Dr. Wallace's Presidential Initiative

Membership engagement with enthusiasm is my main objective as I take on the honored and responsible role of President of the Broward County Medical Association for the 2012-2013 presidential year. Engagement means involvement in the activities of the BCMA, helping to create a vision for the future, working with physicians who have common needs and share common goals, and being willing to devote the time that it takes to keep all our members informed and in a position to best serve the patients of South Florida. I have added some ad hoc committees and interest groups to our standing committees to involve more of our membership and to accomplish the many goals that we have set for the year. This includes special interest groups, e.g. Employed Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, and Physicians working with Physician Assistants. New committees include Practice Management, Medical Education, Social Media, and Website Editorial. The chairs of these committee and groups have accepted the challenge but there is still time for other members to join and to work on one of these committees.

During 2013 the physicians and patients of Broward County will start to see the up close and personal changes that Health Care Reform will bring about in their practice and lives. This will be the year for the start of Accountable Health Organizations and an expansion of integrated networks, employed physician groups, and other groupings of health care professionals in an attempt to server a larger number of patients in an efficient, cost-effective manner. The BCMA intends to provide web-based education, e.g. videos and documents as well as live conferences, that will keep our members appraised of how to make informed decisions and continue to practice in a manner that brings professional satisfaction and provides excellent service to our patients.

The BCMA stands ready to help our Broward County citizens prepare for Health Care Reform. We have an elite Speakers Bureau made up of volunteers who are willing and ready to speak for school and community groups.  While we have traditionally been available to discuss medical topics, we are expanding our talks to include the steps that patients need to take to navigate what may seem like a maze of decisions that must be made as a result of the new healthcare initiatives.

The BCMA Board of Directors has the same goals and objectives as do all of you; that is that every citizen of South Florida has access to top quality, affordable health care. Working together we CAN make this happen.