Looking Forward, New AGS President Sees Need for Greater Public Policy and Public Advocacy Role for Society

Taking the helm of the American Geriatrics Society at a time when the White House is calling for unprecedented cuts in Medicare spending; efforts to incorporate pay-for-performance into Medicare physician reimbursement are gaining; and the nation is on the brink of an "Age Boom," AGS' new president, Todd Semla, PharmD, stresses the importance of a wider public policy and public advocacy role for the Society.

"We need to make sure we're heard because there's going to be this tremendous need for care for older Americans as the baby boomers age," says Dr. Semla, who began his year-long term as President during AGS' Annual Scientific Meeting in May. A Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with the US Department of Veterans Affairs Pharmacy Benefits Management and an associate professor in Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

"We need the public and policy makers to know that the best way to provide quality care for older adults efficiently and affordably is by having providers trained in geriatrics or in its principles in place," Dr. Semla says. "Not every older person is going to be cared for by a professional trained specifically in geriatrics - that's unrealistic. But making sure that there's adequate reimbursement so those interested in geriatrics can choose the field, that other healthcare providers have the incentive to care for older patients, and if we end up with pay-for-performance, that appropriate quality measures are in place are all essential parts of healthcare reform."

The new strategic plan the AGS Board endorsed last year calls for increased efforts to raise public awareness of the need for high quality care for older Americans, and to advocate for policy that supports such care, Dr. Semla notes. At the same time, it reiterates the Society's commitment to its historic priorities: building the geriatrics knowledge base; increasing the number of healthcare professionals employing principles of geriatric care; and recruiting health professionals into geriatrics.

"We don't want to neglect our core mission, of course, but we do need to continue to move forward with our policy and advocacy work," he adds. (See related story) In addition to continuing its advocacy work on behalf of adequate Medicare funding and physician reimbursement, appropriate quality measures for use in pay-for-performance programs, and funds for training healthcare professionals to provide the care older adults need, AGS should continue its efforts to ensure the National Institute on Aging is adequately funded, Dr. Semla says.

An AGS member since 1986, Dr. Semla was Secretary of the Board of Directors from 2005 to 2006 and a member of the board from 2000 to 2005. He has been a member of several AGS committees, task forces and groups, including the AGS Annual Meeting Program Committee, the Geriatrics Interdisciplinary Advisory Group, and the Public Education Committee, of which he was vice-chair. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of Annals of Long-Term Care since 2002, an Associate/Section Editor for Drugs and Pharmacology for the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) since 2000, and a member of JAGS' Editorial Board since 1996. In addition, Dr. Semla was the Consulting Editor on Pharmacotherapy for the 5th and 6th editions of the Geriatrics Review Syllabus.

AGS has numerous strengths, says Dr. Semla, including committed staff in New York and Washington, accomplished professional leaders, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and deeply involved members. He cites the role the AGS has played on behalf of a new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, examining the nation's readiness to provide appropriate care for its burgeoning older population, as evidence of these strengths. AGS proposed the report and the Society's leadership and staff advocated for the initiative, collaborating with the Hartford Foundation to bring potential funders and the IOM together. The IOM is now spearheading work on the report under the Leadership of Dr. John Rowe, which is due out in March of 2008. AGS, its Foundation for Health in Aging, the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs, and funders of the initiative will play roles in disseminating its findings.

"The work AGS has done getting the IOM report underway is a great example of how it uses its strengths very effectively," Dr. Semla says. It's also an example of how much the Society can accomplish when it collaborates with other organizations, he notes. "That's another thing I'd like to see us continue to do over the coming year," Dr. Semla adds, "I'd like to see us to continue to build those kinds of relationships with other organizations."