Dear colleague:
The Colorado Medical Society capped our operational year Friday with my final board meeting as president and board chair, and a virtual 151st CMS Annual Meeting that gave me the great honor of passing the gavel to Mark B. Johnson, MD, MPH. We had hoped to meet in person for this year’s Annual Meeting but determined the health risk of rising Covid rates made that imprudent. Despite the pivot, the virtual format of our meeting was fun and fast-paced, with excellent information presented by CDPHE CMO Eric France, MD, MPH, MSPH; inspiring words by Dr. Johnson; and toe-tapping live music. Plus, did the virtual prize wheel land on your name for one of our many raffle prizes? Those will be delivered this week.
As we embark on a new year, I would like to update you on a few crucial items from the board meeting that I believe will launch our society into the future. Here are the top lines:
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New office space: The board voted to approve a change in office space that places CMS in the direct vicinity of the Colorado Capitol and, as such, in the best position possible to advocate on behalf of physicians – a top priority for CMS for a majority of our members.
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Recognition of a Defender of Medicine: The board awarded Donald Lefkowits, MD, President of the Colorado Medical Board, the CMS Defender of Medicine Award for his leadership in protecting patient safety and ensuring confidential peer assistance for physicians. Click here to read about his fight to protect physician access to confidential counseling in the latest Colorado Medicine.
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Excellent stewards of your dues dollars: The board approved a budget for 2021-2022 that included a better-than-expected performance in membership retention than was projected for the current membership year that, therefore, allows for the restoration of staffing levels and member services to pre-pandemic levels.
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Progress for employed physicians and independent physicians: Omar Mubarak, MD, chair of the Independent Physician Task Force, and Christie Reimer, MD, on behalf of Alwin Steinmann, MD, FACP, chair of the Employed Physician Task Force, led robust discussions with the board on their task forces’ progress toward developing recommendations to maximize relevance of CMS to these member segments.
As I transition to the role as immediate past president, I want to thank my family for their support, my colleagues in the CMS President’s Council for your collaboration, and CMS staff for your hard work. Most important, I am thankful to all CMS members; I am continually impressed with your passion for excellent patient care and advancement of the medical profession. I encourage you to continue supporting CMS with your membership, recommending membership to colleagues, and reaching out to CMS with any need you have.
With gratitude,
