June 1998 Governor's Newsletter
Governor's Notes
Jan Rival, MD, FACP
The Associates Meeting held on Friday, May 8 1998 in Greektown was once again another great success with over 240 in attendance. This could not have been accomplished without the hard and excellent work of Jack R.Ebright, MD, FACP, Program Director, Residency Training Program, WSU/DMC . The Associates presented ten oral presentations and 123 posters. The keynote speaker was Elaine J. Alpert, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Public Health & Medicine, Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, Boston University School of Medicine and addressed the continuing concern on "Domestic Violence, the Internist's Response".
The Associates Meeting for 1999 will be hosted by OHEP (DMC/William Beaumont/Oakwood, Providence) in May; exact date and location to be determined. The leaders from the above named institutions will work closely with Eric Scher, MD, FACP, our new Chairman of the Residency Training Program Directors Committee.
Reminder
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Chapter Scientific Meeting in Traverse City, September 24-27, 1998. Our goal is to make this year the biggest and best ever. It will be an occasion to meet the most renowned faculty from the State of Michigan to share their inside experience. With shorter, more focused education sessions, this will enable participants to attend an increased number of sessions, thereby gaining the latest information over a broad spectrum of content areas. Presence of interactive "Meet the Professor" sessions with prominent physicians will be scheduled as well as updating General Internal Medicine so participants will be able to sharpen existing skills and learn new ones. This will also be an occasion to rekindle an old friendship and ignite a new one. As you read this newsletter, you should have a copy of the preliminary program.
Laureate Awards
Awards Committee Chairman, Gilbert Bluhm, MD, FACP is soliciting proposals for the Michigan Chapter Laureate Awards. Please send your nomination and proposal to the ACP office by July 06, 1998.
New Masters Inducted at Annual Session April 1998
Woodrow A. Myers
Park Weed Willis, III
New Fellows Inducted at Annual Session April 1998
| William E. Barrie Ali M. Dagher Joudat M. Daoud Clifford S. Hale Walid A.Harb Dorothy M. Kahkonen Jitendra P. Katneni Anthony King Edward J. Kryshak Christian McTurk Leo R. Murskyj Bashar I. Nakhleh |
Mona Z. Obeidy Gilbert S. Omenn Paul A. Ragatzki Rajindar K. Sikand Enrico C. Sobong Mark T. Spoolstra Ranjan K. Thakru Basim A. Towfiq Artemios B. Vassos Richard H. Wakulat, Jr. Jeffrey P. Yanez |
In my personal contact with many of you, I do know and believe that many of you qualify for advancement to Fellowship and therefore to refresh your memory and give you some guidelines, listed below are the four pathways for advancement:
The Candidate Must:
- Be certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine. Members residing in Quebec Province have the option of being certified by the College des Medecins du Quebec.
- Have been a Member in good standing for 2 years and in practice or in an academic position for at least 2 years since completion of training.
- Have an active medical license in good standing (if in clinical practice).
- Have confined his or her professional activity to internal medicine or a subspecialty of internal medicine.
- Be proposed and seconded by two current ACP Masters or Fellows with reference to character, ethics, and medical activities. The proposer and seconder must each write Detailed letters of support for the candidate, outlining professional contributions and accomplishments. Be endorsed by the appropriate College Governor.
- Have shown continuing scholarship and professional accomplishments.
- Document continuing professional activities, including teaching, both institutional and community-based; hospital work; and public service and community activities; as well as participation in continuing medical education activities as both teacher and student.
The following four pathways are not intended to be mutually exclusive and are provided as guidelines necessary to attain Fellowship:
PATHWAY 1 - The candidate must meet basic College requirements with an emphasis on demonstrated skill in written medical communication.
PATHWAY 2 - The candidate must meet basic College requirements with an emphasis on significant and continuing certification activities and/or teaching, both institutional and community-based, and/or community activities that indicate professional achievement and scholarship. Recertification; participation in MKSAP with a passing score; certificates of special competence in adolescent medicine, critical care medicine, clinical cardiac electrophysiology, geriatrics, and sports medicine; or subspecialty certification are usually required for this pathway but by themselves are not adequate. Exceptional candidates with outstanding scholarly and/or teaching and/or community and American College of Physicians activities may qualify even without fulfilling the MKSAP or subspecialty certification or recertification requirement.
PATHWAY 3 - The candidate must meet basic College requirements with an emphasis on active membership in the College for at least 10 years, with substantial participation in College programs and activities as well as demonstration of other professional accomplishments. Outstanding candidates who have been Members for fewer than 10 years may qualify by combining Pathways 1 and/or 2 with Pathway 3.
PATHWAY 4 - The candidate must meet basic College requirements with an emphasis on distinguished professional activity in teaching, patient care, or professional service over many years.
Tribute To Raymond H. Murray, MD, FACP
A heartfelt thank you is given at this time to Dr. Raymond Murray, who performed an outstanding job leading the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians for the past four years. Dr. Murray is a scholar, a gentleman, a mentor and friend to all of us. Please join us in recognizing him appropriately at our Michigan Chapter's meeting in Traverse City in September.
ACP/ASIM Merger
We would like to let you know, the constituency, that the merger between the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Internal Medicine is on schedule and that by September at the latest, the official title for the society will be:
The American College of Physicians/American Society of Internal Medicine - (ACP/ASIM).
On that note, Joseph J. Weiss, MD, FACP, and member of the Board, Michigan State Medical Society gives an MSIM Perspective:
"The Michigan Society of Internal Medicine (MSIM) looks forward to the merger with the Michigan Chapter of the ACP. The combined groups strengthen the ability of Michigan internists to intercede on their own behalf in two areas: 1) reimbursement issues with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and 2) State legislation on medical practice matters. ACP brings the power of numbers, MSIM provides the channel to use that strength effectively."
BCBS- Over the last nine years, ASIM has met quarterly with representatives from BCBS to discuss member concerns on the amount of payment for services, timely reimbursement, adequacy of the appeals process, validity of BCBS physician profiling, discrepancies in payments between office based, hospital or outpatient based physicians, fairness of audits etc. The current medical economic committee of Ashok Gupta, Joe Weiss and Jack Billi has the experience to provide the same assistance for MI. ACP members. Dr. Billi is particularly suited to represent ACP because of his ties with the University of Michigan's M-Care program. His research interest in the financial aspect of managed care in academia, and his past experience in reviewing the findings and flaws of BCBS as a fiscal intermediary.
Legislation- MSIM presently has representation on the Michigan State Medical Society Legisl ation and Regulation Committee. This committee sets the agenda for the lobbying efforts of the society with the state legislature. While ACP-ASIM will intercede at the Federal level, there is a large area of medical regulation left to state discretion. Issues include: Interstate medicine-Page Malpractice liability could fall heavily on internists who act on improper information from out of state or off shore physicians, who as yet need not be licensed in the State of Michigan; State physician data base and the information it will include. The present Michigan State Medical Society legislation members Drs. Howard Goldberg and Joseph Weiss stand ready to take MACP policy in these areas to the state society.
Summary from MSMS Board Activities of Interest to ACP Members
Joseph J. Weiss, MD, FACP
The Michigan State Medical Society Board of Directors met Friday, May 1, 1998 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in conjunction with the annual House of Delegates Meeting. The following are highlights of interest to ACP members.
The State Courts and Michigan Physicians
Mr. Richard Sever, MSMS council, brought us up to date on challenges to malpractice reform. In two separate circuit court jurisdictions, judges ruled that malpractice damage cap violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. This issue may eventually come to the State Supreme Court, through the local decision at this time, only affects the particular case each judge ruled upon.
Mr. Weber also informed the Board's attention that the State False Claims statues are constitutional and can include physicians when no criminal intent by the physician was involved. That is, any remuneration be it money, or hockey tickets can be construed as a referral fee by the courts and is illegal. The court case that led to this interpretation of the law is being appealed.
Other legal news included that the Governor has signed the Peer Review Bill. Discussion and decisions on doctors in health care setting in which physicians do peer review, is now privileged information. These peer review groups have immunity from suit when undertaking discipline or assessing competency.
MSMS and Medical Education
Efforts by MSMS led to a return of $8.3 of Medicaid Funds for graduate medical education and residencies. New regulations on prescription use by the Board of Pharmacy, created and implemented without any physician input, prompted the Board to call for a suspension of these new rules, and review of state agency rule making on medical matters. The Board noted that the practice of medicine is physician regulated. New rules as instituted by the Pharmacy Board summarily require physician participation; if a breech in communication occurs, as is likely in this case, the Medical Society feels justified to act quickly to prevent perpetuation administration error.
The Board also approved MSMS lobbying efforts in the S.B. 200 which bans physician assisted suicide. Amendments offered by MSMS created a safeguard for physicians ordering high doses of analgesia which run a risk of creating a life threatening apnea.
In Remembrance
Beverly C. Payne, MD, FACP
November 18, 1920 - March 01, 1998
The Michigan Chapter lost part of its heart and soul with the recent death of Beverly C. Payne. Although inactive in the last few years due to the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease and a malignant brain tumor. For almost 50 years, he had been active in the College in Michigan and at the National level.
He played a major role in the formation of the Michigan Chapter and was the principal architect of the Laureate Award- a concept which has been adapted by most of the other ACP Chapters in the country. He was a member of the Council and Chairman of the Awards Committee for many years and served as Governor of the Michigan Chapter and was on an elected Regent of the ACP serving on the Board of Regents and on various committees for many years. The Michigan Chapter in 1989 over his strenuous objection that it was somehow improper, was awarded the Laureate Award in appreciation for the multiple major influences he had on the structure and function of the Chapter.
Dr. Payne was an investigator and scientist who did pioneering work in the analysis of health care delivery and in the development of standards for assessment of quality of medical care. He was a member of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan where he served as a clinical faculty member and Research Scientist. He published 29 articles and a book between 1963 and 1991 reporting on his research and observation on health care.
For his multiple contributions to the College and to medical practice, he was awarded Mastership in the American College of Physicians- its highest level of membership-a recognition enjoyed by only a few other Michigan internists.
Most of all however, Beverly Payne was a brilliant, warm, loving physician-a general internist par excellance- a role model for colleagues, house officers and students- who maintained an active private practice in Ann Arbor for four to six years. As stated eloquently in his obituary in the Ann Arbor News- "He couldn't hammer a nail straight or change a spark plug, but he routinely arrived at the Emergency Room in the middle of the night, in coat and tie, smiling. His phone number was never unlisted. He lived well and was deeply loved in return. His memory will be cherished by us all".
Park W. Willis, III, MD, MACP
In Memoriam
John Sigler, MD, FACP passed away on April 18, 1998 at Henry Ford Hospital at the age of 80. Dr. Sigler, an internationally known rheumatologist whose career at Henry Ford Hospital spanned more than 50 years, helped develop a a rheumatology training program for internists in the late 1940's. Among other distinguished awards, Dr. Sigler received the Laureate Award of the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians in 1986. He will be sorely missed by all that knew him.
Jan Rival, MD, FACP
Ways in Which to Contact Your Governor - Effective April, 1998
The Michigan Chapter, A.C.P. has now moved to a new location at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. You can reach either myself or my Administrative Assistant, Darlene Gompers in any of the following ways:
Write:
Michigan Chapter ACP-ASIM
C/0 Henry Ford Hospital
2799 West Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI. 48202
ATT: Room B-1540, K-15
Call: 800-247-2485 (Michigan residents only) or (313) 876-1403
Fax: 313-876-1409
E-mail: Jrival1@HFHS.org
Please let me know of your ideas, concerns, criticisms
What's New
Contact Information
Ruth Hoppe
Governor, Michigan Chapter
Marty Muth
Michigan Chapter Staff
Phone: 517-353-9548
Fax: 517-353-9604