California Society of Anesthesiologists Bulletin Spring 2013 - (Page 2)
eDitOr’s nOtes
Organized Anesthesiology—
Why Bother?
michael W. Champeau, mD, editor
i
suspect many of my professional
colleagues wonder why I’m involved
in organized anesthesiology: the ASA
and the CSA. I know that they don’t
really give organized anesthesiology
much thought, and it’s not so much
curiosity that they’re expressing
as bewilderment. While they often
compliment the work done by those
of us who are involved, I’m pretty
certain they’re being polite more than expressing real
appreciation. I suspect that they see little point in
the countless hours that I’ve expended over the years
in meetings, aboard various aircraft or behind the
keyboard. Occasionally, I’m so aware of their bafflement
that I feel the need to explain why those of us who are
involved in organized medicine love doing what we do.
For me, I think it began by simply wanting to be more
involved in the profession. Although I’ve worn a lot of
different hats around Stanford University over the past
30 years, I’ll never be a true academic. I’m as interested
in expanding the knowledge base of our profession
as anyone, but I realized early in my career that the
challenges of research and publication were just more
than I wanted to shoulder. After all these years, I still tip
my hat to the folks who give up weekends researching
publications and writing grant proposals. I would
have loved to have been an expert academician, but
frankly wasn’t willing to put in that kind of effort.
Organized anesthesiology seemed to offer another
option to contribute to the profession I had so
heartily embraced. While discussions of medical
economics, anesthesia practice management, and
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| CSA Bulletin
state and federal health care policy
clearly aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, I
have found them interesting. Early on,
I even thought we easily might have
significant influence in these arenas.
Over the years, I’ve dialed back such
hopes. Organized anesthesiology doesn’t
get many flashy victories these days,
nor, of course, does organized medicine
as a whole. During my year as the President of the
CSA, we fought limitations on balance billing in the
California Legislature, in Governor Schwarzenegger’s
administration, and in the courts, and we lost all
three of those battles. A few days after I handed the
gavel to incoming CSA President Linda Hertzberg,
MD, Schwarzenegger opted California out of the
federal requirement for physician supervision
of nurse anesthetists, and we spent three years
unsuccessfully trying to reverse that decision in the
various California courts. It’s easy to see why some
might get discouraged or even disengage in disgust.
Many of our struggles seem like nothing more than
a rear-guard action, trying to preserve as much of
our past as we can for the questionable future. But
does that mean these battles are not worth fighting?
In truth, we have had more success than many skeptics
might believe. It’s true that our victories usually
are nuanced, and often below the radar of many
anesthesiologists, but that does not mean that they
are without value. Over the years, we’ve gradually
increased the work component of anesthesiology
services in the Medicare fee schedule. We’ve negotiated
agreements with insurance carriers here in California
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Society of Anesthesiologists Bulletin Spring 2013
Editor's Notes
ASA Director's Report
Peering Over the Ether Screen
On Your Behalf: Legislative and Practice Affairs
Education, Hawaii... What Could Be Better?
California and National News
From the Executive Director
2013 CSA Spring Anesthesia Seminar
District Director Reports
Book Review
Educational Article
California Society of Anesthesiologists Bulletin Spring 2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/63-1
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/62-4
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/62-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/62-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/62-1
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/csab/61-4
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com