1789
10 physicians began a medical society for South Carolina physicians.
1800
The medical society started a dispensary for medication for those who were poor.
1805
The medical society established the Board of Health and Statistics.
1817
The General Assembly approved the medical society to review physicians and apothecaries, even though no license was required until 1895.
1824
The medical society began the first SC Medical College, which became a state institution in 1913 and MUSC in 1969.
1841
The medical society took part in a national meeting, which turned into the AMA.
1848
The medical society and various county chapters united to form the SC Medical Association (SCMA). Dues were $5.
1878
The SCMA ebbed and flowed over the next 30 years. But in 1878 it found purpose as the acting State Board of Health.
1968
Governor McNair ended the SCMA’s reign as the Board of Health, and the SCMA as we know it today began.
1975
The SCMA established the Joint Underwriting Association, known as the SC Medical Professional Liability Insurance Assoc., when all but one malpractice insurance companies left SC.
1981
The SCMA Members’ Insurance Trust was founded to provide health insurance coverage to member physicians, staff, and their families.
1993
The Physician Care Network was developed to “provide a physician-directed economic unit to compete in the healthcare marketplace.”
2000
Randolph D. Smoak Jr., MD served as the 155th president of the American Medical Association, having previously served as SCMA president in 1984.
2003
The new SCMA headquarters was completed in 2003, just before SCMA Chief Executive Officer William F. Mahon retired after leading the organization for 28 years. The staff moved in on April 18 (Good Friday) in 2003.
2005
SCMA won a major victory when the General Assembly unanimously adopted a medical malpractice reform bill. A second bill addressing general business tort issues also passed. Both were signed into law on April 4, 2005 by Governor Mark Sanford in Charleston.
2019
The SCMA joined the Opioid Emergency Response Team (OERT) created by Governor McMaster on January 31, 2019 to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic. As part of this task force, the SCMA provided physician education about best practices for treating patients with acute pain, chronic pain, and addiction.
2020
During the COVID pandemic, SCMA was instrumental in launching the “Slow the Spread” public service campaign and also in granting physicians free access to the CurrentMD COVID, a platform that allowed doctors to access the latest emerging COVID-19 content.
2021
Gerald E. Harmon, MD served as the 176th president of the American Medical Association, having previously served as SCMA president in 2008.
2024
The Legislative Delegate Committee and a new Town Hall meeting format replaced the House of Delegates to create a more accessible and flexible, year-round approach to the policy process.
