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In this Issue:
- ACP Indiana Calls on the IN Medical Licensing Board to Reconsider Decision to Reprimand Dr. Caitlin Bernard
- ACP Indiana Call for Abstracts OPEN!
- BOR Action on Spring 2023 BOG Resolutions
Bradley M. Sutter, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Dear ACP Indiana Friends and Colleagues:
Many of us were able to attend and enjoy Internal Medicine Meeting 2023 in San Diego, where we updated our knowledge across the broad field of Internal Medicine and related subspecialties while also spending time relaxing and catching up with friends and professional colleagues. I was once again delighted to lead a contingent of new ACP Indiana Chapter Fellows (Congratulations to Drs. Adrian Singson, Crystal Jones, Katherine Palmisano, Lillian Burke, and Olivia Nirmalasari) during The College's official procession at the start of the annual Convocation Ceremony welcoming and celebrating new Fellows, Masters, and other awardees. We also enjoyed an evening of fun, food, and fellowship at our Friday evening Chapter Reception, where old acquaintances were renewed, and new friendships formed. Truly, a good and meaningful time was had by all; I want to encourage everyone to begin planning for Boston in late April of 2024, the site of ACP's next comprehensive Internal Medicine Meeting. At the preceding Board of Governors Meeting, we were reminded by ACP CEO Darilyn Moyer, MD, MACP that physicians “come for the science, and stay for the people” when attending ACP's annual Internal Medicine Meetings.
It was likewise a joy to meet with my Board of Governor's (BOG) Class of 2024 to vote on the resolutions many of you commented on for consideration at the Spring BOG meeting held just prior to the 2023 IMM in San Diego. Excellent and thoughtful discussions centered around many topics relevant to the practice of Internal Medicine today, including climate change and its impact on our patients, hospitals, and practices; altering the ACP Pledge to include physician wellness; eliminating restrictive physician covenants; extending Medicare coverage for patients enrolled in hospice; continued firearm safety efforts “Red Flag” legislation; improving access to COVID vaccines; and several other important issues. I want to thank all our Indiana Chapter members who provided thoughtful feedback related to the above resolutions and I encourage all of you to stay informed and involved at the local, state, and Federal levels regarding physician and patient advocacy. Read more on the BOR Actions on the Spring 2023 Resolutions here.
Speaking of which: Leadership Day was held May 23rd and 24th, 2023 in Washington, D.C., and I have once again asked Dr. Katherine Palmisano, the Chair of our chapter's Health and Public Policy Committee, to share her thoughts about this year's advocacy efforts with our Indiana House and Senate legislators:
“This May, I had the immense pleasure and opportunity to return to Washington DC to attend the 2023 ACP Leadership Day! I was joined by my colleagues Drs Brad Allen and Suki Singh who were with me last year as well two resident physicians, Drs Monte Sanchez and Erica Swanson. This is my second year attending after fully catching the Advocacy “bug” and hopefully far from my last. Again, this year, the ACP set up an incredible day of prep for us before our time on Capitol Hill, letting us hear from experts in their fields about advocacy, health policy, and the current state of affairs. We focused our advocacy efforts this year on bills that act to improve patients' access to care and strengthen our primary care workforce.
We spent our entire Wednesday on Capitol Hill meeting with our Indiana Senators, Representatives, and their staff, and were able to have productive and meaningful discussions. As the pandemic has improved, we were able to have all our meetings in person and were able to meet our new Congress members. Despite the busy and hectic work ongoing with debt ceiling talks, many members emphasized their focus this Congress on health policy including Congressman Dr Bucshon of the 8th district who is co-sponsoring two of the House bills we advocated for this year (HR2630, the Safe Step Act and HR2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act). He met with us between votes while grabbing another cup of chai tea. After our meetings, I walked back to our hotel and capped off about 7.5mi of walking for the day (I strongly recommend comfy walking shoes & compression socks!).
I again left the Hill feeling invigorated and motivated to continue my advocacy work. The ACP has given me the tools to hone my work in advocacy and the support to continue to do so. Often it feels as though change happens at such a high level that we are not in control. Advocacy is one way that I have found to make a difference and work on moving the needle and pushing for the change we know needs to come. ACP Leadership Day remains a hugely impactful and positive experience for me, and I am incredibly grateful to the ACP, both at our Indiana state level and at a national level, for all they do to continue their advocacy work and support of us physicians. I strongly encourage you to join me in DC next year (Save the Date: May 14-15, 2024)! Stay tuned for more to come as we continue working on increasing our advocacy efforts.”
Here are some places to start your own Advocacy journey:
- View ACP's Advocacy Priorities Here
- Engage with lawmakers through the ACP Action Center (they make it easy to contact our Congress people)
- Support the ACP PAC
-Katherine Palmisano, MD, FACP, FAPWH (she/her)
Working backward on our busy chapter activity calendar, I also want to highlight our first-ever Chapter Council “Meet and Greet” event held in Downtown Fort Wayne on March 10th. It was a delightful evening, with delicious food and drink complementing conversations with house staff, faculty, and local physicians from the Fort Wayne area. We had a brief and informative “ACP Update” in which yours truly listed the many benefits of ACP membership for current and prospective ACP colleagues. I asked Dr. Scott Yen, Parkview Health Internal Medicine Residency Program Director, and ACP Indiana Chapter Council Member, to share his impressions of the evening, as follows:
“In March, members of the ACP Indiana Chapter leadership traveled to Northeast Indiana to my hometown of Fort Wayne for an in-person meet and greet with local area physicians. I was honored that Fort Wayne was chosen as the first of what will be regular trips by ACP leadership to different cities to meet personally with our chapter members. It was wonderful to see the leadership group making this concerted effort to travel outside of Indianapolis to share with its members the many benefits of the ACP.
The ACP meet and greet occurred at one of the local Fort Wayne haunts, Hoppy Gnome. Special thanks to Dr. Jeffrey Payumo, a Fort Wayne physician also on the ACP Indiana council, who picked the spot. It was a wonderful blend of casual and fun yet informative, with great food and drink, and set up nicely so everyone could walk around and mingle. The attendees included retired physicians, active physicians, and residents from the new Parkview IM residency program. The in-person engagement of ACP Indiana leadership was invaluable, with many of the residents and physicians, after learning of our chapter activities, enthusiastic about volunteering (“after my intern year is over” noted one of the residents) for advocacy efforts, and for educational activities. I envision these physicians being the voices and leaders of the ACP in the future, not just locally but nationally. The fact that the past (2), present, and future ACP Indiana Governors came to Fort Wayne is reflective of the camaraderie that develops when you engage in an organization, and also how important it is to get all Indiana physicians involved. I was so impressed with everyone's positive vibe at the occasion (though I suppose it could have been the food and drink…). I can't wait to continue to be a part of the traveling road show to the various parts of Indiana and continue to bring that positive vibe, that enthusiasm, and camaraderie to grow and engage our members in the ACP Indiana Chapter.”
–Scott Yen, MD, FACP
All in all, it was a very worthwhile, enjoyable event and we have already begun making plans for our next such effort to be held in Evansville, IN on Friday, September 8th, 2023. Our Chapter Council members look forward to the opportunity to meet, greet, and enjoy food, drink, and fellowship with our medical student, resident, and practicing physician colleagues from Evansville, Vincennes, and the Southwestern Indiana area.
Many thanks to Areeba Kara, MD, MS, FACP, SFHM, and Dee Moonesinghe, MD, FACP, Governor-Elect for our Indiana Chapter, and our Program Committee for their combined efforts to identify and arrange an outstanding agenda and expert speakers for our own upcoming annual Indiana Chapter Meeting, to be held November 2nd and 3rd, 2023 at the Renaissance Hotel in Carmel. Please be on the lookout for registration and save-the-date information in the coming weeks. Once again, this meeting will be held in a hybrid, virtual and in-person format to allow for maximum participation and engagement of our diverse membership.
Speaking of Education, and in closing this information-packed newsletter, permit me to reiterate and boast about one of the true pillars of the ACP: it's commitment to outstanding medical student, resident, and physician education. One only need check your daily email inbox to find a multitude of relevant releases and links to myriad relevant, topical, and/or required educational offerings for our membership, including the following: DEA-Required Opioid Prescribing Education; Personal Financial Preparedness and Well-Being; DynaMedex Clinical Decision Support Tool information; Salary Data & Contract Review Tips; not to mention MKSAP 19th Edition, POCUS training, and many, many others—including the GIM and Hospital Medicine SEP modules sponsored by our own Indiana Chapter back in late December of 2022 and early January of 2023, respectively. Please consider the immense return on investment of these valuable free and/or discounted educational offerings to members as another reason to renew your dues and update your ACP membership—you will be glad you did!
Have a wonderful start to the Summer 2023 season. I wish each of you safe travels, happy times with family and friends, and the opportunity to create lasting memories with loved ones.
Sincerely,
Brad Sutter, MD, FACP
Governor, Indiana Chapter
ACP Indiana Calls on the IN Medical Licensing Board to Reconsider Decision to Reprimand Dr. Caitlin Bernard
The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the local Indiana ACP chapter have sent a letter to the Indiana Medical Licensing Board in support of Dr. Caitlin Bernard. You can find the letter online on ACP's website HERE.
Please see the following ACP policies on Reproductive Health Policy in the United States and Principles on the Role of Government in Regulating the Patient-Physician Relationship as well as the Ethics Manual.
ACP Indiana Call for Abstracts OPEN!
Abstracts are due August 20th, 2023!
Call for Abstract Link HERE
BOR Action on Spring 2023 BOG Resolutions
A summary of Board of Regents (BOR) actions on resolutions debated at the Spring 2023 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is now available. Resolutions initiated by ACP members and endorsed by a chapter council and the BOG become ACP policy when adopted by the BOR.
If you have an idea you would like to suggest to ACP, consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or local ACP chapter. Visit your ACP chapter website for more information on how to contact your Governor or chapter staff about proposing a resolution.