State of Society Address

2007 State of Society

Annual Address from the CEO

by Michael J. Darrouzet
Executive Vice President/CEO
Dallas County Medical Society
Dallas Academy of Medicine

On behalf of the staff of the Dallas County Medical Society, welcome to 2007. Each January for the last 10 years, I have written this page to thank you for your membership, express gratitude to the leaders from the past year, and make predictions about the coming months. The “thanks” is the easy part, although we might not say it enough. Without every member, DCMS would not be the strong organization it is. It remains a viable, effective grass-roots organization of physicians that plays an ever-growing role in the community.

We must maintain and increase the society’s value to members. We often ask ourselves if the work we are doing makes a difference in your practice. Of course the “we” includes your elected leaders with whom we have the privilege of working all year. We appreciated the wisdom and steady leadership of your 2006 president, David Bookout, MD. Under his leadership, DCMS set new records in membership and helped maintain our standing as the third-largest county medical society in the nation.

In a world that seems to speed up every year, DCMS activity has kept pace. We are doing more for you and your practices than ever. Here are a few highlights from 2006:

Membership
DCMS membership numbers are up and growing. We have surpassed our all-time high membership level of 6038 set in 1997. This is the ultimate measurement of our value.

First Strategic Plan
The 2006 Board of Directors did what no Board had done before—they started writing a strategic plan for DCMS. The planning retreat, held in late 2006, was just the beginning. This is not a plan to sit on a shelf; it will help us prioritize our efforts and use your dues dollars wisely. You’ll read more about this from your 2007 president, Tim Norwood, MD.

HealthPAC Endorsements
Despite the November election results, the fact that our political action committee made judicial candidate endorsements in Dallas County races was a first for DCMS. This is another indication of how active our membership can become. We look for even more HealthPAC participation next year.

Membership Development
DCMS added a full-time staff member to focus on membership development (recruiting). We’re working closely with TMA to bring in more members. The number of new Texas physicians doubled to more than 4000 in 2006, and we are working diligently to recruit those Dallas physicians as members. You can help by encouraging your colleagues to join.

Renovation Project
In May 2006, we completed the first major refurbishing of your DCMS headquarters since the offices were built in 1984. During the next several years, we gradually will refurbish the building, which continues to be one of the best investments DCMS has ever made.

Project Access Dallas
Physician support for this important project continues to grow. Not only did the project grow from 500 to more than 850 patients per month in 2006, the fundraising effort led by Dr Dennis and Fredye Factor and Alan and Sarah Losinger produced a record $180,000. Project Access Dallas is gaining in recognition and importance in the community. Many thanks to those of you who volunteer to see these uninsured patients. You indeed are making a difference.

Circle of Friends & Happy Hours
DCMS Circle of Friends launched in 2006 has been a tremendous success, and we are anticipating another great year in 2007. This non-dues funding has allowed us to create new and innovative ways for physicians to network, including Happy Hours and our DCMS Member Roundup. I encourage you to attend these events and meet your peers. The DCMS staff attends, as well, and we learn so much about what you need and want from DCMS at these events. Plus, they’re fun!

Pictorial Directory
Although we had planned to produce a pictorial directory in previous years, it became a reality in 2006. This was no small feat. The final product is professional and represents DCMS members quite well. We hope our members see this as an improvement to what is regarded as DCMS’ most visible member benefit.

The Year Ahead
Based on member feedback, DCMS will be more visible in 2007. We’ll be in the newspaper more talking about issues that affect physicians’ practices. DCMS leaders will articulate the physicians’ perspective to the public, elected leaders, and business leaders. Our healthcare system needs to be fixed, but it can’t be done if physicians can’t afford to practice.

You want to know more about what DCMS does for you, so we’ll ramp up our communications to members. We’ll continue to be your strongest advocate in Austin during this year’s legislative session, and we’ll work harder than ever in the areas of medical economics and community health.

There’s more to look forward to this year, but I’ll stop here and thank you for your membership. Ten years ago this month, I became the DCMS CEO, after serving as your assistant executive officer for eight years. It’s an honor to serve you and this organization. On behalf of your medical society staff, I wish you all the best in 2007.

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