Address to APMA’s House of Delegates

Mr. Speaker, members of the House of Delegates, members of the Board of Trustees, and honored guests:

It is truly an honor to stand before you and report that the state of our association has never been better. Our financial situation continues to prosper, with our reserves at the highest level in the history of APMA. A little over a year ago, there were questions regarding our educational foundation and our student scholarship program. I am happy to report that, with the Dr. S.W. and Janelle Balkin Endowment to the foundation, along with a grant from Spenco Corporation, and the sustained financial support from APMA, our educational foundation is more successful today than ever before. Our student scholarship program continues to expand, with well over a half-million dollars in new funding over the last year alone. We, your Board of Trustees, will continue to work hard to expand these programs, but we need your support as well.

This has been a year of firsts. Last year, I stood before you and promised that we would do whatever it would take to see that our Title XIX legislation would pass in the US Congress. Unfortunately, we succeeded only part of the way, and our legislation did not pass the entire Congress. Let me assure you that no one was more disappointed than I. Our Legislative Committee, chaired by Trustee Ronald Jensen, along with PPAC Chair Tom Godfryd, and our Director of Legislative Advocacy Faye Frankfort, worked nearly 24/7 to see the success of this legislation. I know that they all share in my disappointment. However, for the first time, our issue was included in the Senate Reconciliation Bill. It was only in Conference Committee that it did not pass, and that was because almost all of the health-related elements, including Medicaid, were dropped. We had no major opposition, and we will continue the fight until it is passed, whether by this Congress or one in the future. This continues to remain a focus for your Board of Trustees.

Last year, under your direction, I appointed a task force on Vision 2015. That report is forthcoming, and we are ready to move forward on this important project. Under the direction of Past President Terry Albright, the report will set in motion a blueprint for its implementation. I thank each and every one of you who served on this task force.

At this time last year, the Board of Trustees and executive staff started the first phase of updating our strategic plan. It is an ongoing process, and we have shared with all of you and the community-at-large drafts of the developing plan. This has been an open process, with input from not only our members, but affiliates and component executives as well. It will set the course for your association for the next several years, while building on the successes of the past three or four years. We are not content to sit on our laurels, but we plan to move forward to make our profession and our association stronger.

This past year we also agreed to look into the relationships between APMA and our affiliated organizations. What a monumental task this has been. The report of this important task force will also be presented to you during this House of Delegates. I want to thank all of those affiliated organizations that participated in the project, and, of course, our treasurer, Dr. Ross Taubman, who led this project from the beginning. Thank you, Ross. It will be up to you as members of this House to decide the direction you want your Board to follow.

Our Annual Scientific Meeting continues to expand. Last year in Orlando, the meeting brought in more than $1 million in nondues income. With a low registration fee of $69 and an exceptional educational program, including daily breakfast symposia and social events, this is one of the true benefits our association provides to its members. The enormous exhibit hall in Las Vegas is already sold out.

Of course, it goes without saying that our Development Department has done a stellar job of obtaining sponsorship for many important APMA activities, including our new coding manual, with support from Medicis. With not one, but now two different APMA-sponsored lecture series, this year will set another record for nondues income. Cordis Endovascular, a division of Johnson & Johnson, and Biomedix have teamed up to sponsor a peripheral arterial disease lecture series, which debuted at the SAM meeting in Florida and will be presented at the Midwest Conference and APMA Annual Scientific Meeting this year. We hope to expand this series next year. Royce Medical, which has sponsored a diabetes lecture series for the past three years, has just signed on to sponsor a new lecture program on durable medical equipment.

I am also proud to announce that we have entered into a new multiyear agreement with the Podiatry Insurance Company of America that not only will ensure the continuation of the Young Members’ Program, but will offer a 15-percent discount on premiums for those PICA-insured members attending the risk management program at this year’s APMA Annual Scientific Meeting. In addition, if a PICA-insured member has already attended another PICA risk management program during their current policy year, that individual would receive an additional 5-percent discount for attending the program in Las Vegas. I know you all will join me in thanking not only PICA President and CEO Dr. Jerry Brant, but the entire PICA Board of Directors.

In November, your Board began the first step in reviewing the governance structure and processes of our association. How can we, as a Board, govern more efficiently and effectively? Do we have to expand or change our committee structure? This, once again, is no easy task. But we know that we want to get more members—especially minorities and women—participating in our association. Our Board will go on retreat in two weeks to continue our work on this governance project, and I am sure that we will have more to reflect on concerning these important issues at next year’s House of Delegates. I thank each and every one of you who have served on our committees during this past year. Because of your hard work, you made this year so successful for APMA and for me as your president.

Another highlight of this past year was a recent meeting of our executive committee and executive director with the president of the American Osteopathic Association and several of his executive board members and its executive director. AOA President Dr. Phillip Shettle will be here to address us later today. We have already seen positive results from this meeting. Dr. Gastwirth, Dr. Nancy Parsley, and Faye Frankfort met with the government affairs staff from the American Osteopathic Association two weeks ago. We are hopeful that the AOA will be moving forward shortly to support HR 699 and S 440. The mere fact that we have another medical profession offering to help us lays the foundation for a new and exciting relationship with the AOA.

In January, after attending both the SAM and New York Clinical Conference meetings—and congratulations are in order for two great meetings—I participated in APMA’s annual New York media tour with members Drs. Marlene Reid and Jane Anderson. We were interviewed by editors from more than four dozen magazines. We have already seen some of the impact of these interviews in Men’s Fitness magazine and USA Today, with many more to come. It has been a busy year for me and our Public Education and Information Committee. I was especially satisfied with my interviews with the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Our Public Education and Information Committee continues to excel, and Trustee Joseph Caporusso, who chairs that committee, will have more to say about this later.

It has been a great year. Last year, we promised to continue the successes of the Ferritto and Smith administrations, and we did. Our Health Policy and Health Systems Committees continue to be strong advocates on behalf of our members. They said it couldn’t be done, but we took on CIGNA, as well as other major insurance carriers. Our successful settlement with CIGNA has led to important prospective relief that will benefit our members. In addition, many of our members in the class-action suit donated their settlement payments directly to the APMA Educational Foundation for our Student Scholarship Endowment.

Yes, my friends, success is synonymous with APMA. With your help—each and every one of you and, of course, our Board of Trustees and dedicated staff—together and united we will continue to make a difference. We will be recognized as the primary providers and physicians of the foot and ankle.

Thank you, and God bless.