With health care occupying the forefront of our nation's legislative arena, physicians cannot afford to stand by and watch while others make decisions that have an impact on the medical profession and their patients.

There are many forces influencing the medical profession -- the high cost of health care, public funding cuts, burgeoning managed care organizations, the complexity of the health care reimbursement system, and the aging American population. It is incumbent upon the physician community to meet these challenges. We have to work together to ensure that the legislative response to the medical community achieves our goal -- quality eye health care for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.