“Advocacy is not about bribery. There’s nothing dirty about advocating for your patients and the future of your profession in terms of workforce, therapeutic advances and the financial viability of our practices. It’s our duty to do this,” he says. In his new role as the RheumPAC chair, he wants to help ACR/ARP members “see how vital these activities are to the success of our profession.”
N.Y. Rheumatologist Makes Advocacy a Priority
In 2005, not long after he became a private practice rheumatologist on Long Island, N.Y., Howard Blumstein, MD, dipped his toe into the advocacy pool at the encouragement of his partner, Max Hamburger, MD. “I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the issues that affect our patients and our practices, and I…