Despite a very tricky set of political circumstances and a marathon 20-hour-long last day of the lame duck session, the Michigan State Medical Society was extremely successful in protecting patients and serving the profession by defeating Senate Bill 2. The legislation would have allowed nurses to diagnose and write prescription without any physician supervision. This was an extreme sprint at the end of a two-year marathon, and it took an incredible amount of work by our entire team, including our grassroots political activists, county medical societies, and you, our members.

As Immediate Past President Doctor Kenneth Elmassian put it, the "groundwork the staff and physician leadership invested over the two-year period contributed mightily to the successful close of this legislative session." President James Grant, MD, encourages us "to celebrate this milestone and be ready to craft a new game plan in 2015 as we move from defense to offense." The work continues, but the opportunities expand because of the professional way we conducted ourselves.

MSMS was also successful in getting Expedited Partner Therapy passed prior to the end of session, which is another great accomplishment for medicine and public health. This bill allows the option for a physician to write a prescription for the patient, who has gonorrhea and chlamydia as well as for the partner who is not present at the time of diagnosis. In 2012, the MSMS House of Delegates adopted Resolution 1 that directed MSMS to seek the implementation of this policy in Michigan.