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Monday, December 14, 2009

AAMSE EDWeb: Social Media and Medical Societies

Registration is now open for the AAMSE EDWeb, "Social Media and Medical Societies," to be held Thursday, December 17, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

Social media sites are a tool - not a solution - and just as with any tool, if not used properly they can cause much more damage than good. This webinar will not only give you step-by-step directions on how to create a blog and set up your own pages on sites like Facebook and Twitter, but will also teach you how to effectively communicate with your membership and work towards your association's mission.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to position your medical society in the new digital landscape.

Intended Audience: Mid-level medical society executives through CEOs who are developing or starting a social media strategy for their organization.

Objectives:

Participants will learn:

  1. Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on how to create a blog and pages on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
  2. The proper way to use different types of social media.
  3. How these tools can be used as additional member benefits.
  4. How medical societies have successfully used these tools to work towards their mission.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Sensitive Information for over 800,000 Docs May be Compromised

Officals at Blue Cross & Blue Shields are warning that information for over 800,000 physicians may have been compromised when an employees laptop was stolen.

Information that may have been breached include business and personal information such as Social Security numbers, addresses and certain identification numbers.

For the full story, click here.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Snowe Indicates She Will Side with Dems in Crucial SFC Vote

Senator Olymipia Snowe (R-Maine) has indicated in her remarks to the Senate Finance Committee that she will vote to move the bill out of committee. She did, however, express that this should not be an indication of support of any final bill that emerges once the SFC's bill is combined with Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions bill that was passed early this summer.

All though she expressed reservations, Senator Snowe believe the process must move forward.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

CBO Reviews Finance Committee Health Bill

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gave a boost to the Senate Finance Committee's America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009, and have reported that in its current form the bill will not increase the federal deficit, but would actually reduce it by $81 billion over the next 10 years and these savings would continue into the future.

However, a major caveat to the CBO's report is the fact that the bill has not yet been formatted into legislative language. The estimates made by the CBO may change when this occurs.

The Finance Committee is expected to vote and approve the act this week. Once it is approved it will be merged by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with legislation passed early this summer by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and brought to the Senate floor for debate.

To read the CBO's letter to Chairman Baucaus and the Senate Finance Committee, click here.

For more coverage:

Wall Street Journal
New York Times
Washington Post
Politico

Monday, October 5, 2009

WSJ Profiles What Health Care Bill Means to Docs

The Wall Street Journal's Health Policy Blog recently posted an item discussing what the Senate Finance Committee's Bill means to doctors. Items highlighted in the posting included:
  • Bonus Medicare provisions to primary care doctors
  • Provisions that would make it harder for doctors to own stakes in specialty hospitals
  • The bill would not scheduled cuts to medicare payments

For the full posting click here.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Health Care Reform Bill Prepares for Floor Debates

Early Friday morning the Senate Finance Committee completed its review of over 500 amemendments and both the Senate and the House of Representatives will be scheduling floor debates for the bill in the near future. This is the farthest stage any Health Reform bill has made it in the legislative process.

For more information, click here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Public Plan Defeated in Senate Vote

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee twice defeated amendments adding a government run health insurance plan to the Senate Health Care bill. Although these votes do not bode well for the inclusion of a public plan, supporters of the option plan to reintroduce the option when the full Senate votes on the bill.

For more details click here.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Senate Finance Committee Releases Health Care Bill

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D‐Mont.) today introduced the America’s Healthy Future Act, thought by many to be the basis for future negotiations in the health care reform debate.

Provisions in the legislation include:
  • Create health care affordability tax credits to help low and middle income families purchase insurance in the private market;
  • Provide tax credits for small businesses to help them offer insurance to their employees;
  • Allow people who like the coverage they have today the choice to keep it;
  • Reform the insurance market to end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and health status;
  • Shift incentives in Medicare to reward better care, not just more care;
  • Increase the number of primary care doctors in the system;
  • Provide annual “wellness visits” for Medicare participants and their doctors to focus on prevention;
Click here for the full text of the Bill.

Click here for Chairman Baucus's Press Release.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Links to Pres. Obama's Remarks to Congress

Pres. Obama outlined a $900 billion-ten year health reform program which includes a limited public option covering less than 5% of Americans, new insurance regulation and limited tort reform to a joint session of Congress last night.

Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) delivered the Republican response to the proposal.


To view the speech, click here

To read the remarks, click here

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Physicians Foundation Releases New Report

A report commissioned by The Physicians Foundation, a national healthcare organization that represents the interests of physicians, raises new questions about the role of socioeconomic determinants as they relate to access, quality, and cost of medical care in the United States. The report, prepared by a team of noted physicians and economists headed by Richard “Buz” Cooper, MD, Professor of Medicine and Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, was sent to the President and Congress today in order to contribute to the national health care debate.

The report, entitled “Physicians and their Practices under Health Care Reform,” highlights several important concerns that the report’s authors believe have been left out of the health care discussion, including: the growing problem of physician shortages, the changes in physicians’ practices that will be necessary in a reformed health care system, and the pervasive effects of poverty and other social determinants which impact variation in access, quality and cost of care.

The full report can be viewed at www.physiciansfoundation.org

Friday, September 4, 2009

IRS Raises Tax Exempt Application Fees

The IRS recently announced that they would be raising tax exempt application fees across the board.
  • For associations with less than $10,000 or less in a year over a four-year period, the fee will go from $300 to $400.
  • For organizations whose feels are more than $10,000 annually over a four-year period, the feel will go from $750 to $850
  • For group exemption letters, the fee will be $3000 from $900
A complete list of fees will be available in January, 2010.

To read more, click here.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Nonprofits Not Included in Health Care Bill Subsidy

According to an action alert sent out by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), in the House Health Care Bill, a tax credit available to small businesses who provide health insurance excludes small non-profits.

According to ASAE:
The House health care bill has a provision that gives a tax credit to any business that provides health insurance to its employees, has fewer than 25 total employees, and has an average salary of under $40,000. But because the bill provides a tax credit, nonprofits that qualified as a small business would be unable to receive needed financial support.
For more information and to get form letters to send your congressional officals, visit ASAE's Association Advocacy web page on this issue.

August EDWeb Rescheduled to Sept.

The AAMSE EDWeb "Physician Demographics: What Are the Trends?", originally scheduled for Thursday, August 20, has been rescheduled to Thursday, September 17.

To register for this webinar or for more information click here.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Photos from the AAMSE 2009 AC

Photos from the 2009 AAMSE Annual Conference have been posted on AAMSE's Flickr account. You can view the set by clicking here.

Do you have photos you would like to share from the conference? Just upload them to Flickr and tag them with "AAMSEAC09" and you will be able to share them with your AAMSE colleagues.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

House Democrats Release Health Care Bill

On Tuesday, House Democrats released a health care bill to the Senate, stating that health care is a right and a responsibility for all Americans. The bill, which proposed spending $1.5 trillion dollars over 10 years, would be subsidized by taxing medical providers, employers and the wealthy. It is not expected to pass in the Senate, but has reignited a fervor to expedite health care reform.

To read more about the bill, click here.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

NQF Calls for Steering Committee Members

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has issued a call for members of a steering committee focused on measures to curb Medicare costs and promote efficiency. The project was contracted by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Nominations are due by August 3.

To read more, click here.

Monday, July 6, 2009

ACEP Releases Strategic Plan on H1N1 Management

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released a management plan of the H1N1 flu virus. The National Strategic Plan for Emergency Department Management of Outbreaks of Novel H1N1 Influenza was based on the following competencies: situational awareness; protection of the emergency department infrastructure and personnel; prevention of disruptions in service delivery; organized, timely surge medical response; and recovery to the previous “steady state.”

To read more, click here.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Congratulations to the Newest CAEs

Rebecca Brandt, CAE
American Association of Medical Society Executives

Tanya Tolpegin, CAE
Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Thursday, June 25, 2009

H1N1 Virus Declared Stable

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief declared the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) to be currently stable, yet as with all influenza viruses, is prone to mutation.

To read more, click here.

To view the AAMSE H1N1 tracking page, click here

Monday, June 22, 2009

Few Primary Care Physicians Can Unhinge Health Care Reform

As health care reform becomes the focus of not only the health care community, but the public at large, there is undeniable evidence that the number of primary care physicians in the United States would not be able to meet the demand of an influx of the currently 47 million uninsured Americans. A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the reasons - and possible solutions - for this disparity.

Click here to read the full article.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Poll Finds Public Opinion On Health Reform Stable, but Pliable

As the debate over health reform options heats up at the federal level, the June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll has found that the majority (61%) of Americans continue to believe health reform is important issue that needs to be addressed.

Although many of the reforms, such as employer mandates (69%), individual mandates (71%), and a public plan option (65-67% depending on wording), being considered have strong support, only 41% of those polled are willing to pay more for health reform.

For more information and a complete analysis of the results click here.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Full Text & Commentary of Pres. Obama's Speech to the AMA

President Obama reiterated his commitment to health care reform in front of the American Medical Association this afternoon, saying:
"health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health."
President Obama touched on many topics, including electronic medical records, medical liability reform and a focus on preventive care. Whatever reforms are eventually put into place, Obama stated:
"no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what. My view is that health care reform should be guided by a simple principle: fix what's broken and build on what works."
For more information:

Full Text of President Obama's Speech - Chicago Tribune

Video of President Obama's Speech - C-Span

Roundup of the latest commentary on President Obama's Speech:

AMA's Press Conference Response - Wall Street Journal Health Care Blog

Audio of AMA's Press Conference - C-Span

Obama Tries to Woo Doctors on Health Care - Helene Cooper, The New York Times

Health-Care’s Fate May Be Shaped by Party Elders - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg

Naive, Hypocritical and Dishonest - Robert Samuelson, Real Clear Politics

Repeat the Question - Stanley B. Greenberg, The New Republic

Alternatives to Government Health Takeover - Gov. Mark Sanford and Dr. Scott W. Atlas, The Washington Times

Obama Wants to 'Explore' Malpractice Reform - Sam Youngman, The Hill

C-SPAN to Broadcast Live Obama Address to AMA

C-SPAN is offering a free live video feed of President Obama's address to the AMA at 11:15 a.m. Central Time today.

Click here to view the feed.

Friday, June 5, 2009

New Limits on Federal Lobbying Posted

In a White House blog, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the President for ethics and government reform, gave an update on the Memorandum on Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds (March 30), including that the administration had decided to "make [the regulations] even tougher on special interests and more focused on merits-based decision making."

To read the proposed reforms, click here.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Payment Rankings for Insurance Companies Released

athenahealth, Inc., a provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, and Physicians Practice, a leading practice management journal for physicians, today released the fourth annual PayerView Rankings that indicate national health insurers are paying physicians 5.3 percent faster and denying 9.0 percent fewer medical claims over the prior year. Humana, Inc. was the top ranked national payer.

This year's rankings represented the largest data set to date, using performance data from more than 18,000 medical providers representing over 41 million medical charge lines and $7 billion dollars in charges billed to payers in 47 states for all four quarters of 2008. The data is derived from athenahealth's national electronic health record (EHR) and practice management platform, athenaNet(R), and ranks health insurers according to specific measures of financial performance, administrative performance, and medical policy complexity.

The complete 2009 PayerView Rankings and trends, evaluating 172 national, regional, and government payers in 40 states, can be found at www.athenahealth.com/PayerView.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Finance Committee Releases Pay Options for Reform

The Senate Finance Committee recently released their third report concerning healthcare reform, this time addressing the issue of financing the reform.

To read the report, click here.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Hackett Nominated as ASAE Chairman-Elect

Karen Hackett, CAE, FACHE, CEO of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons was nominated by the Joint Leadership Committee of ASAE as the Chairman-Elect for the association's 2009-2010 Board of Directors.

To read more, click here.

Congratulations, Karen!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

SFC Releases Policy Options

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D‐Mont.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R‐Iowa) today released policy options for expanding health care coverage to the 46 million Americans who are currently uninsured.

The policy options released today aim to reform the individual and small group health insurance markets to end discrimination against sicker individuals. They would instead create a competitive insurance market where health plans compete on price and quality rather than the ability to segment risk and discriminate against individuals with pre‐existing health conditions. The options also include an expansion of public health insurance programs to cover the poorest Americans and make coverage more affordable by providing tax credits to low income individuals and small businesses. The policy options make purchasing coverage easier and more understandable for all consumers.

For the complete report click here

Public Comments should be directed to: Health_Reform@finance‐dem.senate.gov

Monday, May 11, 2009

Maves and Lewin Named Top 50 Physician Executives

Modern Physician recently released their annual list of the "50 Most Powerful Physician Executives," with AAMSE members Michael Maves, MD, MBA, (AMA) and John (Jack) C. Lewin, MD, (American College of Cardiology) making the list.

Congratulations Drs. Maves and Lewin!

To read more, click here.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Stricter Privacy Laws May Inhibit EMR Adoption

A new study released by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia found that states with stricter privacy laws had reduced EMR adoption rates by 20-30% as compared to states with fewer regulations.

To read more, click here.

Friday, May 1, 2009

FTC Delays Red Flags Rule Enforcement

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced yesterday that they would delay enforcement of the "Red Flags Rule," which requires creditor and financial institutions (including physician practices that bill patients) to develop and implement written standards to protect against identity theft, until August 1.

To read the requirements, click here.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sebelius Sworn into Dept. of HHS

Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, April 28, 2009.

To read her biography, click here.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Information and Resources for Swine Flu

As leaders of the country's medical societies, you play a critical role in helping to maintain the public health. To this end, AAMSE is pleased to provide you with comprehensive resources to help you prepare your members and community for the emerging Swine Flu pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a dedicated webpage with the most up-to-date news and information related to Swine Flu. We encourage you share this information with your members and also sign up for the CDC's RSS feed dedicated to the Swine Flu.

Additionally, AAMSE is gathering information resources from medical societies from across the country. To view these resources visit the AAMSE Resource Center and search for "Swine Flu" or click here for a full listing.

If you have resources you would like to share or for general discussion of Swine Flu, please visit the AAMSE Forums discussion thread "Swine Flu Resources and Discussion"


Swine Flu Resources

CDC's Swine Flu Resource Page

CDC's Swine Flu RSS Feed

AAMSE Discussion Forum on Swine Flu*

AAMSE Resource Center Documents on Swine Flu*

*Please note, you must be logged in to the AAMSE website to view these pages

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

AMA Announces Web Portal for Physicians

The AMA announced today that it is partnering with two technology companies, Covisint (a subsidiary of the Compuware Corporation) and DrFirst, to offer physicians web-based products and services in the hopes of facilitating a transition to electronic health records.

To read more, click here.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Social Networking Helps Reverse FDA Call

Story submitted by Steve Smith, CAE, executive director / CEO of the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine.

On March 31, the FDA announced that manufacturers of 14 unapproved pain medications commonly used by palliative care physicians must cease production of said medications within 60 days. On April 9, the FDA reversed this decision due to an outpouring of complaints from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and other groups. The swiftness of this decision reversal has been attributed to interested parties using social networks such as Twitter, Facebook - as well as conventional routes such as phone, face-to-face, email, and fax - to discuss and inform others about this and encourage them to voice their complaints.

To read more about this story click here, and to read how social networking was used, click here.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Amicus Filed in Vaccine Ruling

Eight medical associations, including the AMA and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), filed an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court in response to the Georgia Supreme Court ruling that state courts could hear cases involving alleged vaccine defects, despite the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986 establishing a "national vaccine" court to oversee such lawsuits.

To read more, click here.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

AMA Reduces Staff Positions

The AMA announced last week that they would be reducing open and filled staff positions, affecting approximately 100 current AMA staff members.

To read more, click here.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Private Companies Attempt to Collect Overpayments

Some companies with self-funded insurance plans, working under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, are using private companies to recoup "overpayments" to physicians.

To read more, click here.

Monday, April 6, 2009

NQF Calls for Nominations to Panels

The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on selection panels that will review proposals and select subcontractors to complete work under NQF's contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

BACKGROUND: On January 14, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a contract to NQF to establish a portfolio of quality and efficiency measures that will allow the Federal Government to examine how and whether healthcare spending is achieving the best results for patients and taxpayers. This contract is part of a provision in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services "to contract with a consensus–based entity, such as the National Quality Forum." The contract provides up to $10 million to NQF annually through 2012. NQF intends to subcontract some of this work to meet its contractual requirements to DHHS.

Potential subcontracting tasks may include, but are not necessarily limited to:

  • Evaluating the impact of NQF endorsed measures on the healthcare community;
  • Performing a systematic review and synthesis of evidence relating to 20 high-priority conditions identified by CMS;
  • Performing a full Environmental Scan of all available performance measures and measures in the development pipeline that relate to a set of 12 cross-cutting measure categories;
  • Developing performance measures that fill critical measurement gaps in healthcare; and
  • Developing an electronic quality measure format and instructions for technical implementers.

The DHHS Subcontract Selection Panels will be responsible for reviewing submitted proposals for the above NQF activities or others as needed. Individuals should identify the subcontracting task(s) for which they would like to be considered.

TIME COMMITMENT: For each subcontractor selection activity, the DHHS Subcontract Selection Panelists can anticipate approximately 8-10 hours of review time and one conference call to discuss the proposals and select a subcontractor.

CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION: In selecting panelists, it is vital to provide equal, unbiased consideration of each submitted proposal received by NQF, and therefore appointment of individuals to the panel will be based upon the following criteria:

  • Familiarity with NQF, its status as a voluntary consensus development body and its projects;
  • Familiarity with the national healthcare quality landscape;
  • An understanding of current policy issues related to healthcare quality;
  • Knowledge of measure development, endorsement, and implementation;
  • Experience with government contracts/subcontracts;
  • Experience with writing and reviewing proposals;
  • Ability to discern "best value" for the government and for NQF;
  • Ability to analyze and evaluate proposals based upon a standardized set of criteria that include technical merit and cost; and
  • No conflict of interest and a willingness to disclose such conflict if it arises during the evaluation process.

NOTE: Individuals from organizations submitting proposals for an NQF subcontract may not serve on the review panel for that specific subcontract. They may, however, serve on a review panel for an unrelated subcontract provided there are no other conflicts of interest.

MATERIAL TO SUBMIT: Self-nominations are welcome. Third-party nominations must indicate that the individual has been contacted and is willing to serve. To be considered, please send the following information:

Materials should only be submitted via email to nqfrfp2009@qualityforum.org. Please include "Attn: "Nominations" in the subject line of the message

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: All nominations MUST be submitted by 6 pm ET on Monday, May 4, 2009.


QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Larry Gorban at 202-783-1300 or lgorban@qualityforum.org.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

APA Ends Industry-Supported CME

In response to Congressional scrutiny of CME and the relationship between the medical community and industry, the American Psychiatric Association announced last week that they would be ending all industry-supported CME, including meals sponsored by industry.

To read more, click here.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

AMA Announces Class Action Lawsuit

The AMA announced a class action lawsuit against WellPoint, the largest health insurer in the US, for conspiring to underpay physicians for out-of-network medical services. This lawsuit comes at the heels of a similar AMA lawsuit against Aetna Health, Inc. and CIGNA Corporation.

To read more, click here.

AMA Posts Steps to Challenging Ratings

In response to the physician ratings controversy, the AMA has posted practical steps and advice on how physicians can challenge the ratings given to them by patients.

To read the article, click here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Watson Named Executive Director of RSNA

AAMSE member Mark G. Watson was named executive director of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Previous to becoming the executive director, Watson served as the interim executive director of RSNA since September 2008, and for 15 years prior to that, as the assistant executive director for finance and administration.

To read more, click here.

Friday, March 20, 2009

NQF Call for Measures

The National Quality Forum issued a call for performance measures seeking to endorse practices that address aspects of care coordination, ensuring patient needs and preferences in healthcare and information-sharing are met over time.

For more information and to participate, click here.

Monday, March 16, 2009

BH Found to be Interfering in Physician Choice

The AMA and Arkansas Medical Society joined with the Arkansas Heart Hospital (a physician-owned specialty facility) in successfully winning a lawsuit against the Baptist Health system for intruding on the patient-physician relationship and violating public policy. Baptist Health's credentialing plan disallowed staff doctors with interests in competing hospitals to have privileges and their facilities.

To read more, click here.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Massachusetts Gift Ban Rules Approved

Massachusetts officials gave final approval for the rules banning pharmaceuticals and medical device manufacturers from providing gifts and other perks to physicians.

For the complete story click here

To read the complete rules, click here

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wal-Mart Reportedly Introducing Low-Cost EHRs

A leaked story to the New York Times reported that Wal-Mart has teamed with Dell, Sam's Club, and software company eClinicalWorks to offer doctors low-cost electronic health records and practice management systems to physicians nationwide.

For more on this story, click here.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Physicians Struggling in Recession

A new article in the Miami Herald details the difficulties some physicians are having during the current recession, and further explains how the economy affects their practices.

To read the story, click here.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Obama Health Care Summit Live on CSPAN

President Barak Obama's White House health care summit will be shown live, in its entirety, on CSPAN3 at 1 PM Eastern.

The summit which consists of 120 invited guests, includes doctors, insurers, business owners, patients and lawmakers with a wide range of solutions to fixing the health care system. Both Democrats and Republicans have been invited and the discussion is expected to be lively.

For the live stream of CSPAN3, click here.

For related coverage:

Agenda & Listing of the Participants - NRO Online

Obama said to be open-minded on health-care change - Associated Press

Health care summit at White House a first step to overhaul - USA Today

Monday, March 2, 2009

Sebelius Nominated as HHS

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was officially nominated by President Barack Obama as the Secretary of Health and Human Services today.

To read more, click here.

Nominations for AAMSE Board of Directors

Deadline: Thursday, March 12

The AAMSE Nominating Committee, chaired by Immediate Past President Ken Slaw, PhD, is calling for nominations for candidates for positions on the Board of Directors. Deadline for nominations is Thursday, March 12. A total of four positions are open: president-elect and secretary-treasurer for 2009-10, and two director positions for 2009-12. All AAMSE members who are full-time employees of a qualifying professional organization or society are eligible to be nominated, and self-nominations are strongly encouraged. Please contact either Ken Slaw or Becky Brandt, executive director, to nominate yourself or a colleague; or send your nominations to the AAMSE Nominating Committee at aamse@aamse.org. Once we receive a nomination, the individual will be contacted and additional information will be requested.

Ken M. Slaw, PhD, Chair
American Academy of Pediatrics

Karen J. Collishaw
American Academy of Dermatology Association

Allison Peterson
Kansas Medical Society

Susie M. Pouliot
Idaho Medical Association

Cynthia S. Burger, CAE
Broome, Delaware, Otsego
And Tompkins County (NY) Medical Societies

Jo Bryson, CAE
Oregon Medical Society

Mike D. Abrams
Iowa Medical Society

Nancy J. Adams, MSM
Monroe County (NY) Medical Society

George Dudley, MBA
Massachusetts Medical Society

Shelly B. Rodrigues, CAE
California Academy of Family Physicians

Friday, February 27, 2009

AMA Drafts Letter to President Obama

The American Medical Association has drafted letter seeking to collaborate with the new Administration and Congress and other organizations to develop and carry out action plans to achieve them a Patient-Centered Culture.

The letter outlined ten key critical components to achieving this outcome. They were:
10 Critical Components of a Patient-Centered Culture
  1. Shared Decision Making-each patient and caregiver and the accountable team of healthcare professionals-physicians and all healthcare professionals-providing care to the patient have a shared understanding of the options for treatment, selected treatment plans, and desired outcomes
  2. Shared Understanding of Quality-each member of the team understands the core facets of high quality care and has the competencies to practice in a 21st century system, as envisioned by the Institute of Medicine's Crossing the Quality Chasm report In support of efficiently implementing the plan and achieving good outcomes for the patient, the team of healthcare professionals:
  3. has timely access to patient records, including all relevant tests results to avoid redundancy and risk to the patient
  4. has access to comparative-effectiveness research information to assist in value-based decisionmaking at the point of care
  5. is implementing a set of performance measures-based on clinical evidence and supported by their profession and other stakeholders-and these measures encompass processes, outcomes, and appropriateness of care
  6. enters patient data into an interoperable electronic health record system (EHRS) once; the EHRS provides decision support; performance measurement results; and the ability to export data to other entities overseeing professional accountability, data aggregation, and public reporting
  7. reviews performance reports routinely to identify areas for improvement; these reports track variations in care, particularly across patient co-morbidities as well as patient race, ethnicity, primary language and other relevant demographic characteristics
  8. implements best practices from participation in a Quality Improvement (QI) collaborative- partnership among local and state entities that provide resources, tools, technical assistance, and training on quality improvement techniques With input from other stakeholders, the profession of medicine in this new culture:
  9. comes together consistently to set targets; evaluates its progress on improving patient outcomes and effectively managing resources; determines which improvement methodologies have the greatest impact in practice; and monitors unintended consequences
  10. practices transparency and accountability by reporting findings broadly
To read the full letter click here.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

P.R. Kit Available for Meeting Planners

Following President Obama's stimulus package and the coinciding rules on "luxury expenditures," there is a new tool kit available to meeting planners which aids them in more easily communicating the return on investment of events.

To access the tool kit, click here.

Monday, February 23, 2009

AMA Releases Healthcare Reform Action Kit

The AMA released their action kit for physicians to use in the federal debate on healthcare reform, which includes briefs on current issues surrounding the health system.

To access the kit, click here.

Friday, February 20, 2009

ASAE Study Shows New Challenges for Associations

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) released the results of a study showing that most association executives have positive outlooks in the face of the struggling economy, but the dynamic of face-to-face meetings may change, as well as membership demographics.

To read the white paper, click here.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Medpedia Launches Today

James Currier, an internet entrepreneur, today launched Medpedia, a medical encyclopedia that operates like social encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, but giving only medical professionals the ability to submit content. The website aims to serve as a database of medical information for the public, combined with forums for patients to share stories and pose questions directly to those physicians that edit the encyclopedia.

To read more, click here.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

NMEI Survey Winner: Chris Busky, CAE

Congratulations to Chris Busky, CAE of the Heart Rhythm Society for winning the $100 amazon.com prize for completing the New Medical Executive Survey.

The New Medical Executives Institute aims to help those who are still uncovering the mysteries of medical society management and organized medicine. It also provides an opportunity for participants to begin developing a peer network, which will serve them throughout their medical society management career.

The New Medical Executives Institute will take place May 11-13, 2009, at the Chicago InterContinental Hotel.


Registration information will be available soon

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

AMA Presents Class-Action Suit

The AMA was joined by several state medical societies in a class-action lawsuit against the insurance companies Aetna Health, Inc., and CIGNA Corporation, claiming that the the companies severely under-reimbursed physicians.

To read more, click here.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Pfizer, Inc. to Disclose Physician Payments

Pfizer, Inc. has announced it is volunteering to disclose physician payments on its website.. This follows a statement made by Eli Lilly & Co. in September that it, too, will start disclosing physician payments and gifts.

To read more, click here.

Kansas Gov. Sebelius is Top HHS Canidate

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is near the top of President Barack Obama's list of candidates to head the Department of Health and Human Services, at least partly on the strength of her long and close working relationship with the president, a senior administration official said.

Click here for more...

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

AMA Launches New Interactive Website

The AMA launched a new interactive website intended to help physicians, residents, medical assistants and students in providing tools and resources.

To read more,click here.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Daschle withdraws as nominee for HHS secretary

Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination on Tuesday to be President Barack Obama's Health and Human Services secretary, dealing potential blows to both speedy health care reform and Obama's hopes for a smoother start as president...

For more information, click here.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Congratulations to the Newest CAEs

AAMSE would like to congratulate the newest American Society of Association Executives Certified Association Executives:

Linda Ayers, CAE
Senior Director, Health Policy
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Nicole G. Blankenship, MBA, CAE
Director Chapter and District Relations
American Academy of Pediatrics

Lisa Bradfield, CAE
Associate Director, Clinical Policy and Guidelines
American College of Cardiology

Nancy Fisher, CAE
Manager Chapter Relations
American Academy of Family Physicians

Jan Glas, CAE
Membership Specialist
College of American Pathologists

Caley A. Kleczka, CAE
Executive Director
Greater Albuquerque Medical Association

Janet Wilson, CAE
Account Executive
Executive Director, Inc

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Novak Announced as MSMS Executive Director

The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) has chosen Julie L. Novak, MHSA as their new executive director. Julie had been the acting executive director of MSMS for the past year.

To read more, click here.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

MedChi Names Ransom Executive Director

MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, named AAMSE member Gene Ransom III as their new executive director, ending an eight month search. Ransom previously served as the director of membership for the organization.

To read more, click here.

Monday, January 26, 2009

TMA proposes Insurer Code of Conduct

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) released a proposal to stop insurance companies from practicing rescission, entitled "Health Insurance Code of
Conduct Act of 2009". This is one of a six-part proposal for improving health insurance in the state of Texas.

To read the proposal, click here.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Sunshine Bill Reintroduced

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) introduced a revised Physician Payments Sunshine Act, altering the language and adding fines up to $1 million for failure to comply.

To read more, click here.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

CAFP Delivers Letter to Obama

Today, the California Academy of Family Physicians delivered a letter to newly-inaugurated President Barack Obama, urging him to prioritize American health care reform.

To read more, click here.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

KFF Finds Health Top Priority to Americans

A new survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Americans rank finding affordable health insurance options as a top priority for the new administration, only behind helping businesses keep or create new jobs.

To read more, click here.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

MMS Featured on PBS

The Massachusetts Medical Society was featured on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, a PBS program. The broadcast profiles the shortage of the shortage of primary care physicians.

To view the broadcast, please click here.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Florida Medical Association Increases Membership

The Florida Medical Association announced its membership totaled 19,000 by the close of 2008, an increase of nearly 2,000 since 2007.

To read more, click here.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

IRS Releases Final Form 990

The internal Revenue Service released the final Form 990 and related schedules late last month, 18 months after the original draft of federal financial-disclosures forms were available for public comment. To view the form and related schedules, click here.

Click here to read more.