When it launched in 2020, the Indiana Physician Coalition included some of the largest medical associations and specialty societies in the state and represented the vast majority of nearly 17,000 practicing physicians and 2,000 medical students.

Now, interest in physician-led care has led to a further expansion of this alliance. Leaders from the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (IN-ACOFP) and Indiana Neurological Society (INS) announced their intent to become part of the coalition in February and March, respectively.

This brings the coalition’s roster to 13 statewide medical associations and specialty societies, further uniting physicians in the state’s scope of practice partnership.

“From our experience, patients are best served by teams of medical professionals who work together to deliver the highest level of care – when that team is led by a physician,” said Rachel Shockley, DO, president of IN-ACOFP. “We’re proud to join our fellow colleagues in the Indiana Physician Coalition to advocate for physician-led care.”

INS President James Fleck, MD, echoed Dr. Shockley’s comment on the need to advocate for medical teams that are physician-led for the sake of patients.

“As neurologists, we particularly understand the need for health care teams to work together and collaborate in the delivery of care for our patients, and we also feel that physicians should continue leading those teams given our education and training, which has appropriately prepared us for such a role,” said Dr. Fleck.

The addition of both organizations will help further the coalition’s mission to protect patients from harm, increase access to quality care and control health care spending. Through grassroots advocacy in support of the ISMA Government Relations team, the coalition helped rally physicians to send more than 200 emails to their legislators asking them to support funding in the state budget for graduate medical education (GME) that creates much-needed residency training programs.

As the coalition’s work continues during the 2021 legislative session, ISMA wishes to thank its specialty society colleagues for collaborating on this proactive effort. For a complete list of coalition members, please visit www.INphysicians.org.