Doctors for Doctors

ISMS President
Clarence W. Brown, MD

June 10, 2022

In more than a decade of ISMS leadership, I’ve gotten to know this organization well. Serving on the Medical Legal Council, I’ve seen how ISMS advocates for physicians in the courts and provides resources for our members. On the Council on Economics, I’ve become more familiar with payer issues and how ISMS fights for physician reimbursement. And in eight years on the Board of Trustees, I’ve come to appreciate how ISMS makes the physician’s voice heard in every forum.

I am honored and excited to build on these experiences and to represent your voice statewide over the next year as your president.

The reason I have been so engaged with ISMS, and the common thread in everything we do, is that ISMS is a professional society “of physicians, by physicians, and for physicians.” I believe we need this now more than ever: Doctors for Doctors.

With the pace of change in healthcare, the pandemic, and all the administrative hassles doctors face, the role of the physician is being diluted and devalued. The Illinois State Medical Society is here to fight that trend. ISMS protects and promotes the physician’s voice as we engage with elected officials, with other stakeholders, and the public. We remind them that our training as physicians matters. Our experience and our leadership are the foundation of a functioning health care system. And our perspective is needed as we work together to solve problems physicians face daily, many of which impact patient care and public health.

We must also work together as ISMS members to address the challenges we face as a society. The changes to our governing documents that were finalized at our recent Annual Meeting are an excellent example of this. Our new policymaking process emphasizes feedback from all members and allows every member to participate fully. This will enable us to hear each other’s voices as we decide together what future we will work to create for our profession and our patients.

Collectively, we’ve opened the door. Individually, we must walk through it – and encourage our colleagues to do the same. We must view ISMS as our first stop and our best tool for driving change in healthcare, and we must follow through by submitting resolutions, engaging with our colleagues, and advocating for ourselves and each other every day.

As president, I look forward to hearing ideas from physicians and students around the state about how to promote the work that physicians do. I also plan to explore new avenues for those conversations. When we foster creative exchange and collaboration among members, the best ideas lead to resolutions… resolutions lead to ISMS action… and ISMS action leads to real change for Illinois physicians.

Thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as your president this year.