MDNews - Minnesota

meetings, ensure the continued functioning of the board, create committees and serve as the overall spokesperson for the organization. Q What do you enjoy about the board? A: Foremost, it has been a privilege to be on the Board of Medical Practice. During my tenure, I have been involved with all aspects of medical regulation, from licensing to complaint review, and now as President, I have had an active role in ensuring our citizens' safety. The professionalism and dedication of the entire board staff — exemplified by Executive Director Robert Leach, Complaint Review Unit Supervisor Ruth Martinez and Licensure Unit Supervisor Jeanne Hoffman — are unparalleled. Moreover, being on the state board has allowed me to participate at the national level with the Federation of State Medical Boards. After holding many committee positions, I was elected by delegates from all over the nation to represent them on the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards. It is both fascinating and humbling to be at the table where national policy standards are discussed and developed. Minnesota has a strong national presence. Our current Federation Board Chair is St. Paul ENT physician Jon Thomas, MD. Also, the Federation's model medical practice act is based to a large degree on Minnesota's statutes. I am currently involved in the national discussions on the future of teleheath and license portability. What is unique about this is that, unlike my day job in which I affect one patient at a time, this position can affect all physicians and patients and define the future of medicine in the United States. This is some of the most interesting work t hat I have done w it h my medical license. Q What message about the minnesota board of medical Practice do you most wish to communicate to the Twin Cities healthcare community? A: The Board of Medical Practice is a dedicated and hard-working group made up of your colleagues and neighbors. Our only role is to ensure that when you or a loved one goes to see a physician, that physician is fully qualified and appropriately credentialed to provide your desired service. We are servants of the public and placed in this position by state law to ensure that every citizen is protected from incompetent, inappropriate or unprofessional practitioners. We have a complaint-driven process that relies on physician colleagues or public consumers to notify us of physicians potentially operating in a substandard fashion. It is easy to report a concern. The forms are available online and can be immediately, electronically submitted. We will investigate every complaint that we receive. Q What steps are you taking to ensure patient confidentiality with your telemedicine technology? A: Telemedicine is a huge new frontier in medicine. With the constantly evolving technologies and rapidly expanding diagnostic capabilities from remote locations, this continues to be one of the most fascinating corners of medicine. The Board of Medical Practice does not create the technology, but we anticipate that healthcare providers will be held to the high standards of HIPAA compliance and safeguard patients' data using best practice strategies. Q What is the most significant change you have seen in health care or your specific industry in the past decade? How do you see it changing in the next decade? A: I think the most significant change is the ubiquitous use of computers and real-time, online data for direct patient management. The days of memorizing huge amounts of data have been replaced with mastering the skill of immediate online data acquisition. I anticipate this trend must continue into the future and am excited to see how emerging technologies continue to change our field for the better. Q Today's patients are becoming more and more involved in decisions about their medical care. How do physicians in minnesota ensure empowered patients receive the best possible care? A: Physicians are in a role to educate patients now more than ever. Most practicing physicians have encountered patients who come in having already attempted to make their own diagnosis using online resources. I think current physicians encourage their patients to be educated, as it facilitates a better informed consent. However, due to the massive amount of incomplete and erroneous information on the Internet, physicians today spend more time explaining why a particular medication or procedure is not ind icated when t he pat ient may feel otherwise. Q What are your plans after yo u r p re si d e n c y of th e board expires? A: I am very hopeful to continue my public service. I plan to continue involvement on the national stage with the Federation of State Medical Boards, and I am hopeful to re-engage my energies with my own healthcare system's administration process. I enjoy the rigors of leadership and look forward to being able to continue to contribute in this capacity in some format. ■ MdNewS.CoM ■ MD News Twin Cities | 31

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