Hang Together
Mike Abrams, Executive Vice President of the Iowa Medical Society
The best way to tear down a barn is to cut an eighteen-inch square hole in the roof, then stand back and let nature take its course. So sayeth some sage.
The analogy to medicine is irresistible. Sometimes it feels like someone who means us harm has cut an eighteen-inch hole in our profession's roof. Now they're standing back and watching deterioration from within.
During this health care debate, it is tempting to pit big against small, or primary care against -ologists, or urban against rural. But my sense is that there is a great deal more unity in the profession than exploiters of our differences would admit to.
There was some news last week when three past presidents of the AMA held a news conference about some differences of opinion on some very key aspects of health reform. But from my chair, I hear a lot from physicians who generally support the AMA's approach. Yes, the bill is not perfect. But if we're playing to win the marathon, as opposed to the sprint, their strategy makes perfect sense.
And IMS has participated in some of the "rural versus urban" war games. In fact, we have pressured our Congressional delegation to use this moment to decrease the degree of disparity in Medicare reimbursement across the nation. To do that is to mitigate much of the utilization variation and much of what policymakers claim to dislike about our current system.
So hang in there. Please review IMS and AMA work on health reform by launching our website often and reviewing current information.