HJNO Sep/Oct 2025

42 SEP / OCT 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS MEDICAL SOCIETY COLUMN MEDICAL SOCIETY LSMS Annual Meeting and House of Delegates Summary The 144th Annual LSMS House of Del- egates convened distinguished physician leaders from across Louisiana to ad- vance advocacy, commemorate landmark achievements, and confront pressing challenges in modern medicine. Authored by Lindsay York, MD, MPH, president of JPMS, and John Cole, MD, president of OPMS, this account elucidates how the assembly honored trailblazers of medical liability reform, examined innovative care delivery paradigms, and reaffirmed the in- dispensable role of physicians in shaping the future of healthcare. The meeting was held once again in Sandestin, Fla., requiring significant com- mitment from attendees given the travel, time away from practice, and competing personal obligations. Several leaders were present, including presidents and past presidents of MASELA, JPMS, OPMS, and LSMS, local delegates, and other engaged physicians from across Louisiana. Medi- cal students were notably absent, under- scoring the importance of engaging future physicians early in organized medicine, as DPC Alliance are advancing the model, supported by the Primary Care Enhance- ment Act of 2017, which defines DPC as a qualifiedmedical expense compatible with HSAs. Their message mirrored the meet- ing’s central theme: physicians must be politically active to protect the rights and structures that allow them to care for pa- tients effectively. In the “Advocacy inAction” session, Ma- ria Bowen, LSMS vice president of govern- mental affairs, urged physicians to use ev- ery opportunity to connect with legislators and combat misinformation, reminding attendees: “To get politics out of medicine, physicians must get into politics.” Jeff Williams, LSMS vice president and CEO, reinforced that physician involve- ment drives positive change. The meeting’s takeaway: Political imbal- ances persist, and the remedy is active, in- formed, and sustained physician engage- ment in legislative processes to protect both the profession and patient care. Lindsay York, MD, MPH JPMS President early exposure fosters mentorship, show- cases innovative care models, and builds the foundation for future physician advo- cates. The overarching theme was clear: phy- sician advocacy is essential. Presentations emphasized that without persistent phy- sician involvement, landmark protections like Act 817, the 1975 Medical Malpractice Act, would not exist. Federal-level organi- zations also encouraged greater physician engagement to defend the profession and the physician-patient relationship. The Direct Primary Care (DPC) pre- sentation by Luis Arencibia, MD, and Karl Hanson, MD, was both educational and inspiring. In this membership-based mod- el, patients pay a flat monthly fee directly to their physician for comprehensive ser- vices, bypassing insurance billing, copays, and many bureaucratic barriers to care. DPC promotes better access, more person- alized care, and stronger physician-patient relationships while reducing urgent care visits and costs through direct medication dispensing and lower-cost lab arrange- ments. In Louisiana, the DPC Coalition and John Cole, MD OPMS President LSMS ANNUAL MEETING: Decisions, Direction, & Leadership in Action