Message from the President:
Greetings from the Virginia Society of Otolaryngology. It is our mission to represent the needs of otolaryngologists and their patients in the Commonwealth. We are so pleased to announce that our efforts were recognized by the American Academy of Otolaryngology, awarding us the Honorable Mention prize for state societies in 2011. We will continue to build on this momentum by playing an active role in policy issues related to our field and patient care, and presenting to our membership, stimulating CME opportunities.
The 2011 Society meeting, held in Norfolk was a big success. The new extended format allowed more interaction between the members and the guest speakers, while generating over 11 hours of CME for practitioners. We thank Dr. Jonas Johnson, Dr. Brent Senior, and Dr. Milton Waner for sharing their insight and expertise. Our upcoming meeting will be at the Marriott Renaissance in Arlington, May 18-19, 2012. We plan a full scientific program and look forward to seeing and sharing with you.
We continue to address issues through our interaction and advocacy efforts in Richmond. The 2011 “White Coats On Call Day” was very productive, with even more physicians connecting with their representatives. The relationships built between our colleagues and representatives are key to moving our concerns forward. We continue to stay abreast of issues through our ties to the MSV and our independent lobbyist, Cal Whitehead. Our next white coat day will be held in February.
We completed work on several issues of patient care this past year. We reached an agreement for certification for Speech and Language Pathologists who perform Functional Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) independent of MD supervision. We partnered with audiologists to block an attempt to end exam certification for hearing aid vendors which would have allowed them to function with virtually no state oversight. We provided free head and neck cancer screening at the NASCAR event at Richmond Motor Speedway. There we evaluated over a hundred people while raising awareness in the thousands in attendance. We will be repeating the cancer screening at the race to be held on Saturday, September 11, 2011. Slots are still available for those who wish to volunteer.
The Society strives to represent the united voice of practitioners around the state. One example is our coordinated response to the decision by Anthem to not cover balloon dilation used for chronic sinusitis. We continue to support the use of all approved techniques for the betterment of our patients as determined by their physicians. We will continue to advocate directly to Anthem and through lobbying efforts in Richmond. Please bring these, or any other concerns, to us.
Continued growth of the membership is a major priority this year. The numbers for Otolaryngology are always small when compared to other specialties. Our needs are often similar to other physicians, as with the joint push to prevent the reduction in Medicaid which was successfully blocked last year in the state Assembly. At other times, our position in the medical field is unique, such as the recent push to regulate cosmetic procedures performed in the office. It is important that we consolidate our voices to make sure they are heard.
Again, welcome to the Virginia Society of Otolaryngology. Please feel free to contact me with any issues or questions by contacting Ms. Jane Davis who serves as the Society’s Manger. She can be reached at 804-622-8135 or jdavis@ramdocs.org. We look forward to working with you to address the needs of our colleagues and patients in the Commonwealth.
With best regards,
Richard E. Gardner, MD
President
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