Thank you all for joining us today for our virtual Presidential Inauguration. First, I would like to recognize George Hruza, MD, MSMA’s president during this extraordinary year.
On behalf of the MSMA, I wish to extend our sincere thanks and recognition of the service you have provided in your presidency. Your leadership has helped the MSMA to flourish despite a pandemic unprecedented in our lifetime. During your tenure, we have honed our ability to meet and work electronically and still provide an opportunity for everyone’s input.
Truly remarkable changes have been adopted so efficiently during your presidency. You have been a strong voice for our patients. We have all appreciated your compelling examples of the patient care harms caused by prior authorization and unnecessary insurer requirements. I think your business acumen and analytical thinking applied to the practice of medicine has been particularly appreciated by the Council and executive committee.
The reason for the past presidents committee is to ensure that we do not lose the value of counsel such as yours. We all look forward to your continued work to help shape the future of MSMA. Thank you, Dr. Hruza
I wish to first thank the good Lord who blessed Barbara and I with five children and 15 grandchildren. Attending this morning are daughters Laura, Jennifer, Rachel, Sarah, and my son Alex. Also with us are my sisters Candace and Susan with her husband Pastor Will Howard who gave the invocation.
Also with me is this year’s incoming MSMA Alliance president Barbara who also happens to be my college sweetheart of 50 years. We thought that it would be a good synergy for both presidents to travel together across the state to promote MSMA and Alliance programs. Hopefully, we will soon be able to again mix in groups, but, if not, we can still travel electronically. So please just send us an invitation and we will be happy to attend an opportunity to promote MSMA and the Alliance.
Traditionally, you thank folks at the close of your term. But I think it is important to start my year by paying respect to the legacy of MSMA work and those who helped me learn to be an active contributor to MSMA.
One of many lessons I have taken from Messiah Lutheran Pastor Cummings is the value to expressing gratitude. Each week, Pastor Cummings gives thanks to everyone for their service to the church including those of us who are just sitting in the pews on Sunday. It reminds me that the success of MSMA is not just its leaders, but also very much the work of those who are “sitting in the pews”. These are MSMA members who pay dues, work locally on behalf of their community, and help with our advocacy to make MSMA successful. So, I start this year with a heartfelt thanks to everyone sitting in the pews.
I also want to acknowledge the friendship and help extended by our Executive Vice President Jeff Howell along with his professional and indefatigable staff. I especially appreciate that we will have another full year of the experience from Dr. George Hruza who has been such an able President this past year. I cannot say enough for the friendship and sage counsel from former MSMA presidents, particularly that of Dr. Norm Knowlton and Dr. Jim Wolfe who have helped me along the way from district councilor to President. The past presidents, council members, and staff each year help to shape MSMA’s success. We are especially fortunate to have Dr. David Barbe whose leadership as AMA president and now president of the World Medical Association has been such a strong example for MSMA and personally for me.
I would like you to know why Dr. Jim Blaine, is our First Vice President for 2021. He is a physician who exemplifies community commitment and zeal for public health advocacy. I often speak of the Greene County Medical Society as an example of our purpose as organized medicine. Over three decades, in a collaborative partnership with public health, city, and county government officials, GCMS has fostered or supported important public health initiatives such as the Clean Air initiative, Tobacco 21, yearly influenza vaccination for those with limited healthcare access, and now COVID-19 vaccination.
As I have been a part of the MSMA Council, I have observed many similar examples of community commitment from our members and component societies across the state. An excellent example is that our state has had a functional PDMP, thanks to the St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society. Along with other community activities, Buchanan County Medical Society supports a drug rehabilitation facility, the Noyes Home for homeless children and Patee Hall, a public health facility for the uninsured. Kansas City Medical Society has promoted an extensive public campaign to support Medicaid expansion and vaccination for Covid control. I wish I had time to keep going around the state for countless other examples. Local society work is vital for communities, but even more so is the work that MSMA accomplishes by representing us at the state level dealing with public health legislation and regulation.
Someone who is not familiar with MSMA might think we are a professional organization focused only on hiring political lobbyists to promote physician specific issues. Who we are, however, is defined by our actions and our purpose. Rather than just lobbying, I believe, that as a whole, MSMA actions constitute advocacy in the best sense of the word.
I do think who we are exemplifies our mission statement, to whit; The mission of the MSMA is to serve its members through promotion of the science and art of medicine, protection of the health of the public and betterment of the medical profession in Missouri. Promotion of the science and art of medicine is evident in many ways.
Outgoing MSMA President George Hruza, MD, (left), inaugurates incoming MSMA President Alexander Hover, MD, (right), during the Association’s virtual Annual Convention.
Our journal, Missouri Medicine, is one of the very few peer-reviewed, indexed, and archived medical society sponsored journals in the United States. We are all proud that the journal highlights research and educational articles from Missouri physicians, and, as well, Missouri educational institutions and their students and residents.
Every year, MSMA members participate faithfully in providing scholarships for medical students, and teaching opportunities to mentor the next generation of Missouri physicians.
Protection of public health is certainly at the core of who we are and what we do as MSMA. Whether it is our work to reduce tobacco related disease, helping pandemic control, or advocating for safety requirements for children in automobiles, MSMA is a strong advocate for public health. MSMA has advocated for healthcare access for all Missourians and will continue to do so by supporting expansion of Medicaid eligibility.
Advocating for excellence in the practice of medicine is more than just supporting the next generation of physicians. Physicians’ daily work involves ever increasing amounts of time consuming and expensive administrative burden. That serves health payers …. but not the needs of patients. MSMA is committed to fighting unnecessary regulatory and health payer requirements that continually reduce the time physicians have for patients.
Our fight to mitigate the patient care harm of required step therapy, prior authorization, revolving formularies, and surprise billing are among just a few of the battles we fight as part of organized medicine. So, follow our advocacy and legislative reports, use the stories to recruit other physicians who do not yet understand this important work, and learn to disseminate our phone to action advocacy to non-members.
After the medical care we give our patients, the next most important medical care we give is to our communities and our state. That depends on all of us building the strength of MSMA. So, this year, let’s all work to put more physicians in the pews!
Probably one of the worries for all incoming presidents is thinking about “how will I ensure that MSMA is moving forward?” I certainly promise to commit the energy and ability that I have on behalf of the great work of MSMA. My focus will be on our advocacy and our communication with Missouri physicians.
I especially want to be sure that we hear from those sitting in the pews, those physicians who see what needs to be done and who work to better the practice of medicine for their patients and community.
But I am not at all worried about how MSMA will move forward this year. We have a strong and vibrant state medical society that has been “moving forward” every year since 1850. The structure and processes for our advocacy work are strong. More importantly, who we are as physicians and what we advocate for is our strength.
I am proud to be a member of MSMA and honored to be able to serve. Thank you.