President’s Message: LMS Presidential Transition: Goals for 2022
By Khalil Rahman, M.D.
I would first like to thank Dr. Borders for his aspirational leadership of the Lexington Medical Society over the last year. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve this esteemed organization as President in 2022, especially in these unprecedented times. Unfortunately, the insidious nature of COVID-19 has kept it a part of our everyday lives. We have lost many to this virus and will continue to feel it’s effects for years to come as young and previously healthy patients develop chronic sequelae from COVID-19 infections. We have faced many challenges, such as misinformation, which has sowed distrust in systems that helped save so many lives. We have also seen great success, such as the impressive work of the scientific community that allowed for a fast rollout of vaccines and widespread testing efforts. Our active medical organizations have seen successes despite many obstacles encountered, and we must look to the future to continue to help our family, friends, and make the community safe.
Our future is the next generation of physicians. Investing in education now will be critical to combat this pandemic and all future public health crises. We must teach updated knowledge while providing a foundation grounded in history and scientific evidence. Also as important, is education related to the practice management of medicine. Understanding how to negotiate with insurance companies, read balance sheets, assess quality, plan and implement improvement, and many other skills should be the standard for physicians. This education is vital to increasing quality, protecting your livelihood, and improving the patient experience.
The Lexington Medical Society wants to work with state medical schools to help retain medical residents as they graduate in Kentucky. We also desire the retention of experienced primary care providers, which will not only increase access to care for patients but is also the bedrock of the physician-patient relationship. Data shows that an increase in trust and understanding between patients and physicians leads to better patient outcomes. An integral part of our job as physicians is fostering relationships with our patients, which ultimately bolsters their trust in our health systems.
We must look to rebuild the public’s trust in our institutions. Faith in healthcare providers has been undercut by misinformation pedaled by special interest groups and members of the media. Increasing faith in our systems is vital to pandemic response, but also to all future public health initiatives. We must stand united in the face of scrutiny and work to rebuild trust between providers and our community.
For 2 years we have been reacting and adapting to the pandemic. My goal for this year is not only to fight the pandemic, but also to look to the future. Three priorities that I want to focus on are practice management education, including best practices of owning and running a medical business, retention of physicians (new and old), and rebuilding the relationship between the healthcare community and the public. I am looking forward to a productive year! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve.
