July 2012 Dr. Walt Mills is new president of SCMA SCMA donates book proceeds to residency program Nominations needed for SCMA awards SCMA and Alliance award $31,000 in medical scholarships to local students Sonoma Medicine wins international award Health Information Exchange conference set for Rohnert Park Top stories from CMA Alert PEOPLE MEDICAL FACILITIES RESOURCES CLASSIFIEDS ABOUT SCMA Dr. Walt Mills is new president of SCMA Walt Mills, MD, deputy director of the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and assistant chief of family medicine services at Kaiser Santa Rosa, is the new president of SCMA. He will serve through June 2013. In a wide-ranging interview in the current issue of Sonoma Medicine, Dr. Mills discusses his plans for SCMA and describes the new Kaiser Family Medicine Residency, for which he will serve as program director. The other new members of the SCMA executive team are Drs. Stephen Steady (president-elect), Jeff Sugarman (past president) and Francesca Manfredi (secretary). They are joined on the SCMA board of directors by Drs. Peter Brett, Brad Drexler, Catherine Gutfreund, Rebecca Katz, Leonard Klay, Marshall Kubota, Clinton Lane, Anthony Lim, Mary Maddux-González, Rachel Mayorga, Mark Netherda, Robert Nied, Richard Powers, Phyllis Senter, Lynn Silver-Chalfin, Jan Sonander, Peter Sybert and Francisco Trilla, as well as two medical students: Jasmine Hudnall and Assunta Ritieni. SCMA donates book proceeds to residency program SCMA has donated more than $1,000 in proceeds from sales of “The Santa Rosa Reader” to the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency. The book, an anthology of essays and articles by longtime residency faculty member Dr. Rick Flinders, was published by SCMA in May and is now available in both paperback and eBook formats. “The selection of writings for this book spans over 40 years,” writes Flinders in the introduction. “While the book traces the local story of the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency, it also tells the larger story of family medicine. … [The] essays, editorials and reviews … provide temporal landmarks in the history of our specialty. Mostly they offer glimpses into the extraordinary process of training, teaching and becoming family physicians.” A review of the book by residency graduate Dr. Scott Eberle can be found in the current issue of Sonoma Medicine. To purchase the $9.95 paperback edition, visit your local bookstore or order directly from SCMA by clicking the link below. Paperback and eBook editions are also available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers. All proceeds from book sales are donated to the family medicine residency. Santa Rosa Reader order form Nominations needed for SCMA awards SCMA is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Contribution and Recognition of Achievement awards, to be presented at the medical association’s annual dinner this fall. Nominations are needed by Sept. 17 for all four awards listed below: Outstanding Contribution to the Community. Presented to an SCMA member whose work has benefited the community. Outstanding Contribution to Local Medicine. Presented to an SCMA member who has improved local medical care. Outstanding Contribution to SCMA. Presented to an SCMA member who has served the medical association beyond the call of duty. Recognition of Achievement. Presented to a nonphysician who has helped advance local medicine. For a list of past award recipients and a nomination form, click on the link below. Nominations can be submitted to SCMA by fax, email or regular mail. SCMA Awards nomination form SCMA and Alliance award $31,000 in medical scholarships to local students A dozen local students have received a total of $31,000 in scholarships from SCMA and the SCMA Alliance joint Health Careers Scholarship Committee to study medicine at colleges and universities throughout the United States. The recipients include two high school students and 10 students who are already enrolled in undergraduate or graduate medical programs. The awards range from $1,000 each for the high school students to $5,000 for students enrolled in graduate programs. In addition to proceeds from the SCMA Alliance annual holiday greeting card, the scholarship fund has received generous grants from the Pacific Foundation for Medical Care for the past three years but is no longer eligible to apply. If you know of any other grant opportunities, please contact Virginia Merwin at vmerwin@earthlink.net. The scholarship fund has been in existence since 1971 and has awarded scholarships to more than 750 students, several of whom are now practicing medicine in Sonoma County. Sonoma Medicine wins international award Sonoma Medicine has won an Excellence award in an international publications competition sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication, the world’s largest organization of technical writers. The magazine was entered into the international competition after winning top honors in the Northern California region. Only two dozen publications from around the world earned an Excellence award, the competition’s second-highest honor. Sonoma Medicine was the only medical magazine to receive the award. Other honorees included publications by NASA, Microsoft and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Health Information Exchange conference set for Rohnert Park The annual Health Information Exchange (HIE) conference cosponsored by SCMA will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park on July 19 and 20. Titled “Connecting California to Improve Patient Care,” the conference will focus on practical solutions for securely sharing electronic clinical information between unaffiliated health care facilities, such as outpatient practices, hospitals, laboratories, imaging centers, long-term care, home health and public health. Conference attendees will learn best practices in clinical informatics, quality analytics and HIE services. To register, visit www.redwoodmednet.org. Attendees can register for either one or two days. A separate Interoperability Exhibition will be held in conjunction with the conference. Top stories from CMA Alert Here are the top stories from the latest CMA Alert, the California Medical Association’s biweekly email newsletter. For a free subscription, visit www.cmanet.org/cma-alert. Coalition sues Aetna to stop threats and retaliation Court refuses to require physician supervision of nurse anesthetists CMS proposes Medicare fee increases for primary care, SGR fight set for fall CMA releases synopsis of Supreme Court health reform ruling Six new California ACOs announced PEOPLE Former SCMA President Dr. Catherine Gutfreund, a family physician at Kaiser Santa Rosa, has been elected to the board of trustees for the California Medical Association. She will serve a three-year term as a representative of the Very Large Group Practice Forum. Shawn Devlin and Lindsay Mazur have received awards from the SCMA Alliance for their work with the Give a Gift program, which provides Christmas presents to foster children. The two have raised more than $150,000 for the program since 2003. The gifts provided range from toys for younger children to laptop computers for teenagers who are bound to college. MEDICAL FACILITIES The American College of Radiology has designated Kaiser Santa Rosa as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. The designation means that the Center has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control and quality assurance. Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital ranks third best in the United States for treating heart attack patients and reducing readmissions, according to data compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and published in Becker’s Hospital Review. In addition, the hospital was recently named one of the safest in the nation by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. A dozen top medical school graduates have been accepted into the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency class of 2015. The new residents, nine women and three men drawn from a field of more than 600 applicants, come from premier medical schools, including the University of Chicago, Columbia, Yale and UCSF. They are all distinguished by academic achievement and community service. RESOURCES A CMA webinar on preparing for a Medicare and/or Medi-Cal audit runs from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on July 18. To register, visit www.cmanet.org. The seminar is free for CMA members and their staff; cost for nonmembers is $99 per person. CalHIPSO, a nonprofit that provides assistance with electronic medical records, is offering $150 or $250 stipends to physicians or office managers who attend one of its data analytics focus groups. The goal of the focus groups is to gain an understanding of the challenges clinical and operational leaders face in making timely, accurate operations and business decisions. The focus groups include an in-person session in Oakland on July 31 ($250 stipend), as well as webinars on July 31 and Aug. 2 ($150 stipend). To register, visit www.calhipso.org. SCMA members can use the free DocBookMD mobile app to send HIPAA-compliant messages to their colleagues throughout the North Bay. The new, regional version includes medical society members in Marin, Napa, Solano, Mendocino and Lake counties. For more details, visit www.DocBookMD.com. DocBookMD is offered at no charge to SCMA members thanks to the sponsorship of NORCAL Mutual. CLASSIFIEDS Office space Small suite for lease. Reception, 3 rooms, Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. Contact Connie, 707-525-0211. SCMA members get free classifieds! SCMA members can place free classified ads in News Briefs or Sonoma Medicine. Cost for nonmember physicians and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad, contact Erika Goodwin at erika@scma.org or 707-548-6491. ABOUT SCMA The Sonoma County Medical Association, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association, supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the community. Founded in 1858, SCMA is affiliated with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. July 1, 2012 SCMA News Briefs July 2012, SCMA News Briefs 0 0 Comment Read More »
June 2012 Kaiser set to launch family medicine residency in 2014 SCMA publishes book on Santa Rosa Residency by Dr. Rick Flinders Dr. Stephen Steady is new SCMA President-Elect Health Information Exchange conference set for Rohnert Park Extra copies of 2012 Physician Directory still available SCMA sponsors celebration for future physicians Wine & Cheese Reception draws nearly 100 physicians and friends Top stories from CMA Alert PEOPLE EVENTS MEDICAL FACILITIES RESOURCES CLASSIFIEDS ABOUT SCMA Kaiser set to launch family medicine residency in 2014 Responding to the growing need for family physicians, Kaiser Santa Rosa last month announced plans to open a family medicine residency in July 2014. The program, which has been in the formative stages for more than a year, will be sponsored by Kaiser but will collaborate with the existing residency at Sutter Santa Rosa. The Kaiser residency director will be SCMA President-Elect Dr. Walt Mills, a family physician who is currently deputy director of the Sutter residency. In an interview to be published in Sonoma Medicine later this month, Dr. Mills explains the rationale behind the new three-year program: “We came to the conclusion together, Kaiser and Sutter, that it was best for us to have a Kaiser-sponsored residency program that would be a new program and then collaborate with the current residency program with didactics, curriculum, shared rotations, and other things.” He noted that the Kaiser program will admit six residents per year, meaning that when it’s fully up and running in 2016, there will be 18 residents. When the 36 Sutter residents are added, Sonoma County will be home to more than 50 resident physicians within a few years. Kaiser, Sutter and the Santa Rosa Community Health Centers have cooperated on the Sutter residency since 2006, when funding issues threatened the program’s existence. Since then, the residency has stabilized and even prospered, attracting hundreds of top-notch applicants from around the country. Current residents rotate between Kaiser, Sutter and the health centers. Those rotations will probably continue for both Sutter and Kaiser residents, according to Dr. Mills, but the details are still being worked out. SCMA publishes book on Santa Rosa Residency by Dr. Rick Flinders SCMA has just published its first book, The Santa Rosa Reader: A Personal Anthology from the Family Medicine Residency, by Dr. Rick Flinders, a family physician who trained at the residency and later became its director. The anthology includes essays, histories, journals and reflections from Dr. Flinders’ long career in one of the preeminent family medicine residency programs in the United States. “The writings for this book span over forty years,” notes Dr. Flinders in the introduction, “and provide temporal landmarks in the history of our specialty. Mostly they offer glimpses into the extraordinary process of training, teaching and becoming family physicians.” SCMA is selling the 108-page paperback book for $9.95 (plus shipping), and all proceeds will be used to benefit the residency program. To purchase by phone with a credit card, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. You can also purchase online at www.scma.org, or you can fax or mail the order form below. In addition, the book will be available at local bookstores and online retailers within the next few weeks. An eBook edition is being prepared as well. Santa Rosa Reader order form Dr. Stephen Steady is new SCMA President-Elect The SCMA election results are in, and Dr. Stephen Steady, a Petaluma gastroenterologist, has been confirmed as the medical association’s president-elect for the 2012-13 fiscal year. He will become president in July 2013. The current president-elect, Dr. Walt Mills, will serve as president from July 2012 to June 2013. Other new members of the SCMA board of directors confirmed by the election include Drs. Ed Chang (treasurer), Francesca Manfredi (secretary), Rachel Mayorga (North County district), Peter Brett and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter (Santa Rosa district) and Ed Chang (The Permanente Medical Group). Three members of the CMA delegation were confirmed as well: Drs. Leonard Klay, Catherine Gutfreund, and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter. A complete list of new SCMA officers and board members will be posted at www.scma.org in July. In addition to their election ballots, non-Kaiser members received a staff wage and benefit survey. Physicians can use the results to help manage their practice. Later this month, results will be sent by first-class mail, marked “confidential,” only to physicians who completed the survey. Health Information Exchange conference set for Rohnert Park The annual Health Information Exchange (HIE) conference cosponsored by SCMA will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park on July 19 and 20. Titled “Connecting California to Improve Patient Care,” the conference will focus on practical solutions for securely sharing electronic clinical information between unaffiliated health care facilities, such as outpatient practices, hospitals, laboratories, imaging centers, long-term care, home health and public health. Conference attendees will learn best practices in clinical informatics, quality analytics and HIE services. To register, visit www.redwoodmednet.org. Attendees can register for either one or two days. A separate Interoperability Exhibition will be held in conjunction with the conference. Extra copies of 2012 Physician Directory still available Extra copies of the 2012 Sonoma County Physician Directory are still available. They cost $30 for SCMA members, $40 for nonmember physicians and health care facilities, and $55 for the general public. To order by phone with a credit card, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. You can also purchase online at www.scma.org/directory, or you can fax or mail the order form below. Sonoma County Physician Directory order form SCMA sponsors celebration for future physicians A happy crowd of medical students, resident physicians and SCMA board members gathered after work on May 11 for a celebration of future physicians at the Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa. The students, from Touro University in Vallejo, are doing clinical rotations at Kaiser Santa Rosa, along with residents from the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency. Several of the students wrote notes expressing their appreciation to SCMA. “As one of the medical students in Sonoma County, I am honored to have been welcomed into the SCMA,” wrote Jasmine Hudnall, a third-year student at Touro. Her classmate Assunta Ritieni concurred: “It was wonderful to have incoming and current students, mentors, faculty and community physicians come together. It was a great means to strengthen the thread that connects us all.” Wine & Cheese Reception draws nearly 100 physicians and friends Almost 100 SCMA physicians and their guests gathered at the Williams Selyem Winery on May 30 for the medical association’s 12th annual Wine & Cheese Reception. The spectacular winery, situated on a hilltop above the Russian River, proved a wonderful setting for conversations and collegiality. Outgoing SCMA President Dr. Jeff Sugarman, whose term ends this month, was honored for his many years of service to the medical community. Dr. Walt Mills, who becomes president next month, spoke about the need to retain joy in medical practice. Photos from the reception will be published in the next issue of Sonoma Medicine. They will also be posted online in SCMA’s new Facebook page, which is coming soon. Top stories from CMA Alert Here are the top stories from the latest CMA Alert, the California Medical Association’s biweekly email newsletter. For a free subscription, visit www.cmanet.org/cma-alert. Are your controlled substance prescription pads up-to-date? Action is required to avoid the 1.5% e-prescribing penalty in 2013 CMA opposes expansion of dual eligible managed care pilot program Exchange plans now riskier propositions for physicians Medi-Cal primary care rates will increase to Medicare levels in 2013-2014 PEOPLE Dr. Laura Norton, a 36-year-old breast surgeon at Redwood Regional Medical Group, has received a “40 under 40” award from the North Bay Business Journal for her efforts to provide uninsured women with consultations and outpatient surgery for breast disease. The annual award recognizes local professionals under 40 years old. Santa Rosa family physician Dr. Deborah Donlon has been inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame. An accomplished athlete, Donlon is the all-time leader in field-goal percentage and blocked shots for the Harvard women’s basketball team. She also holds the school record for most rebounds in a game, and she helped her team win an Ivy League championship in 1991. EVENTS On June 14, James Schieberl, MD, and Kelly Jones, RRT, will present a free lunchtime seminar on identifying, treating and managing asthma in adults. The seminar--to be held at the Public Health Department, 490 Mendocino Ave., Suite 202, Santa Rosa--runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. and includes a free lunch. Dr. Schieberl is an “asthma champion” at Kaiser Santa Rosa, and Ms. Jones is an asthma care manager. Please RSVP by June 12 to Jeny Bard at jenny.bard@lung.org. Shriners Hospital and the American College of Surgeons are cosponsoring an all-day disaster management and emergency preparedness course on June 7 at the Northern California Shriners Hospital, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento. The course, approved for 8.25 hours of CME, will address planning, triage, incident command and injury patterns. The $100 fee includes lunch, breakfast, course materials and CME credit. To register, contact Shriners Hospital at 916-453-2041 or ncal.education@shrinenet.org. The West County Health Centers are sponsoring Resorts in Bloom--a garden tour for charity from June 8 to 10. The event, which raises money for the six clinics in the West County network, features self-guided tours of eight lush gardens at local resorts. There’s also a VIP reception on June 8 and a wine-tasting event on June 9. Tickets are $30 for the garden tours and $50 for the VIP events. To purchase, visit www.resortsinbloom.com/tickets or call 707-869-5977, Ext. 3313. Local physicians and guests are invited to attend the Spirit of Hippocrates Dinner and Auction, which will benefit the Jewish Community Free Clinic. Set for Sunday afternoon, June 10, at the French Garden Restaurant in Sebastopol, the dinner features a sumptuous three-course meal and an array of local wines. The silent auction includes offerings from some of Sonoma County’s finest restaurants, wineries and spas. Tickets are $100 per person. To purchase, contact the clinic at events.jcfc@gmail.com or 707-585-7780. AMPAC, the political action committee for the American Medical Association, is supporting Congressman Mike Thompson’s re-election bid and encourages local physicians to attend his Annual Sonoma County Pasta Dinner, scheduled for 5 to 7:30 p.m. on June 9 at Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets are $25 per person. To purchase, visit www.mikethompsonforcongress.com or call Mary Jane Bowker at 707-226-8989. MEDICAL FACILITIES The Stroke Center at Palm Drive Hospital has earned a Superior Performance award from the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. Palm Drive is the first hospital in California to receive the award, which is based on a hospital’s ability to meet or exceed federal standards for patient care. The hospital was certified as a Primary Stroke Center in 2010. Sonoma Valley Hospital has received a $3 million donation from staffing company founder Gary Nelson and his wife, Marcia, to help fund a new emergency department. The donation is the largest gift in the history of the hospital, which has just embarked on a $39 million renovation. The Nelsons made the donation in honor of their son Justin, whose life was saved by physicians in the hospital’s emergency department about 30 years ago. “We have never forgotten how fortunate we were to have this hospital nearby,” said Mr. Nelson. Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa has selected the Hammes Company to develop and lease a planned 80,000 square foot medical office building next to Sutter’s new hospital, still under construction. Hammes, a Wisconsin company that specializes in healthcare facilities, will lead all development, leasing and capital financing initiatives for the office building, which will house ambulatory services and physician office space. Several local health centers received federal construction grants in May as part of the Affordable Care Act. Sonoma Valley Health Center received $5 million for dental chairs, and Santa Rosa Community Health Centers likewise received $2.78 million to establish a dental clinic. West County Health Centers received $492,000 for general facility improvements. RESOURCES Four CMA webinars are scheduled for June. All webinars begin at 12:15 p.m. and run until 1:15 or 1:45. To register, visit www.cmanet.org. Seminars are free for CMA members and their staff; cost for nonmembers is $99 per person. Here’s the lineup: A manager’s guide to lowering practice costs (June 6; includes CEU) California worker’s comp eBill--part 4 (June 7) Accessing CMA’s legal library (June 13) Writing effective appeals (June 20) Medical fitness to drive: Is your patient at risk? is a free web-based course from the American Medical Association that helps physicians identify medical conditions that may impair their older patients’ ability to drive. The course, available at www.ama-assn.org/go/olderdrivers, includes assessment tools, case studies and additional resources to help doctors evaluate and counsel older drivers in their care. Technical assistance is available at no cost for Medicare FFS PCPs to participate in the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System Program. Learn how you can improve healthcare quality for your patients, qualify for incentive payments and avoid future payment penalties. For free assistance, contact Shanti Wilson of the Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) at swilson@hsag.com or 916-217-7078. HSAG is the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for California. Marsh, the insurance broker sponsored by SCMA, is offering a 5% rate reduction on term life insurance policies worth up to $1 million. Rates for the first 10 or 20 years of coverage can be locked in. Coverage can also include spouse, domestic partner or eligible employees. For details, contact Marsh at 800-842-3761 or CMACounty.Insurance@marsh.com, or visit www.CountyCMAMemberInsurance.com. CLASSIFIEDS Room for rent One bedroom w/private bath & storage for rent in 2-bedroom house in beautiful Bennett Valley. $800/month + security deposit. Contact Gwyn at gwynkb@gmail.com or 415-306-9814. Office space Small suite for lease. Reception, 3 rooms, Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. Contact Connie, 707-525-0211. SCMA members get free classifieds! SCMA members can place free classified ads in News Briefs or Sonoma Medicine. Cost for nonmember physicians and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad, contact Erika Goodwin at erika@scma.org or 707-548-6491. ABOUT SCMA The Sonoma County Medical Association, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association, supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the community. Founded in 1858, SCMA is affiliated with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. June 1, 2012 SCMA News Briefs June 2012, SCMA News Briefs 0 0 Comment Read More »
May 2012 Physicians invited to interview congressional candidates on health policyTake the Garden Tour to benefit local health programsRSVP now for May 30 Wine & Cheese ReceptionSCMA wage/benefit surveys and election ballots due May 31Get your 2012 Sonoma County Physician Directory before they sell out!DocBookMD expands to other North Bay medical societiesTop stories from CMA AlertPEOPLEEVENTSMEDICAL FACILITIESRESOURCESAPPLICANTSCLASSIFIEDSABOUT SCMAPhysicians invited to interview congressional candidates on health policy North Bay physicians will have a chance to pose health policy questions to candidates for the reconfigured 2nd Congressional District at a May 17 candidate interview sponsored by the Marin Medical Society. A dozen candidates are running for the seat currently occupied by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, who is retiring next year after two decades in Congress. The candidate interview will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Wesserman Room at Novato Community Hospital. Because of redistricting, Woolsey’s old congressional district, which was confined to Marin and Sonoma counties, will soon extend all the way up to Oregon, with the important exceptions of Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park. Those towns will shift to the 5th District, where incumbent Rep. Mike Thompson is running without significant opposition. The leading candidates for Woolsey’s seat include Assemblyman Jared Huffman, activist Norman Solomon and businesswoman Stacey Lawson. Because of the new Open Primary Act, all candidates--Democratic, Republican and other--compete in the June primary. The two who receive the most votes move to the November election, regardless of party affiliation. The May 17 candidate interview is intended for physicians, who are invited to submit health policy questions beforehand by sending an email by May 14 to Cynthia Melody at cmelody@scma.org. The format will be a panel interview, with each candidate answering each question in turn. Dr. Peter Bretan, president of the Marin Medical Society, will moderate the interview. Take the Garden Tour to benefit local health programs Local physicians and their families and friends are encouraged to take the annual SCMA Alliance Foundation Garden Tour, which will benefit almost a dozen health programs throughout Sonoma County. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12, features self-guided tours of seven beautiful private gardens in Santa Rosa. Local artist Richard McDaniel will be painting in one of the gardens, and various art and wine & dine raffles will be offered as well. Tickets are just $45 per person for this festive event, which is cosponsored by SCMA, Kaiser Permanente, Northern California Medical Associates and the Press Democrat. To purchase tickets, call 707-578-4537 or visit www.scmaa.org. Proceeds will benefit Give-a-Gift, Safe Schools, Health Awareness, YWCA, Santa Rosa Community Health Centers, Drug Abuse Alternatives Center, LifeWorks, CPI, NAMI Sonoma County, Hope Counseling Services and the Family Service Agency. RSVP now for May 30 Wine & Cheese Reception Acronym alert! RSVP ASAP for SCMA WCR (wine & cheese reception). This fun-filled annual event will be held at the William Selyem Winery in Healdsburg on Wednesday evening, May 30. All Sonoma County physicians and their spouse or guest are invited to attend. The reception, now in its 12th year, has become increasingly popular because of its relaxed, collegial atmosphere. Please join your colleagues for informal conversation and a sampling of fine wines and cheeses. No other food will be served. There’s no charge for SCMA members and their spouse or guest, but RSVPs are required--the winery has a gated entrance. The charge for nonmembers is $55 per person. To RSVP, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. Visit www.williamsselyem.com for directions and information about their wines. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the wines being poured. See the flyer below for more details. Wine & Cheese flyerSCMA wage/benefit surveys and election ballots due May 31 SCMA election ballots will be mailed to all members during the first week of May and are due back by May 31. Non-Kaiser members will also be receiving a staff wage and benefit survey. Physicians can use the results of this confidential survey to help manage their practice. Results will be sent by first-class mail, marked “confidential,” only to physicians who complete the survey. In other words, if you want to see the results, you must complete the survey. On the election ballot, Dr. Stephen Steady, a Petaluma gastroenterologist, has been nominated as SCMA president-elect. Others nominated to the SCMA board of directors are Drs. Ed Chang (treasurer), Francesca Manfredi (secretary), Rachel Mayorga (North County district), Peter Brett and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter (Santa Rosa district) and Ed Chang (The Permanente Medical Group). There are also three nominees for the CMA delegation: Drs. Leonard Klay, Catherine Gutfreund, and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter. Board nominees join the current board of directors, which includes Drs. Brad Drexler, Catherine Gutfreund, Rebecca Katz, Leonard Klay, Marshall Kubota, Clinton Lane, Anthony Lim, Mary Maddux-González, Walt Mills, Mark Netherda, Robert Nied, Richard Powers, Jan Sonander, Jeff Sugarman, Peter Sybert and Francisco Trilla. For more information, contact Cynthia Melody at cmelody@scma.org or 707-525-4375. Get your 2012 Sonoma County Physician Directory before they sell out! One of the many benefits of SCMA membership is a free copy of the annual Sonoma County Physician Directory. Extra copies are a hot commodity, however, and right now is the best time to buy yours before they’re all gone. Last year’s edition sold out--don’t let this happen to you! Each SCMA member has already received one free copy of the 2012 directory. Extra copies cost $30 for SCMA members, $40 for nonmember physicians and health care facilities, and $55 for the general public. To order by phone with a credit card, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. You can also purchase online at www.scma.org/directory, or you can fax or mail the order form below. Sonoma County Physician Directory order formDocBookMD expands to other North Bay medical societies SCMA members can now use the DocBookMD mobile app to send HIPAA-compliant messages to their colleagues throughout the North Bay. The new, regional version includes medical society members in Marin, Napa, Solano, Mendocino and Lake counties. Getting started with DocBookMD is simplicity itself. Just follow the instructions below. 1. Download the free DocBookMD app from the iTunes App Store or Android Market to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android phone. 2. Click on Register. 3. Enter your email address. 4. Enter your state (CA) and county (Sonoma). 5. Enter your CMA/SCMA ID number. (Call 707-525-4375 if you need your number.) 6. Create a password. 7. Answer sponsor questions. 8. Complete the HIPAA compliance agreement. That’s it! Once you’re registered, you can send messages, images and more to your medical society colleagues throughout the North Bay. For more details, visit www.DocBookMD.com. DocBookMD is supplied at no charge to SCMA members thanks to the sponsorship of NORCAL Mutual. Top stories from CMA Alert Here are the top stories from the latest CMA Alert, the California Medical Association’s biweekly email newsletter. For a free subscription, visit www.cmanet.org/cma-alert. * Urgent survey response requested: State releases plan to move all Medicare/Medi-Cal patients into managed care plans * Attorney General speaks to CMA physicians about advocating for CURES and ACA * Governor Brown asks California physicians to support his tax measure on the fall ballot * Panel sets stage for "year of chaos" in California politics * CMA vaccination bill clears committeePEOPLE SCMA member Dr. Lyman “Bo” Greaves has been named Family Physician of the Year by the California Academy of Family Physicians. “CAFP presents this annual award to an individual who exhibits the finest qualities of a family physician and goes above and beyond in service to patients and community,” said CAFP President Dr. Steven Green. A graduate of the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency, Greaves is well known in Sonoma County for his work with Sonoma Health Action and the Patient-Centered Medical Home Learning Collaborative. He is currently medical director of the Vista Family Health Center in Santa Rosa. An article about a fruit-and-vegetable study by Dr. Wendy Kohatsu, Dr. Rachel Friedman and Alisha Prystowsky appeared in the April 16 issue of CMA Alert, the biweekly newsletter of the California Medical Association. The ongoing study, originally described in Sonoma Medicine, examines the effects of giving fruit-and-vegetable vouchers for the Santa Rosa farmers market to low-income women at risk for gestational diabetes. About 100 women have enrolled in the study, which is scheduled to conclude later this year. All three researchers are affiliated with the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency. Dr. Peter Bretan, a Novato urologist with an office in Sebastopol, has joined the medical staff of Healdsburg District Hospital. Bretan, who specializes in transplantation and laparoscopic oncologic surgery, is president of the Marin Medical Society. Former SCMA President Dr. Brad Drexler is featured in the annual report for Operation Access, a nonprofit organization that provides surgery and specialty care for uninsured and underinsured patients. Drexler has performed monthly ob-gyn surgeries for the organization since 2010. Last month, the founders of Operation Access--Drs. Douglas Grey, William Schechter and Paul Hoffman--received a Schweitzer Leadership Award from the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. This annual nationwide award is presented to individuals who have significantly improved health in their local communities. For more information on Operation Access, or to volunteer, visit www.operationaccess.org. Dr. Jay Joseph, a Ukiah radiation oncologist who is an affiliate member of SCMA, will become president of the Mendocino-Lake County Medical Society in July. Dr. Irina deFischer, a Petaluma family physician who is an affiliate member of SCMA, will become president of the Marin Medical Society in July. Peter Rumble has been named division director of health policy, planning and evaluation for the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. Rumble, who has extensive experience at all levels of government, will lead efforts to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities in Sonoma County.EVENTS The 2012 Allie Awards Luncheon sponsored by the SCMA Alliance will be held at the Fountaingrove Golf Club in Santa Rosa from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 29. Awards will be presented to Tricia Hunstock for her contribution to the Alliance, and to Shawn Devlin and Lindsay Mazur for their contributions to the community. Tickets are $27 per person. To purchase tickets, contact Victoria Shieh by May 18 at 707-526-7992 or victoshieh@yahoo.com. Local physicians and guests are invited to attend the Spirit of Hippocrates Dinner and Auction, which will benefit the Jewish Community Free Clinic. Set for Sunday afternoon, June 10, at the French Garden Restaurant in Sebastopol, the dinner features a sumptuous three-course meal and an array of local wines. The silent auction includes offerings from some of Sonoma County’s finest restaurants, wineries and spas. Tickets are $100 per person. To purchase, contact the clinic at events.jcfc@gmail.com or 707-585-7780.MEDICAL FACILITIES Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation plans to lease an additional 19,000 square feet at the Landmark Executive Center on Airway Drive in Santa Rosa, where the foundation is already leasing 46,000 square feet. Some services located at Sutter’s Warrack campus in southeast Santa Rosa and at the Women’s Health Center on Steele Lane will be moved to the new facility. Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital is scheduled to begin a $15 million expansion of its emergency department, pending final state approval. Plans call for adding 50% more square footage to the department, which will end up with 26 patient rooms and a new triage room. The project is a scaled-down version of a longstanding $68 million plan that was derailed by the 2008 downturn and Sutter’s decision to build a new hospital, among other factors. Completion is expected by 2014. The Santa Rosa Head & Neck Surgical Group, which is part of Northern California Medical Associates, has received a three-year accreditation in sinus and temporal bone computed tomography from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. IAC grants accreditation only to facilities that are found to provide quality patient care in compliance with national standards. In partnership with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, the Alexander Valley Health Center is now offering mental health and substance abuse services through the Path2Health program. The program is geared toward uninsured residents with limited access to health care services. Santa Rosa Community Health Centers has joined several other plaintiffs in suing the state of California over a plan to cut reimbursements for adult day services roughly in half. If the new rates are implemented, the health centers would lose about $650,000 per year from providing the services. The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order on the rate reductions.RESOURCES There will be eight CMA webinars during May, including four for CEU credit. All webinars begin at 12:15 p.m. and run until 1:15 or 1:45. To register, visit www.cmanet.org. Seminars are free for CMA members and their staff; cost for nonmembers is $99 per person. Here’s the lineup for May: * Medicare audits (May 2; includes CEU) * Marketing 101 (May 9; includes CEU) * Telephone etiquette for medical personnel (May 16; includes CEU) * California workers’ comp eBill--part 1 (May 17) * Strategic planning for solo and group practices (May 23; includes CEU) * California workers’ comp eBill--part 2 (May 24) * California’s changing insurance marketplace (May 30) * California workers’ comp eBill--part 3 (May 31) In recognition of the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, CMA has launched Reform Essentials, a regular newsletter designed to provide readers with the latest developments in California’s implementation of federal health care reform. The publication is available at www.cmanet.org/resource-library. Future installments of the newsletter will include updates from California's Health Benefit Exchange Board, information on essential health benefits, and other topics related to the Affordable Care Act. Need help improving practice efficiency and viability? Try a free subscription to CMA Practice Resources (CPR), a monthly bulletin full of tips and tools for physicians and their office staff. To subscribe, visit www.cmanet.org/cpr. The current issue includes articles on HIPAA 5010 enforcement, CPT codes, electronic prescribing, and much more.APPLICANTS Jasmine Hudnall Third-year medical student Touro University Vallejo Adam Krouse Fourth-year medical student Touro University Vallejo Assunta Ritieni Third-year medical student Touro University VallejoCLASSIFIEDS Room for rent One bedroom w/private bath & storage for rent in 2-bedroom house in beautiful Bennett Valley. $800/month + security deposit. Contact Gwyn at gwynkb@gmail.com or 415-306-9814. Office space Small suite for lease. Reception, 3 rooms, Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. Contact Connie, 707-525-0211. SCMA members get free classifieds! SCMA members can place free classified ads in News Briefs or Sonoma Medicine. Cost for nonmember physicians and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad, contact Erika Goodwin at erika@scma.org or 707-548-6491.ABOUT SCMA The Sonoma County Medical Association, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association, supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the community. Founded in 1858, SCMA is affiliated with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. © 2012 SCMA, 2901 Cleveland Ave. #202, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 May 1, 2012 SCMA News Briefs May 2012 0 0 Comment Read More »
April 2012 CMA needs survey responses by April 6 for urgent legislative issueRegister now for April 25 practice management seminarSCMA Wine & Cheese Reception set for May 30Dr. Stephen Steady nominated as SCMA President-ElectGet your Sonoma County Physician Directory today!Gov. Brown to speak at CMA Legislative Day on April 17Dueling surveys give high marks to Sonoma CountyDocBookMD expands to other North Bay medical societiesDinner and auction to benefit the Jewish Community Free ClinicSonoma Medicine is finalist for prestigious awardPEOPLERESOURCESAPPLICANTSCLASSIFIEDSABOUT SCMACMA needs survey responses by April 6 for urgent legislative issue CMA is in the midst of a legislative struggle with representatives of Blue Cross and Blue Shield about what criteria physicians consider before signing a contract to be in a payor's network. The plan representatives are successfully asserting a false claim about what drives physicians to contract. CMA needs your help to refute this false claim. Please share your contracting experience by responding to a brief, 3-question survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/2N3RCLH. The survey results will be crucial in helping CMA pass legislation to protect physician and patient interests. It is critical that you respond no later than Friday, April 6. For questions, contact CMA’s reimbursement help line at 888-401-5911 or jblack@cmanet.org. Register now for April 25 practice management seminar Right now is a great time to sign up for an important practice management seminar on Wednesday, April 25. Cosponsored by the California and Sonoma County medical associations, the 5-hour seminar consists of two parts: "Know Your Rights" and "Medicare 2012 & Beyond." Topics include appeal rights, Medicare audits and preparing for ICD-10. Presented by the CMA Center for Economic Services, the seminar will be held at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa. Lunch will be provided. Cost is $55 for SCMA members and $105 for nonmembers. To register, fax the flyer below to SCMA at 707-525-4328 or contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. April 25 Medicare seminar flyer SCMA Wine & Cheese Reception set for May 30 The annual SCMA Wine & Cheese Reception will be held at the William Selyem Winery in Healdsburg on Wednesday evening, May 30. All Sonoma County physicians and their spouse or guest are invited to attend. The reception, now in its 12th year, has become increasingly popular because of its relaxed, collegial atmosphere. Please join your colleagues for informal conversation and a sampling of fine wines. There’s no charge for SCMA members and their spouse or guest, but RSVPs are required--the winery has a gated entrance. The charge for nonmembers is $55 per person. To RSVP, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. Visit www.williamsselyem.com for directions and information about their wines. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the wines being poured. See the flyer below for more details. Wine & Cheese flyerDr. Stephen Steady nominated as SCMA President-Elect SCMA’s president, Dr. Jeff Sugarman, and the incoming president, Dr. Walt Mills, announce that Dr. Stephen Steady, a Petaluma gastroenterologist, has been nominated as SCMA President-Elect. Others nominated to the SCMA Board of Directors are Drs. Ed Chang (treasurer), Francesca Manfredi (secretary), Rachel Mayorga (North County district), Peter Brett and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter (Santa Rosa district), Ed Chang (The Permanente Medical Group), and three nominees for the CMA delegation: Drs. Leonard Klay, Catherine Gutfreund, and Phyllis “Jackie” Senter. SCMA members will receive ballots in May via postal mail. For more information, contact Cynthia Melody at cmelody@scma.org or 525-4375. Get your Sonoma County Physician Directory today! The 2012 Sonoma County Physician Directory is now available for sale. This exhaustive reference book gives contact and specialty information for almost every doctor currently practicing in Sonoma County, along with detailed photographic listings for SCMA members and a useful listing of medical resources. The familiar spiral-bound book, which features a colorful cover by local artist Barbara Greensweig, is heavily used by local medical offices. Each SCMA member receives one free copy of the directory. Extra copies cost $30 for SCMA members, $40 for nonmember physicians and health care facilities, and $55 for the general public. To order by phone with a credit card, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. You can also purchase online at www.scma.org/directory, or you can fax or mail the order form below. Sonoma County Physician Directory order formGov. Brown to speak at CMA Legislative Day on April 17 Gov. Jerry Brown will be the keynote speaker for CMA’s annual Legislative Leadership Conference, to be held in Sacramento on April 17. Hundreds of physicians from around the state are expected to attend the free all-day conference. The morning session includes speeches from Brown and other key legislative leaders. In the afternoon, attendees will go to the Capitol to meet with legislators on health care issues. Physicians interested in attending the conference should contact Cynthia Melody at 707-525-4375 or cynthia@scma.org. Dueling surveys give high marks to Sonoma County Two recent surveys give high but variant grades to the health system in Sonoma County. A survey published in March by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the county sixth out of more than 300 systems nationwide. The county got high marks for low infant mortality rates, preventive care and percent of residents with insurance. It was one of only three communities in the survey to have less than four deaths per 1,000 live births. The report, available at www.commonwealthfund.org, compares key statistics from representative communities across the nation. In contrast, a report published in early April by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Sonoma 12th out of 56 counties evaluated in California. The county got high marks for longevity and quality of life but was downgraded for high rates of smoking and drinking. The report is available at www.countyhealthrankings.org. One of the more interesting findings is that 38% of the restaurants in Sonoma County are fast-food establishments, less than the 49% state average. Local health leaders attributed the county’s high rankings to the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and the countywide network of health centers, along with other factors that promote primary and preventive care. DocBookMD expands to other North Bay medical societies SCMA members can now use the DocBookMD mobile app to send HIPAA-compliant messages to their colleagues throughout the North Bay. The new, regional version includes medical society members in Marin, Napa, Solano, Mendocino and Lake counties. Getting started with DocBookMD is simplicity itself. Just follow the instructions below. 1. Download the free DocBookMD app from the iTunes App Store or Android Market to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android phone. 2. Click on Register. 3. Enter your email address. 4. Enter your state (CA) and county (Sonoma). 5. Enter your CMA/SCMA ID number. (Call 707-525-4375 if you need your number.) 6. Create a password. 7. Answer sponsor questions. 8. Complete the HIPAA compliance agreement. That’s it! Once you’re registered, you can send messages, images and more to your medical society colleagues throughout the North Bay. For more details, visit www.DocBookMD.com. DocBookMD is supplied at no charge to SCMA members thanks to the sponsorship of NORCAL Mutual. Dinner and auction to benefit the Jewish Community Free Clinic Local physicians and guests are invited to attend the Spirit of Hippocrates Dinner and Auction, which will benefit the Jewish Community Free Clinic. Set for Sunday afternoon, June 10, at the French Garden Restaurant in Sebastopol, the dinner features a sumptuous three-course meal and an array of local wines. The silent auction includes offerings from some of Sonoma County’s finest restaurants, wineries and spas. The event is being held in memory of Dr. John Shearer, a former medical director of the clinic who passed away in 2009. Tickets are $100 per person. To purchase, contact the clinic at events.jcfc@gmail.com or 707-585-7780. Sonoma Medicine is finalist for prestigious award Sonoma Medicine is a finalist for a Maggie award from the Western Publishing Association. This annual competition draws entries from all over the western United States, including many well-known magazines, from Motor Trend to Mother Jones. Sonoma Medicine is one of six finalists in the “quarterly magazines under 50,000 circulation” category. The winner will be announced on April 27.PEOPLE Dr. Lynn Silver Chalfin, a director in the New York City Department of Health, is the new Public Health Officer for Sonoma County. In her previous position, she led several well-publicized policy initiatives, such as the city’s trans-fat ban, the nation’s first calorie labeling law, and the National Salt Reduction Initiative. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara and Johns Hopkins University, Silver Chalfin is married to another physician, Dr. Donald Silver Chalfin. She will begin working part-time for Sonoma County in April and is scheduled to begin full-time work in August. The interim Public Health Officer, Dr. Mark Netherda, will resume his previous position of Deputy Health Officer. Dr. Catherine Gutfreund, a past president of SCMA, has received the Sonoma Family Physician of the Year award from the California Academy of Family Physicians. The award was presented in March at the Excellence in Primary Care conference in Santa Rosa. Gutfreund is a family physician at Kaiser Santa Rosa, where she serves as chief of integrative medicine. Her award was presented by the guest speaker, Dr. Ted Epperly, a past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Misty Zelk, a pediatrician and internist, has joined the Palm Drive Hospital Medical Group in Sebastopol.RESOURCES Several CMA webinars, many for CEU credit, are scheduled for 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on select dates in April. To register, visit www.cmanet.org/events/register/login. The webinars are free for CMA members; cost for nonmembers is $99. The schedule appears below. * Managing upset and/or difficult patients - April 4 * Medicare: Top 10 claim and documentation errors - April 11 * Best practices for managing your accounts receivable - April 18 * California’s public health insurance programs - April 23 * 2012 legislative update - April 25 In recognition of the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, CMA has launched Reform Essentials, a regular newsletter designed to provide readers with the latest developments in California’s implementation of federal health care reform. The publication is available at www.cmanet.org/resource-library. Future installments of the newsletter will include updates from California's Health Benefit Exchange Board, information on essential health benefits, and other topics related to the Affordable Care Act.APPLICANTS Jack Nadler, MD, Family Medicine*, 3900 Lakeville Hwy., Petaluma 94954, 765-3960, Fax 765-3507, jnadlermd@pol.net, Univ Southern California 1996 * board certifiedCLASSIFIEDS Office space Small suite for lease. Reception, 3 rooms, Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. Contact Connie, 707-525-0211. SCMA members get free classifieds! SCMA members can place free classified ads in News Briefs or Sonoma Medicine. Cost for nonmember physicians and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad, contact Erika Goodwin at erika@scma.org or 707-548-6491.ABOUT SCMA The Sonoma County Medical Association, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association, supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the community. Founded in 1858, SCMA is affiliated with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. © 2012 SCMA, 2901 Cleveland Ave. #202, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 April 1, 2012 SCMA News Briefs April 2012 0 0 Comment Read More »
