Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Summer 2021 - 8

coMPass Points
T.J. Huckleberry, MPA
Executive Director
Nearing the
" New Normal "
And Charting a
Path Through It
t is June 2021. The pandemic is not exactly in the rear-view
mirror and " the new normal " feels miles away. We are all at the
proverbial intersection of a change and we are all experiencing
the anxiety and instability of an undefined future.
For over a year the phrase " new normal " has been batted around
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like a volleyball at a picnic. During that time, we all had clues and
best guesses to what a " new normal " would look like. We had ideas
about what aspects of our society would fundamentally change, and
what we would never see again.
For organizations change can be a spark. And that spark can
either heat your home or burn it down, even if it is not tended
to. As your Executive Director, I am proud to say that our Society
thrived in the upheaval of last year. In part, we did so by assessing
the needs of our members and utilizing partnerships to address
them. Moving forward, as we continue to drive towards " The New
Normal, " it is imperative for Societies like ours to proactively
identify the new needs of our members and collaborate to seek
solutions in community.
I would like to take the remainder of this article to identify two
issues that are clearly at the forefront for many of our members and
to describe how we are addressing them.
1. The Business of Medicine Incubator
As we enter a time of dealing with economic fallout brought
on by the pandemic, many physicians and practices are weary of
potential instability in health systems.
Moreover, physicians independent of a healthcare network have
been equally affected by the pandemic and further face challenges
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unique to private practice such as Human Resource, legal and
insurance disputes, office management, etc. Any of these issues
could threaten the stability of a private practitioner.
The Berks County Medical Society recognizes these issues to
be a real and imminent threat to the health and wellness of Berks
County patients. Should medical offices continue to close and
health care professionals continue to seek new practice opportunities
in other locations, in a matter of months our community could be
faced with severe lack of access to care.
Our proposed solution: The GRCA/BCMS Business of Medicine
Incubator.
As an innovative collaboration with the Greater Reading
Chamber Alliance, this program will provide our members with the
necessary tools and education to master the economics of healthcare.
CME accredited courses and mentorship amongst our community
leaders will be available in this program.
Furthermore, for independent practices or those physicians
interested in starting their own private practice, support through
PAMED and BCMS will also be available through this program.
Specifically, PAMED's already established Care Centered
Collaborative (CCC) is able to support independent practices with
the tools, resources, and expertise to successfully maintain a patientcentered
practice. Most notably, the CCC provides a physician- led
Clinical Health Network-an essential resource for all practice.
We are thrilled to have the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance as
a partner in this program. GRCA has been our county's champion
in attracting and supporting commerce in our community. Their
programs, networking opportunities, and incredible staff have
http://www.berkscms.org
Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Summer 2021

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