Shelton G. Hopkins, MD
President's Page

Last month’s President’s Page was the printed version of my DCMS presidential installation address, and it outlined my goals for the year. I listed two major goals: The first is to communicate to the physicians of Dallas County what we are doing to improve and maintain area health care, and the second is to ferret out ways to continue the viability of the small office practice. That second goal is going to be tough, but I will transmit what I can find (when I find it). The first goal is what I will address this month.

We all pay dues to DCMS, and what do we expect to get for that? An end to all pain and disease? Maybe next year. This year, I hope to paint a picture that demonstrates the vibrant organization that works in your name to advocate for physicians and their patients, to promote a healthy community, and to enhance professionalism in the practice of medicine. (If that sounds familiar, it is the Mission Statement of DCMS.)

More than 6,400 physicians are members of DCMS. We are the second largest county medical society in the United States (Harris County/Houston is the largest). We have 25 employees at DCMS who work to make our projects function, but the choices and the decisions are made by the board of directors, whose makeup changes each year. Fortunately, we have a tradition of participation of the medical community, so a pool of interested physicians is ready and willing to take those positions. However, many in the medical community are almost unaware of the participation opportunities. This should be rectified.

• We have multiple areas for volunteering. From judging a science fair, to helping with a free clinic, to participating in Project Access Dallas, you have outlets to engage with and give to back your community.
  
  
• The need for activism is ever present, and you can participate by being a DCMS delegate or alternate delegate to the TMA House of Delegates. Physicians in these positions attend the annual House of Delegates meeting and vote on issues brought before the House. Because of the nature of our profession, some delegates have to no-show at the last minute, so the alternate delegates usually are seated. Because of our size, we have many votes, but there is no such thing as a proxy, so an empty slot is a lost vote. The scene at these annual meetings makes one proud to be a physician, especially a Texas physician. The discourse is almost always civil although widely (and wildly) different views are held. Being a delegate to the AMA requires a bit of seasoning, but with persistence, it could happen. TMA also offers multiple committees, councils and subcommittees that meet in person or virtually to hash out medical and political questions.
  
  
• There are multiple ongoing projects for which we are either the driver or a major participant.
  
  
  • There are two efforts to create a health information exchange (PAD-HIE and the HIE-5), as well as participation in larger similar efforts (HITREC).
    
    
  • For physicians who have privileges at several hospitals, a single ID badge would be a godsend. That is in the works.
    
    
  • North Texas Accountable Healthcare Partnership is working on a structured way to measure physician compliance with simple health metrics, and to create a gain-sharing system for physicians and employers.
    
    
  • DCMS has numerous committees that work on the more routine issues (e.g, emergency preparedness).
    
    
  • DCMS is represented at regular meetings with hospital executives and local business leaders, usually by our CEO, Michael Darrouzet. This allows us to keep our ears to the ground but also to make sure that the hospital and business leaders understand how health care works in the real world. These meetings sometimes even let us know how things work in the real nonmedical world.
    
    
• The DCMS Web site (www.dallas-cms.org) and this monthly journal are constantly evaluated and updated to open the curtains on local projects and events. In addition, the Web site has links to information and to the positions of the TMA and the AMA. (Feel free to pass those positions through any psychological/emotional filter you may have developed during the bruising passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.) DCMS also offers tickets to local cultural and sporting events at reduced rates—or even for free.

Your Dallas County Medical Society is alive and well, but it is like any organism — it needs nourishment. Our numbers continue to grow and participation is good — but always improvable. We want to pull you in, but all we can do is make the info available. Therefore, I urge you to CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE AND FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF OUR INITIATIVES.

We plan to have these updated regularly so you can indeed know what is going on at DCMS.

It’s going to be a fulfilling year for me, and I look forward to sharing with you what I’m learning.

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