‘And miles to go before I sleep…’
From the President
Dr. Tomecki served as Academy president from March 2021 to March 2022.
By Kenneth Tomecki, MD, FAAD, March 1, 2022
Holidays over, now the new year, perhaps an early spring, but unlikely…
From the streets of Brooklyn to the pinnacle of the specialty — AAD President, with a few stops along the way, on the Niagara frontier, D.C., gator land, and ultimately Cleveland. Who woulda thought? Not I, but…a helluva ride, with decent scenery, and finish line in sight.
Re: the last year…a few bumps, i.e., mainly the iPLEDGE imbroglio (still in play), continued administrative/governmental burdens for all, and some continued angst about the future, especially vis a vis the pandemic, but…no crises, per se; the shock absorbers are still working well. As an offset, many bright spots — slow/gradual re-appearance of ‘live’ meetings; successful 2021 summer meeting in Tampa; VMX 2020 and 2021 which delivered high-quality, on-demand CME for members; some aversion of Medicare cuts; significant wins in the scope arena; healthy appreciation of DEI initiatives; step therapy headway in more than 25 states; and strong, involved membership attuned to an array of concerns. All in all, not bad, much to applaud.
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Taxing pandemic continues with no real end in sight. Corona times have affected all of us, taking many prisoners along the way, but all of us have adjusted and adapted, with family, friends, patients, and colleagues, and the Academy has been particularly instrumental in the patient arena, via COVID updates and telemed/derm for all in need. Re: next two to three years…what should we expect? Probably more attempts at decreased reimbursement, perhaps more Medicare cuts; continued scope creep; the continued increased presence of PAs and ‘wannabe derms;’ and the continued, questionable use of the terms ‘provider’ and ‘care-givers’ to describe who we are. We need to push back on all of those items and more.
The medical/derm challenges continue and all of us need to ‘stay the course’ and continue the fight; we need to be steadfast, resolute, and appropriately responsive, even aggressive when necessary, RE: any possible infringements and inequities. It’s a new year, the Year of the Tiger, so time for all of us to roar whenever possible. Suggested movie viewing: “Roar of the Lion.”
2022 could be another ‘call to arms.’ So…how to prepare, how to respond, how to execute? A suggestion — the KT ‘V’ factor — Be visible, be involved; be vocal, i.e., ‘speak up’ whenever possible; be vigilant, i.e., be attentive; volunteer in some fashion — do something, anything to make the specialty better; and…vote in the AAD election (only 30% of members do so).
As the KT/NB administration ends, an 11th-hour wish list/initiatives…
State society derm representation for all 50 states. Two states do not have a state derm society. Neal Bhatia and I are addressing this.
Enhanced shade structures, with water fountains and bathroom facilities at all structures; many now do not have those amenities.
Two new AAD task forces, one dedicated to climate change, clearly an important issue globally and one that deserves concerted AAD attention; the other dedicated to the homeless, a forgotten population of almost a million in the U.S.; and perhaps a third, one dedicated specifically to drug pricing and PBMs
Expansion of Camp Discovery to the western U.S.; AAD and potential campers need a western presence.
And lastly, a word from our sponsors… Dziekuje bardzo, gracias, ‘thank you.’ Special thanks to Neal Bhatia, co-pilot, confidante, and alter ego this past year; Cyndi DB at the AAD who kept me on track, ditto Elizabeth Usher as CEO, and Marta Van Beek and Dan Bennett as STs; Mark Kaufmann, as Pres-elect, for continued support and encouragement; my colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic who looked after me as I balanced the AAD with my day job. And, most importantly…Eileen T, the love of my life and in-house confidante and conscience; I couldn’t and wouldn’t have attempted this venture without her. And, lastly, but not least…all of you reading this, the members, for your continued support and understanding. Good to know that many of you had my back. For those who didn’t, fine; I still welcomed and acknowledged everyone’s comments and critiques.
What’s next? Honestly don’t know, but first…a brief respite and more ET time. After that… TBD, but unlikely that I’ll disappear. The work and the experience were refreshing, and I still believe that I have something to offer the specialty. With reference to the noted baseball sage, Yogi Berra…‘when you come to a fork in the road, take it.'
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