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Just over half, 54 percent, of readers responding say it’s important to educate the public about the medical inappro-priateness of over-the-counter intranasal corticosteroids and beta agonists.
 

Peer-to-peer networking is an important aspect of the AMA Presidents Forum, where President Michael Blaiss, M.D., talked with former Board of Regent, Jim Clafin, who represented the Oklahoma State Medical Society.

A word from President Michael Blaiss, M.D.

News from the AMA President’s Forum
I just returned from Washington, D.C., after attending the AMA President’s Forum with Vice President Bill Dolen, M.D. This is a yearly meeting that brings together the presidents and presidents-elect from the local and state medical societies and specialty medical organizations. The purpose is to update us about issues important to our members and allow for peer-to-peer networking about common problems facing medical organizations and possible solutions.

The theme of the meeting was “Take Charge — The Future Is in Your Hands.” It started with an address by Ron Faucheux, Ph.D., J.D., a nationally recognized political analyst on “Operating Effectively on Capitol Hill.” He pointed out how politics is changing in the United States, and that we are going from an information age to an entertainment age with more attack journalism. Citizens are voting for the candidate that they dislike the least, as most believe the best candidate is not running. We have two minority parties in the United States: 30 percent of the public are Democrats, 30 percent are Republicans, 35 percent are middle-of-the-road and dislike both parties, and 5 percent are far-right or far-left. This explains the closeness of presidential elections and why he predicts 2004 will be another cliffhanger.

Dr. Faucheux discussed how advocacy groups could affect major legislation on Capitol Hill. First is the importance of your issue. You have to make the politician feel the heat about it. Next, you must be well organized and ready to spend money to push your issue. Very importantly, you need to keep your opponents on the defensive about the issue. Football games may be won by defense, but political wars are won by offense. Dr. Faucheux stressed the importance of the message given to legislators. It must be clear, unified, consistent and short. These points will be valuable later this month when the College has its Capitol Hill Day.

During one of the network sessions, there was discussion about medical societies that have developed programs to review expert witness testimony by their members. The reason for this peer-review process is to evaluate whether a physician gave unprofessional, irresponsible testimony as an expert witness. It is my understanding that this has become a major problem in several specialties, and I know of one example involving an allergist. Several societies reprimanded these physicians if found unethical by their review panel and reported their actions to the appropriate boards and their states.

Other topics covered during the network sessions included working with lay organizations in getting the word out to the public about medical concerns. There were long discussions on how many states are dealing with the malpractice insurance crisis and the AMA’s continued push for nationwide liability reform. You can get a copy of the latest position paper on liability reform by the AMA at http://www.ama-assn.org/go/mirnow. There was a talk about the need for healthcare reform with universal access to healthcare coverage for all Americans. An AMA representative pointed out that many large businesses are developing health plans in which compensation to physicians will be based on quality indicators. What criteria will be used is still unclear, but I believe this further emphasizes the need to continue to develop our own validated outcome measures.

There was a very stimulating symposium on patient safety. We are all familiar with the Institute of Medicine’s report showing that from 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year due to medical errors. It is the eighth most common cause of death in the United States. Usually this is not the fault of the individual physician, but due to system errors. The speakers touched on programs that they helped develop to improve patient safety. Richard Cook, M.D., from the University of Chicago, gave a fascinating talk on the anatomy of patient accidents. He suggests that each medical institution have a plan to deal with a patient error issue if it occurs. That made me think that having a plan to deal with patient errors in the administration of allergen immunotherapy may be worthwhile and whether the College should develop a task force to produce a plan for allergists to follow in case an accident with immunotherapy occurs.

Bill and I found this meeting worthwhile in keeping us abreast on important issues in medicine, which will allow us to better serve you, the College membership.

Michael S. Blaiss, M.D.

Krakow conference venue featured in The Wall Street Journal
The Krakow Sheraton, the venue for the jointly sponsored ACAAI and the Polish Society of Allergology international conference this summer, was featured in the March 31 issue of The Wall Street Journal as a new high-end hotel opening this month.

The conference, titled Return to Ancestral Lands: Allergy Update in Poland, is July 31 – Aug. 3, 2004. Program information and registration forms mailed to members are available online at: www.acaai.org.

“Our selection of Poland for the international meeting and the Krakow Sheraton as our meeting venue just prior to it being featured in The Wall Street Journal is further evidence that the College is living up to its motto ‘Follow the Leader into the Future,’” said ACAAI Immediate Past President and Program Co-Chair William E. Berger, M.D., M.B.A. “We were able to secure these commitments just prior to their future skyrocketing in popularity and cost.”

Poland is the largest of the 10 countries to be welcomed into the European Union on May 1, and offers value and novelty to tourists.

“In the hopes of luring foreign tourists who have gotten their fill of Paris and London, many of the new EU member countries — some of which spent decades in lockdown mode due to Communism — are rapidly trying to upgrade their travel infrastructure,” reported Eleena De Lisser in The Wall Street Journal. “In addition to novelty, the Eastern European countries are marketing themselves as a bargain compared to Western Europe.”

Polish Society of Allergology President and Program Co-Chair Marek L. Kowalski, M.D., Ph.D., said “Krakow is a magnificent monument of Polish and European culture and a charming city. Its Main Market Square, the most magnificent square in Poland, is teeming with cafes, restaurants and pubs – every single one unique and beautiful. We invite our international colleagues to attend this unique scientific program, where, along with their families, they can spend relaxing and enjoyable summer days with us in Poland.”

In 1978, the center of Krakow, together with the district of Kazimierz, was listed as UNESCO World Culture and National Heritage Site. Visit these and many other world-famous sites through optional tours offered in conjunction with the Krakow conference.

Allergy Practice Tip 7: Surprise with a prize
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
Need a pick-me-up for your staff? Give away a door prize at your next staff meeting. A surprise gift — even an inexpensive or funny one — can make a long day a little shorter.

These tips are drawn from site visits in practices nationwide, conducted as part of The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice, a CME Series in Practice Management, supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Aventis Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Join us for our next audioconference, “The Total Service Allergy Practice,” April 20 from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time. Call 800-251-4920 or e-mail info@physicianspractice.com for free registration and to get the handouts.