1. health and fitness

Progress Notes
October 2014
MSMA Reporting the Progress of Missouri’s Medicine
www.msma.org
MSMA Gives Members a Great Return on Their Investment
Recently released data show MSMA
membership dues ranked as one of the lowest
among medical societies in the nation. That means
MSMA provides substantial value when
it comes to providing services and
advocating for physicians. Nearly 5,000
$390
physicians and medical students are
MSMA members.
Issues important in the upcoming legislative
session are:
$540
 Re-establish the state’s cap on
noneconomic damages in medical
$495
malpractice lawsuits.
$490
 Representing physicians interests in
$560
reforming the state’s Medicaid program.
$570 $385
 Protecting collaborative practice and
$495
$395
the health care “team” approach to
$530
Here is how you benefit
patient
care.
$485
as a result of MSMA membership:
$425
Late last month, MSMA mailed
$400
 Rejected legislative
membership renewal invoices.
attempts by non-physicians
Paying your MSMA dues on time
Fastest-Paying Dues Members for 2015
to invade the practice of
during the first 2015 billing
Michael D. Barton, DO, St. Louis
Fadi Makari, MD, Poplar Bluff
medicine.
cycle saves your dues dollars for
Patricia J. Bolster, MD, St. Louis
Christy L. Morgan, MD, Kirkwood
 Successfully
Association programs. MSMA
Catherine M. Dunn, MD, Dearborn
Paul A. Roubian, MD. Washington
Amy R. Evers, MD, Kirkwood
Reid C. Smith, MD, Kansas City
has to bill some members several
lobbied against more
Sarah B. Florio, MD, Lee’s Summit
Benjamin W. Verdine, MD, Washington
times, and postage costs for
government interference
Dale Korn, MD, Lebanon
G. Natalie Wong, MD, St. Louis
the extra billings can add up to
Christopher
J.
Lenarz,
MD,
Fenton
Thomas D. Younker, MD, Columbia
in the physician-patient
thousands of dollars.
THANK
YOU!!!
relationship.
If you have NOT received a
 Helped ease the
membership
invoice,
contact
Lois
Chronister
at 800-869-6762 or
physician shortage and improve rural access to care by passing
lois@msma.org.
the country’s first assistant physician law.
Alert: Hydrocodone Products
Moving to Schedule II
Effective October 6, 2014, hydrocodone combination
products were officially moved from Schedule III to the morerestrictive Schedule II for controlled substances. The change,
ordered by U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, applies to all
pharmaceuticals containing hydrocodone. Among other things,
this means that any of those products are subject to tighter
prescribing rules.
Under Schedule III, a physician could prescribe a six
month supply as a 30 day prescription with up to five refills.
Now, however, refills will be prohibited. Prescriptions for these
products can only be written in 30 day increments, must be filled
sequentially, and cannot exceed 90 days duration. Also, all such
prescriptions must be written and signed – they cannot be phoned
in to the pharmacy – and nurses and physician assistants will no
longer be able to prescribe them.
The MSMA has posted some helpful information regarding
all the new requirements, including from the MO Department
of Health Senior Services/BNDD. Visit www.msma.org/
GuideToPrescribing for more resources.
$690
Help a Vet with MSMA Registry
Scores of doctors representing 30 medical specialties
have signed up to a provide care for military veterans outside
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system.
MSMA’s Veterans Affairs Registry at www.msma.org/
VeteransAffairsRegistry was created to improve timely
access to care for those who have served our country.
www.msma.org/VeteransAffairsRegistry
Medicare Open Payments Data Online
If you have received food, an honorarium, or other payment
from a device or drug manufactuer you should know about the new
CMS Open Payments database: http://cms.gov/openpayments. Companies participating in Medicare are required to report
physician payments or “transfers of value” greater than ten dollars.
For additional information, access the AMA’s Sunshine Act toolkit
at www.ama-assn.org/go/sunshine. This includes information on
how to contest incorrect database entries.
Page 2 / October 2014
Medical License Renewal Cycle Ends
January 2015 - Do You Have Your CME?
Physicians obtaining a Missouri license to practice medicine must renew their license by
January 31, 2015. Here are the requirements:
• Missouri law requires all physicians to obtain 50 hours of CME during the CME reporting
period (every two years).
• The current CME reporting period ends on December 31, 2015.
• It is the responsibility of the physician, not his/her employee or employer, to submit
the renewal application and fee to the Board.
• A licensee who fails to obtain 50 hours of CME during the reporting period shall not
engage in the practice of medicine unless an extension has been granted by the Board.
• An application for an extension must be made prior to December 31, 2015, along with a
$50 processing fee.
• Extensions are only granted through February 28, 2016.
• Failure to obtain the CME or failure to request a CME extension by December 31, 2015,
is cause for disciplinary action against your license.
• The next CME reporting period is January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2016.
• Notify the board of any name/address changes to assure their renewal is sent to the
proper address.
Medicare CoPs Alter Medical Staff Regulations
CMS’ hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) final rule makes significant
changes to the hospital governance structure and the relationship between the medical
staff and its individual members:
• The final rule permits a multi-hospital health system to have a unified, systemwide medical staff, rather than a separate medical staff at each hospital,
provided that the medical staff at each hospital votes to accept a unified staff
structure. • The final rule also eliminates a requirement that the hospital governing body
include a member of the medical staff. The governing body must now consult at
least two times per year with the medical staff.
AMA has a guide online at: http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/omss/x-pub/
cops.pdf.
CMS Releases ICD-10 Clinical Documentation
and Coding Webcast
CMS has released a new webcast with information on clinical documentation and
coding from the “Road to 10” tool, which was designed to help small physician practices
transition to ICD-10. It is accessible through the “Road to 10” link on the CMS ICD-10
website:http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/ProviderResources.html.
Ebola Virus Disease
Advisory is Issued
T­he CDC continues to issue health
advisories regarding the Ebola virus disease.
The current Ebola outbreak is the largest in
history and is generally confined to several
countries in West Africa. The CDC and
several other U.S. government agencies
are working with the World Health
Organization and other international
bodies in response. Although the CDC has
declared that the U.S. population is not
currently at substantial risk, MSMA and the
Missouri Department of Health and Senior
Services (DHSS) want to make health care
providers aware of the rapidly changing
situation.
Information from the CDC regarding
Primaris Insurance
Navigator Assistance
Since last year, Primaris and its ten
nonprofit and health care partners assisted
more than 9,700 people statewide with
one-on-one education and enrollment
assistance and educated more than 26,000
people through outreach activities – a total
of more than 35,000 people.
Primaris was not chosen for a second
year of funding under the federal navigator
program; however, Knowledge Management
Associates, a Primaris affiliate, was funded
and will continue to provide insurance
counseling services in central Missouri
under the Missouri Foundation for Health’s
Expanding Coverage Through Consumer
Assistance grant.
Open enrollment begins November
15 and ends February 15, 2015. To learn
more or schedule an appointment, call
573-817-8338 or visit http://primaris.org/
services/insurance-counseling-services/
navigator-program.
Reference Committee
Online Forums Are Open
for AMA Meeting
AMA members can take advantage of
online forums for input into Reference
Committee issues for the Interim Meeting,
Nov. 8-11, in Dallas, Texas. Items of
business received by Oct. 9 are included
in the online member forums for each
of the five Reference Committees unless
recommended against consideration by the
Committee.
Members should take advantage of
this opportunity, as Reference Committees
at the Interim Meeting take place
concurrently. Visit www. ama-assn.org/go/
interim2014.
Ebola symptoms, risk, treatment,
and prevention is posted on MSMA’s
website, and will be regularly updated as
conditions evolve. Go to www.msma.org/
PublicHealthNews for more information,
or direct specific questions to the DHSS
Bureau of Communicable Disease Control
and Prevention at 800-392-0272.
October 2014 / Page 3
Around the State: Membership & Meetings
Contact Haley Wansing at hwansing@msma.org / Member names in bold
tricks of how to survive medical school. The chapter will work with
local charity Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist Mission
Warehouse to sort and distribute unused medical supplies for
underserved clinics internationally.
SLU-MSS
West Central Medical Society
MSMA President Jeffrey Copeland, MD, addressed the
West Central Medical Society on Sept. 24. MSMA District #6
Councilor Warren Lovinger, MD, introduced him and Bill
Turner, MD, WCMS president, and welcomed State Senator
Ed Emery as another guest speaker at the monthly meeting.
MSMA staff distributed MSMA literature to remind members of
their benefits and encouraged attendance at MSMA Convention
in April. Pictured above are WCMS members, from left: John
Torontow, MD, WCMS Secretary-Treasurer; Curtis Long, MD;
Dr. Copeland; Dr. Turner; Sen. Emery; and William Haynie,
MD, WCMS Vice President.
Tri-County
President of Tri-County Medical Society Keith Ratcliff,
MD, welcomed Dr. Copeland to the Sept. 23 meeting held
in Washington. Both Dr. Copeland and MSMA staff discussed
legislative issues and answered questions from members.
President’s Travels
Dr. Copeland represented MSMA at the annual meetings of
Kentucky Medical Association in Louisville in September and the
Kansas City Metropolitan Medical Society in October.
ATSU-MSS
The MSMA Medical Student Section of A.T. Still University
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine took advantage of a
large crowd drawn to its Orientation Fair in September to hold the
first of several recruitment events with help from officers Brittany
Kurowski, Holly Kapraun, Ben Rahoy and Christina
Pavelko.
KCUMB-MSS
The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
MSS held its annual membership recruitment meeting in August,
organized by officers Eric Pease, Rey Anthony Caradang,
Karine Matevossian, LiYin Lan, Maaheen Ahmed,
Christine Hsu and Amitabh Singh, with more than 150
students in attendance to learn about organized medicine. Secondyear medical students gave first-year medical students tips and
The Saint Louis University MSS hosted an Interest Group
Fair in August to inform students about organized medicine
and benefits of membership. They sponsored a luncheon during
orientation week, organized by officers Rob Hoerner, Emily
Au, Mike Pierro, Neil Shaw and Zach Pressman. MSMA
guest speaker Edmond Cabbabe, MD, Missouri Delegate to the
AMA, presented at a “Success in Medical School” program also
in August along with student volunteers who work at the Health
Protection and Education Services Clinic. The event was organized
by officers Tracy Wang and Sandria Vernon. A joint SLU-Wash
U Trivia Night fundraiser for a local health care organization is
being planned by officers Kavita Darji, Pranu Naidu and Jason
Howard.
UMC-MSS
The University of Missouri School of Medicine Activities Fair
was held in September. The MSS discussed organized medicine and
its relevance to medical education, while highlighting the financial
benefits of being an MSMA and AMA member. This year’s officers
are Nathan Nolan, Lauren Stephenson, Dan Lovinger, Dan
Grant, Adam Grumke, Marcia Mains, Lila Wahidi, Nick
Arnold, Jennifer Haslag-Minoff and Lucas Blount.
UMKC-MSS
The University of Missouri-Kansas City MSS recruitment
event in August gave first-year students the opportunity to meet
the upper class and learn about member benefits. The officers
for this year include Timothy Chow, Kartik Sreepada, ​
Muhammad Alikhan, Ingrid Hsiung, Brooks Kimmis,
Neha Husain, Josephine Doo, Huma Mujadad​ and Hima
Veeramachaneni.
Wash U-MSS
The Washington University MSS held three recruitment
events this season: a snack break for first-year students
to meet officers and learn about organized medicine; an
activities fair with new members receiving a tote filled with
school supplies; and a presentation by St. Louis Metropolitan
Medical Society President Joseph Craft, MD, MSMA Young
Physician Section Councilor Ramona Behshad, MD, who
spoke about organized medicine and the practicing physician.
This year’s officers at Wash U are Ramin Lalezari, Chetan
Vakkalagadda, Sagar Mehta, Jenny Cheng, Jordan
Jacquez and Alyssa Kronen.
Page 4
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Progress Notes
www.msma.org
Progress Notes is published monthly for
the physician members of the Missouri
State Medical Association.
Lizabeth R. S. Fleenor, Editor
Missouri State Medical Association
113 Madison P.O. Box 1028
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
800-869-6762 Fax: 573-636-8552
lfleenor@msma.org
@momedicalassn
October 2014
Physician Candidates
Running for Office
As leaders in the health care community, it is important to
inject your voices into the debate over health care reform. Who
knows the practice of medicine and the needs of your patients
better than you? As the November elections heat up, support those
who support you. And support your physician colleagues who want
to represent your profession and your patients in the Missouri
General Assembly.
November 2014 Missouri General
Election Physician Candidates
[MSMA member names in bold]
• State Senate District 2 (St. Charles): Bob Onder, MD (R)
will be unopposed.
• State Senate District 34 (St. Joseph): Senator Rob Schaaf,
MD (R) will face Robert Stuber, MD (D).
• House District 8 (Cameron): Representative Jim Neely, DO
(R) will face Ted Rights, MD (D).
• House District 121 (Rolla): Representative Keith Frederick,
DO (R) will be unopposed.
Contact Jeff Howell at jhowell@msma.org or Kenny Jackson
at kjackson@msma.org, or call 573-636-5151 if you have any
questions.