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PHYSICIANS’ FOUNDATION SENDING SURVEY TO EVERY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR IN AMERICA

 

National Group Seeks to
Give Physicians A Voice

 

What is the state of primary care practice in America today?   Can primary care physicians continue to provide patient care in the face of rising costs, reimbursement cuts and pervasive government regulations?   What do primary care doctors themselves have to say about the direction of medical practice in America?

       The Physicians’ Foundation for Health Systems Excellence (PFHSE), a not-for-profit group composed of medical societies and physician leaders, is seeking answers to these questions by undertaking one of most ambitious physician surveys ever attempted.   Beginning in May, 2008, PFHSE will send over 300,000 surveys to primary care physicians and selected medical specialists throughout the country.   The survey will be sent to virtually every active primary care physician nationwide, and to specialists in small, independent practices.  

       “We have heard from the pundits about the state of medical care in the United States,” notes Louis Goodman, Ph.D. president of PFHSE and executive vice president of the Texas Medical Association.  “It’s time we heard what physicians have to say.”

       According to Dr. Goodman, the survey asks primary care physicians about the state of their practices and whether or not they can maintain patient care services in light of regulatory and financial burdens.   The key question posed by the survey, Dr. Goodman observes, is can doctors meet the needs of patients under current practice conditions? 

        “If the survey indicates that medical practice itself is in jeopardy, that urgent message needs to be heard by policy makers and the public,” states Walker Ray, M.D., vice president of PFHSE and former president of the Medical Association of Georgia. 

 PFHSE has partnered with national physician search and consulting firm Merritt, Hawkins & Associates to develop and mail the survey.   Tim Norbeck, executive director of PFHSE and longtime former executive director of the Connecticut State Medical Society, notes that physicians around the country will soon be receiving the survey and he urges them to participate.

     “This is a critical chance for doctors to have their voices heard,” Mr. Norbeck says.   “The more physicians who participate, the more persuasive their voices will be.”

About PFHSE

 

     The Physicians’ Foundation for Health System Excellence is a national grant making foundation dedicated to improving the quality of the medical practice environment.   PFHSE was established in 2004 as part of a settlement in an anti-racketeering class action lawsuit involving physicians and medical societies against the managed care industry.   Its board is comprised of physician leaders and medical society members from around the country.  For additional information, access www.physiciansfoundation.org


New Health Insurance Cooperative for Physicians, Their Staff, and Families

The Bexar County Medical Society is pleased to say that we have a new member of our Circle of Friends program offering an alternative for our member physicians to obtain Health Insurance coverage at reasonable rates typically offered to only large groups of employees. This alternative is a cooperative exclusively for the physicians, staff and their families in Bexar County. Please review the details by clicking here. Many of you have asked for the Society to find such an alternative, and thanks to the efforts of MD Health Group, that alternative is becoming a reality. 

Please review the material and respond back directly to MD Health Group to indicate you are interested in joining the cooperative. Please remember to complete both the census and the survey. Signup runs through April 29, so please act quickly!


Bexar County Medical Society Foundation

14th Annual “Making The Rounds”

Golf Tournament

Thursday, May 1, 2008

at the “Must Play” Quarry Golf Club

Morning and Afternoon tee times, all meals provided, helicopter ball drop and other door prizes! more. . .


2008 TMA Winter Conference
Saturday, Feb. 2, 7:30 am-1:15 pm

 

About the Conference
The Texas Medical Association’s Fall Conference provides a platform for TMA leadership to conduct business and participate in CME-accredited programming on emerging health care issues, along with topics related to personal and professional development.  We anticipate an audience of approximately 400 leaders representing Texas physicians in all specialties.

Stagnant or declining reimbursement combined with increasing practice costs have left Texas physicians troubled about the economic viability of their practices. These financial concerns threaten both the quality of and access to health care for Texas patients. The 2008 Winter Conference will take a micro and macro look at issues that affect the viability of physician practices.

more. . .

 

TMLT Cuts Premiums Again

For the fifth consecutive year since the 2003 tort reforms, the Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) is cutting physicians' liability insurance premiums. Starting Jan. 1, TMLT premiums will drop by 6.5 percent across the board. All renewing policyholders will share in a $35 million dividend – equal to a 22-percent premium savings.

Since 2003, TMLT has reduced its rates by 31 percent and saved its physician policyholders $200 million in premiums.

New Law Requires Electronic Death Certificate Filing

 Starting Sept 1, physicians who have renewed their license electronically before that date must use the Texas Electronic Registrar-Death Registration system to certify and/or file death certificates for patients who have died while in their care. Physicians who have not renewed their licenses electronically before Sept 1, 2007, do not have to comply with the law until Sept. 1, 2008.

 The requirement is part of House Bill 1739 passed by the last session of the legislature and signed by the governor in June. The bill also applies to funeral homes.

 The bill's sponsors say it will make the death reporting system more efficient and accurate, and also may eliminate delays in postmortem legal proceedings such as settling estates, accessing the deceased's accounts, and collecting insurance claims.


Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Fact Sheet

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has assembled a fact sheet for use in physicians' offices regarding the new transition policy, as well as the exceptions and appeals process for the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.

more. . .

 

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The Bexar County Medical Society makes it easy for patients and their families to locate physicians of all specializations in the San Antonio, Tx metropolitan area. Search by specialization, location etc.

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