SSAT - ACS Governor's Corner: Dr. Stephens' Report to the Board

July 14, 2003

To: Pat Sprecksel
Administrator, Board of Governors
American College of Surgeons
Fax: 312-202-5021

Subject: Report to The Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons
89th Annual Clinical Congress, Chicago, IL, October 19-23, 2003

From: R.V. Stephens, Sc.M, MD, FACS
SSAT Representative to The Board of Governors

The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract represents 2,500 surgeons, from all 50 states and Canada, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the abdomen. This year, in order to obtain a representative sample of the most pressing problems facing their practices, an e-mail survey was sent to all 2,500 members.

The "Clear and Present Danger" is TORT REFORM. For the first time in history, the President of the United States has made it a major political objective to reform medical liability. This year in response to tremendous pressure from the trial lawyers lobby, the Senate Democratic minority blocked even a floor discussion of the topic, yet, 72% of the American public support sensible resolution to the onslaught of frivolous lawsuits. The time is now! A swing of 8 Democratic Senate votes could make this a political reality.

The Political Action Committee of the College, Chaired by Andy Warshaw, MD, FACS, is beginning to have an impact. Last year, all 10 congressional candidates that our PAC supported were victorious. Intense lobbying by the College and other specialty societies prevented the 4.4% Medicare reduction last year and after last week's negotiations, and personal lobbying by the members of the PAC Executive Committee, it appears this years 4.4% reduction will also be halted. The hard political reality is that money talks and big contributions sway votes.

Our PAC needs money! There is no excuse for not donating, the average attorney's donation to The Association of Trial Lawyers is over $1,000. Thus far, the average donation of the 39,000 U.S. dues-paying Fellows, Associates and Candidate Groups of the American College of Surgeons is a lousy $4.50! All College members should donate a minimum of $1,000 a year. The cancellation of the scheduled 8.8% Medicare reductions and the 2.4% increase negotiated by the College and our PAC is worth at least ten times that amount!

All members of the Board of Governors should send a personal check or credit card number to ACSPA-SurgeonsPac, Suite 1932 Remittance Drive, Chicago, IL 60675-1932.

For meaningful reform, the surgical community must also participate. The College needs to take a leadership role in developing a program that reduces malpractice liability while improving patient safety; much like the system that reformed airline passenger safety by voluntary reporting of all adverse events to the Federal Aviation Agency in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Some additional anxieties of the SSAT members are:

Early retirement and unfilled surgical residencies, the first warning of the "Perfect Storm".

Significant changes of referral patterns as a result of the huge increase in non-MD medical school graduates, physician's assistants and hospitalists.

This problem has developed below the College's radar.

In some areas in the southwest, there are over 400 non-MD family practice graduates per year.

Physician assistants are independently treating and referring patients.

Hospitalists have replaced the primary care and internal medicine physicians within the hospital.

Submitted by,

Robert V. Stephens, MD, FACS SSAT Governor to the American College of Surgeons

To contact Dr. Stephens please click here.