Douglas Sheets, MD is speaking to the NCMS House of Delegates today to welcome them to the 156th Annual Meeting of the NCMS.  Dr. Sheets has discussed the NCMS  Board of Director’s actions from the past year including those to oppose the final version of the Affordable Care Act passed in March 2010 due to the lack of meaningful tort reform and a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment rate known as the SGR.

The NCMS Board of Directors have also worked diligently and successfully in 2010 to avoid future cuts to Medicaid provider rate cuts, however these cuts will continue to loom in 2011 as the state faces significant budget deficits.

There is hard work ahead for physicians in 2011.  Patient safety continues to be a legislative concern as unlicensed individuals seek to practice medicine without proper education and training. Health System Reform will bring many new changes to how medicine is practiced. Areas of focus for the incoming Board of Directors  will include physician employment, clinical autonomy, workforce issues, public and private payor issues, tort reform, physician payment, quality of care, health information technology, ICD-10 preparedness, RAC audits and program integrity, accountable care organizations, among many others.

Your Board of Directors is striving to ensure that the NCMS changes with the landscape of medicine to continue to serve members in the best way possible.