I'm blogging today from my hotel room at the 66th Annual meeting of the Association of American Physicians and surgeons.  I received a scholarship from the organization to attend, and I'm happy to say that this meeting has been both energizing and eye-opening.

The most remarkable thing about this meeting isn't the presentations (though they've all been quite remarkable), it's the amazing doctors I've met. These are all highly qualified and skilled professionals who devote their lives to providing the best possible care to their patients.

Medicine today is under constant hostile attacks.  I've learned more about these attacks and the threat they pose to patient care, and in doing so, I've gained an even greater respect for the physicians here who are standing up against these attacks.  They stand up to these attacks often at their own peril.  Today I've spoken to doctors who've had their hospital privelages taken away for voicing concerns about patient safety, who have been threatened with criminal prosecution over alleged medicaid fraud (the charges were later dismissed) and physicians who have spent years in prison because the government didn't approve of the care their patients needed.

I know this post isn't specific about anything; I'll write more about all of these as I get a chance.  Tonight, I just wanted to give a quick report on my experience at this meeting:  it has been awesome.