Dear Colleagues,

ACP embarked on a campaign this year to promote the excellence of our members and showcase internal medicine as a dynamic profession, vital to the future of healthcare.

As part of the campaign, we implemented a branding strategy; designed a new logo using a modern treatment of the lamp of knowledge to reflect the organization’s historic and contemporary role in the field of scientific inquiry; and we adopted the new tagline, “Leading Internal Medicine, Improving Lives.”

More than a slogan, “Leading Internal Medicine, Improving Lives” is a message that speaks to the core of who we are, what we value, and what we do best as a diverse community of professionals united by a commitment to excellence.

You, ACP members, are the leaders responsible for advancing internal medicine through the work you do every day. The contributions you make to medicine and the compassionate, high-quality patient care you provide are the driving force behind our products and services in the areas of medical education, evidence-based clinical standards, practice transformation, and health care policy.

From vision to reality

In this digital age, where physicians are teaching and practicing alongside Dr. Google, symptom checkers, and diagnosis forums, it might seem as if the profession of medicine is being streamed, tweeted, and blogged right out from under us. The reality, however, is that information and technology are the lifeblood of all professions, and ACP is committed to harnessing that power to help you stay on the cutting edge of medicine’s changing landscape.

But while ACP has successfully immersed itself in new technology—creating electronic platforms for nearly all of our products and services and embracing social media and other online forums—we also recognize that mobile devices and information, by themselves, are no substitute for clinical skills, leadership, and collaboration.

Evidence-based research, the oversight of medical educators, the direction of physician-leaders, and the engagement of other healthcare stakeholders are essential to achieve not only the Triple Aim (improved patient care, better health for the population, and lower per capita healthcare costs), but also the ACP aims to advance the profession of internal medicine, increase the professional satisfaction of our members, and improve quality along the entire spectrum of clinical care.

As leaders of internal medicine, we can turn such visions into reality. The cost and complexity of the nation’s healthcare system may have exceeded its capacity to sustain itself, but it has not exceeded our capacity to care.

Encouraged by change

As you review the contents of this year’s annual report, I hope you will agree that the products we are creating and the activities we are pursuing are making a difference. We recognize the concerns that many of our members have expressed about the Maintenance of Certification program from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and we are actively addressing these concerns with ABIM’s leadership.

As we face such challenges as reducing administrative burdens and eliminating obstacles to optimal care, we are encouraged by implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the shift toward patient-centered care, and the recognition of the importance of High Value Care. Health care is evolving, and so are we.

I encourage you to visit ACP’s website, engage in discussions through participation at state chapter meetings, and join the conversations on our social media network. Your voice, your skills, and your experience are critical in empowering ACP and its dedicated staff, assuring that we continue to lead internal medicine and improve lives.

I welcome your feedback and thank you for your continued support. Please join us in Boston at Internal Medicine 2015 and help us celebrate ACP’s 100-year anniversary.