What kind of new services will the Medical Society of Erie County be offering? 

The Medical Society of Erie County will provide a host of risk management and insurance guidance to our Physician Members. In my prior role, I directed the Risk Management Department of a medical center in the D.C. Metro Area. Although purely consultative, I will aim to serve as a supportive sounding board to our Physician Members so that they have a direct number or email to contact anytime should they have any Risk Management questions that relate to their practice. 

I plan to also leverage my legal background in insurance and healthcare law to provide support to our Physician Members, of course with the ongoing representation that my feedback is merely in the form of advisory opinions and will always encourage our Physician Members to defer to their applicable liability coverage policies, onsite Risk Managers, or Outside/General Counsel. 

I believe that being able to provide this support is especially critical during these unprecedented times, which create a whole host of concerns from consent and disclosure issues, to cybersecurity considerations in this telehealth climate. 

The Medical Society of Erie County will also feature a series of webinars and trainings in collaboration with industry experts in efforts to provide business guidance to our Physician Members and their practice’s Office Managers. To name a few, we will be offering seminars on “How to Open a Medical Practice,” “Considerations When Closing a Medical Practice,” “Measures to Overcome Bankruptcy,” and “Protecting Your Business-Understanding the Importance of Financial Statements and Bank Reconciliations to Prevent Loss.” 

Why should younger physicians consider joining the Medical Society of Erie County? 

Great Question! Although many younger physicians may be more inclined to join their Specialist Societies, it is also a great advantage to be part of an interdisciplinary network such as the Medical Society of Erie County, as we all know that those interdisciplinary connections often serve as the source of specialist referrals to the patient community at-large. 

The Medical Society of Erie County will also aim to provide our Physician Members with assistance when navigating through tricky managed care contract circumstances. I believe that providing managed care contract guidance (albeit advisory) should resonate with physicians who are newer to the profession and may want to safeguard against any unanticipated conflicts in their professional engagement.

What is the physician locator feature for Physician Members? 

Currently, Physician Members of the Medical Society of Erie County who would like to accept new patients are listed on a physician locator for the public’s reference by name, phone, and practice area. We are currently in the process of gathering our Members’ URL data so that we can hyperlink our physician locator and redirect the public directly to the website of each Physician Member’s practice. We are performing this enhancement in hopes that our Physician Members will experience an uptick in their referrals.

Does Membership with the Medical Society of Erie County include a membership to any other Societies?

Yes! By joining the Medical Society of Erie County, our Physician Member automatically becomes a member of the well-regarded Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY). 

MSSNY offers a wide range of services and support to all Physician Members and to the patient community at-large. Here’s a brief recap of the Medical Society of the State of New York’s mission: 

“To contribute to the professional and personal development of member physicians by representing the profession as a whole and advocating health-related rights, responsibilities and issues. To seek to educate the public regarding important health care issues, including identification and discussion of their implications for patients and physicians in the current medical practice environment.” 

For more information about what it means to also be a member of the Medical Society of the State of New York, please visit their site at: MSSNY.org.

Well, how much does it cost for a Physician to become a member to the Medical Society of Erie County?

For just $68.00 a month, which amounts to the annual rate of $815.00, our Physician Members will get access to the full range of services referenced above, and much, much more. We even have a discounted rate for Physician Members that are new to the profession throughout their first three years in practice.

Will the Medical Society of Erie County be offering any new community-type services?

Yes! We are actually preparing to offer a range of Community Membership resources to the public and aim to of course be the source of community services and up-to-date information with or without membership. As part of the range of Community Membership services, one of the memberships we plan to roll out will be the “Newly Expectant Parent Package” that will offer classes such as Infant CPR Courses for mom and dad and Car Seat Fitting services through a partnership with our local police department for our Community Members. 

Where would you suggest we find up-to-date and reliable information on the COVID-19 infection rate, testing sites, and social gathering limits?

The Medical Society of Erie County, in partnership with the Erie County Department of Health Commissioner, aims to provide the most up-to-date, reliable COVID-19 information from the Erie County Department of Health. We will provide direct links to the latest COVID-19 information, including travel restrictions, community COVID-19 testing resources, Isolation & Quarantine, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Surveillance Data, Community Resources, and NYS and Erie County Emergency and Executive Orders.