Ronald M. Davis, MD
E-prescribing and health information technology
The AMA had quite a presence in Washington, D.C., late last week. During testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee on May 8, AMA Trustee Cecil B. Wilson, MD, urged Congress to take immediate action to avert looming Medicare physician payment cuts, including a cut of 10.6 percent scheduled to take effect on July 1, that will harm seniors' access to care.
Also that day, during testimony to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, AMA President-elect Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, shared the AMA's concerns about some prescription drug advertisements directed at consumers.
And during a May 9 meeting at the Brookings Institution, AMA Trustee Steven Stack, MD, highlighted the AMA's support for electronic prescribing and pointed out a number of key steps that would lead to broader adoption among physicians of health information technology (HIT). The AMA has strong policies regarding HIT, but this marked the first time the AMA has shared an outline of what physicians would accept as part of e-prescribing legislation.
Read more>>
Please send comments, questions, and replies to amaprez@ama-assn.org.
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Your news interests
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Faculty practice physician issues
1) Study: Fewer general surgeons in the work force
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender physician issues
1) In The New York Times: Gay rights groups launch hospital rating system
2) Students: Attend joint AMA-MSS/AMA-GLBT session at annual meeting
Group practice physician issues
1) Physician leaders appointed to AMA advisory committee
2) Medicare Advantage: CMS proposal targets hard sale tactics
International medical graduate issues
1) Join your AMA-IMG Section colleagues in Chicago
2) Comment period regarding underserved and shortage areas extended to May 29
Medical school news
1) AMA-SMS seeks resolution and report reviewers
2) Report: Too many aging patients, too few geriatricians
3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone's job
4) In AMNews: Harvard to offer discount on medical school tuition
Medical student issues
1) Update: Recent USMLE announcements
2) Apply for leadership position on AMA-MSS Governing Council by May 18
3) Reserve your hotel room now for the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting
4) AMA Alliance Today article provides insight into the medical marriage
5) Chapter of the Week: University of South Florida holds bone marrow drive
6) RSVP now for AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee Caucus
7) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone's job
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
1) Join your colleagues at the AMA-MAC caucus on June 13
2) May is National Stroke Awareness Month
Organized medical staff issues
1) Book hotel and flight reservations for annual meeting by May 12
2) Register online today for 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting
3) AMA guide assists physicians in drafting, amending bylaws
4) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship; print your copy today
Resident and fellow issues
1) In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Hospitalists are fastest-growing medical specialty in the United States
2) How does health insurer profiling affect practicing physicians and patient care?
3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone's job
4) In Modern Healthcare: Lawsuit against Ingenix seeks class-action status
5) Be a leader on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Senior physicians issues
1) Medicare offers glaucoma screening tests
2) JAMA offers study of Group B streptococcal disease in the United States
Women physician and women's health issues
1) Mark your calendar: AMA-WPC caucus on June 14
2) May is National Lupus Awareness Month
Young physician issues
1) Register today for the 2008 AMA-YPS Annual Assembly Meeting
2) AMA-YPS gears up for its 2008 governing council elections
3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone's job
4) NPI deadline is May 23—are you ready?
General AMA news:
1) Three additional BCBS plans agree to pay out $3.5 million; file claim form by June 30
2) Beware of recalled heparin products
3) Latest online video focuses on use of complementary and alternative treatment by patients
4) AMA practice tip: Concerned about health insurers profiling you?
5) In JAMA: Adding ultrasound to mammography may improve breast cancer detection in high-risk women
Your news interests
Sign up to receive customized AMA eVoice messages.
Faculty practice physician issues
1) Study: Fewer general surgeons in the work force
A recent study in the April Archives of Surgery reported a decline of nearly 26 percent in the ratio of general surgeons to patients, from 7.68 per 100,000 Americans in 1981 to 5.69 per 100,000 Americans in 2005. The trend is part of an overall shift in medicine from general to narrow fields, with medical students’ choices shaped by a variety of lifestyle and money issues. Potential solutions to the decline, according to the study’s authors, include increased funding of residency positions and addressing the lifestyle and salary issues that have made general surgery less attractive as a career choice.
Preview the abstract.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender physician issues
1) In The New York Times: Gay rights groups launch hospital rating system
Slightly more than half of 88 hospitals from across the country got top marks under a new rating system created by two national gay rights organizations, which hope the standards will result in more compassionate treatment of gay and lesbian patients.
Known as the Healthcare Equality Index, the ratings were designed by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. Policies addressed in the ratings include patient nondiscrimination, visitation and decision-making rights for partners, diversity training for staff and nondiscriminatory employment practices.
The hospitals participated voluntarily, and the groups behind the report said there will be no effort to rate hospitals that don’t want to respond. Instead they hope many hospitals will strive for high ratings as the survey recurs annually.
Read the full release on this initiative.
2) Students: Attend joint AMA-MSS/AMA-GLBT session at annual meeting
The AMA Medical Student Section (MSS) and the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee are sponsoring a session at the 2008 Annual Meeting, entitled “Medical students making change: Chicago’s Howard Brown Health Center.” The session will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. June 13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The Howard Brown Health Center, the nation’s leading gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender health center, was founded in 1974 by Chicago-area medical students.
A panel of speakers, including Howard Brown Health Center’s CEO Michael C. Cook, will discuss:
- Obstacles and challenges faced during the center’s founding
- Continued community outreach and advocacy work
- The center’s cutting-edge leadership and research on GLBT health issues
This event is being cosponsored by the AMA-MSS Minority Issues Committee and the AMA Advisory Committee on GLBT Issues. All students are welcome to attend.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Group practice physician issues
1) Physician leaders appointed to AMA advisory committee
Jeffrey W. Bailet, MD, senior vice president and president of Aurora Medical Group, and Peter Amadio, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and chair of the division of orthopaedic research at the Mayo Clinic, were appointed to the AMA Advisory Committee on Group Practice Physicians. The committee is selected by the AMA Board of Trustees and charged with advising trustees on matters related to physicians who practice in a group or faculty practice setting.
Visit the Web site for a complete list of committee members.
2) Medicare Advantage: CMS proposal targets hard sale tactics
While Medicare Advantage has been a successful plan for many medical groups and their patients in recent years, some insurance agents have used high-pressure sales tactics that cause people to sign up for unsuitable policies.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule in response to frequent complaints from beneficiaries and others. The rule is expected to take effect next year and would prevent insurance sales people from cold calling, door-to-door marketing, and cross-selling of non-health care products. It also would ban unsolicited marketing in doctors’ waiting rooms and on the grounds of senior centers.
Under the rule, CMS has authority to issue fines of up to $25,000 per beneficiary affected by a company’s misconduct. Some consumer advocates argue that the proposed rule does not go far enough to protect seniors.
>>Return to your news interest contents
International medical graduate issues
1) Join your AMA-IMG Section colleagues in Chicago
The AMA-IMG Section invites you to participate in its events during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, including the following:
- Attend the inaugural Busharat Ahmad, MD, Leadership Development program from 9 to 11 a.m. June 16. This program will feature lessons learned from physicians whose steadfastness and ability to stay focused have helped pave their pathways to success.
- Make sure your voice is heard by attending the AMA-IMG Section congress from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 13, featuring keynote speaker James Thompson, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the delegates’ caucus from 7:30 to 9 a.m. June 16. These events also include a business meeting, featuring topics such as IMG licensure issues and a review of reference committee reports and IMG resolutions.
- Join your AMA-IMG Section colleagues at the candidates’ forum and caucus from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. June 14 to hear what candidates for the board of trustees and the governing council have to say about IMG issues.
- Mark your calendar for the “Desserts from around the world” reception from 9:30 to 11 p.m. June 14 to network with colleagues while feasting on desserts with an international flair.
All AMA-IMG Section meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Send an e-mail with questions.
Visit the Web site to register and download a registration form for the meeting.
2) Comment period regarding underserved and shortage areas extended to May 29
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended the public comment and clarification period to May 29 for a new proposed rule regarding the designation of medically underserved populations (MUPs) and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). The new rule consolidates the criteria for designating MUPs and HPSAs into a single new methodology called the Index of Primary Care Underservice. HPSA and MUP designations are used to determine site eligibility for federal programs, including J-1 visa waivers for international medical graduates.
View the PDF (51KB) and visit the HRSA Web site for more information.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Medical school news
(Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools)
1) AMA-SMS seeks resolution and report reviewers
If you are attending the AMA-SMS Annual Meeting this June, consider participating in the review of resolutions and reports. Reviewers develop a consent calendar of recommended actions and present the recommendations to the section for a consensus vote. These actions guide the AMA-SMS delegate, alternate delegate and other representatives who testify in reference committee hearings. A review meeting will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. June 13.
Send an e-mail to Jackie Drake if you are interested.
2) Report: Too many aging patients, too few geriatricians
According to a new Institute of Medicine report, there will not be enough geriatricians when baby boomers begin to turn 65. The report recommends an increase in geriatric competency throughout the health care work force to offset a shortage in geriatric specialists. The AMA is one of several medical organizations supporting greater training in geriatrics, according to an article in the May 5 issue of American Medical News (AMNews).
3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone’s job
A shortage of physicians with training and expertise in geriatrics, combined with a proposed 10 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, could limit access to quality health care for the growing ranks of the nation’s elderly.
Read more on this and other issues in graduate medical education (GME) in the May issue of the AMA GME e-Letter.
Subscribe to this free monthly e-mail newsletter.
4) In AMNews: Harvard to offer discount on medical school tuition
Recently Harvard University announced that medical students whose families earn $120,000 or less a year will get up to $12,500 off the annual $65,000 cost of tuition and living expenses. The program will start with the 2008–2009 academic year, according to an article in the May 12 issue of American Medical News (AMNews).
>>Return to your news interest contents
Medical student issues
1) Update: Recent USMLE announcements
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 assessment will change from 350 to 336 items starting on or around May 15. The target date for reporting Step 1 scores for most examinees testing from May 15 through late June will be July 16.
The three-digit score recommended to pass the Step 3 examination will be raised from 184 to 187. The new minimum passing score will be applied on or after May 1.
Contact Alyce Belonis, the AMA medical student representative on the National Board of Medical Examiners Advisory Committee, to learn more about the committee’s current activities.
2) Apply for leadership position on AMA-MSS Governing Council by May 18
Are you interested in a national leadership position with the AMA-MSS? Elections for the 2008–2009 AMA-MSS Governing Council will be held at the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting June 12–14 in Chicago.
Download the governing council position guide (PDF, 79KB) and application (Word, 67KB). Applications are due May 18.
3) Reserve your hotel room now for the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting
The AMA has reserved a block of rooms for AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting attendees at the Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Downtown at a discounted rate of $189 per night. Rooms are sure to go fast, so make your hotel reservation by May 16. In addition, the AMA has teamed up with United Airlines to offer AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting attendees a special 5 percent discount on airfare.
Are you looking for someone to share the cost of a room during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates? If so, access the meeting housing exchange forum, which will allow you to communicate with other attendees about sharing hotel rooms.
View an agenda for the meeting and learn more about hotel and airfare discounts.
4) AMA Alliance Today article provides insight into the medical marriage
While Hollywood images of romance tend to be idealized, what happens after the “happily ever after” part? Working through hardships and growing together are what a marriage is all about, and in a medical marriage in particular, making things work takes both parties working together and sacrificing for each other.
Read an article from AMA Alliance Today and gain insights into the medical marriage and advice from real-life physician couples who still enjoy a healthy marriage.
5) Chapter of the Week: University of South Florida holds bone marrow drive
Medical students at the University of South Florida, in collaboration with the American Women’s Medical Association and the Asian-Pacific American Medical Student Association, recently organized a bone marrow drive. Students, faculty and staff members—180 people total—joined the National Marrow Donor Program. The group also hosted educational luncheons for students and faculty to learn more about bone marrow donations and how these patients may enter into their professional lives.
Send an e-mail to Andrew Carey to learn more about this project.
This project was made possible by an AMA chapter involvement grant (CIG). CIGs are available to AMA-MSS chapters to help put student projects and recruitment events into action. Chapters are eligible for $1,000 per academic year with a maximum of $500 per event. If your chapter has a project that it would like to get started, visit the Web site to apply for a CIG.
6) RSVP now for AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee Caucus
Jeremy Toler, who currently serves as the AMA-MSS representative to the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Issues, invites all AMA-MSS assembly members to attend the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee’s annual caucus from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Each year at its caucus, the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee recruits a physician speaker to address attendees on an issue of which all doctors should be aware when treating their GLBT patients. Past caucuses have focused on such topics as the psychology and biology of sexual orientation, overall GLBT health disparities and particular issues affecting GLBT youth. This year’s caucus will feature Kathy Oriel, MD, a family medicine physician from Madison, Wis., who will be presenting “Lesbian health care: What you don’t know is harming them.”
7) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone’s job
A shortage of physicians with training and expertise in geriatrics, combined with a proposed 10 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, could limit access to quality health care for the growing ranks of the nation’s elderly.
The U.S. health care work force is “too small and woefully unprepared,” according to a new Institute of Medicine report entitled “Retooling for an aging America: Building the health care workforce.” For that reason, notes AMA board member Cecil B. Wilson, MD, “All physicians caring for aging patients need to become proficient in geriatric care.”
Read more on this and other issues in graduate medical education (GME) in the May issue of the AMA GME e-Letter.>>Return to your news interest contents
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
(brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium)
1) Join your colleagues at the AMA-MAC caucus on June 13
The AMA-MAC invites you to attend its caucus from 4 to 6 p.m. June 13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The caucus will feature an interactive presentation on mental health and health care disparities, featuring psychiatrist Patrice Harris, MD, a member of the AMA Council on Legislation and an AMA delegate for the American Psychiatric Association. AMA-MAC Governing Council members will be among those joining Dr. Harris in discussing mental health concerns across various cultures. In addition to the presentation, items of business before the AMA House of Delegates will be discussed.
2) May is National Stroke Awareness Month
Stroke has been reported as the third leading cause of death in America. The impact of stroke is greater for African-Americans and women, and the disease burden stemming from stroke is greater among African-Americans.
Visit the Web site for more information and materials on National Stroke Awareness Month to share with your patients.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Organized medical staff issues
1) Book hotel and flight reservations for annual meeting by May 12
Hotel and flight information for the 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting, June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, is available online.
Book your reservation by May 12 to ensure that your requirements are met. Room availability cannot be guaranteed after this date.
2) Register online today for 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting
The 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting will be held June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Register online today.
3) AMA guide assists physicians in drafting, amending bylaws
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 the revised Joint Commission Standard MS.1.20.
AMA members can download (PDF, 996KB) the guide at no charge. Nonmembers will be able to purchase the guide in the coming weeks.
4) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship; print your copy today
A printable version of the "Principles for strengthening the physician-hospital relationship" (PDF, 90KB) 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.
Send an e-mail to order a poster of the principles for your medical staff lounge.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Resident and fellow issues
1) In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Hospitalists are fastest-growing medical specialty in the United States
According to the Society of Hospital Medicine, the hospitalist field is “the fastest growing medical specialty in the country” with the estimated number “projected to grow to about 30,000 by 2010—from 20,000 in 2008.” Hospitalists are board-certified in internal or family medicine, and say that their job is “just as intense and difficult as any other physician’s.”
Hospitalists usually work solely within hospitals, caring for patients from the time they are admitted to the time they are discharged. Although the “better pay and more flexible hours” make the hospitalist field attractive for many physicians, there is concern about the future of the field as it faces challenges with physician burnout and funding for hospitalist programs.
Read the article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
2) How does health insurer profiling affect practicing physicians and patient care?
The AMA has developed several educational resources that explain physician profiling, tiered and narrow networks and how to challenge your placement as a newly practicing physician.
3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone’s job
A shortage of physicians with training and expertise in geriatrics, combined with a proposed 10 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, could limit access to quality health care for the growing ranks of the nation’s elderly.
The U.S. health care work force is “too small and woefully unprepared,” according to a new Institute of Medicine report entitled “Retooling for an aging America: Building the health care workforce.” For that reason, notes AMA board member Cecil B. Wilson, MD, “All physicians caring for aging patients need to become proficient in geriatric care.”
Read more on this and other issues in graduate medical education (GME) in the May issue of the AMA GME e-Letter.
4) In Modern Healthcare: Lawsuit against Ingenix seeks class-action status
A lawsuit filed April 29 in Connecticut against Ingenix claims the company intentionally lowers reimbursement to out-of-network providers. The lawsuit states there was a conspiracy to deceive and overcharge a patient by calculating the usual, customary and reasonable rates from flawed and manipulated Ingenix data, which was lowering payments to providers. The low payments to providers left the plaintiff and other consumers with higher out-of-pocket costs.
5) Be a leader on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredits more than 6,000 residency programs throughout the United States. The council meets three times per year and establishes general performance parameters for programs, as well as approving specific accreditation recommendations of the residency review committees. This is a two-year position and is appointed by the governing council.
Download (Word, 70KB) an application. Applications are due June 2.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Senior Physicians issues
1) Medicare offers glaucoma screening tests
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that, if left untreated, can produce a pressure buildup within the eyes. With early detection, diagnosis and treatment, a patient can help preserve his or her vision. Risk of glaucoma increases for patients with diabetes, patients with a family history of glaucoma and African-Americans over the age of 50. Medicare covers a preventative screening test for glaucoma once every 12 months. Patients are responsible for the first 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount after the yearly part B deductible.
Learn more about this and other preventive services covered under Medicare.
In an effort to help Medicare beneficiaries learn more about preventive services covered under Medicare, the AMA-SPG will feature a covered service regularly in AMA eVoice.
2) JAMA offers study of Group B streptococcal disease in the United States
Group B streptococcus is the leading cause of morbidity in newborns and has also caused increased disease in elderly individuals. A study in the May 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) discusses the “Epidemiology of invasive Group B streptococcal disease in the United States, 1999–2005.” The objective of the study was to determine if the trends among populations might benefit from vaccination, and if the outcome measures are based on age- and race-specific incidence of invasive group B streptococcal disease.
Preview the May 7 JAMA study.
Your subscription to JAMA includes 48 weekly issues every year and provides e-mail alerts on material of interest published weekly.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Women physician and women's health issues
(brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress)
1) Mark your calendar: AMA-WPC caucus on June 14
The AMA-WPC invites you to attend its caucus from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 14 during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. This caucus will include presentations from the 2007 winners of the AMA-WPC Joan F. Giambalvo Memorial Scholarship Fund. Attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in the caucus business session, which includes reviewing items before the AMA House of Delegates and results of the AMA-WPC candidate interviews, and meet and greet colleagues.
2) May is National Lupus Awareness Month
Take part this month in National Lupus Awareness Month to raise awareness about lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that strikes women during their childbearing years 10 to 15 times more frequently than men. Nine out of 10 people with lupus are women.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Young physician issues
1) Register today for the 2008 AMA-YPS Annual Assembly Meeting
Register today if you haven’t yet made plans to join the AMA-YPS at its annual assembly meeting June 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This meeting is the ideal venue for young physicians to make themselves heard and become more active in shaping medicine’s future.
Read more about the meeting schedule, hotel and travel discounts and meeting service opportunities for AMA-YPS delegates.
2) AMA-YPS gears up for its 2008 governing council elections
View candidates who have submitted applications for the 2008 AMA-YPS Governing Council elections on June 13.
View (Word, KB) profiles of candidates for chair-elect, speaker and delegate as nomination forms are received.
Nominations will be accepted by fax at (312) 464-5845 or e-mail to the AMA-YPS until June 2. After this date, nominations will only be accepted from the floor at the AMA-YPS Annual Assembly Meeting on June 13.3) In AMA GME e-Letter: For physicians, geriatric care is everyone’s job
A shortage of physicians with training and expertise in geriatrics, combined with a proposed 10 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, could limit access to quality health care for the growing ranks of the nation’s elderly.
The U.S. health care work force is “too small and woefully unprepared,” according to a new Institute of Medicine report entitled “Retooling for an aging America: Building the health care workforce. For that reason, notes AMA board member Cecil B. Wilson, MD, “All physicians caring for aging patients need to become proficient in geriatric care.”
Read more about this and other issues in graduate medical education (GME) in the May issue of the AMA GME e-Letter.4) NPI deadline is May 23—are you ready?
Pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), old legacy numbers will not be accepted on any electronic claims after May 23. Claims will only be accepted with a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number.
Physicians are advised to visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Web site for more information and to make sure all of their information is up to date.
>>Return to your news interest contents
General AMA news
1) Three additional BCBS plans agree to pay out $3.5 million; file claim form by June 30
If you treated one or more enrollees of any Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plan that is a primary licensee, including an enrollee through a BCBS plan from another state, at any time between Jan. 1, 1996 and March 12, 2008, the AMA encourages you to collect your share of the $3.5 million Capital Settlement Fund.
The settling parties—including Capital BlueCross, Capital Advantage Insurance Company and Keystone Health Plan Central Inc.—have agreed to pay out approximately $3.5 million among eligible physicians who file a claim form by June 30, 2008.
Capital Settlement forms, including the proposed settlement notice, instructions and a claim form, were mailed to physicians on April 1. If you did not receive these documents, visit the Web site to download them and learn more about the settlement. The completed claim form should be postmarked no later than June 30 and sent to:
Capital BlueCross
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4390
Portland, OR 97208-4390
If you wish to be excluded from this settlement, you must send a complete and timely request to the settlement administrator by May 30, 2008. Those who opt out will not be entitled to receive the benefits of the proposed settlement, including payment from the settlement fund and benefits from the business practice commitments specified in the settlement agreement.
Access an interactive settlement map that shows which BCBS plans and subsidiaries in your state or region have settled and which have not.
>>Return to your general news contents
2) Beware of recalled heparin products
With the contamination of heparin becoming a significant safety issue in recent months, the AMA is working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to spread the word about recalls of injectable heparin products and heparin flush solutions that may be contaminated with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate.
Affected heparin products have been found in medical care facilities in one state since a recall announcement was issued earlier this year. Although product recall instructions were widely distributed, they may not have been fully acted upon at all sites where heparin is used.
Health professionals and facilities are asked to review and examine all drug and device storage areas—including emergency kits, dialysis units and automated drug storage cabinets—to ensure that all recalled heparin products have been removed and are no longer available for patient use.
A number of medical devices also contain, or are coated with, heparin. All health care professionals are asked to report to the FDA any adverse reactions associated with these devices, as well as any reactions associated with heparin or heparin flush solutions.
Learn how to report these problems to the FDA and to view a summary of other types of medical devices that contain or are coated with heparin.
A number of deaths related to contaminated heparin have been reported to the FDA from Jan. 1, 2007 through April 13, 2008. View a chart of the number of deaths reported.
If you have questions or would like more information, call the FDA/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Division of Drug Information at (301) 796-3400.
>>Return to your general news contents
3) Latest online video focuses on use of complementary and alternative treatment by patients
In recent years, the use of complementary and alternative treatment has increased rapidly. Patients most often use this type of therapy to manage chronic conditions, mental health conditions and acute infections, but many choose not to disclose such use to their physicians.
To help physicians better understand the different types of unconventional remedies and reasons why patients may choose to use them, the AMA has released a new online program, “Use of complementary and alternative therapy by patients,” as part of the Educating Physicians on Controversies and Challenges in Health series. This program identifies strategies for physicians to better manage the treatment of patients who use unconventional therapies.
View this free video and others in the series.
>>Return to your general news contents
4) AMA practice tip: Concerned about health insurers profiling you?
Are you concerned that your patients will no longer have access to your care because health insurers have placed you in their high-cost tiers? The AMA has developed a resource, “Tiered and narrow physician networks,” to educate physicians on how health insurers and other payers are profiling physicians by applying analytical software programs to their claims data. This resource explains the episode grouper process that insurers use to profile physicians for network placement and provides a sampling of tiered and narrow networks that are currently in operation.
AMA members can download (PDF, 205KB) “Tiered and narrow physician networks.”
>>Return to your general news contents
5) In JAMA: Adding ultrasound to mammography may improve breast cancer detection in high-risk women
The addition of an ultrasound examination to mammography for women at high risk of breast cancer resulted in a higher rate of cancer detection, but also increased the number of false-positive results, according to a study in the May 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In an accompanying editorial, an author comments on the findings of this study.
View the study.
Preview an editorial on this topic.
View the JAMA Report video about this study.
>>Return to your general news contents
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If you have specific comments on this edition of AMA eVoice, simply reply to this message. For more general feedback on AMA eVoice, send an e-mail to evoice@ama-assn.org and alert the editor of your comments and concerns. Do you have general questions about the AMA? Call the AMA Unified Service Center at (800) 262-3211.
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