National Doctors' Day Drawing Information

National Doctors' Day is March 30th and to recognize the contributions of our physicians,

ADEMS is excited to provide a chance drawing for members to win a special wellness-focused package at their office. 

One lucky practice will receive a healthy catered breakfast or lunch (for up to 25) at their office on the day of their choosing, along with a physician well-being package that includes a one-hour group education session (in-person or virtual), presented by Colorado Physician Health Program (CPHP), and also a gift basket filled with goodies your office can share presented on March 30th. 

To enter, please click the link below to complete the information and the one-question survey before March 27th. ADEMS staff will randomly pull one winning entry on March 27th and their office will be notified within 24 hours. Good Luck!

We would like to thank our Doctors' Day sponsor, the Denver Medical Society Foundation, which strives to support physician wellness, prevent physician burnout and gives to programs that offer treatment, rehabilitation, or counseling to physicians.  

Metro Denver Legislative Night 2023

Thank you to the physicians, medical students, and legislators who joined us on Wed., Jan. 25 at History Colorado to discuss advocacy and healthcare-related issues for the 2023 legislative session.

Colorado Medical Society (CMS) and Arapahoe-Douglas-Elbert Medical Society (ADEMS) will continue to advocate on behalf of Colorado physicians and the patients they serve, with a focus on the highlighted issues below.

Prior authorization

Purposeful work has been performed in past legislative sessions regarding prior authorization, but there is still more work to do on behalf of Colorado physicians and their patients. Advocating for an environment in which there are fewer administrative burdens on physicians creates better patient outcomes and improves physician burnout.

Scope of practice

Ensuring safe, effective care depends upon highly trained, multi-disciplinary clinical teams led by physicians that work closely together. Bills that would inappropriately expand the scope of practice for certain healthcare providers will be considered during the 2023 legislative session.

Physician and patient relationships

It continues to be critical that we support Coloradans’ right to access needed medical care, supports physicians’ ability to practice medicine, respect medical decision-making that occurs in the context of the patient-physician relationship, and support individuals and families in order to promote the health, wellbeing, and autonomy of all Coloradans.

Workforce challenges

The pandemic has exacerbated long-standing workforce shortage problems. Funding must be used wisely to address immediate needs and lay the foundation for a more robust, resilient, and diverse healthcare workforce for Colorado’s future.

Medical liability

At press time, we are currently unaware of any possible bills that would threaten medical liability in Colorado this session. We are carefully tracking and assessing impacts and possible next steps given the recent passage of medical liability tort reforms in California.

Please stay tuned for "call to action" communication as the session progresses and review the CMS bill tracker for up-to-date session information

2023 HEALTHCARE BILL TRACKER 

Talk To A Doctor:

Your Best Medicine

By Sarah R. Early, PsyD, Executive Director, CPHP

We all face times of challenge. Physicians have shown they can remain strong in extraordinary times. The past few years certainly have been challenging for physicians; higher rates of burnout, faced with COVID, staff shortages, etc. We have seen our peers struggle, and have had our own personal battles, yet we come together as a medical community to stay strong. Physicians continue to help others; caretaking remains at the core, but many have difficulties asking for help for themselves.

There are many reasons physicians find it challenging to ask for assistance. They are used to being in charge or at the top of the workplace hierarchy with the expectation to “know all”. Training for physicians encourages the compartmentalization of issues instead of emotional processing. For example, physicians often have to move to the next patient, even when a patient has just passed, there was a bad outcome, or heartbreaking bad news was just given. The workplace may not have a regular time, place, or procedure for individual physicians to process their feelings. The typical personality structure of a physician - what makes them so great at their job - is one of intellectualization – having diagnostic rigor, curiosity, detail focus, and life-long learning. But this often leaves emotional struggles on the back burner.

So, who can we turn to? Physicians most readily prefer and are more willing to seek the assistance of peers/other physicians1. As a medical community, we need to help our colleagues and be open to assistance from our peers. We need to be vulnerable and reach out to our contemporaries to consult when faced with challenges. Modeling appropriate emotional self-care will encourage others to utilize their colleagues' resources for their emotional well-being. If you notice a peer struggling, reach out, and ask to share a coffee or a walk to have a moment of connection. This truly can make such an impact on one’s struggles, through hope, support, and possible resolution. If you still do not feel comfortable reaching out to your immediate colleagues, the Colorado Physician Health Program (CPHP) is here for you. You may speak confidentially to a peer physician to consult on any issue that may be troubling you, whether it pertains to workplace problems, personal or family struggles, or health matters. Feel free to call CPHP at 303-860- 0122 to speak to a physician today. Physicians are our best resource. On a final note, stay tuned for a new collaboration in development with the Colorado Medical Society and CPHP – a program centered around peer consulting to create even more readily available support that our Colorado medical providers need and deserve.

1. Hu YY, Fix ML, Hevelone ND, Lipsitz SR, Greenberg CC, Weissman JS, Shapiro J. Physicians' needs in coping with emotional stressors: the case for peer support. Arch Surg. 2012 Mar;147(3):212-7. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.312. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106247; PMCID: PMC3309062.

Rocky Vista University students are local in our community and ready to help our physicians

Opportunities to help earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in parts of Turkey and Syria, it is encouraging to see the medical community supporting relief efforts to send needed medical supplies and services to the region. We are updating opportunities for Colorado physicians and medical facilities to assist. Please let us know if you have additional suggestions we can include in future publications.

• Volunteer, donate medical supplies or make financial donations through Project C.U.R.E., www.projectcure.org.
• Donate to Doctors Without Borders to assist their medical teams in treating patients and donating medical and survival supplies, at www.doctorswithoutborders.org. 
• Donate to another organization of your choosing; email suggestions to ADEMSstaff@gmail.com.