APMA News - January/February 2020 - 12

Meet President Rubenstein
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Higher education was deeply valued in my family, and a college degree was an expectation growing up. Neither of my parents had an opportunity to attend college. My father, born in
1909, was a second-generation immigrant and the oldest of four
children. His father drove a horse-drawn dairy wagon through
the lower east side of Manhattan. Unfortunately, my paternal
grandfather passed away when my father was only 14 years old.
There was no Social Security safety net or other public assistance, so my father had to leave school and go to work to support the family. He eventually became a successful businessman.
All the while, higher education remained a priority for him. So,
once he settled down and had a family, he made saving for college a priority for his children. Due to his foresight, my three
brothers and I were able to attend college and graduate with
minimal debt.
Because of the sacrifices my parents made for me to achieve
my educational goals, I remain passionate about giving back.
Over the years, I have helped develop three named endowments
under the APMA Educational Foundation.
APMA News:
Tell us about your history with your state association and APMA
and how you came to be interested in the role on the board.
Dr. Rubenstein:
My political involvement can be summed up in one word:
serendipity. During podiatric medical school, I attended a presentation by John Carson, who was APMA's lobbyist at that
time. He encouraged us to become involved in our profession
after we graduated, whether it be politically or academically.
Shortly after entering private practice, I attended a meeting
of the Northern Virginia Podiatric Medical Association where
they happened to be holding annual elections. No one seemed
interested in running for the vice president position, so, recalling Carson's words, I raised my hand and volunteered. As it
turned out, the president did not care to attend state board
meetings, which at the time were very "old boy," cigar-smoking events. One thing led to another, and I found myself on
the [Virginia Podiatric Medical Association] board in short
order. This development eventually led to involvement at the
regional level and ultimately on some APMA committees.
I remember reading that the essence of leadership was influence. There is no question that Mr. Carson's advice had a great
influence on the path of my life.
It is hard to say when I first became interested in serving on
the Board of Trustees. I had already attended the APMA House
of Delegates for two decades before running for the board. I do
recall a conversation with my wife about the timing of such a
commitment. We agreed to wait until the youngest of our two
children was a senior in high school before tossing my hat into
the ring. This was good advice, as I tend to be highly focused
when working on projects and tasks. My work on the board
12 APMA News January/February 2020

would have been layered on top of attending school functions
and managing my practice. I greatly admire any sitting APMA
board member who is able to balance the demands of running a
practice and raising a young family.
APMA News:
What has your service on the board taught you, and how has it
prepared you for the presidency?
Dr. Rubenstein:
There are not many national medical associations that support a 12-year term of service on their boards. But then, there
are not many national medical associations whose board members possess the depth and breadth of experience APMA's trustees are able to cultivate during those 12 years.
At APMA, board members rotate through all major in-house
committees and as treasurer to gain a working knowledge
of the budgeting process. Board members also serve the APMA
Educational Foundation, where they have an opportunity
to reconnect with their student roots and gain experience
in fundraising.
Board members also have an opportunity to serve as liaisons
with organizations and associations outside of our profession. I
have been very fortunate to serve on many diverse assignments
including representing our profession as a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance Diabetic Measure Panel, where diabetes performance measures are reviewed and refined. I have also served as a liaison to the AMA Relative Value
Update Committee (RUC), which reviews the relative value of
all CPT codes. The work of this committee is unknown to most
APMA members but has a critical impact on the value and ultimately the payment received for every CPT-coded service we
provide. This important role requires an analytic mind, while
the methodology and politics can take years to master.
I currently serve as a liaison to the Physician Consortium for
Performance Improvement, which assists member organizations
and associations in developing their own performance measures, clinical data registries, and quality improvement programs. In each liaison position, board members have an opportunity to interface with health-care providers from other medical
specialties, as well as representatives from industry.
Finally, I served several years on the APMAPAC board and as
chair of the APMA Legislative Committee. In this capacity, I was
able to contribute to the development of our legislative strategy
and policies. As a board member, I have lobbied Congress, testified in front of a congressional subcommittee, and represented
my profession to CMS and other branches of government-vital
experiences that have prepared me well to serve as president.
APMA News:
What do you think makes a great leader?
Dr. Rubenstein:
We could spend quite a bit of time on this question, but for
the sake of brevity, I think one of the most important qualities

APMA News - January/February 2020

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