The online newsletter, Physicians Practice, sponsored by IU Health Physicians, asks readers to respond to a survey about medical association membership. They want opinions about whether joining a medical society is as valuable today as it was 10 or 20 years ago.

Consider taking this survey and checking the first option. Here’s why joining a medical association today really is as valuable today as it was a decade or two ago.

The Indiana Medical Malpractice Act
The ISMA was involved in creation of Indiana’s medical malpractice statute in 1975, and it has served as an effective compromise. The law provides a guaranteed source of monetary damages for successful plaintiffs while helping to keep malpractice insurance premiums at levels that permit most health care providers to afford practicing here.

The ISMA’s defense of the Act through amicus briefs in Indiana courts has included cases with physicians or a hospital as defendant. Two recent amicus cases involved hospitals as the sole defendant at trial. The ISMA’s actions will potentially save the state’s Patient’s Compensation Fund millions of dollars over time, reducing PCF premiums for all health care providers.

Advocacy
Who speaks for you in the Indiana General Assembly? In spite of online networking and Web-based tools, the ISMA has representatives at the Statehouse daily during session to represent you and your patients. Twitter and Facebook are fine, but legislators still prefer face time.

Much of our advocacy originates in our House of Delegates where physicians from all over the state decide democratically what is best for doctors and patients in Indiana—policy not based on bottom line profits or market niche. Some bad legislation never becomes law because the ISMA defends the practice of medicine.

Physician office management
The ISMA has been a prime source of intervention with third-party payers, Medicare and Medicaid to accelerate reimbursement or improve enrollment. We help physicians with practice management to sustain or increase their bottom line.

How would you respond to the survey?