NewScope

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NEWS BRIEFING FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
August 29, 2008

HAVE AN ENJOYABLE, SAFE, AND FUN LABOR DAY WEEKEND.  Labor is the only prayer that Nature answers. ~                          Robert Green Ingersoll

We cannot change anything unless we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses. ~ Carl Jung

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.   F. Scott Fitzgerald

Happiness is having a scratch for every itch.               Ogden Nash

IN THIS ISSUE, FOR YOU:
ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS
TMB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RETIRES
INFECTIONS MAY SPUR NEXT WAVE OF MALPRACTICE SUITS
MEDICAID BASICS WORKSHOPS
TEXAS REMAINS NO. 1 IN UNINSURED
YOUR MEDICARE PAYMENTS COULD BE REDUCED IF THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS) NEEDS TO COLLECT OVERDUE TAXES THAT YOU OWE
CDC REPORT:  MEASLES CASES SURGE IN U.S.
AOA HEALTH POLICY NOTES
ONLINE RESEARCH:  DOUBTING THEIR DOCTORS
HEALTHCARE ECONOMIST SAYS BOTH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES' HEALTHCARE PLANS WOULD INCREASE PHYSICIAN ACCOUNTABILITY
6 PILLARS OF A STRONG CONSTITUENT RELATIONSHIP
MEDICAL STUDENT PERSPECTIVES:  STAYING BALANCED AS A MEDICAL STUDENT
"LAUGH AS MUCH AS YOU BREATHE AND LOVE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE."  


ON THE SCHEDULE AND DISTRICT MEETINGS:

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

Sept. 12th        White Coat Ceremony, UNTHSC/TCOM, 2 p.m.
                      Will Rogers Auditorium, Fort Worth, TX

Sept. 13th        TOMA Board meeting, 9 a.m., Campus of UNTHSC, Fort Worth, Tx


Labor Day        Monday, September 1, 2008
September       Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

TMB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RETIRES

August 28th sees the retirement of Donald Patrick, MD, as Executive Director of the Texas Medical Board (TMB).  Dr. Patrick has served in that role since 2001.  Under Dr. Patrick, the Medical Board has undergone many changes, particularly their focus on patient safety and standards of care.  The Board has appointed Mari Robinson as the Interim Executive Director.

INFECTIONS MAY SPUR NEXT WAVE OF MALPRACTICE SUITS  

A jury award of more than $2.5 million to a hospital patient who developed a case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that was so severe he lost his right leg, part of his left foot, and a kidney may be the beginning of a new wave of medical malpractice suits, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Until recently, hospitals - and the courts - considered infections an unavoidable condition. That will all change October 1, 2008 when CMS will stop payment for 10 hospital-acquired conditions, including some surgical site infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

The government's stand that some conditions can be reasonably prevented will provide fodder to malpractice lawyers, Keith Shiner, JD, a lawyer for Reed Smith of Washington, D.C., told HCPro. Attorneys could argue that CMS used evidence-based science to determine that some surgical site infections should never be acquired in the hospital; ergo the facility should be held liable for damages. (For the latest on hospital-acquired conditions, read the September issue of the Quality Improvement Report.)

For more information, click here:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121867229022038907.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

From:  Quality Improvement Monitor, HCPro, Inc., www.hcmarketplace.com

 
MEDICAID BASICS WORKSHOPS

A free, two-part workshop is recommended for providers, billing staff, or office managers.  Workshops will be held in various cities across the state.  Check the webiste for the date of the workshop nearest you.

Part 1, "The Basics" will provide education on PCCM, CSHCN Services Program, ways to verify client eligibiliyt, and methods to efficiently submit and track claims and appeals.  This will be the morning session;

Part 1, "Enrollment" will provide education about the Online Provider Enrollment Application and maintaining that information.  This will be the afternoon session.

http://www.tmhp.com/C18/Workshops/default.aspx
http://www.tmhp.com/C18/Workshops/default.aspx

TEXAS REMAINS NO. 1 IN UNINSURED
By MIKE SNYDER, Houston Chronicle, 26 August 2008

HOUSTON - Among the nearly 6 million Texans who lacked health insurance last year was a sick, 3-year-old Pasadena girl whose father asked for a pay cut so his family could qualify for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5968063.html

from:  Texas Weekly News Clips, by Printing Production Systems, Inc., www.texasweekly.com


YOUR MEDICARE PAYMENTS COULD BE REDUCED IF THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS) NEEDS TO COLLECT OVERDUE TAXES THAT YOU OWE
 
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Section 1024, authorizes the IRS to reduce certain federal payments, including Medicare payments, to allow collection of overdue taxes. Should you owe such taxes and your payments are reduced, your remittance advice will reflect a provider level adjustment code (PLB) of "WU" in the PLB03-1 data field.  For more information, please see MLN Matters Article #MM6125 available at:  

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6125.pdf

CDC REPORT:  MEASLES CASES SURGE IN U.S.

The number of measles cases in the U.S. reached 131 during the first seven months of 2008, increasing from 42 cases for all of 2007, CDC officials reported. The agency's review found that most of this year's cases involved patients -- mostly children -- who were not vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, with 63 declining the shot because of religious or philosophical reasons. Some health care professionals are concerned that the trend is being driven by parents' fears that vaccines can cause autism. The Wall Street Journal (free content)/Associated Press (8/21)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121934881761361231.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

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

AOA HEALTH POLICY NOTES

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced that the number of measles cases in America is at its highest level in over 10 years; over 50% of the infected children had not received the measles vaccine at the parents' request, according to the 8/21/08 Wall Street Journal.

The Chicago Tribune reported on 8/21/08 that health care is no longer one of Americans' top concerns with regard to the Presidential election:  the economy, the war and the price of gas all ranked higher on a CBS poll taken in July 2008.  

A Center for Studying Health System Change survey has found that over 56% of American adults get most of the health information from a source other than their physician, up from 38% in 2001, according to an 8/21/08 article published online in Modern Healthcare. http://modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/REG/738867


ONLINE RESEARCH:  DOUBTING THEIR DOCTORS
Aug 22, 2008; By: Brandon Glenn
InfoTech Bulletin

Nearly four out of 10 adults have doubted a medical professional's opinion or diagnosis because it conflicted with information they found online, according to a report from Envisions Solutions, a health care consulting firm.  The younger the health care consumer, the more likely they are to be skeptical of their care providers.

http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=542931&sk=4c0b83a68a93cbf59fc6b0ae16a1f06a

From:  Medical Economics InfoTech Bulletin; Advanstar Communications, www.advanstar.com

HEALTHCARE ECONOMIST SAYS BOTH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES' HEALTHCARE PLANS WOULD INCREASE PHYSICIAN ACCOUNTABILITY

MedPage Today (8/25, Walker) reported that "physicians can count on increased scrutiny of their clinical choices no matter who wins the election," according to "prominent healthcare economist" Uwe Reinhardt, Ph.D., of Princeton. Although "the healthcare plans of presidential hopefuls [Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)] share few similarities," Reinhardt said that, "at some point, both candidates would probably push to put physicians into a statistical fishbowl." He added that "both plans promise to increase the number of people with health insurance, which will mainline money into the medical system. As more people and money are brought into the healthcare system, increased accountability of how that money is spent is a certainty." According to Sen. McCain's website, "his plan would require transparency about medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices." Sen. McCain "said a national standard for measuring outcomes must be created." Meanwhile, Sen. Obama's "plan would require doctors and hospitals to collect and report cost and quality measures, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and care disparities."

6 PILLARS OF A STRONG CONSTITUENT RELATIONSHIP  

Keep in mind that your goal is to develop an ongoing personal relationship with your legislators in order to facilitate communications on legislation concerning osteopathic medicine. Once you have become acquainted with your legislators a small effort will maintain a good relationship.

Keep up with what the legislators are doing and the votes they cast on issues of concern to osteopathic medicine.

--Let the legislators know when you are pleased or displeased with their votes or expressed opinions on an issue of special concern to you and osteopathic medicine.
--Visit the legislators' offices and get to know the staff both in Washington (and Austin) and the district or state, specifically the administrative assistant, the legislative assistant, and the personal appointments secretary.
--Talk to them succinctly about issues, the political scene, or subjects of common interest.
--Invite your legislators to speak at state, county or component society meetings or events, awards presentations, or to a group of DOs in your community.
--Attend political functions and fundraisers. At each function, introduce your legislators to as many people as possible.
--Invite your legislators and members of their staff to visit your office or clinic, or to join you on your rounds at the hospital.

From:  AOA

MEDICAL STUDENT PERSPECTIVES:  STAYING BALANCED AS A MEDICAL STUDENT

Fast forward two weeks later, when I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material being thrown at me each day. I was stressed out, feeling like there was not enough time in the day to address all of my academic obligations such as classes, labs, small group sessions, and of course studying. My non-academic interests frequently became an afterthought. I often wondered if it was even possible to have an enjoyable, balanced life and avoid being a slave to medicine. What I ultimately discovered was that balance is possible in medical school, but it takes dedication to make it happen.

http://www.acponline.org/medical_students/resources/newsletter/#1

From:  American College of Physicians (ACP), http://www.acponline.org/medical_students/

"LAUGH AS MUCH AS YOU BREATHE AND LOVE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE."  

If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.  ~Doug Larson

I used to be a transplant surgeon, but my heart just wasn't in it.
I fired my masseuse today. She just rubbed me the wrong way

If it weren't for Venetian blinds it would be curtains for all of us.         Rick Morse

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

A gossip is someone with a sense of rumor.

School Excuse Notes:
Dear School: Please exscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29,30, 31, 32, and also 33.
Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre) (dyrea) (direathe) the runs.
My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.


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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