June 11, 2013 -- Oregon State Senator Alan Bates (D-Medford, Dist. 3), a primary care physician, has been named winner of the 2013 American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU) Distinguished Leadership Award. Sen. Bates, D.O., currently in his third term as a state senator, is a physician with Creekside Family Medicine in Medford.
Sen. Bates was named recipient of the national award following an official nomination by the Oregon Urological Society (OUS).
“Few issues in health care are more important than keeping costs low and reducing barriers to quality, medical care,” said Stanley Myers, OUS president. “Senator Bates continues to see patients, and he understands that cutting costs and removing insurance barriers are critical to providing the care every doctor wants for their patients.”
“I’m honored to have been recognized by the state’s urology society and national urological association out of all state representatives and state senators from across the country,” said Sen. Bates.
In the letter recognizing Sen. Bates, the AACU especially appreciated his “support of medical liability reform, insurer contract administrative simplification and straightforward patient referral laws.”
OUS’s nomination of Sen. Bates before the AACU highlighted two key areas of his leadership...
· He championed SB 382 and SB 385 that will significantly reduce overhead expenses related to receiving insurance coverage for important treatments. His proposals would also improve patient care with a reduction in potential insurance form errors.
· He works full-time as a state senator, Monday through Friday, and runs his medical practice on the weekends. This helps him understand how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will impact physicians and he’s working with physician groups to help them prepare for the ACA.
Before entering politics, Sen. Bates was Chief of Medicine at both Rogue Valley Medical Center and Providence Medford Medical Center, and a founding board member of a primary care physicians' group. He served three terms on the Eagle Point School Board and an appointed term on the Governor's task force on Quality in Education.
The Oregon Urological Society represents physicians who treat diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. Although urology is classified as a surgical specialty, knowledge of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, and other specialties is required by the urologist because of the wide variety of clinical problems encountered. The mission of the OUS is “To enhance the delivery and quality of urologic care through education and advocacy for patients and health care providers.”
