Want to provide high-quality, patient-centered care? Then stand up and advocate it, urged Richard Wherry, M.D., of Dahlonega, Ga. By doing so, family physicians will improve care, increase their visibility and enhance their bottom line, he said as leader of the Sept. 29 Dialogue session, “Why Advocacy is Good Medicine,” at the AAFP Scientific Assembly.
Physician Dialogue
Advocacy Succeeds When Everyone Pitches In
By Leslie Champlin
10/3/2006
Wherry brought to the discussion his 25 years of experience as a family physician advocate, including his service on the AAFP Board of Directors and the FamMedPAC Board of Directors. Legislators, regulators and businesses want physicians’ knowledge of the impact their policies have on patients, he said. As advocates for family medicine, family physicians bring greater understanding of patient needs, and that, in turn, results in policies that improve access and quality of care, he said.
“Advocating is good medicine,” Wherry said, because it increases awareness of patients’ issues, improves the visibility of the advocate’s practice and enhances knowledge of public health.
But Dialogue session participants said few physicians see advocacy as a personal responsibility. Practicing physicians say the demands of their practice provide little time to educate legislators, insurers or businesses.
Advocacy doesn’t require a big time commitment, countered Wherry. Sending an e-mail or calling a legislator’s office requires only a few minutes.
“Advocacy doesn’t have to be in person,” he said. “You can send an e-mail at 9 at night.”
Terrence Steyer, M.D., of Charleston, S.C., agreed, adding that educating lawmakers about family medicine’s issues doesn’t require speaking to the representative or senator -- particularly on the federal level.
“A lot of times, the staff member is more important than the member of Congress,” he said. “If legislators aren’t on a health-related committee, they don’t know much about the issues.”
However, the lawmakers trust the advice of their staff, so educating legislative staff, who then espouse family medicine’s positions to the lawmakers, is very effective, he added.
By providing information to lawmakers and their staffs on local, state and federal levels, individual family physicians establish themselves as the “go-to people” when lawmakers write bills that affect health care policy, Steyer continued.
“I’d like to create a goal of having everyone advocate two times a year for their patients,” Wherry said. “We have 1,500 members in Georgia. If each of our members advocates twice a year, we’d be well ahead of the game. Because if we don’t do it, others will be there to advocate for the other side. The optometrists, the trial lawyers -- they’re there every day. We need to be there counteracting” their messages.
“Advocating is good medicine,” Wherry said, because it increases awareness of patients’ issues, improves the visibility of the advocate’s practice and enhances knowledge of public health.
But Dialogue session participants said few physicians see advocacy as a personal responsibility. Practicing physicians say the demands of their practice provide little time to educate legislators, insurers or businesses.
Advocacy doesn’t require a big time commitment, countered Wherry. Sending an e-mail or calling a legislator’s office requires only a few minutes.
“Advocacy doesn’t have to be in person,” he said. “You can send an e-mail at 9 at night.”
Terrence Steyer, M.D., of Charleston, S.C., agreed, adding that educating lawmakers about family medicine’s issues doesn’t require speaking to the representative or senator -- particularly on the federal level.
“A lot of times, the staff member is more important than the member of Congress,” he said. “If legislators aren’t on a health-related committee, they don’t know much about the issues.”
However, the lawmakers trust the advice of their staff, so educating legislative staff, who then espouse family medicine’s positions to the lawmakers, is very effective, he added.
By providing information to lawmakers and their staffs on local, state and federal levels, individual family physicians establish themselves as the “go-to people” when lawmakers write bills that affect health care policy, Steyer continued.
“I’d like to create a goal of having everyone advocate two times a year for their patients,” Wherry said. “We have 1,500 members in Georgia. If each of our members advocates twice a year, we’d be well ahead of the game. Because if we don’t do it, others will be there to advocate for the other side. The optometrists, the trial lawyers -- they’re there every day. We need to be there counteracting” their messages.
