AOA President's Blog

Hello everyone. Like my predecessors, this is my first foray into the blogging world, but I’m going to give it my best effort and keep the AOA President’s Blog going for the third straight year.

As you may already know, I was inaugurated on Saturday, during the AOA’s House of Delegates meeting, as the 112th president of the AOA. (If you weren’t able to attend, the AOA is going to post my address in text and video if you want to view it. I’ll let you know when they are available.)

For my first post, I thought that I’d give you some background on me. Originally from South Philly, I now work in Erie, Penn., where I am a professor and regional dean of clinical medicine at LECOM. (Hello to all my students out there!). I also serve as the director of the ophthalmology residency program at LECOM, and practice Ophthalmology in Erie.

I am married to Maria and have two grown sons. I come from a strong family of physicians – mostly DOs but some MDs too whom I admire and respect.

During my term, I plan to further the progress made by our past presidents in regards to our Greatness Campaign, with a focus on one critical issue that I believe is at a crisis point – Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education or OGME. I’ll elaborate more in future posts, but I invite you to share your thoughts and concerns with me on a regular basis about OGME as well as any other issues.

I will use the AOA President’s Blog primarily to encourage discussion between DOs and osteopathic medical students about issues and ideas. The feedback you leave on this blog is very valuable and will help me to stay in tune with your thoughts on the many issues that are so important to the osteopathic family.

Best,
Carlo

As my term as the AOA president comes to a close, I am surprisingly saddened to write my final post on this blog. I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversations here and the, sometimes, heated debates. If one thing is certain, it is that our DOs are passionate. There is no doubt that we are passionate about our patients, our education, our history and our future. Through my writings on this blog, I hope I have been able to convey the passion I have for this profession; because I know in my heart that it is a great one, worth fighting for and believing in. I encourage you to stay involved, attend our annual convention, and keep the conversations going, both on this blog and in person with your fellow osteopathic family members. Only together can we bring this profession to its deserved and rightful status in the world of medicine.

It has been a pleasure. Thank you.

Pete

As physicians, it’s of utmost importance that our Official Osteopathic Physician Profiles reflect our complete postdoctoral training record, board certifications and AOA CME status. In fact, it might mean the difference between maintaining hospital privileges, or panel membership and maintaining or losing your state license.

Did you know that, as a member, you can order your profiles at www.doprofiles.org and ask that they be sent to state licensing boards at no charge? The Official Osteopathic Physician Profile report is recognized by all national accrediting organizations as the primary source for verifying osteopathic education, post doctoral training and board certification. Over 50,000 AOIA “profiles” are sent to hospitals, managed care organizations, licensing boards and other healthcare entities annually.

To check your Official Osteopathic Physician Profile for accuracy, send an email to credentials@osteopathic.org and request a copy today.

Pete

With the economy in a recession, we all are tightening our belts and looking for ways to ease some of our financial responsibilities.

If you’re an osteopathic medical student looking to ease some of your student loan burdens or even a practicing physician trying to make ends meet, your osteopathic family is here to support and help you.

One way is through scholarships provided by the American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF). In 2008, the AOF administered close to $260,000 in the form of scholarships, grants, and awards to osteopathic medical students, spouses of graduating osteopathic medical students, residents, physicians, educators, basic scientists, and osteopathic programs/centers in 2008.

There are many opportunities to receive help from your osteopathic family. For information on available scholarships and application deadlines, visit the AOF Web site at www.aof-foundation.org.

Pete

The strength of our profession relies, in large part, on the support we provide each other. One way we support each other is through the AOA’s mentor program, iLearn. This program has helped countless osteopathic medical students in deciding their specialties, answering their career questions, and calming their fears of the unknown. The program is also important because it allows mentors the opportunity to have a greater understanding of the concerns and issues facing mentees. Without a doubt, it strengthens the bonds between all of us. I urge you all to get involved in some way in this program, whether as a student mentee or as a DO mentor.

To be paired with a mentor or mentee through the iLearn program, visit DO-Online here.

Also, nominations for the 2008 AOA Mentor of the Year are being accepted through July 20. Each nominee of this prestigious award is inducted into the AOA Mentor Hall of Fame. To nominate your outstanding mentor, click here.

Pete

I remember years ago when I completed my internship at Mt. Clemens Regional Medical Center in Michigan, and started thinking about finding a job. For many of you, that same point in your life is upon you. For others, you may be looking for a new challenge or a change of scenery. One of the many great resources available to you through the AOA is DO Jobs Online.

If you are looking for a new job or would like to advertise one, you can do both of these things on DO-Online. After you post your information, more than 450 employers and recruiters across the country will have the ability to search for you by name, location or specialty. You will also receive e-mail notifications when new postings match criteria you’ve pre-selected.

To find DO Jobs, visit DO-Online and click on “DO Job” at the very top left of the screen. I hope you take advantage of this great resource.

Pete

Congress has 30 days to stop the impending Medicare physician payment cuts. If they don’t, Medicare beneficiaries could experience a change in their access to care and the AOA doesn’t want that to happen.

Therefore, the AOA has joined with six other physician organizations to run ads aimed at Congress on the importance of them taking positive action on the Medicare physician payment issue. The ads will appear the weeks of June 2nd and June 9th in “Congressional Quarterly Daily.”


Pete

If you haven’t been to Las Vegas lately or it’s been awhile since you’ve seen your old classmates and colleagues, make plans to attend the AOA’s upcoming convention in Las Vegas, Oct 26-30. While there, you’ll also earn CME credit and be able to check out the latest research, pharmaceuticals and technology.

And, this year we’re trying out a new hotel and convention center in Las Vegas - The Palazzo Hotel Resort Casino and Sands Convention Center (a new sister property of The Venetian Hotel).

Students and interns receive free registration, so I hope all of you active student and intern blog participants can make it this year.

Advanced registration can be done online, by mail or fax, and must be completed by Friday, September 5, 2008. Hope to see you there! Register here.

Pete

AOA has joined forces with AAFP, AAP and ACP to change the way that health care is delivered with the “Patient-Centered Medical Home” model.

A “Patient-Centered Medical Home” is a physician’s office where patients can receive care that is:

1. Continuous – physicians spend more time with patients because they will be reimbursed at a higher rate for continuous care.

2. Coordinated – physicians coordinate all care with specialists and other health care professions as needed.

3. Accessible – open scheduling, extended hours and telephone and email consultations help make physicians more available to patients.

Sounds like the way medicine used to be, right? That’s the idea for the new “Patient-Centered Medical Home” concept designed to reduce health care costs and provide the type of high quality care that our patients need.

What do you think of this concept? Do you think it will help prevent the primary care physician shortage if insurance plans are going to reimburse at a higher rate for continuous care services?

Pete

I've been talking with some of you lately about how our patients are becoming more educated about their health care options (thanks to the internet and direct-to-consumer advertising) and the impact - both positive and negative - that this can have on patient care. Of course, a positive is that we're dealing with a more educated patient that really understands some of the injuries, illnesses or diseases that they are experiencing because of the power of the internet and the media. The downside is that sometimes patients panic when they hear reports or read a study that they don't quite understand or they want you to prescribe a pharmaceutical that's really not appropriate for them just because they saw it advertised.

Are any of you on the blog experiencing this in your practices? If so, how do you reassure and redirect your patients? How has this impacted your physician-patient relationship? Please share your thoughts and ideas - they may be valuable to your DO colleagues. Thanks.

Pete

As DOs, we know the difference we can make in a patient's life. It's time that others know it too. The AOA has collected DO patient testimonials from people across the US who shared their stories about the extraordinary care they received from their DOs. Check out the new homepage of Osteopathic.org to read their stories and to listen to radio ads promoting DOs and osteopathic medicine. Note too the new look of the homepage with its up-front explanation of DOs and a more prominent placement for the AOA's Find a DO directory.

Visit the AOA's homepage today at www.osteopathic.org.

Pete

Greetings from abroad! I have been in Jordan the past week as part of the AOA's continued effort at gaining practice rights for DOs around the world. On that note, I am pleased to report that recently, after four years of work, the first DO has gained practice rights in Chile. If you're curious as to what the requirements were, they included:

* All transcripts, course descriptions and entire medical school catalog had to be translated officially into Spanish
* All documents had to be notarized by secretary of state's office
* Documents had to be hand delivered to the consulate and then hand delivered to the University of Chile
* Examination process: basic science written exam, followed by a clinical science written exam and subsequent clinical competencies of one week each in obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, internal medicine and pediatrics

View the AOA's International Licensure Summary on DO-Online (after login) here.

If you're interested in learning more about the AOA's efforts, visit the International section of DO-Online.

Pete

This Thursday, April 24th, is DO Day on Capitol Hill, when the AOA and more than 850 registered participants will lobby Members of Congress on the issues most important to the practice of osteopathic medicine, like Medicare Physician Payment.

I am thrilled that so many members of the osteopathic family have decided to participate in this important event this year. Your participation shows a true dedication to protecting and preserving the cornerstones of osteopathic medicine. But while DO Day is only one day of the year; we must remember to be advocates of osteopathic medicine every day. If you’d like to get more involved in the AOA’s advocacy efforts, please sign up to be part of the AOA’s Grassroots Osteopathic Advocacy Link. Link: http://www.capwiz.com/aoa-aoia/home/.

Stay tuned for DO Day results.

Pete

A month ago, I posted a question on this blog, asking for your input on whether or not the AOA should host regularly scheduled online Town Hall meetings. I received a couple comments and am grateful for the feedback – but I’d love to hear from more of you.

The idea behind these meetings is that they would provide an opportunity for DOs and osteopathic medical students to speak directly with AOA Executive Director John B. Crosby, JD, and share ideas; ask questions; or alleviate concerns. So, I ask you, do you think you and your fellow DOs and students would attend these meetings?

Also,

- How often would you like to see these occur?
- Would you like each meeting to focus on a specific topic or be an open forum?
- What day/time would you like these to be held?

I would very much appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Thanks,

Pete

Today marks the first day of Public Health Week, when organizations and individuals across the country will come together to think of ways to better the health of our communities. Throughout my presidency, I have tried to refocus, redesign and reenergize the way people think about fitness and health. My aim has been to help people, including DOs and osteopathic medical students, realize that they need to become “Fit for Life.” Through “Fit for Life” initiatives, the AOA and its affiliate organizations have organized many successful runs and walks in communities across the country; implemented smoking cessation programs; brought medical care to underserved areas; and introduced model legislation to state boards to get daily physical education back into grades K-12. If any of these projects are of interest to you, just let me know. I will get you in touch with the appropriate AOA staff to provide you with more information so you can easily implement these activities in your own communities. As DOs, future DOs and mentors, I urge you to take part in public health week and take this opportunity to be an agent of change in your communities.

Pete