Finding Common Ground to Drive Forward
by Eileen Moser, MD, MHPE, MACP, President ACP Services, Inc.
Eileen Moser, MD, MHPE, MACP at Leadership Day 2022
I love the energetic, challenging political discussions in my extended family where political leanings run the gamut. Raised in a family who enjoy questioning each other’s views, we learned at an early age the importance of looking at an issue from multiple perspectives. Yet, I also learned how to “win” the debate in my public high school speech class. We were charged with debating the utility of an underwater housing complex. I know, pretty crazy, but in a 14-year-old’s mind it did not seem so fantastical. Each week we would switch sides throughout the semester, debating in favor or in opposition of underwater living. As I researched this esoteric topic and considered questions and factors in favor and against the proposal, I found that I could successfully argue positions. However, my strategy was not to achieve consensus, or even concede a good point from my opposition. Rather, my strategy was to ignore or rip apart the worthy arguments from the opposition, and build my own position with arguments and logic that supported my claims. It was not about finding agreement, it was about winning. And it felt good to win - but what did I really win?
I wonder if that is our national problem today. I wonder if being so stuck in our rightness, that we have forgotten how to hear each other and consider multiple views. How different from our internal medicine practices, where we use logic, compassion, and a listening approach to understand our patients’ perspectives, however different from our own, in our shared decision-making. As internal medicine physicians, we bring this refined ability to find common ground and build relationships, even with those with whom we disagree, to the national discussion.
ACP Leadership Day 2022 was a refreshing departure from partisan politics and an application of our unified mission to improve the health and health care for our patients and improve practice conditions for internal medicine physicians to provide patient-centered care. We discussed compelling issues with representatives including Access to Care, Physician Payment, Mental/Behavioral Health, Prescription Drug Reform, Primary Care Physician Workforce, and Public Health Pandemic Awareness. We met representatives from both sides of the aisle: out of our 399 Congressional meetings (85 Senate/314 House), ACP members collectively visited 206 Democrat, 191 Republican, and 2 Independent offices. And yes, we provided facts and logic that supported our positions, listened to representatives’ views, and had productive conversations. We found areas of synergy, areas of disconnect, and ways to continue the conversation. We did this flexibly with a blend of in-person and virtual meetings, depending on the procedures of each office. We were trained in the background of key issues and provided with just-in-time suggestions on how to approach difficult conversations. We listened to presentations from Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) and had an opportunity to pose our questions to them. ACP Services honored Dr. Richard Dart of Wisconsin as the 2022 most influential PAC member. It was invigorating, and to me, an intense joy, to be joined together with ACP internal medicine physicians and students, united in our common purpose and united as ACP members.
ACP Leadership Day is one way that we, as internal medicine physicians within the ACP, can make a difference, by bringing our collective voice to Capitol Hill. As a nonpartisan member in our bipartisan ACP, I was reminded that it is not the debate we need to win - it is the goal of improving health care. It is understanding each other’s views and finding common ground and forwarding the conversation. It is about our mission to improve health and the health care of our patients and to allow us as internal medicine physicians to improve practice conditions so we can continue to treat and heal our patients.
I hope you will join us at Leadership Day in 2023 on May 23-24. In the meantime, let’s continue to contact and visit our representative’s offices when they are at home, and continue the conversation that promotes ACP policies that support our patients and Internal Medicine. We have some interesting time ahead leading up to the mid-term elections filled with contentious issues. Let’s continue to lead by listening, by logical discussion, and by putting our patients first. This is our ACP - Internal Medicine super-power. Collectively, we have a voice - we are strong, and we make a difference. I look forward to seeing you at Leadership Day in 2023!