Derek Rudkin
Pulaski County Medical Society
The Pulaski County Medical Society is the largest county medical society in Arkansas, created to promote medical care, professional growth and public health. As health-care professionals work to better the lives of Arkansans, the PCMS works to help make their job a little easier.
PCMS Executive Director Derek Rudkin says Pulaski County doctors are facing several issues that are not easily solved. “The increased time on electronic medical records, medication approvals and restrictive practice choices based on insurance rules are taking doctors time away from patients,” he says.
Also, an encroachment by other health-care professionals is causing rising concerns with doctors, according to Rudkin. “There are other health-care professionals who want to provide the same treatment as a medical doctor who do not have the same level of education and residency hours and do not have the same restrictions,” he notes. “This is a great concern to doctors because it affects patient care levels.”
Legislation has been introduced in Arkansas to give full prescriptive rights to health-care professionals other than medical doctors. “The moment a case becomes complicated, you need the experience and education of a medical doctor,” says Rudkin.
Still, Rudkin is optimistic about the future of health care. “We are hopeful and optimistic,” he says. “Technology is leading health care in the direction of more personalized care for patients, and our hope is that doctors become more involved in the processes that impact their professions. Regardless of outcomes, we hope that patient care and physician health are considered more important than bottom lines.”
READ MORE: September Association Roundup
