U.S. Air Force Governor's Newsletter January 2020

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COL Matthew B. Carroll, MD, FACP, USAF, ACP Governor

COL (ret) Matthew B. Carroll, MD, FACP, USAF, ACP Governor

 


From The Governor

Greetings from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and Santa left you plenty of gifts but also offered to pick up the bills as well! Reflecting on 2019 it has been another busy year. ACP has been hard at work advocating for Internists, IM subspecialists, and Hospitalists. I was pleased to hear that the ACP campaign to put patients before paperwork is galvanizing the advocacy and efforts that led to the proposed CMS changes that will very likely go into effect on 1 January 2021. This will not only help your RVU count but should start to decrease some of the documentation burden that we all loathe, especially when our electronic medical records seem to work against us instead for us. ACP also initiated a call-to-action by nation's leading physician and public health organizations to reduce injuries and deaths from firearms, and the recently signed budget funds CDC and NIH research on firearms injury prevention. ACP also remained a champion helping to address the struggle to contain prescription drug prices, releasing new policy recommendations and supporting legislation to this end. These are just a few of the activities that your ACP was promoting on our behalf in 2019. We all hope the ongoing efforts by ACP making 2020 a banner year where our focus can be on the patient and delivering the right care at the right time, not hindered by the electronic medical record, insurers, or other 3rd parties.

With our amazing Chapter conferences (both Air Force – Army and Ohio – Air Force) behind us, I'm excited about the National meeting (IMM20) in April 2020 in Los Angeles, California. I am confident that we will once again shine on the chapter and national stage! I've also been part of several telephone conferences setting the stage for the TriService ACP Chapter meeting in September 2020. I can't give any spoilers right now, but I will say that we will continue with all of the items that have consistently generated positive feedback but add several new elements that have been requested by many for the last few years that both Dr. Cristin Mount (Army Governor) and I have had the privilege of leading the conference planning. I hope that you will use this newsletter as a “Save the Date” and plan to join us in San Antonio in September!

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Ohio – Air Force Chapter Meeting

The Ohio – Air Force Combined Chapter Meeting was held in late October 2019. Dr. Angie Collamer, Vice Governor and now Governor-elect, represented Air Force ACP Chapter senior leadership. She reported that it was a great meeting with a lot of representation from the Air Force ACP Chapter members. Dr. Katherine Burtson, IM APD at Wright Patterson AFB, opened the meeting with a CME presentation of the ABIM SEP module “2019 Update in General Internal Medicine.” It was a great presentation and everyone in attendance learned a lot.

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Below is a photo of the Wright Patterson IM residents who attended the lecture and the meeting.

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There was one poster presentation, Capt Seth Van Der Veer, “1st Documented Case of Septic Shock from Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus pettenkoferi in the United States.” A novel bacterium and she enjoyed his modern approach to the poster presentation!

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Below is a photo of Dr. Angie Collamer and Dr. Michael Tan, past governor of the Ohio chapter.

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Other highlights included a good showing by the Wright State/WPAFB doctor's dilemma team. Many also participated in and improved their patient care skills in two ultrasound workshops. Many former AF physicians were in attendance, including Kevin Goist, who chaired the program committee this year. Overall it was another fantastic meeting and I appreciate the Ohio ACP Chapter again giving us an opportunity to be a part of their annual meeting ! Thank you again Dr. Collamer, for representing the Air Force ACP Chapter!

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Hot Topics

I. Freeze on Proposed Manpower Cuts

National ACP was pleased that the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included provisions that prevented the Department of Defense from moving forward with proposed cuts to medical and health personnel “billets” in 2020 without careful consideration. ACP applauded Congress for ensuring that military medical personnel end strength is left intact until there is proper review and analysis of the impact that any reductions would have. ACP remains committed to supporting an adequate physician workforce in the military—for treating military personnel and their families, as well as training the next generation of military physicians. More information can be found here.

II. Internal Medicine Meeting (IMM 20)

Every spring Internists from around the world gather for ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting. From scientific sessions to abstract competitions to Convocation, ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting is a dynamic event that is attended by thousands of physicians. The next Internal Medicine Meeting will be held on April 23 - April 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. Visit this link to learn more.

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New Master, Fellows, and Members

Congratulations to our newest Master, Col (ret) (Dr.) Paul Hemmer! Please also extend your congratulations to our newest, Fellows, Members, Resident/Fellow Members, Medical Student Members, and Physician Affiliates listed below:

Congratulations to our newest Air Force Fellows of ACP:

John F Freiler, MD FACP

Michelle R Alders, DO FACP

Caroline A Bolduc, DO FACP

MAJ Erica G Winn, MD

Danielle Bersabe, MD FACP

MAJ Joseph Kluesner, MC USAF FACP

Carmelo J. Blanquicett, MD,PhD FACP

Our newest Members:

MAJ Erica G. Winn, MD

James Kim, MD

Our newest Resident/Fellow Members:

Elliot Runge, DO

Paul Steinhauser, MD

Vikrant Khare, MD

Our newest Medical Student Members:

Christopher Yard

Ashley-Marie Green-Lott

Jesse Wilson

Kacie Scott

Rachel Cox

Jonathan Madany

Joshua Gormley

Rachel Gantz

Jesse Fenton

Justin King

Hollie Soave

Katon Harwood

Emanuel Keiler

Morgan Watts

Rachel Nelson

Abby Hankins

William Woodall

Alexander Wilson

Rachel Powers

Our newest Physician Affiliates:

Bracken Armstrong

Todd Kuhnwald

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Calendar

23 – 25 April 2020 ACP Internal Medicine Meeting (Los Angeles, CA)

10 - 12 September 2020 Tri-Service ACP Chapter Meeting

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