January 2012 January 1, 2012 SCMA News Briefs January 2012 0 Sonoma Medicine now available in on-line PDF formatCalHIPSO extends free enrollment deadline to Feb. 29Pay your SCMA dues by Jan. 15 and get a 5% discountNew low-income health plan scheduled for Sonoma CountyCDC seeking nominations for breast cancer advisory committeeOpen House for new neurosurgeon on Jan. 30Photos of SCMA Awards Dinner posted onlinePEOPLEMEDICAL FACILITIESRESOURCESAPPLICANTSCLASSIFIEDSABOUT SCMASonoma Medicine now available in on-line PDF format Sonoma Medicine magazine, which is mailed to every physician in Sonoma County, is now available in a handy PDF format suitable for on-screen reading. The on-line PDF, which includes the cover and all the graphics from the printed edition, can be viewed on the SCMA home page at www.scma.org. A text-only HTML version is still posted in the magazine section of the website at www.scma.org/magazine. The just-published Winter 2012 issue offers a variety of perspectives on the physician-hospital relationship, ranging from doctors in private practice who are considering hospital affiliation to those who already work full-time as hospitalists. Two other articles examine physician vs. hospital ownership of ambulatory surgery centers. Authors for this special issue include Drs. Rick Flinders, Sanjay Dhar, Allan Hill, Rachel Marek, Michael Lustberg and Michael Lazar. The departments in the new issue explore topics as diverse as breast cancer centers, experimental aircraft and a medical mission to Nepal. Photos from the recent SCMA Awards Dinner are included as well. SCMA members interested in contributing an article to the magazine should contact the editor, Steve Osborn, at sosborn@scma.org or 707-525-0101. CalHIPSO extends free enrollment deadline to Feb. 29 The free enrollment deadline for CalHIPSO, which provides assistance for primary care physicians who are transitioning to electronic health records, has been extended to Feb. 29. The nonprofit organization offers technical assistance, access to vendors, educational webinars, reduced pricing on software, and many other benefits. Free CalHIPSO enrollment is available to primary care physicians in small private practices, community health centers, rural health clinics or certain hospital ambulatory care clinics. Primary care physicians in other types of practice settings can enroll in CalHIPSO for just $150. Interested physicians should visit www.CalHIPSO.org or contact Kent Waldsmith at kent@calhipso.org or 510-285-5745. Pay your SCMA dues by Jan. 15 and get a 5% discount SCMA members who pay their 2012 dues by Jan. 15 get a 5% discount. To qualify for the discount, dues must be received in the SCMA office by Jan. 15, not just postmarked by that date. Dues invoices were mailed last fall. If you need a copy, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 707-525-4375 or rachel@scma.org. New low-income health plan scheduled for Sonoma County Path2Health, a new low-income health plan affiliated with the statewide County Medical Services Program (CMSP), is scheduled to begin in Sonoma County this month. The new plan provides no-cost coverage to adults who are at or below 100% of the federal poverty level, or about $10,890 annually for a single person. CMSP is a longstanding program that serves about 60,000 low-income adults in 34 mostly rural California counties. About 30,000 more adults are expected to enroll in Path2Health by the end of next year. Path2Health coverage generally parallels the CMSP plan and includes primary care, hospital care, pharmacy services, and limited dental and vision care. Path2Health will be administered by Anthem Blue Cross. Physicians interested in providing services to Path2Health patients need to join the Anthem Blue Cross network. Complete details are available at www.mypath2health.org. CDC seeking nominations for breast cancer advisory committee The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking nominations for physicians interested in serving on its Advisory Committee for Breast Cancer in Young Women. The committee advises the CDC and other government agencies about developing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based activities designed to prevent breast cancer in young women and promote early detection. The committee meets twice a year, usually in Atlanta, and each meeting last about 3 days. Interested physicians should email a statement of interest, a current resume and a 150-word biography to SCMA Executive Director Cynthia Melody by Monday, Jan. 9. Her email is cmelody@scma.org, and her phone is 707-525-4375.Open House for new neurosurgeon on Jan. 30 Mahmoud Rashidi, MD, a neurosurgeon who is establishing an office in Santa Rosa, will be holding an open house at the California Institute of Neuroscience & Spine from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30. The address is 95 Montgomery Dr., Suite 118.Photos of SCMA Awards Dinner posted online Photos of last month’s SCMA Awards Dinner have been posted on photographer Sara Wilbur’s website at sarawilburphotography.zenfolio.com/p234748443. The password (all lower case) is scma2011. The site includes almost 100 photos, both of award winners and other attendees. Prints in various sizes are available for a nominal charge.PEOPLE Four local physicians and three newcomers have joined the Annadel Medical Group, an organization affiliated with the St. Joseph Health System that now includes more than 40 physicians. The local recruits include two longtime surgeons at Petaluma Valley Hospital, Dr. Elipidio Mariano and Dr. Cesar Veluz, as well as two psychiatrists from North Bay Psychiatric Associates, Dr. Mounir Belcadi and Dr. Jon Jackson. The newcomers are Dr. Nicholas Strange, a family physician, Dr. Melissa Strange, a pediatric hospitalist, and Dr. David Russell, a trauma surgeon.MEDICAL FACILITIES After a months-long consideration of proposals from five corporate suitors, Palm Drive Hospital has agreed to affiliate with Marin General Hospital, which has already entered into an affiliation agreement with Sonoma Valley Hospital. The resulting three-hospital network is expected to lower individual facility costs by consolidating lab, pharmacy and radiology services, as well as accounting and other administrative departments. Affiliation will also bring the Prima Medical Foundation into Sebastopol, a move that is expected to help with physician recruitment and retention. The Brookwood Health Center is the latest addition to a rapidly expanding network of community health facilities in Santa Rosa. The new center, located in the recently closed Brookwood Homeless Shelter at the corner of Brookwood and Sonoma avenues, will target both homeless residents and others who have struggled to get care, according to medical director Dr. Michael Kozart. The center will be funded by an annual grant of $650,000 from the federal government, as well as a $300,000 start-up grant from the county. More than 3,000 people are expected to receive services at the center each year. OffSiteCare, a Sebastopol telemedicine company, has expanded its reach to seven Northern California hospitals by establishing a centralized hub in San Francisco. Physicians at the hub will serve as nighttime hospitalists for the facilities and will also offer 24/7 emergency room specialty consults. “We’ve created a cost-effective model that will give rural hospitals access to key medical services that used to be beyond their physical and economic reach,” said Dr. Jim Gude, a Sebastopol pulmonologist who founded OffSiteCare in 2007. Hospitals served by the San Francisco hub include Palm Drive, Healdsburg and five more in Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties.RESOURCES CMA is hosting a webinar on Medicare E&M audits from 12:15 to 2 p.m. on Jan. 25. The session will cover E&M documentation recommendations in light of electronic health records, forms and pre-printed sheets. Examples from recent Medicare audits will be presented, and attendees will learn how to select the proper level of E&M coding based on CPT guidelines and other considerations. The webinar, which includes 1 CEU credit, is free to CMA members; nonmembers pay $99. To register, visit www.cmanet.org/events or call 800-786-4262. Another CMA webinar, Key Financial Ratios to Increase Profitability, will be held from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 1. The workshop will teach critical skills in analyzing the practice profit/loss statement for overhead expense, accounts receivable and staffing ratios, and how to access specialty comparison norms for benchmarking. The webinar, which includes 1 CEU credit, is free to CMA members; nonmembers pay $99. To register, visit www.cmanet.org/events or call 800-786-4262. The 19th annual HIV/AIDS Review will be held at the Hilton Hotel from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 24. This educational seminar and luncheon is for physicians, midlevel practitioners and pharmacists who provide care to people with HIV/AIDS. For details, call 707-527-6223. CMA Practice Resources is a free email bulletin for full of tips and tools to help CMA members and their office staff improve practice efficiency and viability. To subscribe, visit the Publications page at www.cmanet.org.APPLICANTS Michael Yang, MD, Anesthesiology*, Pain Medicine*, 728 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa 95401, 623-9803, Fax 843-3257, summitpainalliance@gmail.com, UC San Francisco 2004 * board certifiedCLASSIFIEDS Anesthesiologist needed for infertility clinic Must be credentialed, carry malpractice insurance and meet accepted standards. Interested candidates must be available to meet our IVF schedule two weeks per month including some weekends (as established by the practice). The individual must be willing to block out all other obligations until 1 p.m. each day to staff the IVF procedures scheduled during those weeks. Procedure weeks are determined in October for the entire calendar year. Please contact info@afamd.com with inquiries and or to submit your CV for consideration. Family practice physician wanted The Sonoma County Indian Health Project (SCIHP) in Santa Rosa is seeking a full-time BC/BE family practice physician to join our team. Obstetrics required. M-F operation with rotating nights and weekend calls. SCIHP is a comprehensive community care facility. We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and an opportunity for loan repayment. For more information, please contact Bob Orr at 707-521-4654 or bob.orr@scihp.org. Office space Small suite for lease. Reception, 3 rooms, Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. Contact Connie, 707-525-0211. Shred-It On-site guaranteed service. Office console provided. Stay compliant. Free consultation. Contact Marie Anderson at 707-829-8668 or marie.anderson@shredit.com. 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 Comments are closed.
