South Carolina Society of Pathologists

The South Carolina Society of Pathologists was established in 1951 by Greenville pathologist E. Arthur Dreskin, an active member in the Society for over 30 years. The first meeting of the Society occurred in Myrtle Beach, SC where the first president, Dr. H. H. Plowden, and other officers were elected. The Society protected and promoted the interests of South Carolina pathologists. The 1950s were devoted to the organization of the Society and the recruitment of new members. During these years, the Society began the appointment of delegates to other professional pathology organizations who then reported back to the Society. Members of the SC Society of Pathologists were active in the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The Society opposed any state encroachment on interests of their private laboratories. Evidence of this opposition is illustrated in a number of conflicts over the years. In the early 1960s, the Society believed the Department of Pathology at the Medical College should focus more on instruction and research and less on service to the community. They perceived service by the Department as form of competition with private pathology laboratories. In the 1970s, the Society confronted the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) over its creation of a state-funded cytology laboratory that would conduct pap smears for state employees. Society president James R. Cain led the pathologists in discussions with DHEC commissioners E. Kenneth Aycock and J.E. Padgett over the proposed legislation. In the late 1970s, the Society opposed federal legislation, Senate bill Long-Ribicoff-Talmadge, to amend the Social Security Act -a bill that was theoretically designed for cost containment and increased efficiency in health care. Representatives from the Society traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with leaders and lawmakers. In the late 1970s into the early 1980s, the Society grappled with Blue Cross-Blue Shield over refused payments to pathologists. In the early 1980s, the Society also disliked the CPT-4 coding system, and suggested revisions to the code. Finally, the Society was solicited to help with the creation of a statewide cancer registry.