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PAMED president was past president of PCMS
IN THE NEWS
PAMED President Strategizes Medicine’s Future
By Myla Merkel, Pennsylvania Medical Society
Dr. Michael DellaVecchia is concluding his tenure as the 171st president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED).
Taking his oath of office in October 2020, DellaVecchia led PAMED through the toughest times of the pandemic, including transforming the 2021 annual House of Delegates meeting into a virtual event while focusing on the policy work that needed to be done.
DellaVecchia said, “The pandemic challenged us and continues to challenge us. When push came to shove with this pandemic, we really rose to the challenge, all of us. It is a great example of what can be accomplished with our efforts.”
COVID-19 continues to change health care on almost a daily basis, making DellaVecchia’s presidential initiative — advanced technologies in future medicine — timelier than ever. Technology in health care has been a long-standing passion for him.
Earned advanced degrees
In addition to earning a medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and completing residencies in anatomical and clinical pathology and ophthalmology, DellaVecchia earned advanced degrees in engineering and physics from Drexel University with a research emphasis in medical devices and photonics.
The focus of his initiative is preparing physicians for the advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnologies, and biosensors that will forever change medical education and the practice of medicine. “Nanotechnologies, biosensors, robotics and especially artificial intelligence (AI) will saturate our profession and take over health care in the not-too-distant future,” he said. “We must be at the table and not on the menu to determine where these technologies fit into the profession and the proper care of patients.”
The continuing education about the advancement of technologies was put together through a series of interviews and lectures with nationally recognized experts in the field. They included retired Col. Matthew Hepburn, MD, who was the vaccine development lead for Operation Warp Speed, founded in May 2020 to help accelerate the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. His lecture includes AI and the role it played with COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response.
Preventative medicine
DellaVecchia said that the practice of preventative medicine is where the advancements in technologies will play a vital role, using data collection and algorithms to continue to inform patients what they are at risk for. “What we like to do in medicine is heal people, but we also want to practice preventative medicine,” he said. “To do that, we start with collecting your data and figuring out what your risk factors are, while trying to bring down that risk according to certain mathematical algorithms and determining procedures that we can perform.
“It’s important to continue to educate physicians about what’s coming down the pike and how to adapt to it, be a part of it, and most importantly, how to determine where it should be with patient care,” DellaVecchia said.
In addition to his role as the PAMED president, DellaVecchia has served on the board of directors for PAMED’s Political Action Committee (PAMPAC). He is a fellow at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, where he also served on the board of trustees. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons.
DellaVecchia shows his commitment to advancing public health and preventive medicine through his community volunteer work and with veterans’ groups.
“I speak on behalf of PAMED when I say that we are very grateful for Dr. DellaVecchia’s leadership and commitment to PAMED,” said Martin Raniowski, PAMED’s CEO and executive vice president. “His vision this past year was to look forward, see the possibilities and determine how physicians can be part of that exciting future. We are delighted that his medicine and technology videos will remain a part of PAMED’s CME library and will continue to benefit countless members in the coming year.” • Myla Merkel is chief writer and media coordinator for the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
In the news
By Mark C. Austerberry, PCMS Executive Director
The 2021 Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) annual business meeting was conducted virtually on Oct. 30.
The House of Delegates (HOD) is the society’s policymaking body. It is made up of more than 300 elected physician-members from around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
During this unique one-day virtual meeting, the physician-members were able to deliberate and act on issues related to health policy, managed care, public health, programming and PAMED administration.
The Philadelphia County Medical Society (PCMS) delegation consisted of 57 voting delegates. Serving on the PCMS delegation carries with it the responsibility of representing the physicians of Philadelphia County, but it also provides an opportunity to influence the policies of organized medicine. This year, the PCMS delegates deliberated nearly 30 resolutions and elected trustees and officers in a single day.
Below is an abridged list of 2021 resolutions that were adopted. For a complete listing of all the 2021 PAMED HOD resolutions, visit the PAMED website at www.pamed.org.
Resolutions adopted
Resolution 21-205: Syringe Service Programs in Pennsylvania RESOLVED, that the PAMED will actively support advocacy for syringe services programs across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. RESOLVED, that PAMED shall support the legalization and public funding of syringe services programs and harm reduction programs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, provided that funding for these programs does not detract from funding to cover treatment of substance use disorder. Resolution 21-301: Corporate Practice of Medicine RESOLVED, that PAMED will prioritize efforts to partner with the Department of Health to modify the physician survey conducted during the biannual license renewal for all Commonwealth physicians to help determine: 1) the current extent of corporate ownership of physician practices in the Commonwealth; 2) the nature of the corporate entities involved; 3) the pattern of such corporate ownership within the state as it relates to geography and / or physician specialty; 4) the effect of corporate ownership on the ability of physicians to practice medicine effectively, ethically, with independence of judgement, and for as long as they remain competent and wish to practice; and be it further RESOLVED, that PAMED will issue a report on these efforts, as well as any data obtained, no later than the 2023 meeting of the House of Delegates; and be it further RESOLVED, that PAMED Policy 160.975 (Resolution 303, H-2018, as subsequently presented as Board Report 18, H-2019) is repealed and shall be replaced with this PAMED Policy upon its approval by the House of Delegates. Resolution 21-303: Action Regarding Non-Medical Switching RESOLVED, that the PAMED oppose insurers policies that mandate non-medical switching, or give any direct financial inducement to a patient to require or incentivize switching off of a tolerated, effective therapeutic regimen, thereby circumventing the patient-physician relationship; and be it further RESOLVED, that PAMED advocate for state-level legislative action to disallow insurer policies that mandate non-medical switching off of a tolerated, effective therapeutic regimen, thereby circumventing the patient-physician relationship and be it further RESOLVED that PAMED affirm American Medical Association (AMA) Policy D185.976 Financial Incentives for Patients to Switch Treatments. Resolution 21-404: Expanding Access to Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder RESOLVED, that the PAMED shall support eliminating the requirement for physicians to obtain a waiver while continuing training requirements to prescribe and administer buprenorphine for the purpose of initiating treatment of opioid use disorder; and be it further RESOLVED, that PAMED support the elimination of the yearly patient cap on the number of patients one provider can prescribe buprenorphine to in the context of a short-term limited supply in the emergency room setting; and be it further RESOLVED, that PAMED support ACGME expanded residency training opportunities on evidence based medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in the acute outpatient setting. Resolution 21-408: Ban on the Manufacturing of Menthol Tobacco Products by Tobacco Companies
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RESOLVED, that the PAMED shall support a ban on manufacturing, distribution, and sale of menthol tobacco products. Resolution 21-407: Medical Use of Psilocybin in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth RESOLVED, that the PAMED support the revaluation of psilocybin’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance; and be it further RESOLVED, that the PAMED support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in implementing administrative procedures to facilitate grant applications and the conduct of clinical research into other medical utilities of psilocybin. Several resolutions were referred back to the PAMED’s Board of Trustees for decision or study. Physician-members can provide feedback, which will be considered official testimony on each item, and the information will be shared directly with the PAMED board members when they address the topic during the next scheduled meetings in February, May and August. Physicians with questions or comments should contact the PAMED Knowledge Center at 800-228-7823.
February 2022 PAMED board meeting discussion
Resolution 21-202: Informing Physicians, Health Care Providers, and the Public that Cooking with a Gas Stove Increases Household Air Pollution and the Risk of Childhood Asthma Resolution 21-209: Racial Equity as it Relates to the SarsCov2 Spike Protein Resolution 21-406: Increasing Minimum Staffing Requirements for Dementia Residents in Nursing Homes
May 2022 PAMED board meeting discussion
Resolution 21-206: WPSI (Women’s Preventative Services Initiative) Resolution 21-203: Support for Doulas Resolution 21-508: Option for Virtual Participation for Rural Delegates in Non-Pandemic Times
August 2022 PAMED board meeting discussion
Resolution 21-402: PAMED advocate and legislate the pro-competition clause for MOC (Maintenance of Certification) and introduce it at the American Medical Association
Lastly, and most importantly, special thanks to all the physician delegates that helped to guide PAMED policy for this coming year, especially during such an unprecedented time. •
WYNTON MARSALIS DAVID SANBORN
April 1-10, 2022 Reading, PA
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with WYNTON MARSALIS GREGORY PORTER BRIAN CULBERTSON MARCUS ANDERSON DAVID SANBORN & FRIENDS SPECIAL EFX ALL-STARS FOUR80EAST JEFF KASHIWA ERIC DARIUS BÉLA FLECK: MY BLUEGRASS HEART JOEY DEFRANCESCO TRIO SELWYN BIRCHWOOD
NAJEE with special guests BOBBY LYLE, PHIL PERRY BONEY JAMES JAKE SHIMABAKURO CHUCK LOEB MEMORIAL ALL-STAR JAM featuring RICK BRAUN, GERALD VEASLEY, BRIAN BROMBERG and more
PATTI AUSTIN JOEY DEFRANCESCO
BÉLA FLECK
CHRIS “BIG DOG” DAVIS presents CELEBRATING THE WOMEN IN JAZZ featuring PATTI AUSTIN, MAYSA, LINDSEY WEBSTER and more
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CONCERT featuring ERIC MARIENTHAL, KEIKO MATSUI, EVERETTE HARP and more
presented by
PETER WHITE & VINCENT INGALA with special guest MINDI ABAIR
