is 89. Both are patients in this evolving, complex, health-care system. I have heard from my parents, and my patients, the same concerns: With these many health-care changes has come the loss of patient-focus. Compassion and caring seems, from the all-important patient’s perspective, to have been lost in the relentless drive to generate yet another RVU.
The health-care team must continue to provide the best patient-focused care possible in the face of this storm of health-care reform. This storm will not end anytime soon. But, the good news is, the ACCP team is here to help our nearly 19,000 members, and their teams, successfully navigate this storm. Let us be your trusted partner and provide the best focused educational opportunities, not only for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine clinical content, but also education about these many health-care system changes. Our new CHEST Regulations and Reimbursement Committee will be focusing on crafting the best education possible to guide our members through these often confusing health-care waters. This all-encompassing education will enable all the members of the health-care team provide the best patient care possible.
I will be relying on all of you, our members, along with Paul A. Markowski, our Executive Vice President and CEO, Curt Sessler, FCCP, our President-Elect, Dr. Barbara A. Phillips, FCCP, our President-Designate, and all of our great ACCP staff to be sure we, as an ACCP TEAM, make the upcoming year the best it can be! I look forward to hearing from you about any questions you may have about these plans.
Thank you again for this opportunity to serve you, the ACCP, and our patients.