MCMS and MedChi: Your Advocate

Together with MCMS and other component societies, MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, leads successful advocacy efforts addressing important professional, practice and patient care issues in Maryland and the U.S. View our 2024 Legislative Agenda.

As a member, you will receive:

  • Legislative representation for you and your patients before the Maryland legislature and other regulatory bodies. Your voice will be heard.
  • Access to MedChi’s Law and Advocacy Division and Information Center—providing updates about proposed legal and regulatory changes affecting the practice of medicine in Maryland.
  • Convenient grassroots legislative efforts—express your opinion to your legislators directly through the MedChi website.

Are you interested in what’s happening in Annapolis? Concerned about the decisions that are being made there which impact Medicine and your medical practice?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, we want you to become more involved in our grassroots legislative efforts. You may know a legislator, or be an expert on a certain issue that is likely to come before the Maryland Assembly this year, or just be an activist who wants to find a way of channeling your energy – regardless, we need you more involved in our legislative efforts, especially as a part of the Medical Society’s Legislative Committee.

Based on MedChi’s legislative agenda, the MCMS Legislative Committee and Board determine MCMS’s legislative priorities. This directs the efforts of the Society’s staff on behalf of MCMS members and their practices.

  • During the legislative session in Maryland, utilize our Legislative Action Center to contact your legislators about key legislation. Then, consider attending our Lobby Day in Annapolis in March to emphasize the importance of and our commitment to improving public health and the practice environment in Maryland.
  • If you are interested in serving on the legislative committee, please let us hear from you! Email Susan D’Antoni, Executive Director, at sdantoni@montgomerymedicine.org or call 301.921.4300, ext. 203.
  • MedChi coordinates volunteer physicians to serve in the First Aid Room while the Assembly is in session in Annapolis. If you are interested in the MCMS Internship Program, you could be an intern in a legislator’s office and serve as the Physician of the Day at the same time. Many physicians are needed to staff the First Aid Room. Your help is critically needed. It’s a wonderful community service, and it shows our support to the Assembly. To volunteer, call MedChi at 410-263-4035 or 301-858-5230, or email Chip O'Neil.

How Member Engagement Transforms into MCMS & MedChi Action

MedChi is well-known for its effective advocacy on behalf of Maryland’s physicians. But with so many challenges facing Maryland physicians, how does the organization determine its legislative, regulatory, and public health priorities? The answer comes directly from our members and their involvement in our House of Delegates. Consisting of over 150 representatives from across the state, MedChi’s House of Delegates functions as a direct conduit from the individual physician to the Capitol Building in Annapolis, the American Medical Association, and beyond.

Our advocacy efforts originate when individuals or small groups identify a problem or opportunity and utilize our House of Delegates as a vehicle for change. Have you ever thought, “There ought to be a law!” about an issue facing your practice? If so, you, as a member, can write a resolution to change it. Learn how.

Legislative efforts are just one example of the initiatives that originate in MedChi’s House of Delegates. Policy changes that inform MedChi’s public health, education, and regulatory agendas are all generated from our individual delegates’ passion and participation. The process of discussing, debating, and voting on various issues is the primary focus of MedChi’s House of Delegates, and the consensus that is built within the house of medicine is reflected in MedChi’s substantial efforts and successes on behalf of all Maryland physicians.

All full, active members of MedChi have the opportunity to serve as a delegate or alternate delegate. Interested parties can get involved by emailing Susan D’Antoni, Executive Director, at sdantoni@montgomerymedicine.org. Meetings are held twice a year, in April and September, and all MedChi members are invited and encouraged to attend.