Equipping practices
with resources for
Health Exchange
ACA Medicaid
Expansion Town Hall
mber 2013
NY Times
Visits GLMS
December 2013
Advocate for the health and well-being
of the community
As caregivers, physicians are uniquely qualified to advocate on
behalf of the community. By serving on the front lines of medicine,
they interact with patients daily and understand the issues contributing to or limiting their wellness. By sheer virtue of social standing,
physicians may have access to lawmakers that many of their patients
do not. GLMS assists physicians in their advocacy efforts through
education, support and training.
At the June Board of Governors meeting, it was reported that,
based on the recommendation of the Quality Improvement and
Patient Safety Committee, the Board approved the Kentuckiana
Health Collaborative’s process for public reporting of group
practice quality data. In 2014, KHC will publish the scores of
group practices on newly adopted quality measures through a
public reporting website. This provides greater transparency to the
public while also giving physicians a review and dispute resolution
process prior to reporting.
As reported earlier, the Policy and Advocacy Team performs
a great service to the GLMS membership through their efforts at
collaborating with legislative decision makers to ensure legislative and regulatory policies are based on sound, well thought-out,
evidence-based practices.
On July 11, GLMS hosted an overview of the Kentucky Health
Benefit Exchange at its Monthly Educational Series meeting. Lindy
Lady, KMA Manager of Medical Business Advocacy, provided the
overview, focusing on how physician practices may be impacted.
Anticipating a flood of change, GLMS and KMA worked to gather
and digest information as it was made available and communicated
it to members in a way which was thorough and helped physicians
and their practice administrators to focus on the most optimal
care of patients.
GLMS members contributed their time and energy to Ramble
by the River, a fundraiser benefiting the medical-legal partnership
Doctors & Lawyers for Kids. This August event included a 5K
fun run and fitness walk, as well as activities for children. GLMS
On Mission:
To Advocate for the
health and well-being of
the community
Chair Mary Helen Davis, MD and Vice-Chair Tracy L. Ragland, MD: Dr. Davis and Dr. Ragland have worked tirelessly
to get the Policy and Advocacy Team started. Hosting
numerous receptions with state legislators, as well as
working with other physicians across many specialties,
they have exemplified the GLMS mission to advocate for
the health and well-being of the community by getting
the attention of lawmakers in Frankfort and organizing
physicians to reach out to them.
President James Patrick Murphy, MD, MMM, and Louisville Bar
Association President Bradley R. Hume, JD, promoted the event by
co-authoring the “Community Challenge” in The Courier-Journal’s
opinion section on August 12.
Representing mostly low-income families, the Doctors & Lawyers
for Kids program connects the medical and legal professions to the
underlying problems affecting the health and well-being of children
and their families.
Over the years, GLMS has served as an incubator for many organizations that have spun-off to become independent entities. One
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