President’s letter: Boards sets aggressive 2013 agenda

Friday, March 01, 2013 12:05 PM

Jan Kief, President
Colorado Medical Society

It’s hard to believe that we’re already well into a new year and nearly halfway through my tenure as your CMS president. I’m continually impressed with our volunteer leaders and CMS staff who work to ensure we move our strategic initiatives forward for the benefit of Colorado physicians.

Your CMS Board of Directors met on Jan. 18 to discuss current issues, take action and set the course for the year. I can assure you that after robust discussions among a diverse representation of members from various practice settings and specialties, we are poised to make great gains in 2013.

Perhaps the most complex issue we discussed at the board meeting was Medicaid expansion. Last September the House of Delegates approved a multistep process for arriving at a decision on Medicaid expansion that included the development of a policy document vetted by the Council on Legislation, the Committee on Practice Evolution, and the board; a member survey; and many meetings with component societies and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. During the meeting we heard from Sue Birch, a member of Gov. Hickenlooper’s cabinet, on the state’s efforts to enhance value in the program and contain costs.

We feel that the expansion is an historic opportunity to close the coverage gap and to further reform the Medicaid system, but we also feel that it must take place under strong physician leadership and concurrently with systemic reforms. We have a seat at the table and will use it to usher in a system that better serves the patients of Colorado.

Prominent media issues demand our attention. We’re at the center of the prescription drug abuse debate as our members strive to mitigate pain while also managing risk and educating patients on the dangers of misusing these powerful medications. The CMS Workers Compensation and Personal Injury Committee and 12 special advisors are working to draft a policy on prescription drug abuse and WCPIC members have committed to assist the governor’s staff with its efforts to craft a statewide strategy to address this epidemic.

Another high-profile topic is firearm safety. Physicians have a role in identifying and treating patients at risk for violence, but we must do this with an integrated mental health network. The board approved the Council on Legislation’s decision to support Gov. Hickenlooper’s proposal to strengthen Colorado’s mental health system in response to violent crime and also suggested the addition of more mental health workers and patient beds, more emergency mental health workers, more mental health workers that are available to treat dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health illness, and more emphasis on pediatric mental health care.

These focus areas and more will be brought before the Colorado General Assembly this session, presenting a powerful opportunity for CMS to provide resources and expert testimony on the practice of medicine, while building on relationships fostered with our elected officials over the past decade.

Through this busy year we will continue to advocate for improving the practice environment through payment reform, administrative simplification and liability reform. We are actively developing collaborations with other health care organizations to advance initiatives targeting patient safety, quality and efficiency. And we are actively working to guard against those who threaten to disrupt the patient-physician relationship.

I encourage you to stay up to date on these issues and participate in the discussion. All members should consider attending our Spring Conference, which will present a comprehensive program on practice transformation and will be strengthened with broad member involvement. CMS has the momentum to make this a banner year for Colorado physicians. Let’s keep it going.