America has a lovely, long tradition of a fall holiday whose only purpose is to give thanks. I would like to use this article to offer up my thanks to our partners at the American Medical Association, the California Medical Association and the Orange County Medical Association for fighting the good fight.

Considering our collective griping about the ails afflicting the practice of medicine, one might ask, "About what do we have to be grateful?"

Lots. Organized medicine has had some terrific successes this past year and each effort deserves our thanks.

At the Orange County level, the OCMA convinced the CalOptima board of directors to go on record supporting an increase in physician reimbursement. This boost is pledged to come with the next increase in funding from the state.

In addition, the OCMA convinced the Orange County Board of Supervisors to increase physician reimbursement in the Medical Services for Indigents program. MSI reimbursement is now at its highest level ever, at 85 percent of Medicare RBRVS. Orange County physicians should see tangible, positive impacts on their bottom lines from these increases. One physician alone could not have achieved this. Thank you to the OCMA for being at the table.

At the state level, the CMA was the first to get on the horn to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and organize a response to the Department of Managed Health Care's unilateral move to prevent physicians from billing patients for emergency care services rendered. The fight is just beginning, but the CMA will continue to make physicians' voices heard in the governor's office and at the DMHC.

One fight the CMA already won this year was convincing Gov. Schwarzenegger to reverse the 5 percent cut in Medi-Cal reimbursement that was previously approved by Gov. Davis.

Nationally, the AMA was successful in stopping the 4.7 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursement for 2006. It took such a huge effort to win that seemingly short-term gain. Currently, we are in the midst of the reimbursement battle for 2007. I am grateful that we have doctors who pick up the pieces and rejoin the effort each year. I am also grateful for those behind-the-scenes individuals who do the legwork to find long-term solutions and who keep physician practice issues in the forefront nationally.

For these and other successes, I say, "Happy Thanksgiving!"