by Chris Mlot MD, CMD

It’s been so long now, I hardly remember the exact year. 1993 to 1996, I was the Medical Director for FHP’s 99 bed freestanding SNF in Westminster Ca. Truth be told, besides the nursing home in Chicago that I had visited my grandmother in once, prior to 1993, I had never stepped foot into a nursing home let alone an HMO’s skilled nursing facility which was a clever disguise for a 99 bed med-surg floor. I had never treated a decubitus ulcer or dealt with a feeding tube. Sometime prior to 1996, a persistent and remarkable doctor from LA by the name of Wing Mar called me and convinced me that I needed to join the CAMD, the California Association of Medical Directors. He said it was a group of long term care doctors working to improve the care in nursing homes. Long term care, nursing homes, nursing home doctors- my curiosity was peaked.

I was on a steep learning curve as I became immersed in the mysterious and seemingly irrational world of long term care. I didn’t understand exactly how my facility fit into Long Term Care, as we processed about 180 new admissions a month and nobody stayed longer than 100 days. But we were subject to things like Title 22 and Resident Rights and a dreaded annual event called “Survey”. I was suddenly working with nurse practitioners, speech therapists, and a person called The Administrator. So I joined CAMD.

I became a member of the Education Committee, and eventually had the privilege of serving as President of the organization. I witnessed our growth from a group of sincere and committed community long term care doctors to the formidable state-wide professional organization it is today. Professionally, I made long term care my career.

Around 2000, our Board of Directors changed the name to be more inclusive and descriptive of our segment of the health care continuum. We became the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine CALTCM and we are proud to include not only medical directors and attending physicians but pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and state surveyors as members and as Board of Directors members. Under focused and inspirational leadership over the years, CALTCM has become the leading organization in this state for the promotion of quality patient care through medical leadership and education.

Why should you join? The opportunities and benefits for you personally and professionally are legion.

1. Education: CALTCM is the leading edge organization for LTC educational seminars and the promotion of quality patient care in California. Our annual seminar showcases outstanding speakers on the latest regulatory and clinically relevant topics. No other state organization offers educational seminars with the depth and quality as CALTCM.
2. Professional Development: We encourage new members to join one or more committees- Education Committee, Marketing and Membership, Policy and Professional Services. As a committee member, you have the opportunity for your voice to be heard, to learn and to effect changes that matter. You have the opportunity to publish articles, commentaries, your perspective on issues in CALTCM’s WAVE and Newsline. You have the opportunity to develop your talents and do public speaking as a faculty member of the annual seminar.
3. Leadership Opportunities: There is an ever present need for dedicated and visionary leadership among healthcare professionals, even more so in a rapidly growing and evolving organization like CALTCM. You can not only become a committee member, but a committee chairperson, an officer of the organization and yes, President.
4. Networking: among our membership, you will find private practice physicians, educators on faculty at Universities and medical schools, published authors, academics, individuals involved in national quality initiatives, directors of health plans, pharmacists, nursing facility administrators, Directors of Nurses, nurse practitioners, Hospice medical directors, surveyors, CMOs-over the years, I have had access to experts involved in national quality initiatives, and every discipline and specialty.
5. Friends: You will find kindred spirits and develop friendships that last decades. I am thankful for the many unique experiences and exciting opportunities afforded me during my years at CALTCM and look forward to the future. I urge you to join. It will be the experience of a lifetime.