Repairing the House of Medicine

I would like to introduce Jane M. Orient, MD, who has written this month's guest editorial.

Dr. Orient is a Clinical Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. She is an accomplished author of such books as Your Doctor Is Not In, Sutton's Law, Sapira's Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis eds 2-4 as well as others. Additionally, she edits the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter and Civil Defense Perspectives. She is also the editor of AAPS News, the official newsletter of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons for which she serves as Executive Director. AAPS was founded in 1943 to guard against the intrusion of government into the practice of medicine.  

I have asked Dr. Orient to comment on the fragmentation of physicians and her suggestions for repairing the house of medicine.

Nathan Laufer, MD
President

I was happy to be asked to provide suggestions on ways to unify physicians and to repair the house of medicine. Let me begin with a little reminiscence...

Back in the early 1980s, just after I went into solo private practice, the Pima County Medical Society had monthly dinner meetings on the 3rd floor of Levy's Department Store, now long gone. Attendance was very good, the talks were very interesting, and the atmosphere was very collegial. The conversation was primarily about medicine. The enemy was disease, and doctors were working together in the fight against disease. They worked together and relied on each other in order to serve their patients as well as possible. Success depended on the esteem of their colleagues.  

Read more... 

The plan is to have the podiatric schools meet accreditation standards set by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education - the same standards that medical schools must meet, said COA Executive Director Diane Przepiorski. If the effort is successful, the schools would be LCME-accredited, and one day California podiatrists could be licensed as physicians and surgeons. 

"It's the biggest story to happen in podiatry in 50 years," said Barry Block, DPM, editor of Podiatry Management, a national business and practice management magazine for the profession. The CMA is excited to be part of "this unprecedented partnership," said Dustin Corcoran, CEO of the medical association. "The licensure requirements of podiatrists have increased in California in recent years, and the time has come to evaluate their training programs in this context." Read More...  

The Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS), District Medical Group (DMG) and the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix announced on June 30th their affiliation agreement that strengthens medical education for Arizona.

Under the affiliation, approved by the Arizona Board of Regents on June 16 and earlier by the boards of MIHS and DMG, UA medical students will get world-class experience from MIHS - which oversees the state's only public hospital and has been a training ground for thousands of doctors since the 1960s. Read More... 

Help Us Drive Patients in Your Office

Volunteers Needed for the 21st Annual ACT Health Fair

The annual ACT Kids Health Fair serves at-risk children who are eligible for metropolitan Phoenix Head Start programs, but lack appropriate medical clearances. This all-volunteer event addresses the full spectrum of health requirements: transportation to and from the children's neighborhoods, all appropriate medical screenings and immunizations, establishing and updating medical records, and arranging emergency or continuing care as needed. Over 20,000 children have been screened to date. Read More... 

OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT

Medical office space available in the Chandler, Mesa, and Phoenix areas one to three days a week. Please call Sharon at (480) 421-5122.  

AZ Dept. of Health Services Director's Blog:  

Medical Marijuana

Posted on June 14, 2011 

I was served with a lawsuit that challenges the State (and the Department) for not implementing the dispensary portion of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. The case, filed in the AZ Court of Appeals, asks a judge to order us to follow the rules that we published on April 14 and begin accepting dispensary applications. Read More... 

DERMATOLOGIST WANTED

Thunderbird Internal Medicine is a private, 14 physician IM practice located at 5620 W. Thunderbird & 9150 W. Indian School. We provide high quality care in a paperless office. Customer service is very important to us.We have found we are able to increase compliance and availability of dermatology appts. for our patients by offering dermatology services in our office. We currently have a dermatologist employed for our patients and are actively looking for an additional dermatologist to expand our dermatology services. To learn more this opportunity, contact Alanna Stelzer at 602-564-6210 or astelzer@thunderbirdim.com

Practices Behind in Crucial ICD-10 Transition Step

Many medical groups have not completed software upgrades, nor have they scheduled testing with health plans regarding transitioning to the new 5010 protocol for electronic transactions standards.

The 5010 protocol, required to be in place by Jan. 1, 2012, is necessary to accommodate the new ICD-10 codes, which must be implemented by Oct. 13, 2013. A survey conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) found that nearly 85% of respondents have not prepared an impact analysis to determine how the implementation of version 5010 will affect their operation. Read More... 

Medical Smart Cards Could Boost Portability of Patient Health Data

Medical smart cards could allow people to carry their health records with them and skip filling out paper forms when seeing different healthcare providers, Technology Review reports.  

Several countries - including South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zambia - already have implemented medical smart card systems.  Read More... 

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE

Thunderbird Internal Medicine's new 5620 W. Thunderbird G2 office. It includes 3 exam rooms, a doctors consult room and an assistant desk, plus use of the lobby and reception area. Contact Alanna at astelzer@thunderbirdim.com or 602-564-6210 for more information

Will You take Your Medicine? FICO says it can tell.

Fair Isaac Corp and its FICO credit score can already predict what consumers will do when they open their wallets. Now, the company is betting it can predict what they'll do when they open their medicine cabinets.

Minneapolis-based Fair Isaac (NYSE: FICO) is launching a product that health insurers and benefits managers can use to determine whether a patient will likely take his or her medication. Read More...  

Appeals Court Upholds Health Care Law's Individual Mandate

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the most contentious provision of the healthcare overhaul law, ruling that Congress can require Americans to carry insurance coverage.

In backing the individual mandate, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati became the first appellate court to rule on President Obama's signature domestic initiative. The decision also marked the first time a Republican-appointed judge has sided with the administration in evaluating the law's constitutionality. Read More...

CMS Proposes Policy, Payment Rate Changes for the Physician Fee Schedule in 2012