Inside 37Th Annual Conference a Call to Action Elizabeth F
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May 4-7, 2006 Volume 21, Number 2 Supplement A Message from the A Message from the President: President-Elect: Welcome to ASAM’s For ASAM Members: Inside 37th Annual Conference A Call to Action Elizabeth F. Howell, M.D., FASAM Michael M. Miller, M.D., FASAM MED-SCI ASAM President ASAM President-Elect COVERAGE: s we gather again for ASAM’s elcome to San Diego! A annual Medical-Scientific W Thanks to all the present- Quick Guide to the Conference, there is value in ers and staff, as well as to our Med-Sci Program / 10 revisiting the path we have trav- host, the California Society of eled to arrive at ASAM’s current Addiction Medicine. Congratu- Map of the Hotel / S26 position as a Society. lations to CSAM for all it does Today, ASAM is a vibrant to improve the practice of — Exhibitors & national organization of more and the practice environment Locations / S25 than 3,000 members who are for — addiction medicine. dedicated to the belief that the treatment of addic- As I begin the second year of my six-year term Registration Desk tion should be granted parity with the treatment of as your President-Elect, President and Immediate Hours / 9 any other chronic medical disorder, that all physicians Past-President, I’d like to issue a Call to Action to should receive education in addiction medicine, and you and to other ASAM members to get involved Med-Sci Overview / 8 that physicians who wish should be trained and board- in ASAM and your local chapter. The challenge to certified in addiction medicine. ASAM’s officers, Board, and Chapter Presidents is Ruth Fox Course for By contrast, in 1954, when our colleagues organized to identify specific channels for your involvement Physicians / 9 as the New York Medical Society on Alcoholism and — especially channels to involve our newer and Buprenorphine held their first scientific meeting, fewer than 25 younger members. We must make better use of persons registered. At this year’s ASAM Medical- their energies, talents and passions to move Training Course / 24 Scientific Conference, we expect 1,000 registrants. ASAM’s mission forward. Our members must never NIAAA Symposium / S25 In 1954, there was no textbook of addiction medi- be in the position of saying, “I’d like to do some- cine. In 2003, ASAM published the Third Edition of its thing, but I don’t know what or how.” NIDA Symposium / S25 Principles of Addiction Medicine, which in 1,600 One of the concerns we all share is the quality pages reflects the vast body of scientific knowledge of medical care. Every ASAM physician is concerned CSAT Symposium / S26 in this field. about the plight of the person with addictive In 1954, there were no national guidelines for disease, worries about how misunderstood and ASAM Awards / 5 determining the need for treatment and the appro- stigmatized their illness is, and laments the barriers priate level of care. Today, the ASAM Patient Place- to care faced by most of our patients or potential State Meetings / S26 ment Criteria are required or recommended by many patients. One way to close gaps in quality and Ruth Fox states and by an increasing number of managed care access is to become involved in the public policy organizations. arena. Through the leadership of Kevin Kunz, M.D., Donor Reception / 22 In 1954, there were no practice guidelines. Today, and ASAM consultant James F. Callahan, D.P.A., we Med-Sci Funders / S26 ASAM has published three guidelines — one in the pres- are working toward the goal of having an active tigious Journal of the American Medical Association. public policy committee in every State chapter to Visiting San Diego / 8 None of these accomplishments came easily. Each coalesce the energies of ASAM members in each required the concerted effort of many dedicated State, and to advocate with State and Federal individuals. But the results of their struggles have agencies and legislators on behalf of our patients ASAM Med-Sci News improved the lives of countless patients and their fami- and our practices. lies. So too will our efforts to overcome the challenges If your state chapter hasn’t yet realized this is made possible that confront us today. vision, perhaps you are the person who’ll step up by an unrestricted As we begin our 37th Annual Meeting, we salute to the plate and take on the challenge. Alexis Geier- you, the ASAM member, and invite you to continue Horan in ASAM’s national office; ASAM Public educational grant to contribute ideas, suggestions, and efforts to your Policy Committee co-chairs Mark Kraus, M.D., and from Forest Society. For it is the responsibility of members to guide Petros Levounis, M.D., as well as Kevin and Jim and Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ASAM, to monitor its progress, to constructively criti- Legislative Advocacy Committee chair Don Kurth, cize ASAM’s efforts, and to constantly demand more M.D., and all the ASAM officers are ready to assist of their Society, so that ASAM can achieve its full any ASAM member who decides to direct his or www.asam.org potential. her volunteer efforts into public policy. (continued on page S2) ASAM MED-SCI NEWS A Message from the Executive Vice President: Strengthening ASAM by Meeting Members’ Needs Eileen McGrath, J.D. hat role should ASAM occupy in addic- Some ASAM members proposed expand- Wtion medicine today, and in the future? ing ASAM’s membership to include allied Those of you who are veteran members of health professionals as a way to build unity ASAM may remember why you originally in the field. Others were equally adamant joined the Society, how you expected to that for addiction medicine to achieve ABMS benefit from membership, and how you recognition as a medical specialty, ASAM expected ASAM to influence addiction must remain focused on the needs of physi- medicine. No doubt some of your expecta- cians in addiction medicine. tions have been realized and some have not. Listening to members’ views and opinions When I first joined ASAM, I asked the is a vital part of my role at ASAM. My vision Society’s leaders and members about their is that ASAM will succeed in advancing “vision” for ASAM’s future. Their responses addiction medicine only by meeting the were thought-provoking, and remain relevant needs of its members. today. ASAM’s role in advocacy is a central part As we begin another annual meeting, we For example, several leaders described of the vision of some ASAM members I spoke have an opportunity once again to share our ASAM’s principal challenge as engaging with, who see ASAM as the natural leader of visions and our commitment to the Society. I primary care medicine in addiction care and ongoing efforts to achieve parity and reduce look forward to speaking with many of you encouraging physicians to deal with addic- stigma. They want ASAM to be at the forefront during Med-Sci. I also invite you to contact tion in their practices. They saw ASAM’s role not only on “pocketbook” issues — which me at any time, by e-mail at EMCGRATH@ as educating physicians in primary care and sometimes promote a self-serving appear- ASAM.ORG or by mail or phone at the address in other specialties about the aspects of ance — but also to advocate for patients’ on the ASAM News masthead. You have my addiction that are relevant to their practices. unmet needs. These members point out that commitment to attend to your comments and In their view, ASAM should be a resource to achieving parity will require bipartisan sup- suggestions. What is your vision for ASAM’s the larger medical community. port at both the federal and state levels. future? How can ASAM best meet your needs? A CALL TO ACTION (continued from page S1) Another way to improve the quality of care is to get involved in sound scientific underpinnings to many areas of addiction practice. other quality efforts in medicine, so as to bring the perspective of 6. ASAM’s continuous development and expansion of the ASAM addiction medicine to the QI activities already underway. There- Patient Placement Criteria provides the field with an indepen- fore, the other part of my Call to Action is to invite you to partici- dently developed, non-commercial system for matching patients’ pate in ASAM’s Quality Improvement Council. Just in time for our needs to available services. 2006 Medical-Scientific Conference, we have opened a new QI page 7. ASAM has connections to the American College of Medical Quality on the ASAM website (WWW.ASAM.ORG). I hope I can excite your — a national medical specialty society of physicians who work passion for quality by highlighting several points that are discussed full-time in the quality arena. in greater length on that new web link: There’s not much debate over the fact that the quality of addic- 1. The Institute of Medicine’s 2005 report, Improving the Quality tion care in America needs improvement. I hope you agree with me of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions, is a that there is no group of physicians better positioned to address follow-up to their highly publicized reports of 1999 and 2001 these quality improvement challenges than the members of the (Crossing the Quality Chasm). ASAM provided formal commen- American Society of Addiction Medicine. After all, ASAM is no more tary on the report and contributed to the development of a pro- than you and me — our individual efforts focused collectively toward posed legislative agenda in response to the report.