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The Weekly Dose
Bexar County Medical Society
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Paying
for CME
By
John K. Wisniewski
BCMS
CEO/Executive Director
Traditional physician compensation
models include a discretionary CME allowance, which is commonly used
for coursework at travel destinations.
Bring the family, let them enjoy
some sights, take a few classes and mix a little business with
pleasure.
There can be tax advantages to
learning/vacationing and for some, this model is still a great
motivator.
Others may prefer good, cheap
online CME, a taxable raise and separate, unencumbered vacations.
Talk with your partners, employers
or employees. Perhaps offer several options. Be sure to
get qualified guidance on tax implications, and don't forget to make
membership in TMA/BCMS a direct benefit for all members of your
practice.
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RSVP TODAY
for
the June 4 General Membership Meeting
at
the Club at Sonterra
Mix
and mingle
Cash
bar
Hors
d'oeuvres
6:30
p.m.
'To
Congress and Back' featuring guest speaker Charlie Gonzalez
7
p.m.
To RSVP click here
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
When should you
take Social Security?
While
the goal is to maximize the lifetime family benefit, there is no
single correct answer to this question. Your benefit can start as
early as age 62. The longer you wait (up to age 70), the larger your
benefit grows.
Two
obvious factors to consider are your health and cash flow from other
sources. Many filers leave significant money on the table because
they aren't aware of advanced strategies that can maximize their
benefits.
One
strategy includes filing for benefits, immediately suspending so your
benefit continues growing, and then having your spouse file for
spousal benefits on your account. This can effectively create a third
Social Security income stream (yours, your spouse's and the spousal
benefit). Aspect Wealth has a system to identify the optimal strategy
for your family to maximize your hard-earned benefits. Please contact
us for a free evaluation.
BCMS is grateful for Aspect's long-term support and
commitment through its ongoing Gold Membership in the Circle of
Friends, by managing money for the society for most of the past
decade.
Contact Michael Clark, CIMA, CRC, at mclark@aspectwealth.com or
Jeffrey Allison, CFP, at jallison@aspectwealth.com. Phone: 877-702-7732.
Registered Representative of and securities and advisory
services offered through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, member
FINRA/SIPC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named
entity.
This information is sent on behalf of a valued BCMS
Circle of Friends sponsor at the GOLD level, but it is not an
endorsement. Donations from Circle of Friends sponsors help keep down
the cost of dues and allow BCMS to continue to provide quality
service to its members. The society continues its pledge to you and
only will involve itself in services and programs that benefit you,
the member, and your patients.
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TRENDING TOPICS
83rd Legislative Session adjourns Sine Die on May 27
Governor calls special session within an hour after
adjournment
By Mary E. Nava, MBA
BCMS Chief Governmental and
Community Relations Officer
Last Monday,
Memorial Day, was the last day of the 83rd regular legislative
session. The Senate and House adjourned Sine Die and then
within the hour following, Gov. Rick Perry called the first
special session, and the legislators were back at work at 6 p.m.
that evening.
As had been
the buzz around the halls of the Capitol during the last weeks of
the session, the first topic on the special session agenda:
redistricting. The governor sets the agenda, and it's quite
possible more items may be added in the coming weeks.
Now that the
regular session has ended, the governor has 20 days to act on
legislation that has passed. Perry can sign bills into law,
veto bills or allow bills to become law without his
signature. We will provide you with updates in the coming
weeks on the status of legislation awaiting the governor's pen.
Some
highlights on key TMA bills for the 83rd Session (since the last
issue of The
Weekly Dose):
Signed into law
Drum roll,
please ...
SB 822, the
silent PPO bill, by Sen. Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown) and
Rep. Craig Eiland (D-Galveston) was signed into law on May
25. This law goes into effect Sept. 1, 2013. This new
law establishes fair and transparent insurance markets and subjects
the companies that sell, lease or share physician-contracted
discounts to oversight by TDI.
On the governor's desk
- SB
1221 by Sen. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney), a bill similar to SB
822, would stop Medicaid HMOs from selling or trading
physician discounted rates.
- SB
644 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and Rep. John Zerwas, MD
(R-Simonton), requires TDI to appoint a stakeholder workgroup
to design a standard prescription drug prior-authorization
form applicable across all payers, including Medicaid and
CHIP.
- SB
1216 by Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) and Rep. Sarah Davis
(R-West University Place) requires TDI to appoint a
stakeholder workgroup to design a standard request form for
prior authorization of healthcare services applicable to all
payers.
- HB
1803 by Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Katy) and Huffman would
start the renewal of physicians' DPS controlled substances
registration with their online medical license renewal at the
Texas Medical Board. A provision was added that defines
pain management as the practice of medicine.
- HB
500 by Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) and Sen. Glenn
Hegar (R-Katy) establishes a $1 million state franchise tax
deduction for small businesses. It could give many Texas
physicians needed relief from the state's franchise tax. TMA
added an amendment to the bill that allows physicians to
deduct vaccine purchase cost from taxable revenues.
- SB
1150 by Sen. Chuy Hinojosa (D-McAllen) and Rep. Bobby Guerra
(R-McAllen) requires HHSC to implement a "provider
protection plan" under Medicaid HMOs or other
arrangements and incorporate the plan into the contracts
between HHSC and the plans. Plans must pay claims properly and
promptly. The bill imposes penalties on plans that engage in
low-pay, slow-pay, no-pay activity.
- SB
7 by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) and Rep. Richard
Raymond (D-Laredo) aims to save money in the Medicaid program
by expanding Medicaid HMOs to people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities and to nursing home residents.
- SB
227 by Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) and Zerwas
would allow physicians to dispense aesthetic pharmaceuticals
in excess of the patient's immediate needs without a
pharmacist license. Drugs include bimatoprost for growing
eyelashes; hydroquinone, a skin whitener; retinoid for
improving skin; and metronidazole for treating rosacea.
- SB
646 by Sen. Robert Deuell, MD (R-Greenville), and Rep. Elliot
Naishtat (D-Austin) amends current law relating to
court-ordered outpatient mental health services.
- SB
1643 by Williams and Rep. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston)
improves access to prescription information by physicians. It
allows them to delegate information retrieval to a nurse and
allows for connection to DPS through a health information
exchange, as long as proper security measures are in place to
protect against disclosure to unauthorized individuals. The
bill also allows physicians to include that information in a
patient's medical record, but that information would be
subject to any applicable state or federal confidentiality or
privacy laws.
Stay tuned to this column and San Antonio Medicine magazine for more updates on the status of
legislation on the governor's desk and updates from the special
session.
For local discussion on the wrap-up of the 83rd
Legislative Session, the first called special session and other
advocacy topics, consider joining the BCMS Legislative and
Socioeconomics Committee by contacting Mary Nava at mary.nava@bcms.org.
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About The Weekly Dose
The Weekly Dose is a service of the Bexar
County Medical Society.
Some of the suggestions conveyed may not be applicable to
your practice today,
but the goal is to offer information over time that returns value
in excess
of the cost of your membership.
If you would like to recommend future topics to share with
your colleagues,
please submit them to the BCMS executive director at john.wisniewski@bcms.org.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Copyright © 2013
Bexar County Medical Society, San Antonio, Texas.
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