Medigram - March 26, 2009 | Wisconsin Medical Society

TOP STORY

Wisconsin med students flock toward primary-care positions on Match Day

March 19 was a big day for medical students throughout the country. It wasn’t St. Patrick’s Day or the first day of spring: It was Match Day, the day med students discover their residency-program placements for the next three to five years.

UW-Madison’s med school matched its 170 students to their desired residency positions at a record rate of 96 percent, while the Medical College of Wisconsin received matches for 194 of its 203 graduating seniors.

This year’s Match Day also turned out to be a big win for primary care and the future of Wisconsin health care. About 40 percent of UW students chose fields such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics as their specialty, and about 30 percent of the Medical College grads did the same.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Waukesha County participants needed for National Children’s Study

The nation is about to embark upon a landmark epidemiological study of environmental and genetic influences on children’s health, and Waukesha County residents are being tapped to participate in the effort.

Known as the National Children’s Study (NCS), the project will track 100,000 children nationwide, including 1,250 from Waukesha County, one of the population centers the researchers selected during their probability-sampling process. Congress authorized the study as part of the Children’s Health Act of 2000, and the National Institutes of Health is leading the effort. Locally, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a variety of research and community partners will gather data.

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AMA announces physician class action against WellPoint

Expanding its ongoing effort to expose and prohibit an industry-wide health insurance scheme to defraud patients and physicians of proper reimbursement, the American Medical Association (AMA) is among several medical societies that has filed a class action lawsuit against WellPoint, Inc., the largest health insurer in the United States.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in Los Angeles federal court, alleges that WellPoint colluded with others to underpay physicians for out-of-network medical services, resulting in patients paying an excessive portion of the medical bill. The AMA filed similar class action lawsuits last month against Aetna Health, Inc. and CIGNA Corporation.

Click here to read AMA’s press release. Click here to view the legal complaint.

Comment period on rescission of federal ‘conscience clause’ rule ends soon

In the final days of the Bush Administration, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule that broadens and clarifies existing federal law related to health care workers’ rights to refuse to perform or assist with certain medical procedures such as abortion and sterilization. The existing federal laws, along with the new rule, allow workers to object to performing or assisting on such procedures due to moral or religious grounds. Laws giving such rights to object are commonly referred to as a “conscience clause” or “refusal clause.” President Obama’s HHS team issued a proposed rule that would rescind the conscience clause provision issued during the Bush Administration.

The public can comment on the proposed rule, which would rescind the prior rule, until April 9. The proposed rule, published in the March 10 edition of the Federal Register, can be viewed here. An in-depth look at these regulations will appear in the next issue of the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

RFS Annual Meeting March 30

The annual meeting of the Wisconsin Medical Society’s Resident Fellow Section (RFS) will take place at noon March 30 at the Society headquarters. Elections for a variety of leadership positions will occur at this time. For RFS members who prefer to call in to the meeting, phone 866.642.1665 and enter passcode 297230. For more information, contact Melissa Breen at 866.442.3801, ext. 3744.

Hospital physicians invited to participate in March 30 teleconference

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Wisconsin Node is hosting a teleconference in conjunction with the IHI Sprint Challenge on March 30 from 2-3 p.m. (See related article in March 19 Medigram.) Alex B. Haynes, MD, MPH will discuss the surgical safety checklist as a way to reduce morbidity and mortality. Doctor Haynes studied the impact of using a surgical checklist to improve surgical team communication and consistency of care. To register for the call, e-mail Jennifer Parisi of MetaStar.

YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Regulations proposed by IRS could affect physicians

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking related to withholding under section 3402(t) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) on December 5, 2008. The proposed regulations reflect changes in the law made by the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA), which requires federal, state and local government entities to withhold 3 percent of all payments made for services or property after December 31, 2010, or six months after the publication of the final rules. You can view the proposed rules by clicking here.

The proposed regulations have generated concerns in the health care community for a number of reasons. Click here to read more…

QUALITY & EFFICIENCY

EHR vendor fair to offer hands-on demonstrations and expert advice

Receive a hands-on introduction to electronic health records (EHR) systems at the Society’s EHR Systems Exhibition Day June 23 at the Holiday Inn of Fond du Lac. A variety of EHR vendors, selected by the Society, will demonstrate how their products work, answer questions and distribute information about their systems’ features.

While the Society is not endorsing any EHR systems, we have questioned potential vendors, and only invited those whose answers show their product meets the functionality, security and interoperability standards necessary. Our goal is to help you choose a system that meets your practice’s needs both in the short term and over the long haul.

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F.Y.I. FOR YOUR INSURANCE

Upcoming risk management program offers CME

The Wisconsin Medical Society and ProAssurance Wisconsin (formerly PIC WISCONSIN) have teamed up to offer a series of four risk management programs that can help you earn CME and save money. The second program in the series, “From the Exam Room to the Courtroom,” is being presented during the Society’s Annual meeting April 17 from noon to 2 p.m. Click here for more information.

In addition to receiving CME, as part of ProAssurance Wisconsin’s 2009 Society Member Benefit Program, eligible members can quality for an additional 2.5 percent premium discount by attending one of these approved risk management program. (Click here for more information about the Member Benefit Plan.) Each of the programs is being offered three times—twice as a face-to-face seminar and once as a teleconference. Additional program dates and times will be announced soon in future issues of Medigram.

If you wish to contact one of our insurance agents to see if you qualify for this premium discount or if you have questions about applying for medical professional liability insurance through Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance and Financial Services, please click here.

QUALITY CORNER

Kaiser Family Foundation issues updated primer on health care costs

The Kaiser Family Foundation released an updated primer that examines recent trends in U.S. health care costs. The primer describes the types and sources of health care spending, the demographic factors associated with higher or lower spending levels and the impact on families and employers of higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs. It also discusses factors that influence health care spending growth, including the use of new medical technology, population changes and changes in disease prevalence and highlights some of the challenges policymakers face in trying to slow the rise in health care costs.

Click here to access Health Care Costs: A Primer. For a short, updated fact sheet on health care costs, click here.

FAQ

Question:
Who is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of a medical record?

Answer:
Physicians are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security (physical safety) of the record. This responsibility continues even after the practice closes. Health care professionals may preserve the security of patient health care records by preparing and implementing appropriate written policies, effectively managing medical records through tracking, ensuring that releases of information comply with law and developing appropriate storage methods. The Wisconsin laws that protect patient health care records apply to all health care records, including those on which written, drawn, printed, spoken, visual, electromagnetic or digital information is recorded or preserved, regardless of physical form or characteristics. See Wis. Stat. § 146.836.

For answers to other Frequently Asked Questions regarding health law issues click here. (Login required.)