Jan. 8, 2009
eVoice®
Your news interests:
Select news categories that interest you
Faculty practice physician issues
1) In AMNews: Medical centers reveal doctors' industry pay
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender physician issues
1) AMA-GLBT seeks nominations for its 2009–2010 advisory committee
2) Study links gay teens' parental rejection to future health risks
Group practice physician issues
1) Medicare to pay doctors to embrace e-prescribing
2) Overactive bladder new topic for online CME newsletter written by top disease experts
International medical graduate issues
1) AMA-IMG Section is seeking nominations for its governing council
Medical school news
1) Save the date: AMA-SMS June meeting
2) AMA-SMS Governing Council seeks nominees
3) New Web resource aims to connect primary care, public health providers and patients
Medical student issues
1) Apply for AMA-MSS leadership positions
2) Register for Medical Student and Resident/Fellow Lobby Day
3) Become an advocate for issues relevant to students, physicians and patients
4) AMA offers health policy opportunities for medical students
5) Mark your calendars for upcoming AMA-MSS Region meetings
6) Secondhand smoke prevention initiative offers grants to AMA-MSS chapters
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
1) Become a part of AMA-MAC leadership
2) MCH library releases new knowledge path on Spanish health resources
Organized medical staff issues
1) View AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting materials
2) Learn what type of information payers make available to physicians; perform a claims process checkup
3) Download free copy of AMA-OMSS presentation for medical staffs, hospital boards
4) AMA Annual Meeting webcasts added to archives
5) Align your bylaws with Joint Commission standards
6) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship
Resident and fellow issues
1) ACGME creates new Office of Resident Services
2) Apply for resident spot on AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee
3) NBME seeking resident representatives
4) AMA-RFS hosts community discussion on health system reform
5) In Pediatrics: The health effects of "thirdhand smoke"
6) Looking for residency vacancies?
Senior physicians issues
1) AMA-SPG Governing Council nomination deadline extended to Feb. 16
2) Early retirees face gap in health care coverage
Women physician and women's health issues
1) Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship Fund applications available online
2) 2009–2010 AMA-WPC Governing Council election process underway
Young physician issues
1) Deadline extended for AMA-YPS Young at Heart Award nominations
2) Applications for the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee and AMA-MAC Governing Council due Feb. 6
3) Prescribing data access is your choice
4) AMA congratulates IOM for its proposal to help residents and patients
General AMA news:
1) New television ad promotes health care reform as top domestic priority
2) AMA physician leader shares optimistic outlook on health information technology
3) With influenza season at its peak, immunize your patients through February
4) Apply by Feb. 15 for Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship
5) In the spotlight: Clinical messaging uncovered
6) CME activity: Advise your patients of secondhand smoke dangers
7) New adolescent vaccination toolkit available online
8) In JAMA: Treatment involving deep brain stimulation for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease provides benefits
Your news interests:
Select news categories that interest you
Faculty practice physician issues
1) In AMNews: Medical centers reveal doctors' industry pay
The ongoing debate on physicians' financial relationships with industry compromising medical research and education has led two prominent academic medical centers—the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Pennsylvania—to announce that they will disclose their industry ties, according to a Jan. 5 American Medical News (AMNews) article.
Experts foresee other teaching institutions following suit, AMNews reports, but some wonder whether access to this kind of information matters to patients.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender physician issues
1) AMA-GLBT seeks nominations for its 2009–2010 advisory committee
Two at-large positions and three slotted positions on next year's AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee will open this spring.
The AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee includes three at-large positions, appointed by the AMA Board of Trustees, and four slotted positions, appointed by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association as well as various AMA sections. Slotted positions represent the AMA Medical Student Section (MSS), the AMA Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) and the AMA Young Physicians Section (YPS). Visit the Web site to view and download application materials.
Individual candidates who are interested in at-large positions should e-mail the application materials for consideration. E-mail applications to the AMA-MSS, AMA-RFS or AMA-YPS if interested in slotted representative seats.
Call (312) 464-4335 or visit the Web site for more information about the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee.
2) Study links gay teens' parental rejection to future health risks
Parents who reject their lesbian, gay or bisexual teens may increase the odds that their offspring will experience depression. They may also increase the odds that their offspring will engage in risky sexual practices and even attempt suicide, according to a study published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Read more about the study's findings in The Washington Post.
Group practice physician issues
1) Medicare to pay doctors to embrace e-prescribing
Medicare is offering a bonus to physicians who electronically prescribe, or "e-prescribe," drugs, according to a Dec. 17, 2008, Reuters article. Physicians who do not e-prescribe will face a penalty from Medicare starting in 2012.
This e-prescribing initiative was enacted in 2008 and aims to reduce waste and errors associated with traditional paper prescriptions. Participating physicians will receive a 2 percent bonus in 2009 and 2010, a 1 percent bonus in 2011 and 2012, and a 0.5 percent bonus in 2013. Non-participating physicians will face a 1 percent Medicare payment penalty in 2012, a 1.5 percent penalty in 2013, and a 2 percent penalty in 2014 and thereafter.
Approximately 80 percent of U.S. pharmacies are taking e-prescriptions, including CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, and some private insurers, such as WellPoint Inc., are offering their own bonuses to those physicians who e-prescribe. The National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative offers Allscripts e-prescribing software free to physicians.
2) Overactive bladder new topic for online CME newsletter written by top disease experts
The latest issue of AMA Therapeutic Insights, "Recognizing and managing overactive bladder," offers evidence-based treatment guidelines and actual prescribing patterns for overactive bladder.
This free online program highlights a new disease topic every quarter and features unique prescribing data for the conditions provided by IMS Health. Aimed at enhancing physician knowledge and practice, each newsletter is eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Visit the Web site to access this issue as well as past issues on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), pediatric asthma and osteoporosis.
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
International medical graduate issues
1) AMA-IMG Section is seeking nominations for its governing council
The 2009 AMA-IMG Section Nominating Committee is seeking qualified AMA-IMG Section leaders to apply for its 2009–2012 governing council, which has four expiring positions for practicing physicians.
Qualified candidates must be AMA members who are IMGs with relevant organized medicine leadership experience and ample time to commit to the work of a national governing group for three years; incumbents are eligible to run for a second term. The main priority of the nominating committee is to select the most diverse and representative slate of election candidates.
Interested candidates should visit the Web site to download the AMA-IMG Section nomination and biographical sketch forms. E-mail these items along with a headshot photo (JPG) no later than Feb. 20. Letters of organizational support are encouraged but not mandatory.
Online elections will take place in April. Send an e-mail or call J. Mori Johnson at (312) 464-5678 with questions about the election or nomination process.
Medical school news
(Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools)
1) Save the date: AMA-SMS June meeting
The next AMA-SMS meeting will be held June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This meeting will provide medical education colleagues an opportunity to network, help develop AMA policy and discuss issues affecting medical education.
Visit the Web site at the beginning of February for more details, or e-mail Jackie Drake for more information.
2) AMA-SMS Governing Council seeks nominees
Applications for several positions on the 2009–2010 AMA-SMS Governing Council—including chair-elect, three members-at-large and section liaison to the AMA Council on Medical Education—are due May 4. Elections will be held at the June AMA-SMS meeting.
Send an e-mail for details and an application form. Applications will be online at the end of this month.
3) New Web resource aims to connect primary care, public health providers and patients
A new Web page can assist health care professionals in finding new ways to work together to help patients adopt healthy behaviors and better manage their health.
View "Linking clinical practices and the community for health promotion," developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
This Web page is the newest addition to AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange program, which was launched in 2007, and supports health care professionals in sharing and adopting innovations that improve the delivery of care to patients.
Medical student issues
1) Apply for AMA-MSS leadership positions
Are you interested in becoming more involved in the AMA-MSS? If so, apply for one of the various leadership roles within the AMA. The AMA-MSS is accepting applications for student positions on the seven AMA councils; the AMA Foundation Board; and representatives to the National Resident Match Program, the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
Visit the Web site to apply. Applications are due Jan. 31.
View a list of the current student representatives; feel free to contact them for more information about their positions.
2) Register for Medical Student and Resident/Fellow Lobby Day
The 2009 Medical Student and Resident/Fellow Lobby Day will be held March 8–9 at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. Lobby Day is an excellent opportunity to increase your awareness of legislative issues affecting medicine, foster relationships with legislators through political involvement and gain real-life education in the practical aspects of physician advocacy.
Lobby Day activities include interactive educational sessions on effective advocacy and lobbying techniques, briefings on legislative issues that are before Congress and a full afternoon on Capitol Hill meeting with legislators and their staffs.
Registration is free. A limited number of free hotel rooms are available for AMA members.
Visit the Web site for more information and to register. The deadline to register is Feb. 1.
3) Become an advocate for issues relevant to students, physicians and patients
Applications for the AMA Government Relations Advocacy Fellowship (GRAF) are due Jan. 31.
The GRAF, a yearlong paid fellowship opportunity from July 2009 to June 2010 in the AMA's Washington, D.C., office, offers medical students a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the intersection of organized medicine and the federal government as it relates to advocacy and policymaking.
"This is likely to be one of, if not the, most enriching year of your education," said Patrick Woodard, who is currently completing the fellowship.
Send an e-mail for more information.
4) AMA offers health policy opportunities for medical students
Are you looking to increase your involvement and education in national health policy and in the national legislative activities of organized medicine? The Government Relations Internship Program (GRIP) is an opportunity for medical student members of the AMA to enhance their medical education through work in health care policy. Students must arrange their own six- to eight-week internships, between June and August, in advance.
GRIP applications are due Feb. 15. Visit the Web site to learn more and apply.
5) Mark your calendars for upcoming AMA-MSS Region meetings
AMA-MSS Regions 1, 4, 5 and 7 have upcoming meetings; you're invited to attend.
- The AMA-MSS Region 1 meeting, "The evolving role of the physician advocate," will be held Jan. 16–17 at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver. Visit the Web site for more information.
- The AMA-MSS Region 4 meeting, "The 21st century medical student," will be held Jan. 16–18 at the Raleigh Sheraton in Raleigh, N.C. Visit the Web site for more information.
- The AMA-MSS Region 5 meeting, "Together toward tomorrow," will be held Feb. 27 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Visit the Web site for more information.
- The AMA-MSS Region 7 meeting, "Surviving and thriving during medical school and residency," will be held Feb. 7 at the Massachusetts Medical Society in Waltham, Mass. Visit the Web site for more information.
Learn more about region meetings.
View a list of states in each region.
6) Secondhand smoke prevention initiative offers grants to AMA-MSS chapters
The AMA-MSS and the AMA Healthy Lifestyles and Primary Prevention office are collaborating on a secondhand smoke prevention initiative made possible by funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
AMA-MSS chapters can receive an $800 grant to work with state and local Head Start staff members to coordinate two to four educational programs in which medical students present health information on secondhand smoke exposure and offer tips to help parents eliminate exposure and protect their children's health. Head Start is a national school readiness program that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.
Additional funding is available for AMA-MSS chapters that wish to coordinate more than four programs.
Visit the Web site to learn more and apply. Applications are due Jan. 30.
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
(brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium)
1) Become a part of AMA-MAC leadership
Slotted positions on the AMA-MAC Governing Council will be available this spring. Submit your application to be part of AMA-MAC leadership.
The AMA-MAC Governing Council includes two elected at-large positions, one elected delegate position and five positions appointed by various organizations and AMA sections.
Interested candidates should visit the Web site for nominations forms and more information.
2) MCH library releases new knowledge path on Spanish health resources
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) library at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., released a new edition of its Spanish health resources knowledge path. This is an electronic guide to health hot lines, Web sites, publications and databases for health professionals and consumers.
A Spanish version of the 2008 edition is being developed.
Visit the Web site to view the latest knowledge path or to learn more.
Organized medical staff issues
1) View AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting materials
The AMA-OMSS is pleased with the positive and supportive outcomes of its assembly's resolutions and other items of business during the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD). The AMA-OMSS submitted a resolution on behaviors that undermine safety, which was adopted by the AMA-HOD as policy.
Visit the Web site to view the full 2008 AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting summary and PowerPoint presentation, as well as its disposition of actions.
2) Learn what type of information payers make available to physicians; perform a claims process checkup
As part of its ongoing "Heal the Claims Process™" campaign, the AMA encourages payers to provide full transparency with respect to fee schedules, medical payment polices and other information necessary to maximize efficiency. Making this information available is a step toward improving the efficiency of the claims process and helps reduce physician practices' costs of ensuring accurate payment of claims.
Many health insurers allow contracted physicians to access a variety of information on their Web sites. This information includes, but is not limited to, contracted fee schedules and payment policies. As part of its National Health Insurer Report Card, the AMA examined the Web sites of seven commercial payers and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to determine which payers made their payment policies, contracted fee schedules and claim edits available to physicians on their Web sites.
Visit the Web site and click on "Payer Web sites: Contracted fees and payment policies" to view this information.
The campaign also focuses on reducing the administrative burden physician practices face to ensure accurate claims payment. The AMA created the checklist "Prescription for a healthier practice: Physician claims process check-up" to help physicians examine their practice's ability to analyze health insurer payments for accuracy and effectively address delays, denials and reductions in payment.
Visit the Web site and click on "Heal the Claims Process™" to access "Prescription for a healthier practice: Physician claims process check-up" as well as many other "Heal the Claims Process™" campaign resources.
3) Download free copy of AMA-OMSS presentation for medical staffs, hospital boards
The AMA-OMSS developed two PowerPoint presentations™one for medical staffs and one for hospital boards™to provide information on the section, its mission, duties and its past actions.
AMA members can visit the Web site to view and download these presentations free of charge.
4) AMA Annual Meeting webcasts added to archives
The AMA-OMSS is offering four 90-minute educational webcasts, including "Transitioning to an improved hospital discharge," "Keys to the successful implementation of the revised Joint Commission Medical Staff Bylaws Standard MS.1.20," "Creating a new future for a new day with a revamped organized medical staff structure" and "Physician hospitals of America: Reclaiming quality patient care through physician leadership."
Three of the webcasts provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Visit the Web site to access these webcasts and learn more about each one.
Accreditation statement
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation statement
The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
5) Align your bylaws with Joint Commission standards
Because medical staff bylaws are considered a contract and are legally binding in most states, it is extremely important that they are well-designed and well-written. The fourth edition of the "Physician's guide to medical staff organization bylaws" contains practical guidance on bylaws development, model bylaw language, information on emerging issues and recent trends in medical staff re-engineering. The guide will be especially helpful to medical staffs as they update their bylaws to align with Joint Commission standards.
AMA members can download the guide (PDF) at no charge.
6) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship
A printable version of the "Principles for strengthening the physician-hospital relationship," developed by the AMA-OMSS and adopted by the AMA House of Delegates, is available online. These principles are designed to improve the working relationship between physicians and hospitals and ultimately foster better patient care and increase patient safety.
View and download these guidelines (PDF).
Send an e-mail to order a poster of the principles for your medical staff lounge.
Resident and fellow issues
1) ACGME creates new Office of Resident Services
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) developed a new Office of Resident Services to help residents resolve concerns about their residency programs.
The purpose of the new office is to "be a safe haven for residents and fellows and faculty to voice concerns related to residency education and the learning environment," Timothy P. Brigham, senior vice president of education, said in an ACGME news release.
2) Apply for resident spot on AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee
An AMA-RFS position on the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Issues will become available this spring. The AMA-RFS has slotted seats on three AMA special group governing councils: the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee, the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium and the AMA Women Physicians Congress.
If interested, complete the application materials and forward them to the AMA-RFS Governing Council no later than Feb. 6.
Visit the Web site to apply for the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee position or to learn more.
Send an e-mail with questions about the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee.
E-mail your application materials.
3) NBME seeking resident representatives
The AMA-RFS is seeking applicants for resident representative seats on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). The NBME prepares and administers qualifying examinations and represents the academic, practice and licensing communities.
The board includes two resident representative positions appointed by the AMA-RFS Governing Council for four-year terms. Responsibilities include attending one three-day meeting per year; meeting expenses will be covered.
Applications are due Feb. 2. Visit the Web site for more information and to apply.
4) AMA-RFS hosts community discussion on health system reform
The AMA-RFS hosted an open conference call on health care reform Dec. 28 with resident and fellow participants from various states and specialties.
Comments from the discussion were compiled and sent to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, which encouraged Americans to hold health care community discussions before the year's end. Obama's team is reaching out across the country to seek reform ideas and directly involve citizens in holding community meetings to discuss this issue.
The transition team would like to thank all who participated in this event.
5) In Pediatrics: The health effects of "thirdhand smoke"
Physicians from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "thirdhand smoke" to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers' hair and clothing that pose risks to infants and children. This was part of a new study published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics.
View a Jan. 2 New York Times article on the study.
6) Looking for residency vacancies?
The AMA-RFS offers a variety of resources designed specifically for the needs of residents and fellows, such as finding a residency slot or transitioning into practice.
If you are seeking a residency slot, view sources for job postings.
And if you are transitioning into practice, visit the Web site for more information on contract negotiations or joining or starting a practice.
Senior Physicians issues
1) AMA-SPG Governing Council nomination deadline extended to Feb. 16
The AMA-SPG is seeking nominations for its governing council. The AMA-SPG Governing Council, comprising seven physicians 65 years and older who are either retired or practicing medicine, advises the AMA Board of Trustees and staff on issues that bear directly on senior physicians.
Nominations are due Feb. 16. Visit the Web site for nomination materials, including the current AMA-SPG Governing Council roster.
E-mail Alice Reed with additional questions.
2) Early retirees face gap in health care coverage
Retirees, regardless of their age, may start receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62. But seniors have to wait until the age of 65 to be eligible for Medicare.
Finding a way to bridge the gap might be the hardest and costliest challenge for those who want to retire early. Retirees can no longer count on their employers to provide health insurance until they become eligible for Medicare. Those without company-provided health insurance typically find individual policies prohibitively expensive, with premiums topping more than $1,000 a month for family coverage.
Learn more about retirement planning.
Women physician and women's health issues
(brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress)
1) Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship Fund applications available online
Applications for the 2009 Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship Fund are available online. Individuals interested in applying for next year's scholarship are encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible.
Visit the Web site for more information on the scholarship, including an application. Apply by Feb. 15.
Send an e-mail with questions.
2) 2009–2010 AMA-WPC Governing Council election process underway
Slotted positions on the AMA-WPC Governing Council and two at-large positions will become available this spring.
The AMA-WPC Governing Council includes four elected at-large positions, one appointed position by the American Medical Women's Association and three appointed representatives from various AMA sections.
Interested candidates should visit the Web site for more information and to download an application.
Young physician issues
1) Deadline extended for AMA-YPS Young at Heart Award nominations
Nominations for the 2008 AMA-YPS Young at Heart Award will be accepted through Jan. 30. If you are an AMA-YPS Assembly member, submit your nomination via e-mail, mail or fax by this date.
Nominees should be AMA members who are not eligible for AMA-YPS membership, and whose support and guidance have strengthened the AMA-YPS through organizational aid, support of AMA-YPS issues in reference committees and causes (and on the floor of the AMA House of Delegates), or support of AMA-YPS leadership development.
Nominators must be members of the AMA-YPS Assembly.
E-mail your nomination; mail it to 515 N. State St., Chicago, IL, 60654; or fax it to (312) 464-5845.
Visit the Web site for more information or to submit a nomination.
2) Applications for the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee and AMA-MAC Governing Council due Feb. 6
AMA-YPS positions on both the AMA-MAC Governing Council and the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Issues will become available this spring. The AMA-YPS has slotted seats on three AMA special group governing councils: the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee, the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC) and the AMA Women Physicians Congress.
Complete the respective application materials and forward them to the AMA-YPS Governing Council no later than Feb. 6 to be considered for one of these positions.
Apply for the AMA-GLBT Governing Council position.
Apply for the AMA-MAC Governing Council position.
Send an e-mail with your application materials as well as any related questions.
3) Prescribing data access is your choice
The AMA's Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP) is a program designed to give physicians the exclusive option to decide whether or not the prescribing data they generate is accessible to pharmaceutical sales representatives. The AMA does not collect physician prescribing data but it exerts regulations on how prescribing data may be used through contracts with health care information organizations.
The AMA created the PDRP in 2006 in response to physician concerns over inappropriate use of prescribing data by some pharmaceutical reps. Physicians can restrict their prescribing data from reps and register related complaints by enrolling in PDRP online.
Visit the Web site to register for PDRP or to learn more.
4) AMA congratulates IOM for its proposal to help residents and patients
The AMA applauded last month's report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that recommends ways to enhance the learning environment for resident physicians and reduce medical errors that may result from resident fatigue.
The report, "Resident duty hours: Enhancing sleep, supervision and safety," does not recommend further reducing residents' work hours from the maximum average of 80 per week, which was set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2003. However, it does call for reducing the maximum number of hours that residents can work without time for sleep to 16.
The report also proposes increasing the number of days residents must have off and restricts moonlighting during residents' off-hours, among other recommendations. The AMA continues to support the 80-hour limit and applauds the IOM's recommendation to spread the incremental costs of any changes in resident duty hour requirements among all payers.
View a statement from AMA Trustee Samantha Rosman, MD, on the IOM's recommendations.
General AMA news
1) New television ad promotes health care reform as top domestic priority
Organizations representing consumers, insurers, patients and pharmaceutical research companies joined the AMA today to launch a multimillion-dollar national television ad that carries a simple message: To fix the ailing economy, the nation needs health care reform that addresses the related problems of health care costs and people losing health coverage.
“Healing our health care system is a key component to jumpstarting our national economy,” AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, said during a news conference unveiling the ad. “As our new ad makes clear—quality, affordable health care is good for families and it’s good for businesses.”
The ad—sponsored by the AMA, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Families USA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Regence BlueCross BlueShield and the Service Employees International Union—will air at least until Feb. 5 and focuses visually on the nation’s manufacturing sector. However, the organizations all agree that every segment of the economy will benefit from health care reform.
2) AMA physician leader shares optimistic outlook on health information technology
A special section about the use of health information technology (Health IT) in the Dec. 19 issue of the Washington Post included a foreword written by AMA Board Chair Joseph M. Heyman, MD. In his comments, Dr. Heyman highlighted the AMA’s efforts to help physicians adopt new technology and shared the AMA’s optimism about the promise Health IT holds for increasing patient safety and quality of care.
“Despite the complexity and cost of developing a secure, interoperable, nationwide Health IT infrastructure, the AMA and physicians nationwide realize the transformative power that adoption of this technology promises for the future of patient care,” Dr. Heyman wrote. “As advances occur, Health IT can fulfill its promise to help improve the quality and safety of patient care.”
3) With influenza season at its peak, immunize your patients through next month
Influenza season reaches its peak in January and February, so physicians are urged to protect as many of their patients as possible by continuing to administer vaccinations now through the end of next month.
The number of flu vaccines given in physicians’ offices is lower at this point in the 2008–2009 season than in the previous two influenza seasons, according to SDI’s VaccineTrack™, a weekly tracking of vaccine administration in physicians’ offices based on nationally projected data from electronic office medical claims.
The AMA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that patients who fall into both “high health” and “no health risk” categories receive an influenza vaccination and that physicians encourage them to get vaccinated. As co-founders of the National Influenza Vaccine Summit, the AMA and the CDC will continue to work to improve the supply and distribution of the vaccine.
Visit the Web site for more information about influenza vaccination. This Web site, sponsored by the National Influenza Vaccine Summit, includes many resources for health care professionals, including information on late-season vaccination, vaccine supply and resources for vaccinating special populations.
4) Apply by Feb. 15 for Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship
Researchers interested in further exploring issues concerning women physicians are encouraged to apply for a 2009 Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship. Established by the AMA Foundation in conjunction with the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the scholarship provides funding to help researchers advance the progress of women in the medical profession and identify and address the needs of women physicians and medical students.
Interested individuals with proposed projects should apply for funding by Feb. 15.
The AMA awarded two scholarships to researchers last year. Sue Yom, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, is examining why women faculty leave the profession and costs associated by respective institutions because of this lack of retention. Meantime, Maurice Clifton, MD, associate dean for admissions and student affairs with Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga., is researching obstacles that prevent more women from practicing in rural areas.
Visit the Web site to learn more and to apply for up to $10,000 in funding.
5) In the spotlight: Clinical messaging uncovered
As a neurosurgeon, Souheil Haddad, MD, relies on inpatient and outpatient information from area hospitals and other providers in his practice daily. Recently, he and his partner discovered an electronic system called clinical messaging, which allows them to instantly and securely access the information they need.
The system automatically delivers data to an electronic clinical inbox, which all collaborating physicians and health care organizations in the community can access. Dr. Haddad said it was simple to work the system into his practice and led to several benefits.
“Because of the time savings, we are more efficient,” said Dr. Haddad. “Clinical messaging has also increased patient safety. We aren’t waiting for faxes that never come or are misplaced. I just check my inbox and check off items as they come in. I also have remote access. I can check the inbox wherever there is an Internet connection.”
Dr. Haddad’s story is just one of many highlighted in the AMA’s “physician spotlight” found on its health information technology Web page. This online feature provides an inside look at physicians around the country who are transitioning their practices from paper-based to electronic medical record systems.
Read the AMA’s full interview with Dr. Haddad and to access past physician spotlight features in the archives.
6) Free CME activity: Advise your patients of secondhand smoke dangers
The start of a new year is often a time for new resolutions, improvements and changes, and it’s one during which patients might have thought about quitting smoking. The AMA is offering a continuing medical education (CME) activity to help guide physicians when advising their patients, particularly parents, on this topic and the dangers of secondhand smoke.
“Secondhand smoke: Changing clinical practice to improve children’s health from the American Medical Association” describes health consequences associated with exposure to secondhand smoke, especially for a child with asthma, and summarizes research on clinical interventions for counseling a patient’s parents. The program also discusses and analyzes smoking cessation tools and resources and identifies the necessary strategies to ensure reimbursement for counseling and treating smoking cessation.
This CME activity, available at no charge courtesy of Medscape, is part of a three-year initiative the AMA has launched with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to address the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Visit the Web site to view this program and learn more, or to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Nursing staff members can also benefit from this free program; the activity is certified for 0.5 continuing nursing education credits.
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
7) New adolescent vaccination toolkit available online
Healthy People 2010™—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ health objectives for the nation to achieve during the first decade of the new century™—has a goal of 90 percent adolescent vaccination coverage. However, current vaccination rates for adolescents fall short for all recommended vaccines.
Low vaccination rates among adolescents leave them vulnerable to serious and deadly infectious diseases. They also increase the likelihood that adolescents will spread these diseases to vulnerable close contacts, like young siblings and elderly grandparents. The AMA aims to increase adolescent vaccination rates through its own activities and by supporting and participating in partnership initiatives.
Recently, the AMA participated in a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases initiative that produced “Adolescent vaccination: Bridging to a healthy adulthood,” an online toolkit that offers resources to encourage increased vaccination rates among this age group and highlight to patients and parents the important role vaccination plays in disease control.
Visit the Web site to view and download the toolkit.
View the AMA’s publication, “Improving adolescent immunizations: A primer for physicians.” (PDF) Continuing medical education credit is available.
8) In JAMA: Treatment involving deep brain stimulation for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease provides benefits
Patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy.
They also had a higher risk of a serious adverse event, according to a study in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In an accompanying editorial, the author comments on the findings of this study.
Preview the study.
Preview an editorial on this study.
View the JAMA Report video about this study.
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