July Conference Wrap-up

I just returned from ten days of travel to two conferences and all I can say is how impressed I am with our membership.

Coeur d'Alene - Idaho Medical Association Annual Meeting and House of Delegates

This was my first experience watching physicians engage in policy making for the IMA. Ada County physicians, including those serving on the IMA board, represented well more than 1/3 of the 90 physician delegates. What a great turnout of our physicians in statewide leadership.

If you have not attended a House of Delegates and know how it operates, it reminded me a lot of the mock United Nations or Legislature that we did in high school, but with a lot more knowledge of the real world. IMA members are allowed to propose resolutions in writing that will become policy, directives, and legislative focus for the coming year. Comments and amendments are made in the first session, the house breaks to two separate reference committees for cleaning up and recommendations, and during the final session, votes are cast.

A full resolutions overview is available on www.idmed.org, but here are some of the more actively debated issues:

• IMA Physician Directory to Contain All Idaho Physician - referred to IMA board
• Recognition of Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) Certification - adopted as amended
• Support for Equitable Reimbursement for Telehealth Service - adopted as amended

Thank you to all our Ada County delegates and IMA board members who traveled north for this event:
IMA Board Members: Kyle Palmer, Bruze Belzer, Kenny Bramwell, David Schmitz, Vicki Wooll, David Rice, Patrice Burgess, Crystal Pyrak
ACMS Board Members: Joe Williams, Michael Sant, Daniel Reed
ACMS MD/DO Members: Travis Kemp, Alice Black, Ed Newcombe, Suzanne Allen, Ted Epperly, Steven Smith, Thornton Bryan, Richard Rainey, Lisa Inouye, Ed Boese, Terry Ribbens, Mary Barinaga, Gregory Bross, Kurt Seppi, Stephen Montamat, Robert Friedman, Julie Foote, Vaun Archibald, Marian Zakarian, Duncan MacDonald, Steven Brown, Ronald Dorn, Nancy Keegan-Ovando.
ACMS NP Member: Tyler Watkins

Portland - American Association of Medical Society Executives
Following the IMA meeting and after a half day of riding the Hiawatha Trail with my family (VERY cool experience), I flew to Portland Oregon for 3 1/2 days of training with AAMSE. This was great timing for me 9 months into my job here and provided some key membership engagement strategies that will make ACMS even better.


But one of the things I finally had to stop talking about was how much I loved my job. I started getting on my new colleague's nerves by talking about our 71% market share, a balanced budget, a great partnership with our state association, an invested but not micro-managing board, and a membership that turns out. We really do have one of the premier county medical societies of the people I met and that's because of the support and involvement of our members. Thank you.

In future weeks, I will start pod-casting some of the material I learned that I think will make you a better physician. If you'd like to subscribe, please let me know here.

Steven Reames, Executive Director