August 2014

Nominations needed for SCMA awards
SCMA bylaws amended
Covered California "Lunch & Learn #2" Oct. 24
Covered California: Know your participation status
Top stories from CMA Alert
RESOURCES
PEOPLE
MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS
CLASSIFIEDS
APPLICANTS
ABOUT SCMA

Nominations needed for SCMA awards

SCMA is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Contribution and Recognition of Achievement awards, to be presented at the Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 2, 2014. Nominations are needed by Sept. 5 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 SCMA 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 bylaws amended

In July, SCMA membership was asked by the board of directors to vote on a bylaws amendment to adjust board representation to more fairly reflect current membership without adding new board members. The amendment required a majority approval of active members voting. SCMA received 91 votes from active members (those not retired) representing a 15% response rate. Approval of the amendment (92%) far outweighed the opposition (8%). Of those voting in support, 83% practice at The Permanente Medical Group and 17% practice elsewhere (solo, groups, health centers, residency program, etc).

In summary, the amendment does not affect the size of the SCMA board of directors (19) or its representation of the North County (1 director), West County (1 director), Santa Rosa (5 directors), and Sonoma Valley (1 director).The change affects the Petaluma/Rohnert Park district with 1 of its 2 directors from TPMG, the 2 residency program directors will now share 1 vote, and TPMG will now have a total of 4 representatives (including the Petaluma/RP rep) representing 50% of membership.

For a complete list of the board of directors and membership representation, click here. For details about the board of directors' responsibilities and how to get involved, contact Cynthia Melody at cmelody@scma.org.

Covered California "Lunch & Learn #2" Oct. 24

Over 25 medical office personnel attended the July lunchtime presentation in Santa Rosa, and requested a second opportunity to learn more about Covered California 2015 and the impact on physician practices. Join us Friday, Oct. 24, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. for updated 2015 enrollment information and demographics, identifying qualified health plans within the exchange, and practice management tips. To RSVP and reserve your place, download the event flier. For questions or more information, contact Rachel Pandolfi at rachel@scma.org or 707-525-4375.

September. Download event fliers for more information and to register: Ukiah, Wed. Sept. 10, and Novato, Wed. Sept. 24.

Covered California: Know your participation status

CMA has created a guide: Covered California: Know Your Participation Status to assist you and your staff with resources and phone numbers to verify and to answer your questions about your participation status, scheduling your patient appointments, and how to help your patients having trouble finding an in-network provider or facility. Download PDF here.

RESOURCES

August CMA Webinars . . .
. . . begin at 12:15 p.m. and run until 1:15 p.m. or later. To register, visit www.cmanet.org. Seminars are free for CMA members and their staff; cost for nonmembers is $99 per person. Questions? Contact CMA Member Help Center: 800-786-4CMA (4262) or memberservice@cmanet.org.

Workers' Compensation:

August 12: Advanced Part 2: Second Bill Review Plus Managing Third Party Billers

August 19: Advanced Part 3: Requests for Authorization, Dispensed Pharmaceutical and DMEPOS Billing for Workers' Comp

Coordinated Care Initiative:

August 14: Overview

August 21: Continuity of Care

August 28: Care Coordination

Aug. 14
The 2nd annual Asian & Pacific Islander Health Forum, hosted by the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program, will be Thursday, Aug. 14, from 1:30-6:30 p.m. at the Vista Family Health Center. This year's focus will be on immigration and health care. Download informational flier with registration form. Registrations accepted until Aug. 13!

Sept. 4
Medical Providers Day. Physicians and their staff are invited to Fleet Feet Sports Santa Rosa's annual open house, 3 to 7 p.m. at 111 Third St., Santa Rosa, to learn about its injury prevention products for your patients. Attendees will receive a free gift and entry into a raffle. Contact Melody Karpinski at 569-1494 or rsvp@fleetfeetsantarosa.com.

Institute for Medical Quality

Sept. 29-30

CME Essentials Workshop. This workshop is for chairs, coordinators, educators, and managers of CME programs at the California Endowment in Oakland. 9.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits available. For more information, visit IMQ.org; to register, click here.

Oct. 30

IMQ 2014 Medical Staff Conference. The Institute for Medical Quality is offering physicians leading a medical staff this one-day conference that provides a foundation of knowledge, techniques, and best practices to help them succeed. 6.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits available. The location is the Embassy Suites SFO Waterfront Hotel in Burlingame, CA (near San Francisco International Airport). For more information, visit IMQ.org; to register, click here.

IMQ CME Education & Certification Online. Earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits anytime. To explore the full selection of available courses, browse the IMQ Online Education catalog. Users of Institute for Medical Quality's CME Certification service can view their transcripts online. Check your CME status, track your progress, and print transcripts anytime. Click on the CME Certification page of the IMQ website.

To browse the full IMQ Online Education catalog, visit imq.inreachce.com.

Oct. 5-9

A conference on Integrating Mind-Body Medicine into Clinical Practice will be held in San Francisco Oct. 5-9. Sponsored by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, the conference offers a maximum of 31 Category 1 credits. The focus is on medical techniques to address stress, anxiety, trauma, insomnia and chronic illness. To register, visit www.cmbm.org.

Oct. 16

The 22nd annual Latino Health Forum on Thursday, Oct. 16, runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Flamingo Conference Resort in Santa Rosa. This year's forum includes: A snapshot of the overall health of the Latino Community; Valuable information on health care service and prevention models; Current Research, and Culturally and linguistically competent health programs. Breakout sessions present: Local innovative health care service and prevention models; and Tools and resources to improve communication, health literacy and patient satisfaction. To register, or to sponsor a student registration, visit www.LatinoHealthForum.org.

Oct. 18
Perspectives on Pediatric Orthopaedics. Pediatricians, family practice doctors, physician assistants and nurses will meet in Sacramento for a CME seminar hosted by the orthopaedic faculty at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California, located at 2425 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento. The all-day event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 CME credits are available. The cost is $90 for physicians, $60 for nurses and physician assistants. Registration fee includes all conference materials, continental breakfast and lunch. Call 916-453-2191 or send email ncal.education@shrinenet.org.

Learn about the Work@Health™ Program. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have selected St. Joseph Health to take a lead role in training North Bay employers to promote health and wellness in their workforce. Employers can learn more about the program in workshops beginning Aug. 8 and Aug. 27. This free all-day training will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Sebastopol, and participants must apply to be enrolled. Interested employers may email inquiries or request an application from Teresa Scott at Teresa.Scott@stjoe.org or fax to 707-544-6901.

FREE monthly practice resources e-newsletters. Are you receiving CMA Practice Resources? CPR is from the California Medical Association's practice management experts, focusing on critical payor and health care industry changes and how they directly impact the business of a physician practice. Each issue includes tips on reimbursement- and contracting-related issues along with information on the latest practice management news.

SUBSCRIBE NOW to the CPR email bulletin.

DOWNLOAD printable versions of current and archive issues of CPR.

SPREAD THE WORD: Please share CMA Practice Resources with your coworkers and colleagues.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: CMA is interested in your feedback.

QUESTIONS? Contact CMA with your questions about articles in CPR.

LINK to a few articles in the current issue:

Blue Shield data breach affects California doctors

Blue Cross begins medical chart reviews for exchange patients

CMS offering webcasts on ICD-10 clinical documentation requirements

The Coding Corner: Modifier 78 - the "complications" modifier

SCMA supports the Northern California Center for Well-Being in Santa Rosa for patient chronic disease self-management. Physicians are encouraged to refer patients to the Center's summer classes in diabetes management, smoking cessation, healthy weight and many more. For more details visit www.norcalwellbeing.org.

PEOPLE

Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center announced the appointment of Dr. Henry Flores as chief of general surgery. Prior to 2012, Dr. Flores practiced for over 13 years and was involved with Healdsburg District Hospital, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, serving in various roles of administration and leadership. A graduate of University of Minnesota medical school, he completed general surgery training at the University of Arizona.

KP also appointed Dr. Tricia May assistant chief of general surgery. Dr. May started at UCSF-East Bay Surgical Residency at VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno, NV. As residency site director, she expanded teaching programs for medical students, residents, and family practice residents. She became a quality champion for the surgical department and took the lead for the medical student surgical education. Dr. May completed her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, medical school at Chicago Medical School, and Surgical residency and Surgical Oncology fellowship at Harbor-UCLA.

Reza Sepehrdad, MD, specializing in interventional cardiology, has recently joined Northern California Medical Associates FountainGrove Cardiology.

Christian Athanassious, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon with fellowship training from Stanford University, recently joined Santa Rosa Orthopaedics as the co-director of their Total Spine Health Program.

MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Sonoma Valley Hospital skilled nursing facility received a 2014 Silver Commitment to Quality Award presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

CLASSIFIED

Seeking volunteers
Remember why you went into medicine in the first place? The Jewish Community Free Clinic could use a few more good volunteers. Call Jerry at 707-527-7754 or Deborah at 707-495-4607.

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 Susan Gumucio at susan@scma.org or 707-525-0102.

APPLICANTS

Jonathan Peng, MD, Internal Medicine*, Cardiovascular Disease*, Cardiology, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa 95403, Indiana Univ 2008

Alex Talebdoost, MD, Family Medicine*, Hospitalist, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa 95403, St. George's Univ 2003

ABOUT MMS

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.

Visit us at www.scma.org. View the current issue of Sonoma Medicine magazine here!

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