Physicians for Act 432 forms to seek better health care options
June 28, 2021
A group of Greenville area doctors and patients have come together to seek more health care opportunities and partnerships for Upstate residents.
Physicians for Act 432 – An Alliance for Fair Health Care aims to create a stronger healthcare environment by empowering and engaging medical professionals and their patients both inside and outside of the corporate healthcare world, said Dr. Bruce Snyder, the Chairman of the Board of Directors for this non-profit group, and former president of the South Carolina Medical Association.
The group’s name comes from the 1947 legislation that codified public healthcare needs for Greenville County residents. One of the group’s goals is to get health care to live up to the goals of that law.
“We are not for or against any health system in South Carolina. What we want are more options for the public,” Snyder said. “Competition is good. People need options. Doctors need options.”
Physicians for Act 432 was started after months of conversations amongst doctors and community leaders in the Greenville area about a need for change, Snyder said. He was approached to be the leader of the program based on his career in helping spur healthcare changes in South Carolina. The group was formally incorporated in early April, and is rapidly adding members.
Dr. Jeff Harris, President of the Group, said Physicians for Act 432 is about educating the public, and the group has four main tenants:
• Empower: They want to give doctors and patients the ability to follow the spirit of Act 432, which essentially created the mandate for stronger healthcare in the greater Greenville area. Those include the primacy of the patient-doctor relationship and the autonomy of a doctor’s decision making process; provide the highest quality of medical care possible; create access to care for all; educate the medical workforce; and provide financial accountability/responsibility.
• Educate: The Greenville Health Authority (GHA) has three oversight areas: management of hospitals and facilities; management of the wellbeing and autonomy of the patient-doctor relationship; and academic enhancement. The goal is to foster the growth of those areas by encouraging more partnerships between the GHA, doctors and patients.
• Engage: This can be the start of an amazing dialogue that can be the beacon for other communities to follow when it comes to strengthening and developing a better community healthcare model.
• Encourage: This is a community effort. The Greenville area needs people from all sides of the healthcare continuum to come together to make this a reality.
Snyder added that the disconnect between physicians, patients and administration is happening nationwide, but Greenville can be one of the places that leads the way in creating the path to healthier communities.
“The goal of Physicians for Act 432 is to provide a way for doctors and patients to have more partnerships,” Snyder said. “This is about what is best for the health of the residents of Greenville, the Upstate and all of South Carolina.”
About Physicians for Act 432
Physicians for Act 432 – An Alliance for Fair Health Care is non-profit, cross-section of health care providers and community leaders seeking to empowering change to provide the care our communities deserve. To learn more, go to www.physiciansforact432.com.
