The President's message is written personally by the President each month and all opinions expressed within are his/her individual opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy, it’s affiliates, or it’s employees.
November brings bare trees, a month of gratitude, re-learning history in ways that honor indigenous people, and the end of the campaign ad gauntlet. November is also a time across our state and nation that people are experiencing widely variable responses to the results of our election. We care for patients and work with colleagues each day whose values and reactions to the election contrast our own – and yet, we strive to meet them where they are in this moment, as we swore an oath to do.
It is in this tumultuous time, that I reflect on portions of the modified Hippocratic Oath that I pledged in medical school, and am inspired to action by following excerpts:
“I will not discriminate. I will protect the vulnerable and above all, I will do no harm.”
“It is my duty to care for the individual and the community.”
“I believe in the tradition that care is best delivered by health professionals working together in the best interest of the patient.”
“My profession is an honored one and I will not violate the trust society has placed in me.”
In times of uncertainty and division, we must uphold that oath to work together in the best interests of our patients and communities, to protect the vulnerable and to honor the trust society has placed in us. For me, connecting myself to WAFP’s work is one way to honor that oath and invest in our profession. Through that work, there is hope to increase Wisconsin’s Primary Care Investment, promising real change for our patients, our communities and our profession in the years to come.
Despite the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) clear statement that “Primary care is the only health care component where an increased supply is associated with better population health and more equitable outcomes,” (1) the percentage of US healthcare dollars spent on primary care is abysmally low. In fact, it is less than 5 percent. (2) It is no wonder American healthcare is notorious for high cost with inadequate outcomes.
But hope is on the horizon! Some states have made promising gains with varied approaches to investing in primary care. A $27 million investment in Rhode Island resulted in $115 million decrease in overall healthcare spending. (3) Work in Oregon demonstrated that every $1 invested in primary care returned $13 in savings in other health care costs. (4) It is my hope that through collaboration, we’ll soon be touting similar investment success in Wisconsin and that our “State of Primary Care” report (6) will reflect those successes. Increasing Primary Care Investment (percentage of healthcare expenditure allocated to primary care) is an opportunity we cannot miss, and while there is much work to do to move such an investment forward, we have helpful resources from the AAFP (5) and members like you who can help us move the needle by spreading the word, joining committees, and sharing ideas.
Together, we can elevate the voice of Family Medicine – for our patients and communities within our state and nation. We may not have physician unions (whether you’re for them or against them), but we can have a unified voice through organized medicine. We can continue to be a voice of reason in our capitol buildings, even in a time of significant uncertainty and division.
Let’s elevate our voices and protect the vulnerable. Let’s honor our duty, our profession and society’s trust. Together. It is our oath.
