TUCSON, Ariz., June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maintaining a successful medical practice requires careful stewardship, writes George L. Smith, III, M.D., in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. The 3 A’s—affability, ability, and availability—are essential, but some perspective is required.
He explains that physicians need to: “1) Have the ability to do what you say you can do. 2) Be affable with your patients, but also your staff and above all with your family. 3) Be available with reasonable office hours without overwhelming yourself, your family, and your staff, while making it easy for your patients to access your care for their well-being.”
Dr. Smith emphasizes the importance of commitment to continuing medical education. Additionally, he writes: “The importance of your contributions to your local, state, and national governments cannot be overstated…. We must stay vigilant and contribute to the dialogue that affects our profession, our practices, our patients, our families, and our country. Our local churches, civic clubs, schools, and news outlets benefit from our involvement.”
Following the counsel of his physician father, Dr. Smith is cautious in adopting new medications. He cites the example of Selacryn, approved in 1980 for hypertension, which had to be withdrawn because the manufacturer failed to pass on the adverse reaction reports to the FDA. He and others in his family medicine residency program had to contact all the patients who had received it.
Physicians may be tempted to sell their practice to the highest bidder. “Make sure the highest bidder is not bereft of morality or principles!” he advises.
Patients’ well-being is the physician’s highest priority. An additional responsibility of the independent physician, he writes, is to pass along principles to the next generation so that future patients will have the luxury of having a physician who is dedicated to their medical needs first and foremost.
In striving for improvements, he reminds us that “America was born through trial and error. Progress has come to our profession largely through empirical methods.”
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943.
Contact: George L. Smith, III, at gsds74@icloud.com, or Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com
