From the President's Desk | Uyen B. Chu, M.D.

July 2010

During this great period of turmoil to the way we practice medicine, it is more important than ever to support organized medicine to help defend our values and beliefs. Unfortunately, the Louisiana State Medical Society and Lafayette Parish Medical Society, is not in complete agreement with the AMA regarding the healthcare reform.

At the March Board of Governors meeting, there was unanimous agreement to support the Coalition of State and Specialty Medical Societies. The primary mission of this coalition is to preserve the time-honored patient-physician relationship by keeping it free of outside influences. This organization is not intended to replace the AMA. It will work within the AMA to better represent our missions.

Although, the healthcare reform bill was passed, there is still much work to be done to implement and possibly reverse these changes. We will continue to support the efforts of this Coalition.

December 2009

I am very honored and privileged to have the opportunity to serve as President of the Lafayette Parish Medical society in 2010. In this time of uncertainty with our healthcare system and the economy, it is important that we stay focused on our three missions as we set our plans for the year. I would like to take this opportunity to elaborate on our plans for 2010.

1. The pursuit and maintenance of accessible quality medical care. President Obama is determined to reform the healthcare system to provide more security and stability for those with health insurance, coverage for those who don’t, and lower the cost of healthcare. Although we agree with him in principle, we have serious concerns about the expedited and secretive manner that his administration is using to pass legislation on this important matter. In the process of reforming, it is vital that we preserve the very few principles that make us one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Our society believes that healthcare reform should be patient-centered and fiscally responsible. Please refer to our position article on our website (www.LPMS.org) for more detail information on our position. Dr Andy Blalock, Chair of our Healthcare Reform Taskforce, has been instrumental is in leading our campaign to educate our community about legislative activities.
   
   
2. The promotion of public education on health care issues. It is important that we continue to play an active role in educating the Lafayette community on key health care issues. This year we will focus on informing the community about the dangers of “TEXTING AND DRIVING”. This is currently the leading cause of distractions leading to car accidents. Although there is currently a law in Louisiana to not text and drive, it is poorly enforced. We intend to educate our community to the dangers of texting while driving.
   
   
3. Representation of member physicians and assistance in the practice of medicine. Our website is offering more resources this year to assist our physician in the practice of medicine. In addition, the public will be able to use this site to search for physicians, learn about public health issues, and discover the latest medical advances in our community.

Regardless of President Obama’s legislative successes to reform our healthcare system, we must participate in the process of improving the greatest healthcare system in the world. We can help reduce motor vehicle accidents by educating the public on the critical issue of TEXTING and DRIVING. Finally, website enhancements will allow us to more effectively communicate with member physicians and inform the community of pertinent public healthcare issues.

This is a very pivotal time in the history of the Lafayette Parish Medical Society. I look forward to serving my fellow physicians and the Lafayette community by dedicating resources to these missions.