Note--this was originally posted in the forum section.

My name is Johnny Johnson and I am the chairman of a newly formed medical policy engagement group with the Denver Medical Society. This policy engagement group was created as a venue to have informal dialogue on important health care issues or simply to let off steam.  Also, this is an opportunity to understand priorities in health care and to respond to opportunities in the upcoming legislation sessions. No matter the size of your practice, there are steps you can take to get involved. Getting started in this new health policy group will ensure you are not left behind in the future of health care. Part of our efforts with the DMS Policy Engagement group we want to focus on encouraging physicians to take action.

First of all I want to acknowledge Kathy(the executive director of DMS) and Chris Adams (The Adams Group) for the support and encouragement of physicians to aligns the interest of patients with all health care stakeholders.  But most of all the purpose of the DMS engagement policy group is to learn from one another and have fun.

Check out the DMS Policy Engagement Forum thru Engaged Public.  There are two posting on the site - one is the Legislative night with DMS, ADEMS, and the Aurora-Adams County Medical Society.  This was an interactive dialogue using polling data.  The series of questions were good and the results from physicians and legislators were interesting.  If you can log in and give us your response.  I was surprised how many members were dissatisfied with their county societies.  I guest we have a lot of work to do?  And, only 47% of the responders were optimistic about Obama's health care reform program or any major health care reform efforts in the State of Colorado.  If health care reform were to happen in this state it would be federally mandated.

Next time we can discuss SCOPE of practice and APNs.  Only 38% of the pollers support the recommendations on the DORA Sunset Review.