Medigram - May 21, 2009 | Wisconsin Medical Society

TOP STORY

Governor Doyle to announce budget fix: How will it affect medicine?

At press time, Gov. Jim Doyle was scheduled to hold a 5 p.m. press conference to detail his ideas on filling an additional $1.65 billion state budget deficit, adding to the pending $5 billion budget shortfall. Headlining the speculation was that the hospital assessment passed last February would be reconfigured by increasing the amount of the assessment, thus bringing in more federal matching dollars. Another possibility is cuts to physician Medicaid reimbursement, an option the governor raised when he announced the additional deficit figures May 11.

Stay tuned for a Medigram Alert with details on any proposal that might affect physicians and their patients.

NEWS BRIEFS

Society to add physician track to October Coding Symposium

Mark your calendar for October 18-19, 2009: The Wisconsin Medical Society is preparing to host a two-session physician track in tandem with the 10th annual Midwest Coding and Practice Management Symposium. The entire symposium—“Roadmap for Transformation in Healthcare”—runs October 18-20.

The first physician session, “Data Mining to Data Shining,” will take place the afternoon of October 18 and will feature nationally recognized speakers discussing how clinical and administrative data may be used for performance improvement and payment reform. On October 19, the second physician session, “Work Smart, Work with Purpose!” will focus on practice improvement through workflow analysis and risk management techniques. Case studies from both a nationally recognized employer and a Wisconsin-based health care system will illustrate how to keep the patient at the center of care while improving efficiency. Interested physicians may sign up for one or both sessions of the physician track.

This year’s event, which is expected to draw more than 500 participants from several states, will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Stay tuned to Medigram for additional details. The full agenda for both the physician tracks and the general Symposium will be available in mid-June.

Society’s Council on Health Care Ethics to convene May 29

Concerned about health care ethics? The Wisconsin Medical Society’s council on this topic will meet Friday, May 29.

Society members may access the agenda and draft meeting minutes in the members-only section of the Society Web site. Materials for the Council on Health Care Ethics, including a meeting agenda, are available here. Member login is required, so if you do not remember your login information, click here for instructions.

If you have questions about this council or would like to participate, please contact Merry Earll.

National Health Service Corps reopens application cycle for loan repayment

Many underserved communities will receive a health care boost over the next two years thanks to the additional $300 million the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has provided to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).

Certain health care professionals who have made a commitment to working in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) for two years may be eligible for up to $50,000 toward qualifying educational loans.

In response, the NHSC is reopening the application cycle for loan repayment from early June through September 30, 2010—or until funds are exhausted. NHSC Loan Repayment applications will be available here. Applicants may also sign up at this Web site to be notified when the NHSC Loan Repayment Program application cycle reopens.

Some eligibility requirements must be met to apply: Applicants must be primary care, dental or mental health professionals committed to working in an HPSA for two years. They must also be employed at an approved NHSC practice site.

For more information on becoming an NHSC practice site, click here, or to find out more about the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, click here. To see if your employer is located in an HPSA and potentially eligible for NHSC, click here.

AMA program helps protect doctors’ prescribing information

A few years back, the American Medical Association (AMA) became aware that some physicians were concerned about the inappropriate use of their prescribing data by pharmaceutical sales representatives.

In response, the AMA developed a program that gives physicians the option to withhold their individual prescribing data from pharmaceutical salespeople while continuing to make it available for medical research. This initiative, the Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP), also lets physicians register complaints against pharmaceutical sales reps and companies they believe are using their prescribing data inappropriately.

To learn more about PDRP, click here. To enroll in PDRP, click here or call 800.621.8335.

Call for submissions: 2009 Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum

A showcase of projects about patient-safety and quality-improvement initiatives is being assembled for the 2009 Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum, which will take place October 19-20, 2009 at the Glacier Canyon Lodge in Wisconsin Dells.

Submissions for this showcase are being accepted through July 1, and the submission instructions are available here. Submitting organizations may request that their projects be considered for a breakout session at this event, which will also feature a number of educational opportunities.

The Forum is a collaborative effort of the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, MetaStar, the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and the Wisconsin Health Information Organization.

CAPITOL INSIDER

Society urges Legislature to remove major lawsuit policy change from budget

Society President-Elect Tom Luetzow, MD, represented physicians this morning at a Capitol news conference urging the State Legislature to remove a budget item that would dramatically change who could be responsible for lawsuit damages. The Society was one of 40 organizations calling attention to the policy item, which, if enacted as part of the biennial budget, could force a physician found as little as 1 percent liable for a patient’s injury to pay 100 percent of damages.

This change in "joint and several liability" would undo a legislative change passed in 1995 and would result in medical malpractice plaintiffs seeking the entire award from the defendant with the deepest pockets. Read the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s analysis of this budget provision here.

While legislators from both parties are uncomfortable that such a dramatic policy item resides in the budget, those wary of removing a change coveted by Governor Doyle must hear from their constituents.

More on the coalition's opposition to the lawsuit policy change—including a statement from Dr. Luetzow—is available here.

Members of the Society’s Key Contacts program received a special alert this week that urged them to contact their legislators about this issue. If you aren’t yet a part of this free program, click here to learn more about it. To sign up, contact Mark Grapentine, JD, or Beth Alvin.

Assembly’s insurance committee votes to allow Fund fees increase

The Assembly Committee on Insurance waived its jurisdiction over a proposed administrative rule that would raise physicians’ Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund) rates 9.9 percent. The increase is set to take effect July 1, 2009. The Society was the lone health care entity to testify before the Committee and provided written testimony as well, asking the committee to object to the rule.

The Fund’s Board of Governors voted 7-4 last December to approve the 9.9 percent increase. Society representatives Susan Turney, MD, and Robert Jaeger, MD, voted against the increase. The Society then appeared at an Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) hearing on the proposed increase in March, asking that the Commissioner not raise rates while the Society’s lawsuit disputing the $200 million raid of the Fund is pending. The Commissioner declined to reconsider its decision, and OCI promulgated the rule, Clearinghouse Rule 09-004. Today’s hearing was the final option for delaying the implementation of the fees increase.

The vote to waive jurisdiction and allow the fees increase was 4 to 3 along party lines. For more information, contact Mark Grapentine, JD.

U.S. Senate Finance Committee releases final Health Care Reform Options paper

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee will likely be one of the major players as Congress works toward a proposal on Health Care Reform (HCR). To that end, the Committee has released a series of policy options papers related to coverage, costs and financing.

The Committee released the third paper Monday, describing HCR financing possibilities. The other two papers relate to improving patient care while reducing health care costs and expanding coverage.

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

YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Narrative may be required for future Medicare coverage of hospice care

Are you ready to write? You may need to be if you want Medicare to cover hospice care.

On April 21, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to update the Medicare Hospice Wage Index for fiscal year (FY) 2010. In addition to the anticipated cut in hospice reimbursement rates, the proposed rule would require physicians to write a short narrative describing the patient’s clinical condition for Medicare coverage of hospice care. This requirement would take effect in FY 2010.

Click here to read more...

FOUNDATION FOCUS

Memorials and tributes: Honor the past while aiding the future

Spring is a time of new beginnings. It’s also a wonderful time to make a gift to the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation.

A gift to the Foundation is a meaningful way to remember a loved one, colleague or friend, or to honor someone on a special occasion while also supporting medical and health education. For each tribute or memorial gift, the Foundation sends a message notifying the honored person or the loved one’s family of your kindness.

Make a donation in memory of someone special this Memorial Day or any time you have reason to honor someone or offer sympathy. The Tribute Program donation form is available here.

IV League kicks off May 29

The first gathering of the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation’s IV League is coming up May 29. The IV League is a new group of annual donors that help the Foundation meet the goal of 10 summer fellowships in government and community service to medical students each year.

At the gathering, IV League members will enjoy a wine tasting guided by a wine consultant and spend time visiting with medical students who have received summer fellowships supported by IV League donations. They will also hear from rural physicians who are excited about working with students this summer.

To find out how you can become a member of the IV League and help provide more summer fellowship opportunities for medical students, contact Melissa Breen or call 866.442.3800 ext. 3744.

QUALITY CORNER

New info on EMR systems available from AHRQ

The National Resource Center for Health Information Technology at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released new information on electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

AHRQ defines an EMR as “an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that can be created, gathered, managed and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within one health care organization.” EMRs have the potential to provide substantial benefits to physicians, clinic practices and health care organizations by facilitating workflow and improving the quality of patient care and patient safety. To access the report, click here.

FAQ

Question:
Should I write a business plan prior to opening a medical practice?

Answer:
Not only are business plans generally necessary to obtain financing, but writing a comprehensive business plan requires you to clearly visualize and articulate every aspect of your new business, potentially saving you time and money as you execute your plan. The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides information about writing and using a business plan. The SBA’s Web site is www.sbaonline.sba.gov/index.html.

You should clearly define what type of practice you plan on opening and what, if any, medical specialties you will offer.

For answers to other Frequently Asked Questions regarding legal issues click here (members login required).