| 2010-2011 Board of Directors | Stuart F. Seides, MD
At-Large; Chair of the Board
Frederick C. Finelli, MD, JD
President
James C. Cobey, MD
President-Elect
Joseph E. Gutierrez, MD
Treasurer; AMA Delegation Chair
Reginald L. Robinson, MD
At-Large; Secretary
Peter E. Lavine, MD
AMA Delegate
J. Desiree Pineda, MD
AMA Alternate Delegate
Laura L. Tosi, MD At-Large; AMA Alternate Delegate
Julian R. Craig, MD
At-Large
John W. Larsen, MD
At-Large
Joan B. Loveland, MD
At-Large Catherine S. May, MD
At-Large Carla C. Sandy, MD
At-Large Daniel I. Perlin, MD
At-Large K. Edward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President |
| MSDC Staff | K. Eward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President
Rose Smith
Controller
Christopher W. Lee
Associate Director of Membership and Communications |
Contact Us
Medical Society of DC
1250 23rd Street NW
Suite 270
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 466-1800 main
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DCRx Card
For more information about how you can save your patients money on their prescription drugs, please contact MSDC at (202) 466-1800.
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Let a colleague know what we're up to and pass the report along!
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The mission of the Medical Society of DC is to ensure the well-being of physicians and their patients in metropolitan Washington. MSDC advocates on behalf of its member physicians of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds; we promote high standards of character and professionalism; and we make certain that physicians are, and are recognized as, the primary professionals who define and guarantee high quality, appropriate, and cost-effective medical care. Above all, we aggressively defend the highest principle of all: the integrity of the physician-patient relationship.
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The Year in Review
| 1. Legislative Advocacy
- Stopped a 27.4% Medicare Payment Cut scheduled for January 1, 2012, resulting in savings of over $18,000 per District physician
- Successfully fought to introduce the "HEALTH Act," which places a national cap of $250,000 on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, in the US House of Representatives
- Removed the 3% Medicare Payment Withholding rule
- Repealed the 1099 reporting requirement, which required physicians' practices to report all expenditures over $600 using a separate 1099 form for each instance
- Worked to introduce the "Medicare Patient Empowerment Act," which will allow Medicare patients to privately contract with their physician regardless of Medicare participation status, in the US House of Representatives
- Supported the introduction of the "Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act" in the US House of Representatives to increase the amount of information provided to patients before patients make health care decisions
- Engaged the DC Council to ensure passage of the "Athletic Concussion Protection Act of 2011" to improve the care of high school athletes in the District who experience concussions
- Opposed language in a bill introduced at the DC Council that otherwise would have provided pharmacists the ability to dispense oral contraceptives without a physician's prescription
- Testified before the DC Council's Committee on Health to expand the CME opportunities offered by the City that specifically address HIV/AIDS in the District, while avoiding content-specific CME requirements as a condition for licensure
- Identified language in the DC Council's "Health Insurance Exchange Establishment Act" that prevents practicing physicians from serving on the Health Insurance Exchange's Executive Board and continued to work to remove the improper language
- Participated in the Congressional Health Care Caucus' activities with Congressman Michael Burgess, MD (TX-26) and his staff on health reform issues directly affecting physicians
- Fought against an attempt to repeal the 10% Tanning Bed Tax
- Worked with Federation partners to oppose the "Medicare Hearing Health Care Enhancement Act" in the US House of Representatives, which would have inappropriately expanded the scope of practice of audiologists treating Medicare patients
2. Regulatory Advocacy
- Participated in the DC Department of Health's Health Care Access Shortage study for primary care physicians across the District
- Worked with the DC Healthcare Workforce Partnership Group to address workforce challenges throughout the health care industry in the District
- Actively served on the Mayor's Commission on HIV/AIDS, promoted the DC Department of Health's "Know Your Status" campaign, and participated in the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria's "Offer the Test" Campaign
- Served on the Health Reform Implementation Committee's Consumer Outreach Subcommittee and Delivery System Reform Subcommittee
- Successfully pushed for a delayed implementation of the Medicaid RAC program at the US Department of Health and Human Services
- Worked with the FBI and HHS to create a Fraud Prevention presentation to educate physicians on ways to avoid and prevent fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs
3. Private Sector Advocacy
- Represented MSDC members who had claims disputes with major insurers, such as CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Aetna
- Succeeded in obtaining outstanding or delayed payments from private insurers on numerous occasions for Medical Society members
- Represented MSDC members through participation on the ProAssurance Claims and Underwriting Committee and assisted in resolving policy issues between MSDC member insureds and the company
- Served on the CareFirst Medical Advisory Board, representing DC physicians through the MSDC Board Chair, Stuart Seides, MD
- Participated on the DC Chamber of Commerce's Health & Wellness Committee to represent physicians' interests in the business community
4. Young Physicians' Section
- Continued to expand the Young Physicians' Section by engaging early-career physicians throughout the year
- Partnered with the DC Bar Health Law Section's Young Practitioners and the DC Society for Health Policy Young Professionals to deliver several enjoyable social events
- Partnered with Washington Radiology Associates for Networking Events at Washington area sporting events
5. Annual Meeting
- Over 100 MSDC members attended the highly successful Annual Meeting and Reception at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health on Capitol Hill
- Charles Krauthammer, MD, syndicated columnist and political commentator, addressed the attendees on the current political environment surrounding health reform and its implementation
- Whitman-Walker Health was honored with the John Benjamin Nichols Award for outstanding contributions to community health
- James C. Cobey, MD, was installed as MSDC President for the 2011-2012 term
- 18 vendors supported the event, including:
- Asset Strategy Consultants
- Atlantic Health Partners
- Joseph Bellanti, MD
- Cbeyond
- GW Medical Faculty Associates
- IC System
- Johns Hopkins Health Care
- Kaiser Permanente
- Medical Society Services
- MSDC Alliance
- NIH Federal Credit Union
- Nixon Uniform Services and Medical Wear
- ProAssurance
- Professional Risk Associates
- Sibley Hospital
- SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management Group
- Washington Hospital Center
- Washington Radiology Associates.
6. Active MSDC Committees
- MSDC members participated on a variety of committees, which demonstrated the involvement, commitment and leadership of our members to high-quality health care in the District and their patients
- Finance Committee - Provided oversight of the Society's investments and reserve fund, and prepared a balanced operating budget for 2012
- Physician Health Committee - Administered the Physician Health Program
- Leadership Development Committee - Identified future leaders of organized medicine in the District
- Membership Committee - Developed processes and procedures for addressing Society membership and long-term growth
- Legislative Committee - Strategically advocated for physicians at the DC Council
7. MSDC's Community Service
- Participated in medical exchanges with physicians from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkey
- Served on the DC Cancer Consortium's Advisory Board
- Continued to develop programs with the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project and the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program
- Supported and distributed the "DCRx Card," a prescription discount program for DC residents, with the partnership of the DC Department of Health and DC Chamber of Commerce
8. Physician Health Program (PHP)
- Daniel Perlin, MD chaired the Physician Health Committee which oversees this program
- Continued to identify and aid physicians and medical students in their recovery from conditions that may impair their ability to practice
- Worked with the DC Board of Medicine to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding that fit the needs of physicians and maintained the integrity of the District's peer review statutes
- Served as a valuable resource to MSDC members who needed the assistance and benefits of the program
9. Corporate Partner Programs
- Expanded the MSDC Corporate Partner program, which provides MSDC members with members-only discounts and benefits that cover a variety of products and services designed to support your medical practice
- ProAssurance - Negotiated a 50% discount from Physician Loss Prevention Seminar registration fee for MSDC members
- Professional Risk Associates - full evaluation and service for MSDC members' medical liability insurance
- Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business - New certificates in Business of Medicine programs for continuing education
- Solveras Payment Solutions - Free payment process evaluation
- IC System - Up to 10 Debts submitted for collection, free of charge
- Atlantic Health Partners - Discounted vaccine purchasing program for MSDC members only
- Other support for MSDC members comes from partners such as:
- Athenahealth
- Bank of Georgetown
- BlueNovo
- CBeyond
- DC Hospital Association
- Delmarva Foundation
- EHR and Practice Management Consultants
- First Financial Group
- Gittleson Zuppas Commercial Real Estate
- Johns Hopkins Health Care
- MedcomSoft
- Nixon Uniform Service & Medical Wear
- Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
- Riggs Counselman Michaels & Downes
- Standard Leasing Corporation
- SunTrust Bank
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Since 1817, the Medical Society of the District of Columbia has worked to improve health and health care in the District. Our 194th year of fighting for physicians and patients is now complete, but the work is far from finished. While our accomplishments in 2011 are reason to take pride in our combined efforts and increased activities in the legislative and community arenas, 2012 will be a year with substantial actions taken that have a direct impact on your practice. In years such as these, exceptional opportunities exist for the promise of a stronger future.
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