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AMA president-elect candidates share views: Edward L. Langston, MD

American Medical News asked the announced candidates for AMA president-elect to provide statements on why they are running for office or other topics of their choosing.

By Edward L. Langston, MD amednews contributor — Posted May 3, 2010

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I chose to be a candidate for AMA president-elect for three primary reasons: our patients, our profession and our practices. Let me explain.

Our patients: I have a passion for clinical medicine. Our patients deserve access to a physician when they need critical and coordinated health care. Our patients also deserve the best health care possible, whether delivered independently by a physician or through a multidisciplinary team.

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Dr. Langston

I believe the market forces of the insurance industry are taking advantage of our patients. I remain committed to exerting pressure on both the government and the insurance industry to treat them with respect and fairness.

Our profession: I am driven to maintain freedom for both our patients and our colleagues to choose how to receive and how to deliver health care. I want to work with physicians to help us use the best evidence-based medicine without sacrificing care with caring. I want to work with physicians so we can remain engaged at all levels of policy development (local, state, national) for the protection of our patients and our physicians.

Our practices: I am committed to working with other organizations and physicians to ensure practice viability. I am committed to creating a practice environment based on healing and supported by necessary and appropriate administrative tasks. I want to work with others to create new tools for physicians to practice quality medicine effectively and efficiently.

While health reform has been a long time in coming, it's not an event, but a journey. A journey we must undertake and lead where appropriate. However, we must not allow politics to deflect attention from our mission: "To promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health." In fact, these concepts go hand in hand. I am committed to listening to disparate perspectives and positions and, guided by AMA policy, will seek the best outcome when working in the arena of Washington. Politics is the art of the possible. We must strive to make real the elements of reform identified by our House of Delegates, focusing on our patients, our practices and our profession.

Our AMA has obligations to physicians and patients. Intrinsic to our profession, one cannot exist without the other. There are circumstances that can make it difficult to balance that responsibility, but it is certainly not impossible. It is this professional commitment that guides all we do as doctors and patient advocates. We will and must continue our journey to affect meaningful, balanced, and effective health system reform.

After years of holding governance and policymaking positions in various organizations, I believe I have earned my colleagues' respect, have proven to be eminently reliable, and am ready and excited to remain actively engaged in the AMA as the next president-elect.

The responses were not shared among candidates. Voting for the next president-elect will be held at the House of Delegates Annual Meeting, June 12-16 in Chicago. Results for the president-elect and trustee elections will be included in our Annual Meeting coverage.

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