TOP STORIES

Assembly Democrats remove harmful liability-expansion item from biennial budget

In their preparations for debate on the 2009-2011 state biennial budget bill, Assembly Democrats voted in closed caucus yesterday afternoon to remove the troublesome joint and several liability-expansion provision from the biennial budget.

An amendment to officially remove the provision will come when the full Assembly votes on the budget today. Rep. Louis Molepske Jr. (D-Stevens Point) and Rep. Mary Hubler (D-Rice Lake) sponsored the motion to remove the provision, which was approved via a show of hands in the caucus.

The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) was one of the first organizations to publicly laud the decision yesterday, with Society President Robert Jaeger, MD, releasing this statement praising the Assembly and asking State Senate members to follow suit when that house receives the budget bill, which will probably happen next week. Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s coverage of the Assembly Democrats’ action here.

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Society leadership welcomes President Obama to Green Bay

Society CEO/EVP Susan Turney, MD, and Senior Vice President Tim Bartholow, MD, helped represent Wisconsin’s health care leaders today in welcoming President Barack Obama to Green Bay for a health care reform “town hall” meeting at Green Bay Southwest High School.

The Society has been in close contact with the Wisconsin Congressional delegation and the staff of key Congressional committees over the last several months as discussions on national health care reform heat up. Wisconsin's health care record has received national attention recently, including this morning’s story in the Washington Post, which cited our state’s success at providing high-quality health care more efficiently than most other states.

The Society will continue to work with our delegation, the American Medical Association and other health care leaders to stress that any national health care reform must promote the Wisconsin ethic of “value, not volume.”

For more information, contact Tim Bartholow, MD, or Mark Grapentine, JD.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Fund Board considers language to define ‘direction and supervision’

The Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund) is considering a new administrative rule to clarify existing law regarding Fund coverage for employees of health care professionals who participate in the Fund.

The proposed rule defines when an employee of a health care professional is under the “direction and supervision” of a physician or nurse anesthetist for inclusion under the employer's Fund coverage. Current law does not allow the Fund to cover an employee unless there is “direction and supervision” by a physician or nurse anesthetist, but the statutes do not define that phrase.

Under the proposal, health care services considered to be under the “direction and supervision” of a physician or nurse anesthetist would include one of the following:

• services provided within the scope of the practitioner’s professional license (This health care professional would be subject to a quality assurance program, peer review process or similar program or process that is designed to ensure competent, high-quality patient care with participation by a physician or nurse anesthetist.)
• services provided by the health care professional within the scope of standing orders, protocols, procedures or clinical practice guidelines established or approved by a physician or nurse anesthetist

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Gov. Doyle announces new health insurance program for low-income adults

This week Gov. Jim Doyle announced an addition to the state’s BadgerCare Plus health care program for low-income families. The new program, the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan, is a limited benefit for low-income Wisconsin residents who do not have dependent children and who are uninsured for the long term.

Single individuals with a monthly income at or below $1,805 and married couples with a joint monthly income at or below $2,428.33 may be eligible for the program. Registration begins June 15, and benefits for some patients will begin immediately.

For more information, visit www.badgercareplus.org. Questions about eligibility should be directed to the program’s Enrollment Services Center at 800.291.2002.

AMA continues to aid Society’s efforts to defend integrity of Fund and protect Wisconsin’s medical liability environment

The Litigation Center of the American Medical Association (AMA) is providing support to the Society to aid the Society’s litigation of a suit challenging the State of Wisconsin’s raid on the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund).

The AMA is expected to join Wisconsin physician groups in requesting permission from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals to file an amicus brief in the lawsuit to protect the Fund. From 2004 to date, the AMA has contributed more than $125,000 in amicus and other support to assist the Society’s efforts to protect the Fund and preserve Wisconsin’s relatively stable medical liability environment.

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Medicare expands coverage of PET scans for cancer screening

Since 2005, Medicare coverage of PET scans for diagnosing some forms of cancer has been tied to a requirement that providers collect clinical information about how the scans have affected physicians’ treatment decisions and report it to the National Oncologic PET Registry. However, a national coverage determination (NCD) recently issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has removed this requirement.

The NCD expands coverage for initial testing with PET scans for Medicare patients diagnosed with most types of solid tumor cancers.

For more information, view the CMS press release.

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IN MEMORIAM

Farley remembered for her dedication to health care reform

Linda Farley, MD, the 1995 recipient of the Society’s Physician Citizen of the Year award, passed away Tuesday at age 80. Farley was known for her calm and cheerful demeanor, as well as her leadership in grassroots efforts to reform health care, promote civil liberties and help the environment.

Read more about Dr. Farley and her work in this article from yesterday’s edition of The Capital Times.

Foundation mourns loss of trustee

John R. Petersen, MD, a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation’s Board of Trustees for the past 12 years, passed away peacefully at home June 4 after a brief illness. He will be remembered fondly as a mentor, colleague and friend. Doctor Petersen was especially active on the Foundation’s Grant and Finance Committees. He skillfully guided the Foundation through some difficult financial issues and was instrumental in developing the framework for the successful expansion of our grant and fellowship programs in recent years. The impact of his efforts will continue through the students, patients and communities touched by these programs.

In lieu of flowers, the doctor’s family has requested that memorials go to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra or a charity of your choice. The Foundation will direct any donations received in memory of Dr. Petersen toward a fellowship in his memory next spring, and we will notify his family of all donations received. Doctor Petersen believed strongly in the value of the fellowship experiences the Foundation provides, so it’s an especially fitting tribute. To donate through the Foundation’s Tribute Program, click here.

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NEWSMAKERS

Oshkosh physician inducted as ACR fellow

Fred E. Klein, MD, vice president and diagnostic radiologist at Radiology Associates of the Fox Valley, was inducted as a fellow in the American College of Radiology (ACR) at the group’s annual meeting, which took place May 2-6.

Doctor Klein is a member of the ACR, the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin State Radiological Society and the American Society of Neuroradiology. He is also a physician member of the Board of Directors for Affinity Medical System.

For more information about this fellowship or the ACR, contact Stephanie Saltzberg.

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YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Joint Commission proposes new requirements for Hospital Accreditation Program

The Joint Commission is proposing new requirements for the Hospital Accreditation Program in an effort to advance effective communication, cultural competence and patient-centered care.

The Joint Commission would like your feedback regarding the value of the proposed requirements and the ability of hospitals to implement them. Please take the time to review and comment on them here. Comments will be gathered through July 20.

Click here to read more...

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FOUNDATION FOCUS

Scholarship awards announced

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved scholarship recipients for the 2009-2010 school year at its meeting last week. These awards, in addition to those approved earlier in the year, bring the total of all scholarships and awards to $73,100 for 2009.

We are especially grateful to Donald Gore, MD, for his generosity, which has allowed us to once again award the Robert “Jason” Gore Scholarship in memory of Dr. Gore’s grandson, who lost his life during the war in Iraq. We are also pleased to honor the life of former Foundation Trustee Catherine Slota-Varma, MD, by awarding the first scholarship from her memorial fund this year.

For a list of all 2009 scholarship and award recipients, click here.

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QUALITY CORNER

Accountability in health care: A Texas case study

In his June 1 article in The New Yorker (“The cost conundrum: What a Texas town can teach us about health care”), Atul Gawande, MD, visits McAllen, Texas, the country’s most expensive place for health care, to understand why health care costs vary from place to place. He concludes that when it comes to providing high-quality, low-cost care, the issue is not who pays the doctor but that someone must be accountable for the sum total of patient care. To view the article, click here.

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FAQ

Question:
What is the IV League?

Answer:
The IV League is a new group of Foundation donors who commit to stepping forward as leaders in supporting medical and health education in Wisconsin. With a gift of $1000 or more, you too can become a member of the IV League. For more information, click here.