NewScope

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NEWS BRIEFING FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
June 13, 2008

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the fathers, grandfathers, and fathers-to-be.  Being a father is like a steadfast tiiler in the storm, a rock solid barrier against the storm.  And it is the gentleness of a pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek.  It may not be easy but is sure is necessary.
Have a great Father's Day!!!

 
There will not be an Executive Director's NewScope next week.  We will all  be at the Annual Convention in Dallas.  See you in Dallas or the following week.

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.             Charles Wadsworth

Children have more need of models than critics.

"Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad."              -- Anne Geddes

"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be."      -- Unknown 
 
IN THIS ISSUE, FOR YOU:
ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS
HPV VACCINE'S SUSPECTED SIDE EFFECTS CAUSE CONCERN; CDC SAYS DRUG IS SAFE
'TELE-NURSES' OFFER ALTERNATIVE TO TYING UP AMBULANCES
WORKERS COMP RULEBOOK SUPPLEMENT 2008-02 AVAILABLE ONLINE
SENATE INTRODUCES PHYSICIAN PAYMENT LEGISLATION
RESEARCH FINDS WIDE DISPARITIES IN HEALTH CARE BY RACE AND REGION
NEW HINTS SEEN THAT RED WINE MAY SLOW AGING
FTC INTERVENES IN RETAIL CLINIC BATTLE
TEXAS MED SCHOOLS GET LOW SCORES FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST
CONGRESS PUSHING PHYSICIANS TOWARD ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING
NEW RESOURCE ON THE COCA WEBPAGE (CHEMICAL EMERGENCY)
COMMISSIONER OF WORKERS COMP TO RETIRE
"THERE IS LITTLE SUCCESS WHERE THERE IS LITTLE LAUGHTER."
 
ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS:
  
District 3       Friday, June 13th, 6:30 p.m.
                   Ricks's On The Square
                   104 W. Erwin St.
                   Tyler, TX 75702

District 8       Thursday, June 26th, 6:30 p.m.
                    Papaya Restaurant
                    4455 S. Padre Island Drive

                    Corpus Christi, TX   78411

District 7        Friday, August 8th
                    Reception and Mixer to welcome incoming residents
                    TOMA building, 1415 Lavaca
                    Austin, TX
 
District 7        Thursday, August 21st
 
June 19-22, 2008     Joint Annual Convention - TOMA & TX ACOFP
                            Intercontinental Hotel, Dallas, TX
                            Register ON-LINE at www.txosteo.org

                                                    or www.txacofp.org

July 21           TOMA Student Organization and TOMA Reception for New TCOM Students, 6-9 p.m.
                    Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant
                    2201 N. Commerce St. (in the Fort Worth Stockyards area,)
                    Fort Worth, TX
                    (Come, welcome the new D.O. Students at TCOM; show them that DO special family

                            attitude)

Aug. 9-10, 2008    "Ligamentous Articular Strain Techniques" Basic Course presented by the Dallas

                              Osteopathic Study Group
                         Doubletree Hotel-Campbell Centre, Dallas, TX 75206
                         Contact: Conrad Speece, D.O. course director 
                         214-321-2673  cjspeece@yahoo.com

                         August 9-10, 2008
                         CME: 16 hours OMM category 1-A anticipated from AOA

National Men's Health Week                June 9 - 15, 2008
Flag Day                                         June 14, 2008
Father's Day                                    June 15, 2008
First Day of Summer                          June 21, 2008

HPV VACCINE'S SUSPECTED SIDE EFFECTS CAUSE CONCERN; CDC SAYS DRUG IS SAFE
Dallas Morning News - June 6, 2008

Katherine Kimzey started suffering debilitating headaches, fainting spells and arthritis-like stiffness last November. Six weeks later, the 14-year-old Dallas resident became so dizzy she could barely walk. She was hospitalized and missed three weeks of school. Then, she had a seizure. For weeks, she bounced back and forth between specialists and was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy. Katherine's mother, Michelle Kimzey, now believes her daughter's symptoms were caused by a new vaccine that was supposed to protect her against cervical cancer.
click here for more:  http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/060608dnmetvaccine.31383ea.html

From:  The Quorum Report, EDITOR: Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com

'TELE-NURSES' OFFER ALTERNATIVE TO TYING UP AMBULANCES
Houston Chronicle - June 5, 2008

Should you call an ambulance for a sprained wrist or child's fever? A spider bite? The medical consensus is no, but every year thousands of people in the Houston area dial 911 for non-emergencies. Hoping to cut back on the number of ambulances responding to non-emergency calls, the City Council voted Wednesday to hire round-the-clock "tele-nurses" to work with 911 dispatchers. For callers who do not have a true emergency, a nurse will offer first-aid advice over the phone, or help them find a clinic or doctor. The Houston Fire Department responds to about 750 emergency medical calls a day. "In a large percentage of cases, when we get there, the patient didn't even want to go to the hospital," said Dr. David Persse, the city's director of Emergency Medical Services. "Maybe they just wanted some advice, get their blood pressure taken."
click here for more:  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5819858.html

From:  The Quorum Report, EDITOR: Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com

WORKERS COMP RULEBOOK SUPPLEMENT 2008-02 AVAILABLE ONLINE

The Texas Workers' Compensation Rulebook Supplement 2008-02 containing rules adopted by the Commissioner of Workers' Compensation is available online from the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (TDI-DWC).  The supplement can be printed from the TDI website at http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wc/rules/tableofcontents/supplements.html.

To purchase a hard copy of the rulebook supplement or a complete set of the Texas Workers' Compensation Act and Division Rules, contact the TDI-DWC Publications Section at 512-804-4240.

SENATE INTRODUCES PHYSICIAN PAYMENT LEGISLATION

Late Friday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced the "Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008" (S. 3101). He was joined by Sens. John Rockefeller (D-WV), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Gordon Smith (R-OR). The bipartisan bill includes provisions that would extend the current 0.5 percent payment update through December 31, 2008 and provides an update of 1.1 percent in 2009. The bill also extends the 1.0 work GPCI for all localities until December 31, 2009. The bill expands the Medical Home Demonstration Project and raises payment for participation in PQRI to 2 percent beginning in 2009.

It is our understanding that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will call the bill up this week by requesting a motion to proceed. The bill will need to secure 60 votes to clear the motion to proceed. Senate Republicans have not introduced their alternative; however, we expect Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to do so today.  Ray Quintero (rquintero@osteopathic.org)

From:  AOA

RESEARCH FINDS WIDE DISPARITIES IN HEALTH CARE BY RACE AND REGION
New York Times - June 5, 2008

Race and place of residence can have a staggering impact on the course and quality of the medical treatment a patient receives, according to new research showing that blacks with diabetes or vascular disease are nearly five times more likely than whites to have a leg amputated and that women in Mississippi are far less likely to have mammograms than those in Maine. The study, by researchers at Dartmouth, examined Medicare claims for evidence of racial and geographic disparities and found that on a variety of quality indices, blacks typically were less likely to receive recommended care than whites within a given region. But the most striking disparities were found from place to place.
click here for more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/health/research/05disparities.html?_r=2&ref=us&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

From:  The Quorum Report, EDITOR: Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com

NEW HINTS SEEN THAT RED WINE MAY SLOW AGING
New York Times - June 4, 2008

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs. The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists are already taking resveratrol in capsule form, but others believe it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness. The report is part of a new wave of interest in drugs that may enhance longevity. On Monday, Sirtris, a startup founded in 2004 to develop drugs with the same effects as resveratrol, completed its sale to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million.
click here for more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/health/research/04aging.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

From:  The Quorum Report, EDITOR: Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com

FTC INTERVENES IN RETAIL CLINIC BATTLE

The Federal Trade Commission has criticized legislation in Illinois that would place limits on the state's retail clinic industry. The bill, which is backed by the Illinois State Medical Society, would prohibit payers from negotiating copays with retail clinics and includes a number of other restrictions, with possible exemptions for clinics owned by hospitals and physicians. In a 12-page letter, the FTC said the legislation went too far and would "excessively restrict retail clinics to the detriment of Illinois healthcare consumers." [Read More]
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/212887/topic/WS_HLM2_PHY/FTC-comes-down-on-IL-bill-restricting-retail-clinics.html

From:  HealthLeaders Media PhysicianLeaders, HealthLeaders Media, www.healthleadersmedia.com

TEXAS MED SCHOOLS GET LOW SCORES FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST

 
Study measures pharma marketing's impact on prescribing
AUSTIN- An American Medical Student Association study measuring the conflict of interest between medical schools and the drug industry ranked all but one of Texas' medical schools as failing or providing incomplete data. In Texas, the study that reviewed 150 medical schools nationwide gave the only passing score of a "B" to Dallas' UT Southwestern Medical School for its conflict-of-interest policy in relation to drug industry marketing.

The other seven Texas medical schools earned an "F" or an "I" in the study, with two of the "F" scores going to Galveston's UT Medical Branch and San Antonio's UT Health Science Center for not responding to the survey. The other "F" was earned by College Station's Texas A&M Health Science Center College of
Medicine for an insufficient conflict-of-interest policy, one that does not adequately cover gifts from pharmaceutical companies and other related issues. The four remaining Texas schools received an "I" for incomplete data. None of the medical schools has commented on the respective scores.

Only seven schools nationwide received an "A" in the study, which was designed to measure the effects of drug industry marketing on the prescribing habits of physicians. According to the AMSA, which represents more than 67,000 medical students, residents, and practicing physicians in the U.S., the
pharmaceutical industry spends close to $30 billion annually, providing everything from free lunches to educational events in efforts to influence what drugs physicians prescribe to patients.

The study found that nearly one in five schools nationwide were in the midst of revising conflict of interest policies, and the AMSA will continue to update the grades given to medical schools, listed by school at amsascorecard.org.  Controversy has been growing over the role of pharmaceutical and device makers in relation to doctor education, and both top medical schools and the Association of American Medical Colleges has been moving for limitations on the gifts given to medical trainees. Conducted between November 2007 and May, the AMSA study was funded by the Boston-based nonprofit The Prescription Project.  - Christine Pye

From:  Texas Healthflash, by HCPro, Inc. www.healthleadersmedia.com.

CONGRESS PUSHING PHYSICIANS TOWARD ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING

 
Plan would reward docs who use it, punish those who don't
AUSTIN- Doctors in the Medicare program would receive bonuses when they use online prescribing software under a plan outlined last week in the U.S. Senate. Physicians who adopt the online prescribing software would see 2% increases beginning next year. However, those who don't adopt the technology by
2011 would see their pay cut 1%, growing to a 2% cut by 2013.

Proponents of electronic prescribing say the technology will lead to decreased medical errors and adverse drug events, improved patient safety, increased formulary compliance, and decreased drug costs by allowing doctors to see detailed lists of medication options, including less-expensive generic drugs.
Still, physicians have been reluctant to adopt the technology, saying it's too costly to install and maintain.

"Conceptually, the idea of electronic prescribing makes a lot of sense, especially applied to patient safety measures. However, the argument that electronic prescribing will generate substantial savings is specious at best," says Tom Banning, CEO and executive vice president of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. "In order for those benefits to be realized we must have a system that allows for interoperable data exchange of patient information between physicians- currently that ability does not exist. That has been one of the big reasons physicians have been so slow to adopt other medical IT [such as] electronic
health and medical records." 

The doctors' bonuses for using electronic prescribing would be tied to the current Medicare payment formula, under which reimbursement rates for doctors are scheduled to drop 10.6% beginning in July. To keep that from happening,lawmakers are looking for at least $9 billion in savings from other parts of the program, including lower prescription costs. Late last week, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) presented legislation that would stop the planned cut to Medicare physician fees. The proposal would delay the reduction and increase physician fees by 1.1% for the next 18 months. The legislation also includes financial assistance for low-income beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit, as well as the electronic prescribing initiative and a proposal to ensure pharmacies are paid by Medicare promptly for drugs they dispense to beneficiaries.

Although physicians are pleased the cuts could be delayed, the electronic prescribing initiative is not being embraced by everyone. "One would think we would want to have a system in place that provides interoperable data exchange and appropriately protects patients' privacy before mandating physicians use
this technology," says Banning. "As far as the mandate goes, it is short-sighted and punitive and could force physicians from the Medicare program. This, of course, is happening at a time when we are struggling to keep physicians, who are under constant threat of having their Medicare payments slashed."
- Kathryn Mackenzie

From:  Texas Healthflash, by HCPro, Inc. www.healthleadersmedia.com.

NEW RESOURCE ON THE COCA WEBPAGE (CHEMICAL EMERGENCY)

The following link, available through our "Additional Information for Clinicians/Current Events" page, leads to an Excel spreadsheet provided by the Interstate Chemical Terrorism Workgroup. The spreadsheet provides many helpful links and phone numbers that may be useful in preparing for or responding to a chemical event.
http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/xls/ICTW_InfoMatrix_2008.xls

COMMISSIONER OF WORKERS COMP TO RETIRE

Allen Betts, the commissioner of workers' compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance, is retiring in August. He's been in that job since 2005 and was the agency's chief of staff before that.

From:  Texas Weekly, Printing Production Systems, www.texasweekly.com

 "THERE IS LITTLE SUCCESS WHERE THERE IS LITTLE LAUGHTER."              ~ Andrew Carnegie

"When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, 'Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?' He answered, 'If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.'""                      -- Jerry Lewis

Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards. - Robert Orben

One time my kids wanted to surprise me with a good breakfast in bed on Father's Day. They put a cot in the kitchen.

Junior had just received his brand new driver's license. To celebrate the special day, the whole family went out to the driveway and climbed into the car for his first official drive. Dad went immediately to the back seat, right behind the newly licensed driver.  "I'll bet you are back there to get a change of scenery, right? After all these months of sitting up here, teaching me how to drive?" Junior said to his dad.
"Nope!" said dad. "I'm going to sit back here and kick the back of your seat as you drive, just like you've been doing to me for sixteen years!"

There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year.

Did you hear that Ford announced a huge recall of late-model Mercury cars?   They found traces of tuna in them.

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Take full advantage of your TOMA Preferred Program discounts, call Advocate, DO today - (800) 686-2734 or visit www.advocatedo.com.

Advocate, D.O.
Underwritten by Advocate, MD Insurance Company of the Southwest Inc.
800-686-2734 or 512.275.1830
www.advocatedo.com 

I hope that this information is helpful. Please feel free to give me any feedback or suggestions on the information in the updates. They are really only as good as the information is useful. So the more useful the information is or can be, the better the updates are.

Respectfully submitted,

Robt. J. "Sam" Tessen
Executive Director