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September 2010 |
Carrie A. Horwitch, MD, MPH, FACP, Governor
 Many
people ask me why I became active in the ACP. As a physician I
appreciate having a professional medical home. An organization
with a diverse population of health care providers that want to improve
patient care, maintain the highest ethical standards of practice,
continue to expand our knowledge and be a strong voice at the policy
making table with legislation that affects the health and well-being of
millions. That "home", outside of my primary practice venue, is
the ACP.
It was important for me as your new governor to
learn why you are members of ACP, what benefits you enjoy from this
organization and what can our Washington Chapter of ACP do to enhance
your membership in this wonderful organization. Earlier this
summer we sent out an email survey to our members asking the questions:
Why do you belong to the ACP? What more can we do as a chapter to
enhance those benefits? Thank you to those members who took the time to
answer the survey. We learned that medical education, ACP
publications, patient care and professionalism, and advocacy were the
main benefits for ACP membership. The respondents wanted
additional educational offerings (outside of the annual meeting and
outside of Seattle), leadership development activities, social
networking and advocacy training.
The WC-ACP council had a
recent strategic planning retreat to discuss the survey results.
We are in the process of expanding and planning new activities for our
chapter. We have formed several committees to assist with
fulfilling our strategic plan.
- Membership/Outreach committee
- Education Committee
- Advocacy and public policy committee
- Council of Young Physicians
- Associates council
- Medical Students committee (Osler club members)
- Chapter infrastructure
- Women in Medicine
- Awards committee
- Nominations committee
Help
us also to identify worthy candidates for our chapter awards: community
service award, Golden Apple award, and internist of the year
award. We know there are many physicians in this state that
deserve to be recognized please go to the link in this newsletter to
submit your nominations.
We have 2 exciting upcoming
events for our chapter. There will be our first Council of Young
Physicians (MDs within 16 yrs of graduation from med school-it is not
based on age!) event will take place on October 14 2010 at 6:00pm-8:30
pm. See information in this newsletter for more details.
Nov
4-6 we will have our annual chapter meeting at Bell Harbor Convention
Center, Seattle. This year once again we have 2 great pre-courses,
excellent speakers and relevant topics to the practice of
medicine. We are also fortunate to have Mr. Robert Doherty, Senior
vice president for governmental affairs and public policy from the
Washington ACP office, give us an update on the recent health care
reform legislation and ACPs ongoing advocacy efforts. You can
visit his award winning blog at www.acponline.org and go to the advocacy page.
To quote from the pre-eminent physician, Sir William Osler on medical societies:
"Be involved in professional associations.
You
cannot afford to stand aloof from your professional colleagues in any
place. Join their associations, mingle in their meetings, giving of the
best of your talents, gathering here, scattering there; but everywhere
showing that you are at all times faithful students, as willing to teach
as to be taught".
Many members have asked how they can
become more involved in ACP. Here is your opportunity to make a
difference. Please contact Jan Larsen at jal@wsma.org
if you would be interested in serving on a committee or just being
called upon to be a host of an event- we especially would like to have
involvement from those members outside of Seattle to help us bring more
of ACP's great benefits closer to your homes and work places. |
| Health Reform and SGR Update |
by Bruce Smith, FACP
Chair, Chapter Advocacy / Public Policy Committee
Health
reform remains a hot topic on the fall campaign trail, even as the
latest data from the census bureau show record levels of uninsured
Americans last year (50 million!). The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, aka PPACA, has been renamed as just the Affordable
Care Act, or ACA, to be compliant with the TLA (three letter acronym)
rule. The actual rule making and implementation details of the ACA
are now being written by various federal agencies. These details
are so numerous and the updates so fluid that any summary in this
newsletter would be both incomplete and obsolete in the interval between
my writing and your reading it. Instead, I urge you to keep
abreast of key developments "in the moment" by subscribing to any number
of health care news services. My favorite is Kaiser Health News ( http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/).
It's a free and relatively unbiased nonprofit news organization focused
on health care policy and politics. You can sign up for once- or
twice-daily, weekly, or monthly email updates. Other options were
listed in the last newsletter. The Dept. of Health and Human Services has crafted a very informative website about many aspects of the ACA at: http://www.healthcare.gov/index.html.
It seems both patient and physician friendly. A concise (?) 91
page summary of the legislation has been prepared by the ACP Washington,
DC staff and is available at the ACP website: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/access/int_prac_guide.pdf. The
recurring nightmare of the Sustainable Growth Factor and its effect on
Medicare reimbursement is still with us. Congress has "kicked the
can down the road" 4 times this year, but the tab comes due again on
November 30, 2010 when a 20% reduction in fee-for-service Medicare
reimbursement will again take effect, barring new legislation.
Predictions are that Congress will not take up this topic before the
mid-term elections, so it will likely fall to a "lame duck" Congress in
November or December to deal with this crisis. Our current
congressional delegation has generally been predictable in their party
line support, or lack thereof, for legislation to postpone these
cuts. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have both been
supportive of long-term solutions for the SGR quandary, but to no
avail. You can expect a major push by ACP and other medical
organizations in November to stave off the scheduled / mandated 20%
cuts. The College advocates an approach that would guarantee no
cut in payments for at least three-and-a-half years while beginning a
transition to a better permanent system for determining annual Medicare
payment updates. Stay tuned. |
| Associates' Corner |
by Christine Palermo, MD
Leadership Day - Update on Ongoing Congressional Activities
On
August 19th 2010, Congressman Reichert and his legislative aides spent
time visiting with several ACP associates at the Virginia Mason
Residents' Clinic at the King County Eastgate Public Health Clinic in
Bellevue, Washington. This visit came about as part of associates'
congressional contacts and relationships built through the ACP
Leadership Day Program. The goals of these visits are to provide
opportunities for our legislators to observe a public-private
partnership program that both addresses our need to recruit and train
young physicians for primary care and to provide health care to the
under- and un-insured. This visit was coordinated in collaboration
with King County Public Health. |
| Annual Scientific Meeting - November 4-6, 2010 | | Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Seattle, WA
Be sure to register by October 15 to Save!
Enhance your clinical knowledge and skills, earning CME credits, network with colleagues.
This year's meeting promises to deliver another great program with
excellent presenters and topics. Highlights include:
- 14 CME Credits, with an additional 3.75 Pre-course Credits available
- Pre-courses on Behavior Medicine and Hospital Medicine
- Associates' activities including oral presentations, poster presentations, Medical Jeopardy, and a Board Review Course
- Special Interest Groups and Workshops
Access a meeting brochure, registration form, and even register online at www.washingtonacp.org/2010meeting |
| 2010-2011 Election Slate | | In
accordance with chapter bylaws, the 2010-2011 Nominations Committee
propose the following Slate of Officers and Councilors for election by
the membership at the Annual Business Meeting to be held, 12 Noon on
Friday, November 5, 2010 at the Bell Harbor International Conference
Center in Seattle, Washington.
Secretary/Treasurer (term ending 2011): Rebecca Ruud, MD, FACP, Mercer Island
Council Position (term ending 2012): David C. Dugdale III, MD, FACP, Seattle
Council Position (term ending 2012): Jeffery S. Clarke, MD, FACP, Wenatchee
Council Position (term ending 2012): Michael C. Soung, MD, Seattle
Council Position (term ending 2012): Mohammad Saleem Memon, MD, FACP, Aberdeen |
| Call for Chapter Internist Award Nominations - Respond by October 1 |
By Paul Smith MD FACP, Chapter Award Chair, gimpas@vmmc.org; 206-920-5425To recognize the outstanding efforts of internists in our state, we need your nominations! Click here to access a streamlined electronic award nomination form. Washington state ACP chapter has three awards available for deserving internists in our community. Washington ACP Internist of the YearWe
seek to honor a community-based internist considered to be a role model
by his or her peers. Nominees should possess excellent clinical skills,
dedication to patients, enthusiasm for medical practice, leadership,
and the ability to maintain humanity and a healthy balance between
professional and personal interests that we can all strive to emulate.
Internists who have championed innovations in practice to promote
healthy patient behaviors will be given special consideration ACP Community Service AwardWe
seek to recognize an internist or group of internists who have an
exceptionally positive impact on their community through volunteer
activities ACP Golden Apple AwardWe seek to
honor volunteer teachers who have made a substantial contribution to the
education of medical or other health profession students in his/her
community. Balancing teaching with all the other demands of our
profession is an important contribution to the future of internal
medicine. Please take a few minutes to tell us who is deserving
of recognition from their colleagues. Awards will be presented at this
year's Washington Chapter ACP Annual Meeting, November 4-6 in Seattle,
Washington. |
| Young Physicians' Corner |
I am happy to announce that our Washington
Chapter now has a Council of Young Physicians (WCYP). The WCYP invites
you to attend a dinner symposium
on October 14, 2010. Tom Pedreira JD will speak
on "Physician Contracts: Legal Tips for Negotiating a Better Deal".
While this event is free for ACP members, registration is required.
Please RSVP to ajw@wsma.org.
Young Physician members should receive an invitation in
mail too. I encourage you to respond with other topics of
interest to help us better serve your needs.
You can find more resources for Young Physicians on ACP's newly redesigned webpage at: http://www.acponline.org/membership/benefits/for_young_physicians/index.html
I welcome your questions and comments. |
| Call for Spring 2011 ACP Resolutions | | The
resolution process is one way for you to become involved in the policy
of the American College of Physicians. I encourage you to think
about areas that are important to you in your practice and in the field
of medicine in general. Please consider submitting a resolution
for consideration at the Spring ACP Board of Governors Meeting.
You may submit the resolution directly to our chapter executive, Jan
Larsen (jal@wsma.org), which will then be discussed by your Washington Chapter ACP Council. There is information on the main ACP homepage on how to write a resolution. Thank you and I hope to see many of you at our upcoming Washington Chapter ACP Meeting, November 4-6, 2010 at Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle. |
| Congratulations New Fellows | Paul D Bunge, MD FACP Olympia
Jeffery S Clarke, MD FACP Wenatchee
Robert C Hansen, MD FACP Redmond
Mary B Laya, MD FACP Seattle
Christopher H Smith, MD FACP Seattle
Vasanthi S Gowri, MBBS FACP Bothell
Flint W Orr, MD FACP Grandview
Julie A Pattison, MD FACP Seattle
Jorge G Tobar, MD FACP Kennewick |
Welcome New Members
| |
Ranee N B Affotey, MD Puyallup; Anita Afzali, MD Seattle; Nicole C Ahrenholz, MD Seattle; Lindsy J Alanis, MD Bothell; Jennifer Aquino, MD Kennewick; Sandeep Atwal, MBBS Puyallup; Suhail G Bahu, MD Longview; Ramon Roland I Basa, MD Gig Harbor; Julia H Becke, MD Seattle; Joy Bucher, MD Seattle; Vlastimil Joseph M Calayan, MD Sunnyside; Yi-Ching Chen, MD Olympia; Andrew M Cheng, MD Seattle; Basak Coruh, MD Seattle; Nkeiruka C Duze, MD Bellevue; Geetha Easwaran, MD Redmond; Dana C Fong, MD PhD Seattle; Stephanie M Fosback, MD Pullman; Dany E Ghannam, MD Richland; George F Gleva, MD Puyallup; Bhawna Gupta, MBBS Lacey; Laine M Hall, MD Kirkland; Ayesha Mansoor Haq, MD Bellevue; Matthew E Hartman, MD PhD Seattle; Taimoor Hashim, MD Burien; Jenny B Hobbs, MD Seattle; Mahakit Inklab, MD Bellevue; Christopher S Jack, MD Mercer Island; Maryam Jamshidi, MD Vancouver; Lubna N Khan, MD Bellevue; Yousef J Khelfa, MD Redmond; Alice J Kim, MD Seattle; Bozena Kocztorz, MD Tumwater; Jen L Koon, MD Olympia; Hetal P Kothari, MBBS Olympia; Vijendra Kotturi, MD Seattle; Aaron J Krohn, MD Seattle; Scott B Lancaster, DO Yakima; Christian C Lanot, MD Kennewick; Tyler Lee, MD Seattle; Juliet Liu, MD Seattle;Sarita M Mahtani, MD Bothell; David B Min, MD Seattle; Samuel T Nadler, MD PhD Seattle; Murali K Nair, MBBS Spokane; Khue-Dung Lucy Nguyen, MD Seattle; Matthew D Olsen, DO Seattle; Johnnie J Orozco, MD Seattle; Joanne Lynn N Perez, MD College Place; Akhil None Raghuram, MD, MS Vancouver; Christian B Ramers, MD Seattle; Ramtin T Ramsey, MBBch Kelso; Priya Rao, MBBS Redmond; Audrey P Routt, MD Valleyford; Evelyn A Rubin, MD Kennewick; Jason R Shattuck, MD Wenatchee; Aaron C Shur, MD Seattle; Raminder Singh, MBBS Tacoma; Toby I Sinton, MD Seattle; June T Spector, MD Seattle; Jennifer Swanson, MD Port Angeles; Kelly G Thurmon, DO Kelso; Connie Ruth J Tomada, MD Silverdale; Jon Rupert T Tomada, MD Silverdale; Noda S Torres, MD Kennewick; Tracy Tylee, MD Seattle; Francis T Wiser, DO Centralia; Alison P Wright, MD Seattle; Lorena A Wright, MD Seattle; Lawrence M Yuen, MD Vancouver |
| Calendar of Events | September
24 - 26, 2010
WSMA Annual Meeting
Tacoma, WA
November 4-6, 2010
WC-ACP Annual Scientific Meeting
Bell Harbor International Conference Center
Seattle, WA
January
24,
2011
WSMA Legislative Summit
Olympia, WA
April 7 - 9,
2011
ACP Internal Medicine 2011
San Diego, CA
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| Quality Improvement Course for Physicians and Clinical Support Staff | An
educational program for primary care physicians and clinical support
staff will be offered at no cost on the morning of Friday, September 24,
2010 at the Tacoma Marriott Hotel beginning at 7:30 a.m. The program
immediately precedes the WSMA Board meeting and other programs that open
the WSMA annual meeting in Tacoma.
This is the initial program
in a planned series of learning sessions sponsored by the Clinical
Performance Improvement Network (CPIN) . The learning session will
feature Ed Walker, MD, MHA, founding director of the UW Healthcare
Leadership Development Alliance, speaking on the importance of physician
leadership and engagement in quality improvement efforts at the
practice level and Susanne Quistgaard, MD, family medicine physician at
Edmonds Family Medicine Clinic, who will speak on using disease
registries to improve outcomes by tracking patients with chronic
conditions over time.
The hotel address is 1515 Commerce Street
in downtown Tacoma. Parking is available at the hotel and nearby; a
continental breakfast will be available. AMA Category 1 Continuing
Medical Education (CME) credit will be given to course participants and
AAFP Preferred credit is pending.
Advance registration is not
required, but an RSVP to help plan for the continental breakfast would
be appreciated. If you plan to attend, please send an email to Lance@wsma.org
with the words "Sept 24" in the subject line and indicating how many
people from your practice will be attending. For additional information,
please contact Lance Heineccius at WSMA at (206) 956-3657. |
| New ACP Resource: An Internist's Practical Guide to Understanding Health System Reform | A
practical resource guide for internists on recently-enacted health care
reform legislation and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA), is now available on ACP Online for ACP Members and the general
public.
An Internist's Practical Guide to Understanding Health System Reform
was developed by ACP's Division of Governmental Affairs and Public
Policy, a significant player in helping to shape this year's health care
reform legislation.
This 91-page document features the 'nuts and
bolts' of the key provisions in the PPACA that we believe will be of
particular interest to internists and their patients. The Internist's
Guide features a summary of key health system reforms affecting patients
as well as internists. The summaries precede some 80 pages of Q & A
covering years 2010 to 2015 and beyond when various parts of the
legislation take effect.
Whether you agree with the health reform
law or not, ACP believes you will find An Internist's Practical Guide
to Understanding Health System Reform to be one of the most
comprehensive, clear, and objective explanation of the new law, and what
it might mean for internists and their patients. |
| NEW! HEALTH NoTES on Adult Vaccines | The
ACP Foundation launched a new tool called HEALTH NoTES on Adult
Vaccines. It will help facilitate physician-patient communication and
contains key information that reinforces physician information. HEALTH
NoTES are FREE and available in English and Spanish.
To order your free HEALTH NoTES on Adult Vaccines, visit the ACP Foundation website at www.acpfoundation.org/patients/health-notes.htm.
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| Immunization Update 2010: Emerging Issues in Flu and Other Immunizations | Washington
State Department of Health and Swedish Medical Center invite you
to attend this special event featuring guest speaker, Rear Admiral Anne
Schuchat, MD. Dr. Schuchat will educate providers about changes to
the recommended immunization schedules, changes to flu vaccine
recommendations, and strategies to increase immunization rates to
improve quality of care and ensure all people get the immunizations
recommended for them.
October 8, 2010; 7:00 to 8:30 AM - Swedish Medical Center, Main Auditorium, Cherry Hill Campus
Registration is not required. Click here to view more details. |
The Washington Chapter
regularly sends messages about its programs and services of interest to
members. The Chapter has contracted with Constant Contact to
facilitate this service. ACP respects your privacy and will not sell or lease,
or share your email address with any organization except for the purpose of
communicating with members about Chapter business.
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| | Washington Chapter - ACP |
2033 6th Ave Ste 1100 | Seattle, WA 98121
Ph: 800.552.0612 Ext. 3026 | F: 206.441.5863
Jan Larsen, Executive Administrator | Email: jal@wsma.org
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