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In this Issue:
- Governor's Welcome
- Summary of BOR Actions on Fall 2022 Resolutions
- ACP Publishes Updated Clinical Guideline on Pharmacological Treatment of Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass
- Voting Opens for Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Stars Awards
Bradley M. Sutter, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Governor's Welcome
Dear ACP Indiana Chapter Friends and Colleagues:
Greetings and Happy New Year! 2022 was certainly an eventful year for physicians and in the life of our chapter: we endured the massive Delta and Omicron COVID19 surges; we continued to address the widespread mis- and disinformation regarding COVID19 vaccine safety and effectiveness; we contacted our legislators regarding the real threat of CMS physician fee schedule payment cuts; we attended ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting 2022 in Chicago either in-person or virtually; we conducted our first in-person Annual Chapter Meeting in 3 years—and we endured several other seismic social/political/medical events that impacted our patients and practices. Yet, here we are, ready to optimistically launch another year filled with promise for our chapter and our professional lives.
Our Program Committee is already planning for our next Chapter Meeting in the Fall of 2023 and is seeking speakers! Please review their message below:
As we prepare for the Annual Chapter meeting to be held in the Fall of 2023, we welcome your input to harness the talent and expertise of internists across the State! If you (or someone you know) is passionate and knowledgeable about a topic relevant to the practice of general internal medicine, please let us know by completing this form by February 1, 2023! We are committed to providing mentorship to build your speaking skills and ensure another excellent conference- and we are ready to work with you to craft your presentation! Submissions will be reviewed by the Education Committee and selections will be based on topic relevance, speaking experience and skills (if applicable), diversity of representation, and the availability and willingness to work on the presentation over the year. All post-graduate internal medicine physicians in Indiana who are in good professional standing are eligible! We are excited to come together to learn!”
We look forward with eager anticipation to another very successful hybrid Chapter Meeting in 2023—stay tuned for a Save-the-Date announcement coming soon!
On behalf of the ACP Indiana Chapter, I am delighted to officially announce that Dee Moonesinghe, MD, FACP, has been elected Governor-Elect-Designee (GED) for the chapter. Dr. Moonesinghe works professionally as a Hospitalist and has extensive physician leadership experience as a former Chief Medical Officer; she also brings valuable Hospice/Physician Well-Being/Coaching expertise to our chapter. She will be a member of the ACP Governor's Class of 2028 when she assumes her role as the official chapter Governor at the end of April 2024. I am equally pleased to share that Dee will be the first woman governor in the history of the Indiana Chapter.
Dee will serve as GED until the end of April 2023, when she will become the Governor-Elect (GE). For the remainder of 2023, Dee will overlap with me as GE in conducting chapter administrative and leadership responsibilities as well as chair the Program Committee for our annual ACP Indiana Chapter Scientific Meeting in the Fall of 2023. I asked Dr. Moonesinghe to provide a brief introductory paragraph for our chapter membership, as follows:
Greetings to all members and wishing everyone much joy and peace in 2023. It is with immense humble gratitude that I step into the Governor-Elect-Designee role. I recognize the very large shoes I must fill, and will spend the next 15 months watching, listening, and learning, not only from Dr. Sutter and the past Governors, but from all of you. I am beyond excited for you all to get to know me, and in turn to get to know you. Please reach out, at any time, even if just to say hello at dmoonesinghe@gmail.com Be well and stay safe.
- Dr. Dee Moonesinghe
After extensive discussion and planning, I am pleased to announce that our first (of hopefully several) ACP Indiana Chapter Road Trip Meet & Greet Sessions will be held in Fort Wayne in early March 2023. We hope that many of our Northern/Northeast Indiana physician colleagues, housestaff, and medical students will join us for fun, food, and fellowship as we share the valuable benefits of ACP membership with attendees. The goal of these sessions is to grow our chapter's outreach, participation, and membership, as well as to listen to and understand the major challenges facing our professional colleagues throughout the state. I/we want to thank Chapter Council Member Scott Yen, MD, FACP, for assisting in the planning and implementation of our Summit City visit.
Another important reminder that ACP continues to advocate for ACP member physicians and their practices. Please click on the this link from ACP Advocate to review recent efforts addressing scheduled Medicare physician payment cuts, increasing access to behavioral health care for patients and physicians, and more.
Please remember that ACP's I.M. Emotional Support Hub is available to address your well-being with an array of valuable resources to combat burnout and holiday stress. Please click on the following link to access this helpful information that I have personally utilized, including Peer Support and Counseling, Emotional Support Tools for Individuals, and Well-being Tools for Physician Leaders.
Lastly, I hope each of you enjoyed holiday time with friends and family, despite the extremely harsh winter weather. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Brad Sutter, MD, FACP
Governor, ACP Indiana Chapter
Summary of BOR Actions on Fall 2022 Resolutions
A summary of Board of Regents (BOR) actions on resolutions debated at the Fall 2022 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is now available. Resolutions initiated by ACP members and endorsed by a chapter council and the BOG become ACP policy when adopted by the BOR.
If you have an idea you'd like to suggest to ACP, consider submitting a resolution to your Governor or local ACP chapter. Visit your ACP chapter website for more information on how to contact your Governor or chapter staff about proposing a resolution.
ACP Publishes Updated Clinical Guideline on Pharmacological Treatment of Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass
An updated version of the ACP clinical guideline Pharmacologic Treatment of Primary Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass to Prevent Fractures in Adults was published in Annals of Internal Medicine. In the new guideline, ACP recommends bisphosphonates as an initial pharmacologic treatment to reduce the risk of fractures in males and postmenopausal females diagnosed with primary osteoporosis.
Voting Opens for Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Stars Awards
For the first time in 30 years, ACP wants to hear from you on who should win the reputable All-Star Award. Curious about innovative and sustainable programs ACP chapter's have initiated? View the All-Star nominations today at acponline.org/allstars and choose your 3 favorite posters! Your vote counts. Vote HERE.