Iowa Medicine : Journal of the Iowa Medical Society

This is an exciting time for research at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. The launch of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute, increased external funding, and a new strategic plan position us well to continue our leadership role in biomedical discovery for Iowa and the world.

Joyce Vista-Wayne, MD, was installed as IMS' 168th president on April 28, 2017. The ceremony was part of the IMS Annual Conference, which was themed Renewing Passion and Purpose in Practice. The following are remarks she made at the event.

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When I penned this article in November, I was enamored by the improbable upset in the contest that stunned the pundits. Who would have believed Iowa could shock the heavily favored and 3rd- ranked Michigan Wolverines football team in a 14-to-13 win? It was another historic November to remember, and Iowa was at the heart of it all. After the fans stormed the field with celebratory fervor, it was time to get back to business and reflect on the past to plan a course for the future.

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In the closing months of 2016, my work with the Iowa Medical Society gave me the privilege of visiting with many fellow physicians across our wonderful state. If is a deep honor to meet with colleagues who are so committed to the well-being of their patients, their communities, and our profession. Simultaneously, I am concerned to hear the all-too-common tales of exhaustion, stress, and frustration at work - classic signs of professional burnout.

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How to implement a Candor program and the mechanics of successful discussions will be the focus of a Candor conference in Des Moines this fall.

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As my introduction to the membership at large, I want to tell a story - a story of me, a story of you, and a story of our Iowa Medical Society. I want to accomplish three things with this story.

On April 16, 2015, Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that ended the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and the chronically threatened 20-25 percent Medicare payment cuts to physicians. Despite Congress' reputation for gridlock and dysfunction, there was overwhelming bipartisan support for MACRA's payment and delivery system reform that will permanently alter the way physicians will be paid in the future.

A study published last year by Mayo Clinic researchers showed that 54 percent of physicians surveyed in 2014 exhibited symptoms of burnout (up from 45 percent in a similar study conducted in 2011). One reason to tackle this growing problem is that burnout is linked with behaviors that can jeopardize patient safety.

For global stock market investors, the news from 2015 and the early part of 2016 has been marked by periods of unsettling volatility and decline. In December, global stock markets virtually all weakened to make 2015 a negative year for the majority of stock investors, capping off another year of historically low interest rates and sluggish economic numbers globally.

In the late 1800s, Dr. A.T. Still became dissatisfied with the orthodox medicine of his day and began working on an approach that focused on the health of the whole person. He was one of the first physicians to promote the idea of preventive medicine and holistic wellness. From that vision, the profession of osteopathic medicine was established.

Contemporary physicians are facing tremendous pressures in terms of the number of patients they are expected to see, the short amount of time in which they have to see them, the complexity of the health problems, and increasingly burdensome documentation requirements. Empathy is challenged and to some extent driven down by many of the factors that are beleaguering health care today.

As a component of our efforts to roll out Iowa's new Candor law and to facilitate the establishment of Candor programs in healthcare facilities throughout Iowa, the Iowa Medical Society cosponsored a national conference in late February on communication and resolution programs. Three representatives from Great River Health System in West Burlington and I attended the Communication and Resolution Program Leader Retreat to Improve Patient Safety in Palo Alto, California. The conference focused on defining core components of early disclosure programs and developing plans to effectively mitigate barriers to implementation...

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in January, I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual meeting of the Scott County Medical Society (SMCS), my home county and local medical society. It was great to see colleagues and friends I've known for many years, but equally nice was meeting new physicians and their spouses. Several physicians, including one of my partners, were honored for 25 consecutive years of commitment and service to SCMS. In another time, a continuous 25 year commitment to organized medicine was common; not only was membership a way to stay connected and involved in the medical community, it was a privilege of our profession...