President’s Message

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The COVID-19 president

Two years ago, I was convinced that the biggest hurdle that I had to clear when I decided to run for the office of MAG president-elect was convincing my wife that it was a good idea. “Don’t worry, I got this,” I told her with great confidence, “a few extra meetings, it will be fine.” I figured I would coast for a year while I watched my predecessor, Rutledge Forney, M.D., work her way through her one-year term as MAG’s president. But my plan started to show signs of unraveling before the end of 2018 – when then-Gov. Nathan Deal appointed me to the Georgia Composite Medical Board. “Okay, so things might be a little busier than I thought,” I said to myself, “but I still got this.” The 2019 economy was on cruise control. MAG CEO Donald Palmisano and I were working on getting my local hospital‘s employed physicians to join as a group. The AMA state advocacy meeting brought some helpful new contacts and some exciting ideas for legislation for my tenure as president. The legislative session was going smoothly. We were discussing innovative ways to increase non-dues revenue. MAG’s financials were showing revenues above and expenses below the budget and our overall financial and membership positions were strong. What could go wrong? I continued to coast through my president-elect year, talking to MAG’s past presidents, learning the workings of the Medical Board, and getting tuned up on MAG’s agenda and issues. Surprise billing appeared to be the major issue. Tort reform, the issue that brought me to the House of Delegates and meaningful medical political advocacy, also brought my appointment to a Senate study committee on tort reform. My priorities included other key issues, including scope of practice, continuity of care, and the state’s new cannabis laws. This is the track we were on when Donald said one day, “You can make plans as president, but you never know what will happen.” This comment stayed in my mind, but I would never have guessed coronavirus would be the thing that happened. I would have never predicted that a mysterious virus, half a world away, would affect every civilization on earth. Amazingly, five percent of the delegates at the 2019 HOD listed a pandemic as their biggest concern over the coming years, a worry I did not share. This pandemic brought the legislative session, our health care system, our economy, and our entire society to a sudden standstill.

Andrew Reisman, M.D.

docreisman@gmail.com

As I watched the news from China, I was sad and concerned for the people who live there. But I never thought that this virus would sprint across the planet and sicken and kill millions of people in a matter of weeks. This invisible enemy has pushed the global community to its breaking point in every conceivable, way including (and especially) when it comes to our health care systems. The COVID-19 outbreak has changed physicians’ world in dramatic ways. We have had to alter how we interact with and care for our patients – including the use of telemedicine. We have had to deal with shortages of PPE, supplies and tests. And our practices have been pushed to the economic brink. MAG, too, has had to adapt to meet the needs of its members. We had to decide to cancel many important events and worked on promoting legislation that would enable practices to survive (e.g., loans and advanced and accelerated payment), clearing regulatory and administrative red tape, and disseminating the information our members needed to make the best decisions. We held the first Board of Directors meeting in the history of MAG electronically. It is also worth noting that the MAG Medical Reserve Corps mobilized a multi-disciplinary COVID-19 Response Team that has been deployed by the state in a variety of ways and settings during the pandemic. Every MAG member should be proud of these tireless and selfless volunteer heroes. As MAG’s president, I have learned that we must always be prepared for the unexpected. I have learned that organizations like MAG have never been more important. And my colleagues and allied staff have confirmed what I have always known – that they would step up and meet the challenge in the most professional and exemplary ways when we needed them the most. My term as MAG’s president has been drastically different from the one I expected, but it has been far more meaningful than I could have ever imagined.