January 1, 2008, is the due date for membership dues. If you haven’t paid yet, please do so as soon as possible to ensure that your information is included in the next publication of the DCMS Directory. To pay by phone with a credit card, call Linda Doyle at 214-413-1437. All physicians who paid their dues by December 31 were entered into a drawing for a $250 VISA gift card. The winner will be announced in the February Dallas Medical Journal.

Member profiles were recently sent via email (and regular mail for those who do not have an email address on file). It is very important to review and return this information to guarantee that the data in the DCMS Directory is accurate.

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Feedback from DCMS members is strongly valued and encouraged. Recently, we received this letter from a large physician group in Dallas that touts 100% membership of their entire group as members of Dallas County Medical Society and Texas Medical Association. We’d like to share this letter with you . . .

Dallas Nephrology Associates physicians have been members of and participated in the Dallas County Medical Society for over twenty years. In years past, each physician made a personal choice to become a member.

However, several years ago, DNA decided to pay for all physician memberships and thus ensure that all our physicians would be enrolled as members. This is our commitment to the local society and the valuable work and service they provide to the Dallas county physician community.

Whether it’s reimbursement, legislative, or more local news we can be assured that we get the information we need. DCMS committees provide opportunity for member physicians to discuss their opinions and take action on critical issues. The opportunities of membership include:

1. Ability to participate on various committees to provide input on a variety of local and state level issues.

2. Opportunities to interact with and welcome young physicians to our society including medical students, residents, and fellows.

3. Involvement in community issues along with other specialties.

4. Receive and be pictured in the DCMS Directory.

5. Subscription to the Dallas Medical Journal.

The entire Dallas County physician community benefits from their work. Their website (www.dallas-cms.org) alone provides a wealth of information, such as recently published guidelines for influenza pandemic response. DCMS organizes, sponsors, and participates in various health initiatives, volunteer projects, and educational programs.

DNA would encourage all groups to support and facilitate membership of every physician. Make 100% membership a sense of pride in your organization – we’re glad we did.

Sincerely,
Roberto L. Collazo-Maldonado, MD