September 2015 Download PDF Here SCMA NEWS SCMA Awards Dinner Dec. 2: A double celebration Meetings with Congressional Representatives Huffman & Thompson Free concussion management for the primary care clinician: Sept. 26 What is the most pressing issue in your medical practice? Watch your mail for confidential staff wage and benefits survey SCMA has moved its office Applicants LOCAL NEWS TOP CMA STORIES PRACTICE RESOURCES CLASSIFIEDS ABOUT SCMA SCMA NEWS SCMA Awards Dinner Dec. 2: A double celebration Mark your calendar and join us in celebration of the outstanding contributions of four physicians and a peer review committee, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Holiday Greeting Card, a fundraiser for the SCMA/SCMAA Health Careers Scholarship Program. This year's award recipients are: Outstanding Contribution to the Community: Dr. Richard Powers Outstanding Contribution to Sonoma County Medicine: GPCI/SGR Warriors Drs. Jan Sonander, Brad Drexler, and Leonard Klay Outstanding Contribution to SCMA: Medical Review Advisory Committee Recognition of Achievement: Health Careers Scholarship Program The medical community is invited to the Awards Dinner, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Vintner's Inn, 4350 Barnes Rd. in Santa Rosa. The evening begins with a social hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards presentations. Meetings with Congressional Representatives Huffman & Thompson A series of meetings in August and September with SCMA, MMS and MLCMS leadership were planned to urge our representative to support Meaningful Use Reform and Relief from Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) costly and abusive practices. Click here to learn about legislation to reform meaningful use. Click here to learn more about The Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015. Free concussion management for the primary care clinician: Sept. 26 North Coast Concussion Management and Sutter Health are offering assessment, management and rehabilitation training Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sutter Health, 3883 Airway Drive, Santa Rosa. Educational objectives include being able to 1) correctly diagnose, manage and treat acute concussion; 2) manage simple concussions at the level of primary care; 3) identify and refer complex concussion to appropriate specialty care (e.g. vestibular therapy, sports medicine, neuropsychology, etc.), and 4) implement State Law AB 2127 requirements and NEW CIF return-to-play guidelines for ALL high school athletics. Download informational flier. What is the most pressing issue in your medical practice? Physicians and Office Managers, tell us what issue you are most concerned about right now (e.g. EHRs, reimbursements, Medi-Cal payments, patient vaccinations, paying staff, paperwork). Reply to scma@scma.org with your issue and a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card. Responses will be shared in the October News Briefs. SCMA received the following pressing concerns from August News Briefs: Unfair Contracting: 50% Staffing Issues: 17% EMR/EHR: 33% Watch your mail for confidential staff wage and benefits survey To provide you with information to help you manage your practice, SCMA will conduct its seventh survey of medical staff wages and benefits in Sonoma County. The survey will be sent out this month. Survey results will be available only to those participating in the survey. Applicants Claudia Santucci, MD, Emergency Medicine*, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa 95403, UC Irvine 2003 Brian Schmidt, MD, Surgery*, Vascular Surgery, 1401 4th St., #200, Santa Rosa 95404, Univ Southern California 1982 Nathan Swain, MD, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation*, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa 95403, Western Univ 2010 * board certified SCMA has moved its office SCMA moved its office to the east side of town in Bennett Valley on Aug. 15. The new address is 2312 Bethards Dr. #6, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. Staff e-mail addresses remain the same, but now all staff can be contacted at 525-4375. The fax number remains the same at 525-4328. LOCAL NEWS Dr. Anton M. Kushnaryov, MD, an otolaryngologist specializing in head and neck surgery, has recently joined Northern California Medical Associates' elite team of physicians at Santa Rosa Head and Neck Surgery group. Dr. Kushnaryov completed his residency in otolaryngology at the University of California, San Diego, where he also completed his research fellowship and internship in general surgery. He received his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN. TOP CMA STORIES Top CMA issues & news highlights Six tobacco bills in Special Session CMA-sponsored tobacco-related bills that would boost regulations on e-cigarettes, increase the tobacco purchasing age to 21, and allow local jurisdictions to tax tobacco are moving forward in the Legislature's special health session. Click here for more information. Anti-vaccination opponents planning to recall the only physician in the California Legislature With our support, Dr. Richard Pan won his election to the State Senate promising to work to keep Californians safe and healthy, and he did just that authoring SB277 to abolish non-medical exemptions to school vaccinations. TIME magazine called Dr. Richard Pan a hero for his leadership in fighting vaccine-preventable diseases. Now, anti-vaccination supporters are gathering signatures to recall him. Please go to www.KeepDrPan.com and click on "Stand with Dr. Pan" to add your name to the list of people who oppose the anti-vaccination group attempt to recall him. CMA releases 2015 annotated Model Medical Staff Bylaws These bylaws are the definitive guide for medical staffs, providing details on professional and legal structures to support effective medical staff operations and self-governance. The model bylaws provide background information on critical provisions, including explanations of relevant state and federal laws, hospital accreditation standards, and other explanatory information. The bylaws are available free to any medical staff with an active membership in CMA's Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS). If your medical staff is not already an OMSS member, you can join by completing and submitting the OMSS membership application at www.cmanet.org/omss. The model bylaws are also available to non-OMSS members for a fee. For more information, visit CMA's online resource library. CMA publishes the biweekly e-newsletter, CMA Alert, to keep its members up-to-date on critical issues affecting the practice of medicine in California. Click here to view the current issue. PRACTICE RESOURCES Payor profiles, end-of-life, ICD-10 Updated payor profiles now available CMA's Center for Economic Services has published updated profiles on each of the major payors in California including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA, Health Net, United Healthcare, Medicare/Noridian and Medi-Cal. Each profile includes key information on health plan market penetration, a description of the plan's dispute resolution process and the name and contact numbers for medical directors, provider relations and other key contacts. Don't waste your time searching the internet for this information: members can download CMA's Payor Profiles free of charge. Patient resources on end-of-life decisions now available online CMA has developed a number of resources to help providers, patients and loved ones with making these important end-of-life decisions. Click here for more information. Medi-Cal providers: Are you ready for ICD-10? To help physicians prepare for the ICD-10 transition, the California Medical Association (CMA) has published: ICD-10 Transition Guide: What physicians need to know," which includes an ICD-10 transition preparation checklist. ICD-10 transition webpage (www.cmanet.org/icd10) includes important news articles, ICD-10 training opportunities and other ICD-10 transition information. CMA Practice Resources (CPR) is a free monthly e-bulletin from the California Medical Association's practice management experts. It focuses 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. View the current issue. CLASSIFIEDS Share beautiful medical suite in Novato Share on Wednesday and Thursday only. ALL YOURS other weekdays and Saturday! Lovely reception area, furnished patient rooms, plenty of parking, and utilities included. Call 415-897-9800. 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. 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. © 2015 SCMA, 2312 Bethards Dr. #6, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 September 16, 2015 SCMA News Briefs SCMA News Briefs 0 0 Comment Read More »
