Message from the President of AAPI 
Ajeet R. Singhvi, MD, FACG

July 1, 2010


Dear AAPI Members,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you as the President of AAPI to fulfill its mission. As your new President for 2010-2011, I am honored and excited to take the reins of AAPI from Dr. Vinod K. Shah and lead AAPI forward.

The recently concluded national convention in Washington, D.C. was enormously successful, with a record number of delegates attending. Like you, I was greatly impressed with the professionalism displayed at our convention. From the Members of Congress that joined us on Capitol Hill, to the wonderful speakers and programs offered at the Gaylord National Convention Center, our convention had something for everyone. I want to congratulate Dr. Shah and his convention team for their many months of hard work to arrange this large-scale event. Many members of the AAPI family volunteered long hours to ensure our convention was successful and I want to thank them as well.

Moving forward, I want to share with you my vision for the upcoming year and ensure a pro-active legislative agenda both at federal and state levels. Congress continues to act on high-profile legislative matters affecting physicians and the medical field. While health care reform was passed, we still need to address the physician shortage by increasing the size of medical school classes and providing for more residency positions. Our agenda must focus in part on the next generation, as it will shape the future and determine the success of the organization. While less than 1% of the American population consists of Indian Americans, it is predicted that in the near future, 20% of graduating medical classes in the U.S. will be of Indian Origin. This is a testimony to our influence and culture. Thousands of young physicians are unable to get into residency programs despite the predicted shortage of more than 15,000 physicians over the next 15 years. We are working with Congress to increase the number of residency slots.

We will continue our leadership development program for young physicians, and travel abroad of medical students and residents for training and medical missions will be encouraged. We will address inequality and bias in the profession and fight to reform meritless lawsuits against physicians and those working in the medical field.

We have been battling on a monthly basis for Congress to pass a permanent fix to the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. During the past six months, we have seen numerous short-term fixes, but a lack of will to permanently change a flawed formula that Congress itself created. While Congress has recently passed a temporary six-month fix avoiding the 21% cut along with a 2% reimbursement increase, CMS may push for even deeper reimbursement cuts beginning January 1, 2011, including cuts to specialties over and beyond the scheduled 21% cut. We must send a strong and clear message to Congress: physicians will simply not see Medicare patients if reimbursement rates continue to be cut in a legislative rollercoaster. Both physicians and Medicare-eligible patients deserve a workable, predictable system, and I will ensure our organization fights for your rights as your President. We will NOT stand by idly with a nearly 30% Medicare cut looming in just six months.

Strong membership and financial stability is a must to make our organization viable. Please nominate one young physician to become an AAPI Patron member. We need to have an Executive Director to bring much needed continuity and participation with industry, vendors and other organizations. We also need to establish a legislative office and member supported Political Action Committee (PAC) in Washington, D.C. It is also my earnest hope that our increased political activism will result in at least 10 members of Indian Origin in the U.S. Congress within the decade.

AAPI enjoys tremendous respect and name recognition in the Indian American community. Therefore, we need to formulate a common platform to address issues of concern in the community, including disease prevention and health promotion.

We also need to have an AAPI office in India to coordinate and expand our services to the people and profession there. The past three Indo-U.S. Healthcare Summits have come up with concrete recommendations and plans for implementation to address the health issues of our fellow citizens in India. The SEVAK project and diabetes card are the results of these deliberations.

You, the AAPI family, know best where we are and where we need to go, and I am here to listen and work to continually improve and make the organization better. I believe the best days of AAPI are ahead of us. You have given me a strong team to work with and I thank you for that. You can help us by participating in one or more committees. I look forward to working with you in the next year and leading our team forward. Our organization is only as strong as its members, and as your President, I want to ensure our officers are leading the organization forward in a manner that best represents your interests. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at president@aapiusa.org for your ideas, concerns and suggestions.

Please visit our website at www.aapiusa.org.


Sincerely,

Ajeet R. Singhvi, MD, FACG
President, AAPI
president@aapiusa.net
(951) 929-0124