Upcoming Events
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The Cancer Project's Food for Life Series
The Cancer Project HQ
5100 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Suite 300
11:00am to 1:00pm
Introduction to How Foods Fight Cancer
Wed., February 3
Fueling Up on Low-Fat, High-Fiber Foods
Wed., February 10
Discovering Dairy and Meat Alternatives
Wed., February 17
Cancer-Fighting Compounds and Healthy Weight Control
Wed., February 24
CME Program - Update on Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders
Friday, February 26
7:30am to 5:00pm
Intercultural Center Auditorium; Georgetown University
37th and O St., NW
Washington, DC
Click Here for more info
ProAssurance Loss Prevention Seminars**
April 20
American College of Cardiology
2400 N. St. NW
Washington, DC
May 20
American College of Cardiology
2400 N. St. NW
Washington, DC
June 16
American College of Cardiology
2400 N. St. NW
Washington, DC
July 14
Hilton Arlington
950 N. Stafford St.
Arlington, VA
**All programs begin registration at 5:30pm, and have the program from 6pm - 8pm.
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2009-2010 Board of Directors
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Stuart F. Seides, MD
At-Large; Chair of the Board
Peter E. Lavine, MD
President; AMA Alternate Delegate
Frederick C. Finelli, MD
President-Elect
Joseph Gutierrez, MD
Treasurer; AMA Delegation Chair
Robert W. Keisling, MD
At-Large; Secretary
Carlos A. Silva, MD
AMA Delegate
Laura L. Tosi, MD
At-Large; AMA Alternate Delegate
James C. Cobey, MD
At-Large
Julian R. Craig, MD
At-Large
John W. Larsen, MD
At-Large
Joan B. Loveland, MD
At-Large
Reginald Robinson,MD
At-Large
K. Edward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President
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Contact the MSDC Office
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1115 30th Street, NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 466-1800 (phone)
(202) 452-1542 (fax)
info@msdc.org
www.msdc.org
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The District of Columbia
Council Continues to Impact Health Care in the
Nation's Capital
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Introduced
by Councilmembers Gray, Mendelson and Catania on
January 19, 2010,
the
"Legalization
of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative Amendment Act of 2010" would provide access to marijuana for
medicinal use for qualifying patients. This
provision was approved
in a ballot initiative passed by District voters in 1998 but never
implemented. The Council's Committees on
Health and Public Safety and the Judiciary will hold a joint hearing on February 11, 2010, at 10
a.m. Physicians interested in testifying or obtaining a copy of the
legislation should contact Ed Shanbacker, MSDC
Executive Vice President, at shanbacker@msdc.org.
In addition, the Council is
currently considering legislation that would impact long
term care facilities, ban certain chemicals,
and re-write of the District Statute on Corporations, both for-profit and non-profit.
To address
the long term care legislation, titled "Health Care Facilities Improvement Act of 2009," MSDC is working
with the District's nursing home association to have the bill amended to make
it less onerous for physicians. To address the
corporations bill, titled "District of Columbia
Official Code Title 29 (Business Organizations) Enactment Act of 2009,"
MSDC has partnered with the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and other health care
organizations in the city urging the Council to proceed deliberately because of a
number of problems in the legislation. On
the chemical ban, titled "Human
and Environmental Health Protection Amendment
Act of 2009," MSDC has received a
commitment from one of the bill's sponsors that the ban on certain chemicals, including Bisphenol-A,
would not apply to medical supplies and equipment.
Copies of these bills and all bills
before the Council are available by contacting MSDC headquarters.
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MSDC Members Continue to Support Haiti and Haitian Relief Efforts
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 The Medical Society of DC and Washington Psychiatric Society have been active in their support of Haitian medical relief efforts. Many MSDC members and WPS members have volunteered their time, knowledge and skill to the victims of the January 12th earthquake. There are many opportunities to support the aid effort. Even here in Washington, DC. The loss of life and devastation is not bounded by the waters of the Caribbean. Many staffers at the Haitian Embassy have family and friends that remained in the country. The WPS has volunteered to act as a mental health resource for the Embassy of Haiti, and if you are interested in volunteering some of your time, please click here for more information. Many other members are involved on the ground in Haiti, or on their way, with other organizations, such as Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross. MSDC continues to stay in contact with the volunteers, and their organizations. If you would like to support the Haiti relief effort in any other number of ways, please visit the Pan-American Health Organization, the Center for International Disaster Information and the American Medical Association. The AMA has recently started it's Disaster Volunteer Physician Registry for any interested physicians. Click here for more information and to volunteer. |
Medicare Updates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
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Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey has Started
The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently conducting the Medicare
Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey. The survey is mailed to 30,000 randomly selected participants
nationwide, including physicians. The survey covers seven business functions of the contractors, and physicians are expected to rate their satisfaction with their specific contractor. If you receive one of these surveys, be sure to complete the forms as accurately as possible.
Medicare Remit Easy Print (MREP) Software Codes have been Updated
The latest Claim Adjustment Reason
Codes and Remittance Advice Remark Codes are available in the Codes.ini file for
the MREP software. You can access this file in the Zipped folder for "Medicare
Remit Easy Print - Version 2.7" at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/AccesstoDataApplication/02_MedicareRemitEasyPrint.asp on the CMS website.
Medicare Updates Teleconference for Part B Participants on February 9, 2010
Highmark Medicare Services has scheduled an informational teleconference for Medicare Part B participants for 9:00am on Tuesday, February 9th. Dial 1-877-322-9648 to call-in to the teleconference, and enter participant code 287124. Please click here to access the teleconference hand-outs. For more information on Highmark Medicare Services, please click here.
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Dr. Peter Lavine, MSDC President, Addresses the DC Chamber's 2010 Policy Forum Panel on Health Care
| With health care at the top of the national agenda, the DC Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Policy Forum and Legislative Reception will focus on why health care is vital to the future of business and industry in the District. The Honorable Vincent C. Gray, Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, will lead a distinguished
panel of elected leaders, economists and policy experts in a discussion
on the most pressing health care issues affecting the local business
community. Our MSDC President, Dr. Peter Lavine, has been invited to speak on the topic of malpractice liability reform and it's effect on physicians.
The topics addressed will highlight:
· The growing costs of employer sponsored health care coverage
· The impact of chronic illnesses and HIV/AIDS in the workplace
· The question of malpractice liability reform's role in health care
Other panelists include DC Councilmembers
David Catania and Phil Mendelson; Victor Schwartz, Chair of the Public
Policy Group at Shook Hardy & Bacon, and Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director
of the DC Department of Health.
Immediately following the Policy Forum,
the Chamber will host a Legislative Reception with the District's
elected and appointed leaders. The Legislative Reception is the companion event to the Policy Forum, and an outstanding opportunity
for Chamber members to meet government leaders and share ideas
on current legislative affairs.
If you would like more information on the Chamber's Policy Forum and Legislative Reception, please click here for more information.
The Policy Forum will be held Monday, February 8 from 4:00pm to 7:30pm at the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater located at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
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New Virginia Governor Nominates Orthopedic Surgeon from Fairfax County for Cabinet Post
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Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has nominated William A. Hazel Jr., M.D., to serve in his cabinet as secretary of
health and human resources. Dr. Hazel's appointment is pending
confirmation by the Virginia State Senate. As Virginia HHR Secretary, Dr. Hazel will oversee 12 state agencies
which provide vital services to Virginians with intellectual
disability, mental illness, substance abuse and physical disability
concerns to low-income working families; and to the aging community.
Dr. Hazel is a founding partner and president of his practice group, Commonwealth Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in Fairfax County, Virginia. He has been very active in organized medicine, at both the local and national levels. He served as the president of the Fairfax County Medical Society and the Medical Society of Virgina. After serving 11 years with the Virginia Delegate to the American Medical Association, he was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2004.
Dr. Hazel continues to practice as an orthopaedic surgeon in Northern Virginia, travelling between his two surgery centers, seven rehabilitation clinics and eleven offices.
Congratulations on the appointment, Dr. Hazel!
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American Psychiatric Association Announces the New Mental Health Parity Watch Website
| The American Psychiatric
Association's Office of Healthcare Systems and Financing has created a new website, http://www.mentalhealthparitywatch.org/Pages/default.aspx,
as a resource to monitor the progress of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 and to
facilitate reporting issues that arise. The best way to know whether the
law is being implemented appropriately is by hearing from patients and
physicians about specific concerns they have with a group health plan's mental
health coverage relating to the Parity Act's
requirements.
The
Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity Act, which became law on October 3, 2008, and
went into effect for most calendar-year plans on January 1, 2010, is
really an extension of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. Specific federal regulations, however, were not published by the deadline for health plans. They are expected to be released in the immediate future.
The website is continually updated as more information is released, so check back frequently to stay as up-to-date as possible.
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| MSDC Members in the News
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Janis M. Orlowski, MD has been appointed the Chairperson of the DC Board of Medicine. She was nominated for the position on October 30, 2009 and approved for as a physician member of the Board on December 19, 2009, for a term expiring August 3, 2011. The Immediate Past Chairperson is Frederick Finelli, MD, JD, the current MSDC President-Elect. Other MSDC members currently on the Board of Medicine include Marc Rankin, MD and John J. Lynch, MD.
Neal Barnard, MD, long-time MSDC member and founder/president of
The Cancer Project, will be leading a series of cooking classes focused
on cancer prevention and cancer survival. Classes are held every Wednesday during the month of February from 11am until 1pm at The Cancer Project's headquarters at 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 300 on the third floor. If
you'd like more information, please visit The Cancer Project.
Raymond Tu, MD, received the Physician Recognition Award from the American Medical Association for his dedication to patient care and continued professional development efforts. The award was recognized on January 1st of this year. The AMA Physician Recognition Award is given to all physicians who average 50 CME credits per year. For more information about how you can receive this award, please contact your MSDC office at (202) 466-1800.
Frank MacMurray MD, graduate of Harvard Medical School in 1943 and founding partner at Foxhall Internists, died January 25th at the age of 91. Dr. MacMurray has been an active and committed member of MSDC and other medical societies, including the American College of Physicians, where he was distinguished as a master of the college.
Jack Kleh, MD, graduate of GWU Medical School in 1944 and former Medical Director at the regional Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Presbyterian Home of Washington, died January 17th at the age of 88. Dr. Kleh has been an active and committed member of MSDC and other local medical societies throughout his dedicated career.
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