For new president of Monroe County Medical Society, local doctors should increase advocacy work to improve public health outcomes
By Chris Motola
Q: What interested you about taking on the role of president of the Monroe County Medical Society?
A: I’ve been a practicing physician for quite a few years and have worked in quite a few cities. I’ve also worked a lot with underserved communities. Over time I saw a lot of negative health impacts from policy. In wanting to make change and do better for my patients I realized one thing physicians can do is get involved in the policy advocacy space. So I’d been involved in the American Academy of Physicians for a long time and more recently wanted to get involved at a very local level. As I got involved, I eventually got elected to the board and saw opportunities to move up in leadership.
Q: What kinds of policies did you notice were producing negative health outcomes?
A: Overall, I’d use the concept of the “social determinants of health.” At least 50% of what happens in healthcare is based on people’s lifestyle and the environment they live in and a lot that isn’t really under their control. Whether someone has high blood pressure or not, for example, can have a lot to do with the social environment they live in. A good example is smoking. It used to be ubiquitous in American society. As we’ve restricted smoking in buildings and had anti smoking campaigns it’s really changed the narrative. Now we see far fewer people with smoking-related diseases. That’s a very clear example. Another one would be the way pollution affects the environment and people’s health. Or the way racism affects people’s environment and health.
Q: To what degree can physicians treat these externalities?
A: There’s only so much doctors can do. We certainly offer treatments to diseases, but we also really want to focus on prevention. So if we can help pass clean air and clean water policies that helps thousands of patients in our community. Even just better disclosure helps, like forcing tobacco companies to post the risks of smoking very clearly on their packaging. And also just expanding access to care through Medicare and Medicaid. That’s a lot of what physicians do in the legal space. When we’re meeting with congressional representatives, we encourage expansion and funding of services.
Q: How do you plan to hit the ground running?
A: We’re working on our strategic planning initiative and how we promote ourselves. A lot of things have changed in organized medicine. A lot of doctors right now are employed by hospitals or systems. There aren’t as many people in private practice. So some physicians may not think they need the medical society because they have the hospital they work for advocating for them. But we want them to understand that the work we do is very unique and powerful and provides a lot of value to physicians and patients. A lot of my work in the immediate term is going to be strategic planning, but improving public health is always my long-term goal. I’m a family doctor, but I also deliver babies. In New York we passed a Medicaid expansion that extends the window of post-partum care, so that was something of particular interest to me.
Q: How much does the policy cover?
A: The new part of it is extending postpartum coverage to a year. In New York a huge percentage of patients who are pregnant use Medicaid as their primary insurer. A lot of young people — those of pregnancy age — don’t have health insurance. They may obtain Medicaid for their pregnancy but then they lose it. One third or more of maternal deaths occur postpartum, so having health insurance for that full year afterwards is very important. So it’s a place where healthcare policy really matters.
Q: What are some of the risks that occur after pregnancy?
A: So there’s the risk of blood clots, which is higher, especially a few weeks after delivery. It’s a statistically common thing, but when it happens it can be deadly and devastating. It needs to be recognized and treated quickly. The other thing is high blood pressure. That can become urgent after pregnancy. And the other thing is postpartum depression. If it’s not caught early, it gets harder to treat.
Q: Your predecessor as president of Monroe County Medical Society, Dr. Janine Fogarty, had mentioned the challenge of reaching physicians in hospitals and large practices and that it was one of the big projects she’d been working on. Has the hand-off on that issue gone smoothly?
A: I think so. We meet as a board and executive board monthly, so I’ve been in very close communication with Dr. Fogarty. I think we have a very shared vision around a lot of these things.
Q: I asked Dr. Fogarty this and I’m going to ask you as well. What’s your elevator pitch to a physician you hope to convince to join the Monroe County Medical Society?
A: It would be that physicians have an importance in the longevity of our profession and in shaping public health. The Monroe County Medical Society is at the forefront of advocating for physicians as well as patients. We encourage all physicians in our area to be part of that collaboration.
Q: What do you hope to leave behind as a legacy of your term as president?
A: A completed strategic initiative and helping younger physicians see the value of the medical society, and re-engaging with student and resident physicians since we’ve lost a bit of that.
Lifelines
Name: Scott G. Hartman, M.D.
Position: President of the Monroe County Medical Society; primary care physician at North Ponds Family Medicine & Maternity, affiliated with URMC
Hometown: Benton, Pennsylvania
Education: Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia
Affiliations: University of Rochester Medical Center
Organizations: Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine; American Academy of Family Physicians; Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Career (select): Associate professor of family medicine and pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester; Women’s Preventive Services Initiative Task Force, American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists; attending physician, Heartland Health Care for the Homeless, Chicago; attending physician, PrimeCare Community Health Center, Chicago; maternity care coordinator, Montefiore Medical Center and Department of Family and Social Medicine. Author of several scientific articles and book chapters.
Family: Married (husband)
Hobbies: Cooking, travel, hiking, outdoor sports