I commit to you that the ACR will provide clear communication about what is changing, why it is changing, and how you can best prepare to deliver care—in ways that sustain not just the health of your patients, but also the health of your practices and your families. Let’s all pledge, together, to be vigilant in our outreach to members of Congress and their staffs about how important a permanent repeal of the SGR is, and that appropriate action needs to be undertaken this year. We cannot take the realization of SGR reform for granted.
Years from now, we will look back on this as a time of great change and perhaps difficult transition. For the sake of our patients and our profession, we must we embrace the future and work vigilantly to be included in planning that future, and work with leaders in Washington who are trying to get us and our patients to the practice of the future. We must lead, and I look forward to leading with you.
Dr. Flood is a rheumatologist at the Columbus Arthritis Center and adjunct associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, both in Columbus. Contact him at flood@rheumatology.org.