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Physicians Urged to Join the Columbia County Medical Society |
| Among the many woes of the U. S. Healthcare System is a medical profession with
members, particularly those in primary care, feeling undervalued and struggling to
survive. Physicians are leaving private practice due to largely flat insurance
reimbursements and the rising costs of operating a medical practice. Yearly threats of
cuts in Medicare reimbursement and increases in medical malpractice premiums further
imperil our ability to survive. Through the efforts of the Medical Society of the State of New York and other medical professional organizations, an 11-30% increase in malpractice premiums was averted for this year. At a national level, medical professional organizations lobbied Congress and again this year drastic cuts in Medicare reimbursement were repealed. But due to Medicare's ever increasing financial costs and decreases in the malpractice insurance reserve fund, these issues have not been resolved and will return next year. No physician, employed or self employed, can be shielded from these threats to our professional viability. As physicians, we need to become more involved in promoting the interest of our own profession. Society as a whole should be concerned. Good physicians are a vital part of our communities. How can our brightest students be attracted to the medical profession, if after they incur the staggering costs of a medical education, they face such an uncertain future? The U. S. healthcare system is broken in many ways. Spiraling healthcare costs, 75 million adults uninsured or underinsured, and indicators of healthcare outcomes below that of other developed countries are among the most concerning. There needs to be a comprehensive solution which leads to universal coverage, controls the expanding costs of healthcare, eliminates the waste within the system, and leads to improved outcomes. There are issues related to the medical profession which need to be addressed as well. Doctors' voices need to be heard when these critical issues are debated, and through organizations such as MSSNY, and our local branch, the Columbia County Medical Society, physicians can be involved in the process of reforming the healthcare system while promoting their own professional interests. Brian Daggett, M.D. President, Columbia County Medical Society September 2008 |
Previous Press Releases |
An Open Letter to Mr. Gerald Simmons |
Dear Mr Simmons,
Cigarettes are the most important causative facter in
disability and deaths from heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic
bronchitis. They play a major role in many other disorders including head and
neck cancers, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatitis, stroke, and asthma.
In this country, millions of people have died and
millions of people are addicted, which resulted in a milestone settlement with
the tobacco companies in 1999. As part of that settlement, Columbia County will
receive over 1.2 million dollars yearly for the next 25 years. In this first
year, none of that money is being dedicated to tobacco related health care.
The medical community is outraged by this decision.
Every dollar of this settlement needs to be devoted to health projects, for
which so many of our patients died, and many others fought for. We request
consideration of a public hearing to discuss the use of these settlement funds.
At our recent Medical Society meeting we physicians
developed suggestions on how to use some of this money.
Neal A Baillargeon MD, President, Columbia County Medical Society 11 March 2001 |
The Columbia County Medical Society was founded in 1945 for the purpose of providing a forum for physicians to share knowledge and information
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