July 24, 2006

Editor's Column: Follow The Money
IOM's Latest Report: Unfunded Mandates?
Take Me Out The Ballgame: Only 5 Tickets Left!
WCMSSM Members In The News
Medicaid Focus Group Needs Volunteers
Searching For Authors

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Editor's Column:
Follow The Money

By JOSEPH WEISS, MD

The AMA says that income for internists today reaches as high as $250,000/year (AMA News June 17) with higher earnings in the offing. The New York Times reported June 18 that internists and family physicians are earning, on average, $136,00 a year representing a drop of more than 10 in the last two years with further declines anticipated. The talk on the street is that the New York Times is closer to the mark than the AMA.

The medical community should follow the money. It is important for us to know which projection is correct. If the AMA is right, then the medical community can expect a swing of physician manpower back into primary care. The country will satisfy its need for practitioners and the predominance of care will continue to come from us.

If the Times report is a more accurate appraisal, then we are likely to see a patient response to the coming scarcity of care. The nurse practitioner and health care technician will take our place. Expedient care at a lower cost will cause the marketplace to dump tradition.

Our leaders preach that our causes are quality of care and patient advocacy. Instead, we should follow the money. We should focus on bringing down the cost of care, including the cost of educating a doctor. If our crusades take us elsewhere, we are astray. It will cost us dearly.

IOM's Latest Report: Unfunded Mandates?

By PAUL NATINSKY
The Institute of Medicine released the fourth report July 20 in its ongoing series addressing quality issues in health care. The new treatise, Preventing Medication Errors: Quality Chasm Series is 544 pages (to order it, click here http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11623.html ) and contains recommendations for reducing medical errors. The report focuses on implementing electronic prescriptions, drug records and patient records as soon as possible.

At least as interesting as the recommendations is the news, reported in the New York Times July 21, that health care facilities are making woefully slow progress in implementing measures to close the quality chasm. According to sources interviewed by the Times, only 6 percent of the nation's hospitals have implemented drug computer-entry systems and a mere 3 percent of hospitals have electronic patient records.

Nowhere in the Times story is there any discussion of the cost of implementing such technologies for hospitals, let alone for private-practice physicians. However, there is criticism about doctors not using block-type printing rather than handwriting on their written prescriptions.

In the IOM's own summary of the report discussions of financial assistance for technology to doctors or hospitals is notably absent. There is some rhetoric about patients working harder to educate themselves and doctors taking measures to communicate better with patients; but the meat of the summary is that the technology for e-prescribing should be everywhere by 2010 and that it would be nice to have electronic patient records in place as well.

Two passages from the summary speak volumes.

Here's the first: "...All health care suppliers should seek to become high-reliability organizations preoccupied with improving medication safety. To do this, they will have to take advantage of the latest information technologies and the most up-to-date organizational and management strategies."

Here's the second, which describes where funding should be directed: "The federal government should, for example, pay for an coordinate a broad reasearch effort aimed at learning more about preventing medication errors."

So health care providers should buy technology and the government should fund more research on the matter. The current research is in its third phase and has been going on since 1996.

Perhaps this next tidbit is most intersting of all: Congress mandated that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sponsor the IOM study. That's right, the same people who brought you the Sustainable Growth Rate formula and decided to freeze and then cut reimbursement for doctors are funding multi-phase research on medical errors and concluding that health care providers are not spending enough money on technology.

IOM can be reached at iomwww@nas.edu

CMS Region 5 Administrator Jackie Garner can be reached at:

233 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 600
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 886-6432
Fax: (312) 353-0252

Take Me Out To The Ballgame: Only 5 Tickets Left!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game 2006

Date: Sunday, August 20, 2006

Comerica Park
2100 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48201

Come join us for a relaxing Sunday afternoon game as the Detroit Tigers take on the Texas Rangers at 1:05 p.m.
Leave your sunscreen at home!
Relax in a LUXURY SUITE !
$50 per ticket includes food and adult beverages.

Only 5 Tickets Left!!
Reserve your tickets today!
Email: Jriske@msms.org

WCMSSM Members In The News

Gross Ile Physician elected Director for the Michigan Academy

E. Christopher Bush, MD, of Gross Ile, MI was elected as a Regional Director for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) during the Annual Congress of Delegates meeting at Grand Traverse Resort July 6. He represents MAFP's largest chapter with 568 active members. He has served and continues to serve the MAFP as a member of the Board of Directors, the Committee on Economics and Practice Environments, the Committee on Legislation and Governmental Affairs, and as Vice Chair of the Political Action Committee.

Dr. Bush earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and received his medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He has been a family physician for 26 years and has enjoyed his career as a solo practitioner. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Henry Ford Hospital.

Grosse Ile Family Physician Honored for 50 Years of Service

Bernard J. Woodley, MD, from Grosse Ile was recently honored for 50 years of service as a family practice physician by the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. The announcement was made during the Annual Congress of Delegates meeting held at the Grand Traverse Resort July 6.

Dr. Woodley received his undergraduate degree from the Wayne State University following which he obtained his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. After completing his Internship at Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, he served for two years as a physician in the Navy. Dr. Woodley enjoyed practicing medicine to the fullest for 28 years in Ecorse and Trenton, Michigan. He retired from practice in June 2004.

St. Clair Shores Physician Named Vice President of Michigan Academy

Angelo Patsalis, MD, of St. Clair Shores, MI was elected First Vice President for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) during the Annual Congress of Delegates meeting at Grand Traverse Resort July 6. Dr. Patsalis has served and continues to serve the MAFP as the Chair of the Executive, Leadership Planning, Special Constituencies, and Political Action Committees. He is also a member of the Board of Directors and the most recent Second Vice President. Dr. Patsalis holds memberships in the Michigan Academy, American Academy of Family Physicians, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the American College of Physician Executives, the Michigan State Medical Society, and the Wayne County Medical Society.

Following receipt of his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University, Dr. Patsalis received his medical degree from the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Ioannina, Greece. He is a senior faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit where he serves as a supervisor and preceptor for psychiatric, GYN and residents on ambulatory primary care. Dr. Patsalis is also a Certified Correctional Health Professional and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The MAFP is an association of over 3,200 Michigan family physicians whose mission is to promote health care excellence and to improve the health of all Americans. As a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the MAFP has worked hard to provide education and advocacy for patients and the general public in all health-related issues. With one eye on current issues and the other directed toward the future, the group strives to promote the art and science of family medicine to ensure an optimal supply of well-trained physicians for ensuing generations. In the past 56 years of operation, the MAFP has held the promotion of quality, cost-effective and universally available health care as one of its primary goals.

Medicaid Focus Group Needs Volunteers

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is interested in obtaining feedback from MMGMA members regarding the development of the new Medicaid claims processing and information retrieval system called: Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System or CHAMPS.

MDCH is planning on forming focus groups made up of MMGMA members in various areas of the state. The CHAMPS focus groups will meet on a quarterly basis over the next three years. The meetings will be located in various regions of the state and will offer conference call capabilities. So far members of MMGMA from Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, and Berrien Springs have agreed to participate in focus groups however MDCH would also like to develop focus groups in Detroit, Flint and/or Bay City, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula.

CHAMPS will offer Medicaid Providers several on-line capabilities, including claim status (see attachment). MDCH wants to make sure that CHAMPS is efficient, cost effective and serves Medicaid Provider needs.

If you are a member in the Detroit, Flint and/or Bay City, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula areas, your feedback would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in participating in a focus group please email Bonnie Cochran, MMGMA Secretary, at bacochran@earthlink.net , and include the following contact information: your name, address and telephone number.

Thank you.

Searching For Authors

If you are a WCMSSM member who has written a book on anything (wines, hunting, fiction, non-fiction, medicine) please let us know. We can help you publicize your work. Contact us at info@wcmssm.org

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