April 27, 2023

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President's Message: Dr. Jitendra Barmecha

Transition Note:

In a newly published op-ed, our ACP President, Ryan D. Mire, MD, MACP, explains why the term “internist” is confusing and outdated. It’s time for us to shift from calling ourselves “internists” and officially claim the title “internal medicine physician,” which more clearly denotes our training, knowledge, and clinical expertise. This change would help us unify as critical thinkers who are uniquely trained to understand a multitude of diseases, connections in the body, and the patients’ social environment. 

With the exponential rise of virtual care, it is important to create performance measures for physicians providing telemedicine. A new position paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Performance Measures for Physicians Providing Clinical Care Using Telemedicine, recommends that performance measures used to evaluate telemedicine services should be evidence-based, methodologically sound, and clinically meaningful. The paper focuses on telemedicine services provided in an ambulatory care environment, including via interactive audio and video telecommunications systems. 

As we celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd this year, please continue to learn more about what ACP and our chapter is doing to help protect the planet and raise awareness around the need for all of us to work together. These efforts are especially important in light of a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC - a body of the United Nations) that notes the world is at the point where it will not be possible to prevent catastrophic climate change.

ACP has been active in promoting sustainability at our annual meeting, decreasing printed materials, and promoting hybrid meetings. As a member of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health, ACP has supported a Climate and Health Equity Fellowship through the consortium.

Finally, it is a bittersweet moment as my term as President of NYACP and Governor of the Bronx-Manhattan Region is ending this month. There are no ends or beginnings, just transitions that take us where we are meant to go next. It has truly been a privilege and honor to lead NYACP, the finest professional organization to advocate for our physicians’ colleagues and patients for the best health outcomes. At this moment, I also want to thank and share my humble gratitude to all the chapter staff and members who supported me during this journey.

Thank You...Thank You…Thank You!

Jitendra Barmecha, MD, MPH, FACP, SFHM
President

Chapter Leadership Opportunity
Bronx District President

NYACP is currently seeking a Chapter member who either lives or works in the Bronx and is interested in getting more involved in the leadership pathway by serving as Bronx District President.

NYACP's current organizational structure consists of 5 Regions and 16 Districts.  Each of the districts has an annually appointed District President to serve as a liaison between Chapter leadership and local members.  The District President is also responsible for planning and scheduling local meetings, events, and activities (with assistance from NYACP staff member Izaiah Wright).  District Presidents are invited to Council/Board meetings with voice and travel reimbursement but no vote.

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Izaiah Wright at iwright@nyacp.org.

Information about the District President role.

Chapter Awards-Accepting Nominations
Deadline is June 15th!

NYACP is excited to recognize members for excellence and distinguished contributions to Internal Medicine. This year, the committee will issue 3-5 Chapter awards. The categories for candidate nominations include: Education, Advocacy, Clinical Excellence, Research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and Public Health. 

The nomination requires a completed online form, a 500-word Letter of Nomination, and a copy of the nominee’s CV. The submission deadline is June 15, 2023. Self-Nominations will not be accepted.

Please help the New York Chapter ACP recognize, honor and congratulate the truly deserving members of our Chapter for their amazing and outstanding work.

Susan Lane, MD, FACP

Members in the News
Susan Lane, M.D., FACP, Elected AAIM FY 2024 Board Officer

Susan Lane, MD, FACP has been elected to serve as Vice Chair of the AAIM Board of Directors for FY 2024.  Dr. Lane is an Internal Medicine Residency Program Director, Professor of Medicine, and Vice Chair of Education in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Congratulations, Dr. Lane!

Valuable Resources and Information for Members!

• I Raise the Rates Newsletter
• Lawsuit Reform Alliance in New York
• MLMIC Healthcare Weekly
• MLMIC's Medical Risk Management Tips for Physicians & Hospitals

Bailey Perry, MD

Inspirations and Expectations from NYACP Advocacy Intern
Bailey Perry, MD
Growing up in a lower-middle class family with a single mother and an incarcerated father, I developed a unique perspective on the world around me. Therefore, it was no surprise that at a young age my passions all related to helping others. When I got into medical school and began my clinical rotations, I realized that I was particularly intrigued by the guts of our for-profit healthcare system, specifically, health care policy and how it affects my patients who encounter the same financial hardship that I had experienced growing up. 

Originally, I planned on completing only a preliminary year in medicine residency and later applying to law school. But I realized that my experience as a clinician could enhance my passion for law and advocacy through healthcare policy reform. I discovered the American College of Physicians during my last year of medical school when researching areas of focus for my career. I remember feeling so relieved to find an organization with goals and missions that align with my own. 

It is important to me to guide my career towards health policy, giving me the opportunity to have a major impact on public health concerns and to advocate for the people of our country while also being proficient in the practice of medicine. 

It has been challenging to align myself with a path less traveled. However, when I discovered that the New York Chapter  American College of Physicians offers an Advocacy Internship Program, it felt like my desired path became as clear to follow as the yellow brick road. I want so desperately to change the systems that impact so many people's lives. In the meantime, it is my dream to make navigating a for-profit healthcare system easier for the majority of Americans across the nation with the hopes of introducing a single payer system that creates healthcare for all, which I believe is a human right. 

As an advocacy intern, I hope to be able to learn the elemental parts of health care policy and to better define how my role as a physician can impact legislators. I really hope to make connections with my local representatives to start the communication and rapport necessary to help elevate a single-payer system while also preserving jobs for Americans who will be impacted by the transition. I am conscious of the fact that this may be a very big undertaking. With that being said, I plan to advocate for increased access to care in the meantime for the NYC community through a social media platform that I co-founded, NYC Doctors for C.H.A.N.G.E. (Community for Healthcare Access and Network for Growth and Equity). I believe that change is coming and that the current medically underserved communities will no longer have to navigate healthcare disparities alone. 

Debbie Fermin, MD

NYACP Advocacy Intern  - Making a C.H.A.N.G.E.
Debbie Fermin, MD
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. '” ― Martin Luther King Jr. 

I am a foreign medical graduate and a licensed general practitioner in the Philippines who wanted to pursue further training in Internal Medicine in the United States. I carried with me my passion for primary care and creating transformational relationships with my patients and the community. Growing up and practicing medicine in a third world country, I have a good awareness of social inequity and health disparities. I always had that burning question: “Is good health care only for the rich and privileged?”. As I started my Internal Medicine residency training, we had the opportunity to practice primary care medicine in federally qualified health centers in New York City. We take care of chronically sick, underserved populations – those on Medicaid, those who are paying out-of-pocket for medication, those who work multiple jobs to make ends meet and those undocumented patients who are unable to get further necessary treatments. This experience further intensified my passion for universal healthcare for all.

My primary care track colleagues and I, driven with the same goal and passion, created an advocacy social media group that focuses on health equity. Our mission is to increase access for the underserved population in New York City by advocating for C.H.A.N.G.E. - Community for Health Access and Network for Growth and Equity. 

It is of beautiful timing that I was given the privilege to participate in NYACP’s Advocacy Internship Program. As our mentor, Dr. Tamara Goldberg has taught us, in order to create transformative change, we need to understand the social and structural determinants of health. This elective rotation will give us an opportunity to see the existing health policies and political structure that greatly influence the service we give to our patients. 

My goal for this rotation is to apply my experience of taking care of the underserved population and use my voice as a doctor to deliver what my community needs. This internship will also give me the opportunity to know and reach out to people in legislative positions to help and rally behind our advocacy. Once I have a better understanding of the health policies and new bills for equity, I can better advocate for my patients and speak for them. 

As I share this goal with the driven and hardworking ACP, New York Chapter community, hopefully, the next time that I encounter this burning question: “Is good health care only for the rich and privileged?”, I can proudly say, “No, we have C.H.A.N.G.E.”.

Resources to Fulfill NY State and Federal DEA Pain Management Training Requirements

Beginning on June 27, 2023, the DEA will require that all prescribers provide a one-time attestation that includes 8 hours of training on the management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (SUDs) prior to renewing their DEA registration.  

Prescribers in NY State are also required to complete 3-hours of CME training in addiction, palliative medicine, and pain management  (NY Public Health Law Sec. 3309-A(3).  Those who took the training course in 2017 and 2020 must renew again by July 1, 2023.

Use NYACP's updated pain management training course and ACP's Substance Use Disorder Education Hub to fulfill both requirements!

Upcoming Events

Webinar Series:
Combatting Sexual Harassment/Gender Discrimination
in the Medical Profession
April-May 2023

A Lecture Series sponsored by Oregan Chapter ACP

Details and Registration

Wisdom and Well Being Series: 
Session 9: Partnering with Patients for Systemic Change
Monday, May 8, 2023 / 7:00 - 8:00 pm / Zoom

Collect ideas and successful strategies for partnering with patients based on years of helping systems and clinics partner with patients and 3rd Conversation work to deepen relationships between patients and clinicians.

Jennifer Sweeney is a Co-Founder of X4 Health, a purpose-driven organization on a mission to solve complex societal challenges, and a Co-Creator of 3rd Conversation, a social impact campaign aimed at helping health care systems create people-first cultures.

Register Here

2023 NYACP Leadership Academy- Register Today!
Begins: Thursday, May 4, 2023 / 6:30 - 8:00 pm / Zoom

Final applications are due now for the 2nd Annual NYACP Leadership Academy. This six-part CME accredited certificate program begins in May 2023, and ends with an in-person session on Friday, October 27, 2023 in Rochester, NY. 

Course schedule: 6:30 - 8:00 pm 
Thursday, May 4 -   Leadership in Medicine
Thursday, June 1  -  Opportunities in Medicine
Thursday, July 6 -   Strategies & Skills
Thursday, Aug.  3 -  Identifying & Mentoring
Thursday, Sept. 7 - Leadership and Underrepresented Minorities

Final session in-person:
Friday, October 27, 2023 - Day prior to NYACP Annual Meeting

Apply Here Today

NY Yankees Healthcare Workers Appreciation Week!
May 8 - 14, 2023

Join your fellow healthcare professionals and the New York Yankees for select games in May at Yankee Stadium.

The first 1,000 fans who purchase tickets through this offer will receive a special New York Yankees scrub top! Each Special Event Ticket also includes a regular sized hot dog and your first drink (a 12oz domestic beer for those 21 years of age or older with a Valid ID, Pepsi product or Poland Spring bottled water).

Reserve your seats here

NYACP Resident/Fellow and Medical Student Forum
Friday, May 12, 2023

Desmond/Crowne Plaza Hotel
660 Albany Shaker Road
Albany, NY  12211

Agenda:

8:30 - 10:30 am       Poster Competition
10:30 - 1:00 pm       Resident/Fellow Dr's Dilemma Competition
1:00 -    1:30 pm      Lunch
1:30 -    2:30 pm      Education Session - "How to Negotiate a Contract"- Laurie Cohen, Esq.
2:30 -   3:00 pm       Winners Announced

Video of 2022 Resident/Fellow and Medical Student Forum

Guest Fee $55

Hosted by NYACP Early Career Physicians, Resident/Fellow and Medical Student Committees:

NYACP Mentorship Series Part 2 Webinar
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 / 6:00 - 7:00 pm / Zoom

NYACP Mentorship Series Part 2 is geared towards a Mentee group of Medical Students with a Mentor group of Residents/ Fellows and Early Career Physicians. Join us for this interactive networking session that will dive into topics such as:

• Transitioning to Residency
• Prepping for Match Cycle
• Interviews/CV Building
• Career Options

More Information

Register Here

Todd Simon MD, FACP

Advancement to Fellowship Webinar
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 / 6:00 - 7:00 pm / Zoom

Interested in learning about ACP Fellowship? Todd Simon, MD, FACP, Governor for the Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island Region will review the meaning of Fellowship, the requirements for attaining your FACP®, and the application process.

ACP Fellowship is a distinguished honor within the internal medicine community. The FACP credential carries significant value because it’s a peer-reviewed, peer-supported honor. ACP Fellows embody what it means to be part of the College through a demonstrated commitment to excellence, ACP, your colleagues, and especially your patients.  Join over 31,000 internists who share this distinguished honor.

Register Here

More Information

Save the Date!

NYACP Annual Meeting
Saturday, October 28, 2023

Hyatt Regency Hotel
125 East Main Street
Rochester, NY  

Details coming soon!