In early January, the LAAFP chapter announced to student and resident members the opportunity to receive a $400 scholarship to attend the 2016 All Member Advocacy Meeting in Sacramento, CA. The applicants were asked to submit a letter of interest, their CV and a recommendation letter from an LA Academy member. Those who received the scholarships were also asked to give a brief report on their experience.
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Daniel Diaz, OMS IV
Southern-CEO, Latino Medical Student Association – West
Co-Director, California Academy of Family Physicians
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Western University of Health Sciences
For the second year in a row, the All Member Advocacy Meeting reminds me of the reasons I went to medical school. Not only to provide patient care, but to advocate for our patients. I was inspired from the opening remarks of our new President Lee Ralph, MD when he focused on the power of “being engaged” both in person and in the clinic when we see patients.
As medical students, we are only scratching the surface of patient care. We learn how to diagnose and treat common illnesses without much worry to the obstacles patient and providers face. However, at the AMAM, we learn the complicated health care system and how difficult it is to navigate and provide the best care to our patients. It was interesting to see how Taejoon Ahn MD, MPH approached payment reform to ensure adequate financial compensation to primary care physicians. Changing how we value a patient visit may be the key to changing the current fee-for-service system in place now.
Perhaps the most valuable experience was to be able to meet with legislators to discuss the impact that SB-22 has on our patients, colleagues and most importantly, our communities. Emphasizing our value will only help our ultimate goal, of making healthcare focus more on primary care and preventing disease.
I am grateful to be able to end my medical school career on such a high note and would like to thank the LAAFP for providing me this scholarship. I will carry the motivation from this meeting with me to residency where I plan to continue my involvement with CAFP and the AMAM.
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Laura Doan, MD MBA
Family Medicine Resident, PGY-II
Kaiser Permanente-Los Angeles Medical Center
There is always a sense of excitement for me when the All Member Advocacy Meeting approaches because it is a time when the spirit of family medicine is rekindled. During these three days, I am privileged to brush shoulders with countless inspirational and motivated family medicine leaders who share a common passion for activism. In the words of CAFP Past-President Dr. Jay Lee, people are at AMAM to “give a damn” about the future of our specialty.
The AMAM is one of the few events where the focus is on learning how we can change healthcare policy so that the needs of family physicians and their patients are addressed. Discussion topics included core issues like practice transformation, payment reform, and physician pipeline programs to newer, thought-provoking debates on medical marijuana dispensing and the removal of age restrictions to access over-the-counter oral contraceptive pills. One of the highlights of AMAM, however, was the ability to speak with legislators about SB22, which focuses on growing primary care residency programs in California. I was tasked with meeting with 5 legislative offices on Lobby Day, including my district’s Assembly Member, the honorable Mike Gatto. After our discussion on the importance, need, and urgency of increasing state funding to support primary care residency programs in underserved areas of California, Assembly Member Gatto promised that we (CAFP) had his vote in support of SB22. I was inspired and encouraged as I just witnessed the power that physicians hold in shaping healthcare policy.
Looking back on AMAM, however, perhaps the most touching part of the conference was seeing the large number of medical students in attendance from my alma mater, UC Irvine School of Medicine. For the first time, I was at the conference not as a student, but as an M.D. I realized then that the best way to “give a damn” about family medicine is by inspiring and investing in future generations by becoming their mentor, teaching them to channel their frustrations and anger at the current fragmented healthcare system into advocating for the changes they feel are necessary. These bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students have enormous potential to become change agents in family medicine; all they need are people to guide them on that journey. Thank you LAAFP, CAFP, and the AMAM for helping me see advocacy through a different lens and discovering a new way to strengthen family medicine for years to come.
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Divya Shenoy, MD, MPH
Family Medicine PGY-1
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
Whirlwind. I was extremely fortunate to spend 23 too-short hours at the AMAM, a place where the superhuman individuals that are family physicians congregate annually for leadership development, collaboration, advocacy, and legacy building.
Despite the bleak weather outside, the Citizen hotel was alight with positive family medicine energy. Representation from diverse practice settings and various stages of training fostered a warm sense of community, which facilitated my connection with mentors and colleagues, new and old, near and far. Heartfelt speeches by CAFP leaders celebrated and validated the day-to-day victories and struggles of being a family doctor. I found this especially applicable to the challenges of my own intern experience, and reflected on the self-efficacy developed this year.
Launching forward, speakers sparked momentum in primary care priority areas including payment reform, practice management, and growth of the family medicine workforce. I was pleased to gain a more fundamental understanding of these issues and their application to my life both now and after training. The innovative ideas raised during the panel on volume- to value-based healthcare particularly resonated with me, as a reminder that the dynamic future of family medicine rests in the hands of those of us who advocate for it.
The opportunity for additional networking and socializing at the dine-around dinners further affirmed that family doctors are the greatest and that work-life equilibrium is both possible and necessary. Throughout the weekend, I embraced the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals within the professional organization that represents me. Amid movers and shakers, I felt the sense of community and legacy perfectly captured in the Kaiser Sunset residency/alumni photo taken just before I returned to LA to work an overnight shift.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Lobby Day portion of AMAM. I hope to return next year for the full event and to put into practice what I learned. In the meantime, I am hopeful that value outweighs the short volume of time spent at this year’s meeting. It was certainly a fun and educational experience that will enhance my skills as a future physician-leader.
