HJNO Mar/Apr 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2022 51 George S. Ellis, Jr., MD President MASELA ly, leave patient care for administrative roles, and/or leave medicine all together. We cannot afford any loss of physicians in the Southeast Louisiana region. We think physician well-being support is a critical function of MASELA, and we are working to develop a self-elected phy- sician well-being counseling program, which is independent of physician em- ployers, completely confidential, and of- fered at no cost or low cost without filing of insurance. We have organized a physician well-be- ing advisory group and are making deci- sions now about the various aspects and offerings of the program. Our programwill be the first independent physician coun- seling program in our area. There will likely be other components as well, including peer-to-peer counseling. Physicians who have an interest in be- havioral health are encouraged to join MASELA (masela.org) and get involved in our advisory committee. Quality and Timely Education Is Key to Effective Care of Our Patients JPMS, OPMS, andMASELAwere the first in the area to offer physician updates soon after the onset of COVID-19. Virtual calls featured our state and local public health officials and specialists in many fields, including pathology, infectious diseases, critical care medicine, palliative care, and hospital medicine. We featured experts from our three training institutions — LSU, Ochsner, and Tulane — and from the pub- lic/governmental and private sectors. More than 2,500 unique physicians participated in these updates, and they continue today. Physicians have been able to count on our organizations to produce timely information about diagnosis and treatment of COVID. Going forward, we are committed to continuing to update physicians as the pandemic becomes endemic in our coun- try. In addition, MASELA will continue of- fering education about various medical and medical practice topics, including practice management. These programs are a membership val- ue to physicians who join MASELA. A Strong, Unified Voice for Physicians and Patients Is Crucial During and after the pandemic, a strong and unified voice throughout Southeast Louisiana will continue to be important to ensure that patients receive the care they need as we prioritize the lessons learned, and still being learned, about the racial disparities in COVID-related health indi- cators, which have contributed to a larger decline in life expectancy. Physicians are engaged in this discussion at the state and national level. Physicians also need strong, unified voices with insurers, legislators, regulators, and other stakeholders to ensure physi- cians can continue to provide and be paid for telemedicine services, which have en- hanced access to care. Academic institu- tions need a strong, unified voice to ensure there is adequate funding to educate future physicians in an adequate supply to care for the patients of Southeast Louisiana. It was once said, “If you are not at the table; you are likely on the menu.” This is true for politics and other policy decisions that are made, which regulate patient care and medical practice. MASELA has many committees that address these challenges, including the ac- ademic medicine and physicians-in-train- ing, private practice, stakeholder, educa- tion, etc. Also, JPMS and OPMS are physicians’ voices to the Louisiana State Medical Soci- ety through their leadership structure. I encourage my physician colleagues to learn more about MASELA’s commit- tees and their functions and to become engaged so that they are “at the table.”We benefit from the input of every physician as we better understand their challenges, and we are better able to effect change on their behalf and the behalf of their patients. I am excited about leading MASELA this year and to continue to enhance the collaboration with Jefferson and Orleans Parish Medical Societies. I encourage phy- sicians throughout Southeast Louisiana to get engaged in our organizations. Togeth- er, we can make a difference. If not now, when? n George S. Ellis, Jr., MD, was installed as the 2022 president of the Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana (MASELA) in December 2021. Ellis is an ophthalmologist who specializes in pediatric eye diseases and adult strabismus. He has been prac- ticing in the greater NewOrleans area since 1983 and served on the full-time faculties at LSU Eye Center andTulane University Department of Ophthalmology. In 1995,he assumed the Directorship of Ophthalmol- ogy at Children’s Hospital NewOrleans,which he led for over 25 years. Additionally, he has led various local, regional, and national medical associations, participating in governance,strategic planning,value creation and membership recruitment initiatives. SCAN THE QR FOR INFORMATION ON JOINING MASELA