Newsletter 89 June 2007
Contents
Message from the NSMA Executive Update
Malpractice Filings Against
Health Care Providers, Jan 2001 – Apr 2007
Southern Nevada Health Officer Report
The Alliance to receive the AMA Legislative Education
& Awareness Promotion (“LEAP”) Award
Sponsors Needed for the Installation Dinner July
14, 2007
The ten main reasons you should be proud to be member of NSMA
From the nsma
executive e-update:
The NSMA House of Delegates opened on Friday afternoon with Dr. Hardwick making the annual President's Report: "I appreciate the opportunity to serve as the NSMA President over the last year…Here are the highlights of the last year or the ten main reasons you should be proud to be a member of NSMA:
1. The anti-tobacco initiative passed. Not only did Question 5 pass, but Question 4 failed. We were up against gaming, restaurants, bars, and the slot route operators. They outspent us 5 to 1. They ran a very deceptive campaign, and yet the voters were not fooled & voted to outlaw smoking in all indoor public places except the gaming floor.
2. Last
November, we were successful in almost all of the elections that received
NEMPAC support.
3.Three NSMA members serve in the State Legislature, R. Garn Mabey, M.D. & Joe Hardy, M.D. in the Assembly & Joe Heck, D.O. in the Senate. NSMA Alliance member Heidi Gansert is also a leader in the Assembly…
4. In the Legislature so far this year, every bill that we wanted killed has been killed. Every amendment we wanted adopted has been adopted. So far, so good, but it starts over again next week. In recent past Legislatures we have had success in: Patient Protection Act; Timely payment requirements; Contracting protections; Ban on panel fees; Mandatory uniform credentialing forms for insurers; &, we had extraordinary success with the KODIN initiative in 2004 giving us medical liability reform.
5. Governor Jim Gibbons' budget includes a measure that would increase Medicaid rates to Medicare rates. This would mean $30 million more for physician services over the next 2 years.
6. We have just been notified that our worker's comp insurer is a mutual company that is converting to a stock company & we will receive a windfall of $133,000 for our stock. This is like receiving a windfall from a Great Aunt that you never even knew existed.
7. Clark County Medical Society had a 6% increase in membership last year & we expect membership increases in every county except White Pine which has achieved 100% membership.
8. We are financially sound. We have a large reserve account & Richard Seher, M.D., our Treasurer, has worked hard to see that we are getting good returns on our investments.
9. We have great leaders at the State level in the pipeline…
10. The main highlight of the year & a main reason you should be proud to be a member of NSMA is our professional staff. We are a professional organization represented by true professionals…"
President’s Message
Reasons For Hope, Reasons To Give
By
In last month's president's message, I shared with you how my faith in my physician colleagues and CCMS members has grown over the past few years. I also shared how this faith has cultivated wonderful relationships with many people who are working together in CCMS and organized medicine to bring about much needed changes in medicine.
In this
article I will focus not so much on individuals and relationships but on their
actions and how they affect medicine in
Reasons for hope include: 1) CCMS' participation in the legislative process, 2) CCMS participation in local and state politics, 3) CCMS support of bringing health care to the needy and uninsured in Nevada, 4) CCMS' support of local medical education, 5) the establishment of a very strong professional network, 6) an increase in membership and leadership within CCMS, 7) benefits for members of CCMS, 8) enhancing the image of CCMS and physicians in the community.
I would like to elaborate on a few of the reasons for hope. This has been a very satisfying legislative session to date, indeed all the bills that we hoped would die, died. All the bills that we hoped would survive are practically all still in play, in part due to the participation and input from NSMA, Larry Matheis and the CCMS Legislative Core Committee.
Some of the bills we actively opposed and were hoping to see go away were:
1) AB 108 which sought to require all physicians and other professionals to have training in geriatrics and gerontology. This would have been an undue burden to many physicians. It was not passed.
2) AB 347 was a bill that sought to make changes in our tort reform. Fortunately that bill was pulled. We must stay diligent to protect Question 3 and the success of tort reform.
3) AB 98 which requires physicians to bill within 60 days which is unrealistic; it was killed.
Bills we supported were AB 4, the Good Samaritan Bill, which was a major victory. Now doctors of every specialty will receive the same protection when rendering emergency gratuitous care. Governor Gibbons has signed this bill into law. Also, there is included in the Governor's budget a revenue bill. This bill is to increase Medicare payments from the current rates providing an additional $10,000,000 to physicians. Larry Matheis and others fought hard for this bill to pass. It was approved.
When we
review just a few of the legislative actions which have been affected in large
part by the efforts of organized medicine in
CCMS'
participation in local politics is an ongoing process. Our biggest goal is to defend the success of
Question 3, Tort Reform, and focus on reducing the malpractice crisis. As time goes by we are carefully observing
the actions of the Supreme Court judges.
Recently Judge Hardesty met with the Washoe County Medical Society for a
wine and cheese event. His solid support
of physicians and medicine in
CCMS hopes
soon to host Judge Hardesty in
Since Tort Reform, there has never been a more important issue than the merger of Sierra and the United Health Group. The AMA and the American Hospital Association have strongly objected to the proposed merger to the US Department of Justice. At our recent NSMA meeting in Reno, the NSMA council and delegates passed the following resolution: That the NSMA monitor and participate in all regulatory or other venues that impact upon the proposed merger of Sierra Health Services and United Health Group and oppose any plan that would limit the access and availability of medical care and limit the choices for medical care to the people of Nevada. On May 15th, a group from CCMS met with Dr. Lewis Sandy of UnitedHealthcare and Dr. Joseph Kaufman of Sierra Health Services. After asking several questions, CCMS continues to stand behind the AMA and NSMA in their opposition to this merger.
The AMA
analysis of 2005 shows that in the combined Nevada HMO/PPO market, this merger
would concentrate a market share of 43% and 78% of the HMO market. Further the data showed that in the combined
This year we had a 6% increase in our membership. This is excellent. Also, at our last Nominating Committee meeting when candidates for the Board of Trustees were selected we had more than 15 candidates for 5 places. Never before have we had so many individuals interested in being on the Board of Trustees. Thank you. If you were not selected at this time, please submit your name for consideration next year, and join a Committee in the meantime; it only takes 1 to 2 hours per month.
For the first time CCMS is working with MD News for a special edition, featuring CCMS. It will go out to over 3,000 individuals. Its primary objective is to reach out to the medical community to recruit new members. The more members, the stronger we are, the more effective we will be. Watch for a special edition of MD News featuring CCMS.
As membership grows we continue to be aware of our image in the community. Physicians are still highly respected. At CCMS we feel it is very important to maintain a professional appearance to the community. We have outgrown our current offices. The Building Committee met many times during the year. They presented their findings to the Board and we have elected to look for a new office. The details are being worked out. Look forward not only to a better CCMS next year but also to a more professional and functional facility for CCMS. What great things we will do there!
We are asking for contributions for the new facility. We need everyone's help. Big or small your contribution is greatly appreciated. Please call us and let us know how you can help. We'd be pleased to meet with you and show you our plans. Perhaps we will name a lobby or meeting room after you!!!
Our newest membership benefit, St Mary's PPO, is a great success. Thanks to all of you. The CCMS sponsored PPO at St Mary's is off and running. Some groups are saving 10 to 50%. One small practice saved $10,000 per year. Open enrollment will come up again next April.
I would like to briefly address how charity is blossoming at CCMS. I have spent time addressing faith and hope at CCMS and they are key values to our continued success, but I have learned that charity is the most important of the values.
I would like to give you an update on how CCMS is working with its members to do more for its community. Please look later to the web site for service opportunities. In the past I have written on The Access Health Care program for the working uninsured. I would like to thank all of you who are participating and encourage those who are not involved to check into this most worthwhile program.
A new
program listed on our service web site is the Clark County Department of Family
Services. They are looking for safe,
secure, and caring homes for children whose parents are temporarily or
permanently not able to care for them.
For Child Welfare Services the children who are medically fragile are
the most challenging group of kids to place.
In other states, they have been successful in reaching out to the
medical community. We have yet to make
that connection seriously in
As of June or July we will be starting the volunteer clinic at the Juvenile Justice Department. We will be providing prenatal care, well checks, including STD screening.
Many of these kids have serious health issues and are denied by the system to adequate health care. We can use some Family Practice Doctors and some OB/GYNs. It is a small clinic with small needs, if you can offer 2 hours per month, please call us at CCMS, talk to Janice and we will get you involved.
We will be setting up a similar program at West Care for prenatal care. We need OB/GYNs to participate. Call us at CCMS, leave your name and number and we will get back to you.
Thanks to all the doctors who are participating in Dear Doctor, ie writing articles on various medical issues for the community. These articles will be published by the Greenspun Media Group and you should start seeing them shortly. Health is just about everything, and an understanding of medicine is very important today. This is a wonderful service for our community.
It has been
an absolute pleasure and honor to be President of CCMS this last year. I look forward to many years of continued
participation in organized medicine, especially in volunteer services in our
community. The last message I leave you
as President is to value your membership in CCMS and your professional
relationships. May those relationships
sustain you and lead you into pathways of community service. Let us grow the influence of organized
medicine for good in our community.
Value your membership and encourage others to join us in this work. When possible take leadership opportunities
and service opportunities to bring benefit to our community, especially the
needy. Do not resist the urge to help or
resist the impulse to give back with all your heart. God bless you.
Clark County District Court Medical Malpractice Filings
Against Health Care Providers, Jan 2001 –Mar 2007
2001 2002 2003
2004 2005 2006 2007
Jan 39 33 108 61 41 50 109
Feb 20 14 98 72 63 61 41
Mar 35 30 169 123 64 38 70
Apr 37 34 111 81 70 58 60
May 37 35 126 65 14 71
Jun 27 24 103 90 65 83
Jul 19 100 114 45 66 74
Aug 54 51 76 67 33 82
Sep 20 65 105 79 36 51
Oct 37 83 110 59 26 74
Nov 38 184 59 78 68 50
Dec 9 170 67 47 30 28
Sum
372 823
1246 867 581 720 280
Member News
Congratulations and Welcome to the
·
Daniel M Goodenberger, MD - Internal Medicine, 1707 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas,
NV 89102
·
Zahid Hamid, MD - Internal Medicine, 2600 S
Rainbow Blvd 108, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Applicants to Go Before Credentialing Committee
·
Damon I
If you have any pertinent information about this
membership candidate, please contact:
Congratulations
and Welcome to the
·
Nathan E Prescott -
·
Margaret A Warren -
For information on becoming a member of the
CME CALENDAR
AHEC 318-8452 x 258
Online - "Domestic Violence and Medical
Ethics."
Bechtel
NV
Chapter
Pri-Med Institute (877) 4PRI-
Sierra
Health Services 242-7735
June 14 - “The Management of Rectal Bleeding”
July 12 - “The Nuts and Bolts of Insulin
Therapy”
Southwest
Medical Associates 242-7735
June 8 - “Interventional Pain Management”
1
Medical Ethics Credit
June 15 - “Sorry Works”
1
Medical Ethics Credit
June 16 - 12:30-2:00pm “Disclosing Errors and
Adverse Events” 1.5 Medical Ethics Credits
2:00-2:30pm “Coordination of Care When the
Patient Leaves the Hospital for a Home Health Agency or Hospice Care”
.5
Medical Ethics Credit
July 27-28 - “Advanced Life Support in
Obstetrics”
Education
Opportunities for Practice Managers, Call the NV Medical Group Management
Association:
697-5471
ext 134
Only
Executive Director Article
PHYSICIAN APOLOGIES FOR MEDICAL ERROR
IN
By
Weldon (Don) Havins, M.D., Esq.
President-Elect,
Executive Director, and Special Counsel
Reporting of Medical Errors in Current
Ethics and Law
The American Medical Association
holds that a physician has an ethical duty to disclose a harmful error to the patient.i Because
these are ethical guidelines they do not have the force of law. This ethical duty to inform or disclose
medical error does not include any duty to apologize. Some authorities postulate that a disclosure
of a medical error without an apology may increase the anger of a patient and
accelerate the chance of inducing a lawsuit for medical negligence.ii
The Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has required hospitals to
disclose significant medical errors that occur in the hospital
environment. Although directed at
hospitals, the JCAHO requires that the disclosure be made by the responsible
physician (or physician designee) when the medical error was caused by the physician.iii Like
the AMA standard, the JCAHO mandate does not direct that an apology accompany
the disclosure. Similarly, some authorities
posit that a disclosure of medical error without an apology increases the
probability of a subsequent lawsuit.
Like several other states,
Physicians who perform sedation in
their offices must report sentinel events along with the number and type of
sedation performed, annually. This
report must be made to the licensing board, the Nevada Board of Medical Examinersvii or the Nevada Board of Osteopathic
Medicine. As of the time of writing this
article, Senate Bill 412 has been amended to provide for up to a $500 fine for
physicians who do not comply with the reporting requirement.
Should Physicians Apologize for Medical
Errors
Medical malpractice defense
attorneys generally counsel against apologizing for medical errors. They feel that without statutory protection
an apology could be admitted as evidence in a medical malpractice case to prove
negligence. This statement against
interest can be admitted by anyone overhearing the apology.
The conventional wisdom suggests
that apologies for medical errors generate a greater incidence of malpractice
cases and higher awards. However, there
is now empirical evidence that the conventional wisdom is incorrect. In 1987, the
The University of Michigan Hospital
implemented an apology program in 2002 which required prompt acknowledgement of
medical error with an apology and quick compensation to patients. From 2001 through 2005, the average number of
cases declined from 260 to 114. Annual
litigation costs dropped from three million dollars to one million
dollars. This constituted a two-thirds
reduction in legal fees and a fifty percent reduction in claims.
These two studies defying
conventional wisdom are consistent with other recent research into the needs
and desires of victims of medical error and the reasons why patients file
medical malpractice lawsuits after medical errors. Lucian Leape, MD,
the famous professor at the Harvard School of Public Health (and the chief
author of the often misquoted Institute of Medicine study on medical error in
New York hospitals) maintains that what the typical patient injured by medical
error desires most is that the physician: i.
acknowledge the error and explain it; ii. take responsibility and apologize,
and iii. discover the underlying cause and take steps to prevent
recurrence. Professor Carol Leibman of the
In a 2003 New England Journal of
Medicine article, Charles Vincent, PhD, found that medically injured patients
undergo a complex set of emotions, most notably loss of trust in the physician
the patient was depending upon for help, confusion, uncertainty, fear and
anxiety. If these concerns are not
addressed with an acknowledgement and an apology, the patient feels devalued,
and the anxiety turns to anger.
Psychiatrist Aaron Lazare, in his book On Apology, lists several different
ways in which an apology can heal the recipient patient.viii The apology: a) restores dignity and
self-respect; b) provides assurance that the physician shares the patient's
values; c). provides assurance that the patient is not at fault; d). Provides
assurance that the patient is safe in the relationship; e) demonstrates that
the physician is also suffering; f) offers reparations for the harm done, and;
g) provides an occasion for a meaningful dialogue between the physician and
patient.
These authorities recognize that the
special nature of the patient-physician relationship make the patient's need
for an apology particularly compelling.
This is the basic reason for states enacting apology laws and protecting
those statements of apology. Note that
none of these lists include a motivation for retribution against the
physician. Apology laws provide
compatibility between the patient's and the physician's interest. It is in the physician's interest to fulfill
that patient's need for satisfaction relating to the patient's medical error
induced injury by: a) acknowledgement and explanation of the error;
b)acceptance of responsibility and a sincere apology, and; c) indicating steps
that will be taken to prevent recurrence of the medical error.
The "I'm Sorry" Bill in the
On February 28, 2007, Senate Bill
174 was introduced into the Nevada Senate.
SB 174 provided that an expression of apology or regret made by or on
behalf of a provider of health care would be inadmissible in any civil or
administrative proceeding brought against the provider of health care based
upon alleged professional negligence.
Specifically, the Bill provided that "in any civil or
administrative proceeding alleging professional negligence brought against a
health care provider, evidence of any written or oral communication, gesture or
conduct" … that "expresses apology, regret, fault, sympathy,
commiseration, condolence or compassion relating to the pain, suffering or
death of the alleged victim of professional negligence or the family of the
alleged victim … is not admissible for any purpose." During the Senate Judiciary Committee
hearing, the word "fault" amended out of the Bill. The Bill passed out of Committee on a
partisan vote of the four Republicans for the Bill and the three Democrats
against the Bill.
The significance of removing the
word "fault" from the protections of the Bill implies that, if
physician did not admit to any "fault," any expression of sorrow,
regret, remorse, or expression of an apology to the patient or the patient's
family for causing the patient's complication/injury could not be used against
the physician in an action for medical malpractice or in a licensure
disciplinary action by the medical board (Nevada Board of Medical Examiners or
the Nevada Board of Osteopathic Medicine).
However, the admission of "fault" by the physician could be
used as evidence of negligence in a medical malpractice case or in a licensure
disciplinary action.
Senate Bill 174, sponsored by
Senators Heck, Townsend, Hardy, Washington, Cegavske, Amodei,
Beers, Nolan, Raggio, and Rhoads. Also
sponsoring the Bill were Democratic Senators Lee, Mathews, Schneider, and
Woodhouse. The Senate sent the Bill to
the Assembly on a 12 to 5 vote with all Republican Senators and half the
Democratic Senators voting in favor of the Bill. The Bill was heard in the Assembly Judiciary
Committee on April 27 but no action was taken on the Bill. If the Bill is not passed out of the
Judiciary Committee by May 18, the Bill will "die" per the rules of
the Legislature.
All the Assembly
sponsors of the Bill are Republicans. A
large majority of Democrats (27 to 15) control the Assembly.
Apology laws heretofore enacted fall
into two basic groups: i. those that protect
apologies and also acknowledge fault; and ii. those that protect apologies but
not accompany acknowledgements of fault.
SB 174 has transitioned from the first group as introduced to the second
group as amended. The Bill as introduced
followed the
Interestingly, two candidates for
President introduced a medical apology immunity law in Congress. In September 2005, Senators Hillary Clinton
and Barak Obama introduced
the National Medical Error Disclosure and Compensation Act. This legislation would have required
automatic disclosure of a medical error to the patient and provide protection
for any apology made during negotiation of compensation for the patient. Although not passed, this Bill reflects a
growing national sentiment favoring disclosures of medical errors and
protection for those apologies.
Summary
From the foregoing, it appears a
physician's best course when confronted with a medical error caused by the
physician is to do the following: i. acknowledge and explain the error; ii. accept
responsibility for the medical error and provide a sincere apology, and; iii.
indicate steps that will be taken to prevent recurrence of the medical
error. Particularly, if the Nevada
Legislature passes SB 174 in its current form, the prudent physician will avoid
using the word "fault" or any of its synonyms as a part of the
apology since acknowledgement of fault can be used as evidence to base a claim
for medical negligence.
i AMA, Principle
of Medical Ethics, Principles I, II, III, and IV; AMA Professional Resources %
Standards, E-8.12, "Patient
ii AMA e-8.12 referring to
situation in which a patient suffers significant medical complication that may
have resulted from the physician's mistake or judgment.
iii JCAHO, Hospital Accreditation Standards,
"Ethics, Rights, and Responsibilities", Sec. 2.90.
iv NRS 439.830
v NRS 439.835
vi NRS 439.855
vii NRS 630.30665
viii Ombudsman of British Columbia, "The
Power of an Apology Removing the Legal Barriers," Special Report to the
Legislative Assembly, February 2006.
Southern Nevada Health District Report
By
Southern Nevada Health
District
The successful passage of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act last fall was a tremendous success for the public who favor more stringent protections from secondhand smoke and a tribute to the hard work of the medical and public health professionals that lent their support to the initiative.
Public policy changes, such as stricter tobacco control laws, play an important role in our efforts to reduce rates of tobacco use and to limit people's exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. It is well-documented that policies that restrict smoking in public places contribute to significant declines in the number of non-smoking adults exposed to secondhand smoke. Additionally, these types of policy changes have proven effective in promoting an environment for people to adopt individual and long-term behavioral changes.
It is for these reasons the inclusion of cessation resources have been an important component of the NCIAA informational materials developed by health district staff. Through our educational materials we encourage those interested in accessing more information on the dangers of secondhand smoke to call our Tobacco Control Program at (702) 759-1270. Those who smoke and want to quit are encouraged to call the Nevada Tobacco User's Helpline at 1-800-QUIT NOW (1800-784-8669) or to visit their website at www.livingtobaccofree.com.
While we
celebrate the passage of this law, we must also tackle the challenges that come
with implementing new public policy. As most of you are aware, in January 2007,
a district court judge declared the criminal enforcement of the Act
unconstitutional. This ruling left the Southern Nevada Health District with
sole enforcement authority for the provisions of the Act in
Since November 2006, the health district has received more than 2,000 complaints involving approximately 590 different establishments - a small percentage of the more than 16,000 food establishments we currently regulate. While the number of establishments actively resisting compliance is small, enforcement has proven to be challenging. Our current enforcement activities involve identifying establishments with the most complaints and conducting investigations to verify violations of the provisions of the Act. Once violations are verified business owners are contacted to schedule a meeting with health district staff and legal counsel.
The purpose of these meetings is to secure a compliance agreement with the establishments. If an agreement to comply cannot be secured, the health district plans to pursue civil actions against businesses in violation of the Act. Currently we are working on two legal challenges related to the Act and our enforcement activities.
The first case involves Casa Fuente, a retail tobacco store in the Forum Shops. The Act prohibits smoking tobacco in any form in malls but does not prohibit smoking in retail tobacco stores. Casa Fuente has been promoting the smoking of tobacco in a roped off area in front of its enclosed store. This area is in the mall, however the establishment leases the section from the landlord for use by its patrons.
Without findings or explanation, a district court judge granted the store's Motion for Preliminary Injunction, which prohibits the health district from enforcing the Act against the store. The establishment's lawsuit asks the court to declare its "patio" area within the mall as falling within the retail tobacco store exemption. The case should proceed to trial by the end of the year.
The second case was initiated by the health district against Bilbo's Bar & Grill. This establishment's owner has openly declared they will not comply with the Act and are not removing ashtrays and smoking paraphernalia. The health district is seeking a declaratory judgment that the establishment has violated the Act by failing to remove ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia, the imposition of a civil penalty of $100 for each violation, and for a preliminary and permanent injunction affirmatively requiring the establishment to comply with the provisions of the Act.
The health district is committed to continuing our efforts to achieve voluntary compliance with Act. However, we strongly support the intent of this policy to limit the public's exposure to secondhand smoke and will continue to pursue all available legal avenues in order to affect complete compliance with the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. More information regarding enforcement actions by the health district is available at www.SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org.
Alliance
By Pauline Lee & Andrea Yu, 2006-07 CCMS
This
year has been a lot of "firsts" for the
Our year started with an aggressive membership drive undertaken by First Vice Presidents Melissa Kelly, Peggy Ho and Sheila Bazemore whose efforts resulted in a whopping 23% increase in membership. We are very proud of our success at our first ever Physician Get Acquainted Wine Tasting at Fletcher Jones Mercedes Benz which was well attended by over 150 physicians, Alliance members and potential members for both the Alliance and the CCMS, judicial candidates and state representatives.
As 2006 was an important legislative
year impacting community health, Beverly Daly Dix fearlessly led the
Our fundraising projects for charitable health projects were great successes. We are particularly proud of this year's Greeting Card Project lead by Lisa Gollard and Estela Hansen as we raised over $21,000 for nursing awards, surpassing all other benchmarks. This year's Annual Fashion Luncheon & Silent Auction at the Four Seasons was a rousing success thanks to the dedication and hard work of many, many Alliance members (too many to name here). We are particularly thankful for the countless hours devoted by Sheila Bazemore, Wendy Agrawal, Emelda Ekpoudia, Cindy Choi, Pamela Tolan, and Bonnie Ng. For the first time ever, the Fashion Luncheon was featured on television on KVBC News 3 thanks to the resourceful and determined Beverly Daly Dix. We continue to garner positive press from the Fashion Luncheon, which generated net proceeds of approximately $38,000 for the American Heart & Stroke Associations, and are slated to appear in "MD News" in their next month's issue.
Internet Safety is our first
statewide Alliance Health Program. Thanks to Beverly Daly Dix, Internet Safety
Chairperson, Swati Khamamkar,
was able to meet with Bridgitt Phillips of the
To top off our year, in another
first for the
Finally, we want to recognize our other invaluable Executive Board members and Committee Chairpersons: Tammy Johnson, Ercy Rosen, Kirsten Rimoldi, Aditi Sanatinia, Marian Haas, Cheryl Samlaska, Cheryl Garber, and Jacqueline Nguyen-Lee. Their long hours behind the scenes were an important contribution to the success of our luncheons and committee events. Happy summer!
Andrea Yu & Pauline Ng Lee
Co-Presidents,
The Alliance
The Clark County Medical Society
Alliance has been selected to receive the 2007 Legislative Education and
Awareness Promotion (“LEAP”) Award presented by the AMA Alliance and AMPAC for
our campaign of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. One award is given to a
Beverly Daly Dix, Legislative
Chairperson, will deliver the acceptance speech for
Once
again,
Minutes
MINUTES SYNOPSIS March 20, 2007
II. Action Items
A. Minutes from the
B. Financial report was presented by Dr.
Steinberg:
§
Revenue
– up by $45,000 in over last year at this time.
§
Employee
Expenses - increased due to salary increases and employee turnover.
§
Office
General Expenses - increased due to a $5,000 donation to the Nevada Health
Sciences System fund raiser.
§
New
Membership Dues – increased due to larger membership.
§
Operating
Expenses – increased due to newsletter expenses (larger issues).
§
Professional
Services – no substantial change
§
Other
Expenses – increased due to obtaining a commercial appraisal of the CCMS
property (for the Building Committee)
§
Building
Expenses - Insurance costs increased as a result of revaluing the replacement
cost of the property (in concert with the recently received appraisal).
§
Overall,
revenues exceeded our expenses. The bank
balance for the end of January was $531,040.17 compared to $421,699.56 last
year at this time.
III. Committee Reports
A.
Membership Count
Janice
Poblete provided the Committee Reports.
§
As
of
§
There
are 53 new members and 8 reinstatements for the Fiscal Year 06-07.
B. Credentials
Committee
New
Member Applicant was presented to the board and was unanimously approved:
Applicant Name Specialty
Ronald
J. Knoblock, MD Anatomic & Clinical Pathology
C.
Community Health/Community Relations Committee
Dr.
Jones presented the report.
The committee met last Tuesday. Representatives from Child Haven and
§
Child
Haven – Currently, there is a 300 family deficit for foster care in the
§
o
Dr.
Jameson discussed the HAWK clinic, which began as a voluntary clinic in
o
Dr.
Forman stated that Touro could provide D.O., Nurse and P.A. students to support
the volunteer efforts.
o
After
much discussion, a motion by Dr. Kingsley was made to support the project. The motion passed.
§
Progress
is being made with the Doctor’s Editorial column which will go into The Sun
community newspapers as early as May.
Dr. George Alexander has been very instrumental in making this project a
reality.
D.
Bylaws
Committee:
Dr. Evins presented the report.
§
Recommend
Including MedPac President as Ex-Officio BOT
At the Nominating Committee meeting there
was a proposal made that the President of MedPac be made an ex-officio BOT
member. Bylaws would have to be changed
and approved by a majority of the membership.
After discussion, a motion was made and passed that the President of the
MedPac Committee be granted an ex-officio membership of the Board of Trustees. This proposed Bylaw amendment will be sent to
the membership for approval or disapproval.
E.
Building
Committee (presented out of order – after the Nominating Committee
Report)
Dr. Nowins presented the Building
Committee report.
§
Dr.
Nowins stated the various options that were discussed for the future of the
CCMS building, including 1) doing nothing, 2) beautification, 3)
renovate/remodel, 4) sell. After much
discussion regarding the pros and cons of each option, a motion was passed
to engage a space planner to establish
the space needs of CCMS (including office space, conference rooms, etc) and
bring the findings to the next BOT meeting.
F.
Nominating
Committee
§
2007-08
Slate of Candidates
The
slate of nominees was presented by Dr. Havins.
IV.
§
A
written report from the
V.
County Health Officer Report (in packets)
§
VI.
Dr.
Lenhart was not present. Therefore no
report was given.
VII.
Dr.
Foreman presented the Touro Report.
§
Dr.
Forman thanked the CCMS Scholarship Committee for the $10,000 check. The funds will be used for first year medical
students.
§
Touro
is looking into clinical locations in rural areas, in particular, the
Carson/Reno area. Visits will be made to
the areas next week by Dr. Eisen.
§
100
students, out of a class of 135, registered and have paid their fees for next
semester.
§
The
first graduating class (32 students) of Touro University Physician Assistants
was held last Sunday. An estimated 70%
of the students plan to remain in
VIII.
Scholarship Fund Report
Dr. Ellerton presented the report.
§
§
CCSN
– An agreement has been signed and the money will be sent shortly.
§
§
A
total of $30,000 in scholarship monies will be distributed to the college
institutions ($10,000 each to the medical colleges; $4,000 to UNLV, and $3,000
each to CCSN and Nevada State College.
§
Dr.
Ellerton will prepare and distribute a Press Release to the media about the
scholarship awards.
IX. NSMA Report
Dr.
Hardwick presented the NSMA Legislative Core Group Report.
§
Dr.
Hardwick stated that the increase in membership by 80 this fiscal year-to-date
is a testament to the leadership and benefits provided by CCMS.
§
The
Legislative Core Group meeting is held every Wednesday at
IX.
AMA Report
A
report was not given.
XI. NBME Report
§
Jerry
Calvanese has developed a great CME course on medical
ethics to be held April 13th.
§
License
renewals will occur online beginning this year.
There will be an additional $50 charge to submit a paper renewal.
XII. President’s Report
XIII.
Administrative Report
No
report.
XIV.
New Business
None
to report.
XV.
Old Business
None
to report.
XVI.
Future Meetings
Next
meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
XVII.
Adjournment
Meeting
adjourned at 7:32pm.
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