• rss
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin

November 2012

Jay L. Larson, MD, FACP, Governor
Carrie Reisig, Executive Director

From the Chapter

Winter is now upon us with a good dose of snow across the state. Bringing you up to date, the ACP Montana chapter now is on Facebook. Search for American College of Physicians, Montana Chapter. Have a safe winter and remember to get your influenza vaccine.

Top

Winter Hospitalist Meeting

This coming February will be the annual winter Hospitalist meeting at Big Sky and if this past snow is an indication of this upcoming winter, the skiing should be fabulous. The meeting will be held at the Lodge at Big Sky, February 7-9, 2013. More information as well as an online registration page will be posted soon on the News & Meetings page.

Top

Outcomes from Strategic Planning Session

The ACP Montana chapter had its first strategic planning session this past Saturday by webinar. Strategic planning is an organized approach to defining what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the desired future. We have defined our mission, our vision, our goals, and our core values consistent with the national ACP.

Our Mission: To enhance the quality, access, and effectiveness of health care in Montana by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine by Montana internal medicine and medicine subspecialty clinicians.

Our Vision: To be the leader in quality patient care, advocacy, education and enhancing career satisfaction for internal medicine and its subspecialties in Montana.

Our Goals:
- To establish and promote the highest clinical standards and ethical ideals.
- To promote educational opportunities in Montana in the field of internal medicine.
- To advocate responsible positions in Montana on individual health and on public policy relating to health care for the benefit of the public, our patients, the medical profession, and our members.
- To serve the professional needs of the Montana membership, support healthy lives for Montana internal medicine and medicine subspecialty clinicians, and advance internal medicine as a career.
- To promote the quality of practice, the education and continuing education of Montana internal medicine and subspecialty clinicians, and the attractiveness of internal medicine to physicians and the public.
- To recognize excellence and distinguished contributions to internal medicine by Montana internal medicine and subspecialty clinicians.
- To represent the many voices of internal medicine and subspecialty clinicians in Montana for the benefit of our patients, our members, and our profession.

Our Core Values:
Leadership: We provide guidance and inspiration through education, information, and advocacy for patients.
Respect: We embrace the dignity and uniqueness of every human being.
Compassion: We are sensitive and empathetic to the needs of others.
Professionalism: We work with expertise, commitment, and diligence, in an ethical manner serving others before ourselves.
Responsibility: We maintain healthy personal and professional lives to most effectively serve our patients.

Top

Advocacy Projects

A few months ago I sent out a survey about the direction for our chapter. Advocacy was the number one item to emphasize. We identified 5 areas of advocacy which our chapter will focus on:

1. Support adding 10 primary care track medical students to the WWAMI program through legislation support.
2. Support the Internal Medicine residency program in Billings through involvement in chapter meetings.
3. Serve as medicine resource to smaller communities.
4. Support Medicaid expansion in Montana so that more Montanans are covered by health care insurance.
5. Support primary care by arranging CME on Medicare Paper, supporting Medical Home legislation, offer networking to those having difficulty with their practice, and survey Montana internists about factors that adversely affect quality of professional life and then find ways to reduce those factors.

We will also prepare a Health Information Booklet for general distribution to patients. The booklet will contain important topics often not covered by short office visits including information about vaccines, safety, screening, and cardiovascular health.

Top

Congratulations to our newest Fellow!

It is our pleasure to recognize Kirsten E Krauss, MD FACP, who has advanced to Fellowship in the College. Congratulations!

Top