Newscope - August 8, 2008

NewScope

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NEWS BRIEFING FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
August 8, 2008

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people."
--Will Rogers

One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us. ~Michael Cibenko

IN THIS ISSUE, FOR YOU:

ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES FOR PRESCRIBING SCHEDULE II-V CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES FROM TEXAS DPS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR E.M.R. USERS
HOSPICE PATIENTS HAVE MORE CONTROL OF THEIR TREATMENT UNDER NEW REGULATIONS
MILLIONS BELIEVE PERSONAL MEDICAL INFORMATION HAS BEEN LOST OR STOLEN
AOA HEALTH POLICY NOTES
DOCTORS VS. PATIENTS
FLU VACCINES FOR 2008-2009 SEASON OBTAIN FDA CLEARANCE
TUPPER: WHY A MEDICAL SCHOOL MAKES SENSE FOR THE VALLEY (PART TWO)
MEDICARE GUIDE TO RURAL HEALTH SERVICES INFORMATION AVAILABLE
"THERE IS LITTLE SUCCESS WHERE THERE IS LITTLE LAUGHTER."

ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS:

District 7        Friday, August 8th, 6:30 p.m.
                    Reception and Mixer to welcome new residents/interns, medical
                         students, fellows
                    TOMA building, 1415 Lavaca
                    Austin, TX

District 7        Thursday, August 21st
                    Austin, TX

District 8 Thursday, Aug. 28th, 6:30 p.m.
Utopia World Cuisine

Corpus Christi, TX

District 10      Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 27-28th
                    Inn of the Mountain Gods
                    Riudosa, New Mexico
                    (Contact Pat Hanford, DO, for details)

Aug. 9-10       "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

August 23       HealthFind (to match rural communities with physicians and future physicians)
                    Hotel Intercontinental, Dallas, TX
                    For more info or to register: www.torchnet.org/calendar.html

Labor Day       September 1, 2008

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES FOR PRESCRIBING SCHEDULE II-V CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES FROM TEXAS DPS

Prescriptions

Effective September 1, 2008, all prescriptions for Schedule II-V controlled substances must contain the below information to be considered valid and, subsequently, filled:
· quantity of the substance prescribed (written as both a number and as a word)
· date of issue (can not be postdated)
· name, address, and date of birth or age of the patient (if the patient is an animal, the species and the name and address of the owner)
· name and strength of the controlled substance prescribed
· directions for use of the controlled substance
· intended use of the substance prescribed unless the practitioner determines the furnishing of this information is not in the best interest of the patient
· printed or stamped name, address, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number, and telephone number of the practitioner's usual place of business
· the signature of the prescribing practitioner, unless the prescription is called in to the pharmacy
· the practitioner's current and valid DPS registration number for practitioners licensed in Texas. The DPS registration number must belong to the practitioner issuing the prescription; the prescribing practitioner may be a properly registered physician's assistant or an advanced practice nurse on Schedules III-V prescriptions. (new section)

Effective March 12, 2008, Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions must be filled within 21 days after the prescription was issued. The Official Prescription form is void if presented for filling later than 21 days after the date of issuance. A new prescription is required. Note - there are existing Official Prescription forms that have been preprinted with a shorter time frame for filling (3 or 7 days). These are allowed to be filled within 21 days.

Official Prescription forms

All Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions must be issued on an Official Prescription form. The DPS is the sole source for the Official Prescription form. Effective September 1, 2008, the cost per pad (100 prescription forms) will increase to $9.00. Official Prescription forms, written in error, must be returned to the Texas Prescription Program. Official Prescription forms that are lost or stolen must be reported to the Texas Prescription Program.

For more into, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/criminal_law_enforcement/narcotics/LegislativeUpdates.pdf

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR E.M.R. USERS

January 1st CMS Regulatory Changes Could Impact the Way You Prescribe

As of January 1, 2009, CMS will require that any Medicare Part D computer-generated prescription comply with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Script Standard, and be transmitted electronically and not via fax.

If you use an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system to prepare and submit prescriptions to pharmacies, it is very possible that your EMR is automatically routing prescriptions to the pharmacy's fax machine. This will not be in compliance with the upcoming shift in requirements. That's why the American Osteopathic Association is participating in a national program to help practices prepare for this change.

Visit www.GetRxConnected.com/AOA to complete a quick e-prescribing readiness assessment and instantly get a free, personalized practice capability report. The report also contains a feature that will allow you to instantly send your vendor a request for connectivity.

Act now! There are only five months left until the new regulations go into affect and your vendor will need time to upgrade your system and familiarize your practice with any changes that are made.

Don't have an EMR? Visit www.GetRxConnected.com/AOA for guidance on how to evaluate and acquire e-prescribing technology.

HOSPICE PATIENTS HAVE MORE CONTROL OF THEIR TREATMENT UNDER NEW REGULATIONS
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - August 1, 2008

Many dying patients will have new rights because the federal government has updated hospice regulations for Medicare participants for the first time in 25 years. Some of the most significant changes for hospice patients, who typically have less than six months to live, include the right to effective pain medications and to choose their own physician, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Most hospice patients are Medicare beneficiaries, so the "rules for participation" that go into effect in December amount to regulation for much of the industry, which focuses on pain management instead of prolonging life or curing disease.

MILLIONS BELIEVE PERSONAL MEDICAL INFORMATION HAS BEEN LOST OR STOLEN

Issue a roadblock to acceptance of electronic health records systems
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/healthnews/HI_HealthCareNews2008Vol8_Iss7.pdf

From: Harris Interactive, http://www.harrisinteractive.com/

AOA HEALTH POLICY NOTES

The 7/29/08 Wall Street Journal reported that the number of deaths from medication mistakes made at home has increased from 1,132 deaths in 1983 to 12,426 in 2004, compared to only a 5% increase in such deaths away from home.

The 7/3/08 New England Journal of Medicine summarized a national survey of physicians that found that just 4% of physicians have an extensive, fully functional electronic medical records system in their practices; another 13% report having a basic system.

DOCTORS VS. PATIENTS

Patients are increasingly distrustful of their physician-nearly one in four patients feels doctors sometimes expose them to unnecessary risk-according to this New York Times piece. Part of the blame can be placed on two converging trends. Physicians are being financially squeezed and forced to change practice styles at the same time that patients are becoming informed consumers and demanding better service. However, some physicians also have trouble relating to patients after years of insulated training and practice.

A somewhat related article in the Washington Post shows what can happen when this distrust is taken to the extreme: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002526.html?hpid=sec-metro

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

FLU VACCINES FOR 2008-2009 SEASON OBTAIN FDA CLEARANCE

The FDA approved six influenza vaccines for the 2008-2009 season that were altered to contain new virus strains that are most likely to circulate. GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals' Fluarix, MedImmune Vaccines' FluMist and Sanofi Pasteur's Fluzone are among the shots that gained clearance. The Washington Post/HealthDay News (8/5)

From: SmartBrief, SmartBrief, Inc.®, www.smartbrief.com

TUPPER: WHY A MEDICAL SCHOOL MAKES SENSE FOR THE VALLEY (PART TWO)
By Ron Tupper, Rio Grande Guardian, 7 August 2008

McALLEN - The Lower Rio Grande Valley has experienced growth as a region higher than most areas of the county which is one of many factors for determining the need for a Lower Rio Grande Valley Medical School.
http://www.riograndeguardian.com/healthcare_story.asp?story_no=2

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

MEDICARE GUIDE TO RURAL HEALTH SERVICES INFORMATION AVAILABLE

The CD-ROM version of the revised Medicare Guide to Rural Health Services Information for Providers, Suppliers, and Physicians (April 2008) is now available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Learning Network. This guide contains rural health information pertaining to rural health facility types, coverage and payment policies, and rural provisions under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 and the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. To place your order, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mlngeninfo/ , scroll down to "Related Links Inside CMS" and select "MLN Product Ordering Page."

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

"You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there." --George Burns

"Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else." --Ogden Nash

One woman proclaimed, "I turned my life around 360 degrees!"

What happens when the fog lifts in California? UCLA.

Q. What happens if you play country music backwards?
A. You sober up, get a job, and your wife comes back.

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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