January 29, 2007

IN THIS ISSUE

Editor's Column: Being Righteous Or Being Right
 HHS Secretary Pushes Value-Driven Health Care In Detroit Visit
Bon Secours Seeks Single Owner
Thinking About Retirement?
Chinese New Year Is Just Around The Corner
CME: Evidence-Based Medicine
 

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Editor's Column:
Being Righteous Or Being Right

By JOSEPH WEISS, MD
In a Jan. 4 letter to the New York Times, Arnold Relman, MD, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, calls for national health insurance because: “the hundreds of private health insurance companies take 15 percent or more of the health care dollar and give little in return. “Further, he proposes: “that fee-for-service payments to physicians, and investor-owned facilities need to be replaced by salaried physicians working in prepaid medical groups run by non-profit ownership.”

This letter is another instance in which Dr. Relman is righteous, but wrong.

He overlooks the biggest problem in health care cost: the pharmaceutical companies. Now, neither physician nor public can speak out on how to change the expense of medical care. Until we learn the financial outlays pharmaceutical companies make bringing a drug to the market place, we cannot begin widespread reform. Those real costs should include the manipulations of price to make cheap drugs turn dear and expensive drugs become not just alluring, but necessary. An example is the Saturday, Jan. 13  Wall Street Journal article delineating how Abbott manipulated its HIV drugs to make an expensive combination drug the treatment of choice after tripling the price on a former inexpensive protease inhibitor.

The focus on doctors as the source of undue expense in medical care is misplaced. To nickel-and-dime us down as is the case under current Medicare reimbursement policy means little in the overall costs of health care. Congress and the medical community should press the pharmaceutical industry to open its books on drug development expense and pharmaceutical profit.

Dr. Relman’s reforms must wait until we learn the truth concerning our suspicions that accounting alchemy is how the drug industry turns base chemicals into pure gold.

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HHS Secretary Pushes Value-Driven Health Care

By PAUL NATINSKY
In a sun-soaked morning session today at GM's Wintergarden at the RenCen, HHS Secratary Michael Leavitt presented the Bush Administration's ideas for health care reform and participated in a mass signing of commitment to those principles from a cross-section of the business and health care community.

The Greater Detroit Area Health Council's Vernice Davis-Anthony emceed the event and GDAHC was honored by HHS as a proponent of value-driven medicine. The Michigan State Medical Society was also lauded for its study on the Future of Medicine.

The President's reform plan rests on four "cornerstones." They are:

Connecting the System: Every medical provider has some system for health records. Increasingly, those systems are electronic. Standards need to be identified so all health information systems can quickly and securely communicate and exchange data.

Measure and Publish Quality: Every case, every procedure, has an outcome. Some are better than others. To measure quality, we must work with doctors and hospitals to define benchmarks for what constitutes quality care.

Measure and Publish Price: Price information is useless unless cost is calculated for identical services. Agreement is needed on what procedures and services are covered in each “episode of care.”

Create Positive Incentives: All parties - providers, patients, insurance plans, and payers - should participate in arrangements that reward both those who offer and those who purchase high-quality, comptetitively priced health care.

WCMSSM President-Elect Sophie Womack fired off the first question to Leavitt regarding how all of the various electronic information connections would work.

Leavitt said there never has been a difference of opinion about what needed to be done, but over who would do it and how it would happen.

He said physicians can only afford to buy the needed technology once, so getting it right is important. A significant barrier has been removed in that any "interoperable" system can be used, so there is no chance of buying a system and then finding it won't work. He also said 20 percent of physicians now use some form of electronic system so many of the early kinks have been worked out.

See the full story in the DMN magazine in mid February. For more information on the president's reform plans, visit http://www.hhs.gov/transparency/

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Bon Secours Seeks Single Owner

Based on the recent discussions and counsel from external consultants (UBS Investment Bank and Citigroup Global Markets), the decision has been made that Bon Secours Cottage Health Services would be better positioned if it were fully owned and operated by a local health care system with significant presence in the community supported by a strong primary care base, according to statements from the company.

Over the next several months, working with its local governing board, Bon Secours will conduct due diligence to evaluate potential owners.

“Bon Secours Cottage Health Services is an important community resource, and both Bon Secours and Henry Ford are committed to ensuring that its ownership continues to be with a strong mission-driven and values-based health system,” said Richard J. Statuto, president and CEO of Bon Secours Health System.

The UBS and Citigroup review process of potential owners is confidential to ensure all interests can be reviewed thoroughly and objectively. Although no further details can be provided at this time, communication will be released immediately following a decision and approval of the local governing boards.

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Thinking About Retirement?

Thinking about Retirement?  Don’t Miss this Great Planning Opportunity

If you’re thinking about retiring – or if you are retired already – then you won’t want to miss the MSMS Symposium on Retirement Planning, scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing.  The program will be held from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., with a 4:30 p.m. registration. 

Developed for physicians, office managers and spouses who are beginning to plan for retirement, are in the process of retiring, or have recently retired, this four-hour dinner program will provide the tools and resources needed to make a smooth transition into retirement.  Experts from related fields will provide a wide range of practical information designed to help attendees navigate through the personal, professional and financial aspects of retirement. The program will include presentations on the following topics:

·         Planning for Retirement – Sandy Lutkenhoff, SmithBarney Citigroup

·         The Legal Implications of Practicing After Retirement – Daniel J. Schulte, JD, Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC

·         Closing Your Practice – Julia Lowe, CPC, Director of the Health Care Services Division, Yeo & Yeo CPAs and Business Consultants

·         Continuing Insurance Benefits into Retirement – MSMS Physicians Insurance Agency

·         Your Retirement Readiness: The Emotional Preparations – Sally Pitt-VanBuren, New Directions Coaching & Marie T. Stoline, RN, CM-C, Gerontology Nursing Services

Fees are $110 for MSMS & MMGMA members, $150 for non-members, and $60 for spouses or office managers attending with a physician.  To register, visit www.msms.org/events or contact the MSMS Registrar at 517-336-5784 or abatten@msms.org.

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Chinese New Year Is Just Around The Corner

WCMS FOUNDATION'S
ANNUAL CHINESE NEW YEAR

YEAR OF THE PIG

GOLDEN HARVEST RESTAURANT
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2007, 5:30 PM

HONOREES FOR OUTSTANDING
COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY:

DR. KIM AND MRS. MADO LIE

EVENT CO-CHAIRPERSONS
LOURDES ANDAYA, MD ROSEMARY BANNON
JANET BUSH DON JENSEN

GREAT FOOD CASUAL ATTIRE CASH BAR
**FABULOUS SILENT AUCTION**

MAKE THIS A FUN EVENING FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FLYER AND REGISTRATION FORM.

THE WAYNE COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY FOUNDATION IS SPONSORING
THIS EVENT AS A FUNDRAISER FOR ITS SENIOR ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM.

 

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CME: Evidence-Based Medicine

A Special Invitation to
WCMS Members

 Please join your physician colleagues on Saturday, February 3 at the Somerset Inn in Troy for a four-hour “complimentary” CME program, scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and includes an enhanced continental breakfast beginning at 7:15 a.m.

 This evidence-based medicine program is sponsored by the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians.  The program is fully accredited for both AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and four hours of AOA Category 1-A CME credit.

 Topics for the program are:  Pediatric Asthma, Migraine Headaches, Restless Leg Syndrome and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.  To review objectives for the topics, please refer to the MAFP’s website at www.MAFP.com.

 To register for the program, simply call the MAFP toll-free at 800-833-5151.  A credit card is necessary to make your reservation and will only be processed if you do not attend the program and do not cancel within 72 hours of the program (Wednesday, January 31).

 We hope you will take advantage of this CME opportunity.  If you have any questions, please contact our office at the number noted above.  We look forward to seeing you.

 Janice C. Klos, CAE
Chief Executive Officer
Michigan Academy of Family Physicians

This publication brought to you by Natinsky Publishing Network.

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