*LA Family Physician V16#2 03 - Louisiana Academy of Family ...

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FROM THE LEGISLATIVE LOBBYIST By Jo Rose, Legislative Lobbyist Report on AFP Seminar The goal of the AAFP seminar last month was to bring together state chapters and their lobbyists not only to exchange information on the challenges and opportunities each state had during their past legislative sessions but also to emphasize how important it is for AAFP members to become involved in the political process. This involvement includes encouraging members to run for these elective offices and/or forming a PAC to assist those candidates who deserve their support. The AAFP seminar covered topics ranging from ensuring state commitment to the recruitment and training of family physicians to state medical liability reforms and drug policies. A very real concern is “white coat flight.” Doctors are leaving their practices because of a number of issues including skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance premiums, Medicaid reimbursement issues, and the inability of state governments to grow residency programs. These issues are controlled by elected officials. One such “doctor-legislator” is Joseph Hardy (Republican, Nevada State Representative) who shared his observations on the challenges of formulating and implementing the state health budget and the role of the family physician in leading the healthcare debate at the state capitol. He advised: 1. One challenge was, and continues still, is to make people understand what Medicaid is and educate them about the importance it plays in the state budget (in Nevada it is about 25% of the state budget). 2. He encourages his colleagues not to try to use short-term solutions for budget deficits. 3. He wants to raise the awareness in his communities of budget issues. When he is told “no new taxes”— he turns it around to ask where to cut: Do you take health insurance away from 6,000 children? At what cost are you willing to sacrifice health care to the needy? 4. It all boils down to economics. Nevada hired an economics expert as a budget balancing strategy. This helped give them an edge in supplying simple answers to complex questions. One point dealt with workforce issues and the state role in encouraging medical universities to recruit and train family physicians and gain Medicaid support. It was noted that Medicaid will not pay for: (1) Universities substituting existing general education costs; (2) Costs already covered by GME or service payments; (3) Educational experiences that cannot be linked to the Medicaid population; (4) Non-legitimate sources of state match. Medicaid will pay for: (1) Undergraduate education costs associated with developing special experiences to better prepare health professionals to serve the Medicaid population; (2) Reasonable costs in proportion to the benefit to Medicaid. In addition, Medicaid will pay for student travel and living expenses: (1) these costs are covered by Medicaid through the full cost reimbursement options for FQHCs and local health departments; (2) These costs are not counted as part of the prospective payment rate set for each FQHC. The Federal Funds Participation (FFP) match rates come in three different categories for Medicaid services: (1) Patient Care (per federal funds participate rate)(administrative 50%; system development 90%); (2) Administrative & General (50%) (system development, 75% for professional time; Patient care per FFP rate); (3) System Development (90%) (Administrative 50%, Patient care per FFP rate). Interesting information was the number and percentage of Louisiana medical school graduates who were family practice residents: NUMBER OF GRADS 7/01-6/02 #1ST YR FP RESIDENTS PERCENT LSU-NO 169 12 7.1 LSUS 96 20 20.8 Tulane 146 11 7.5 Another point was the problem with pharmaceutical access by patients and the family physicians role in advocating policies to ensure that patients have access to needed drugs. The average price of a retail prescription in 2002 in Louisiana was $49.95 (39th in the Nation with Alaska being number 1 with $54.58 and Alabama being 51 with $44.80). The number of prescriptions per capita in Louisiana is 13.4 (5th in the Nation). The percent change in total number of retail prescriptions between 2001 and 2002 in Louisiana was 4.2% (8th in the Nation) while the percent change in the average price of retail prescriptions between 2001 and 2002 was 9.1% (27th in the Nation). In the area of medical malpractice, Louisiana is only one of five states not considered to be in a medical liability crisis. For other jurisdictions the consequences are threatening to diminish patients’ access to care and increase health care costs, with an uncertain impact on quality. The last workshop dealt with the pros and cons of establishing and managing political action committees. The California Medical Association, with its 35,000 membership has a million-dollar political action committee. The Executive Director feels that this has helped them be one of the five states not in medical malpractice crisis. Many of the state academies have small PACs with Ohio just starting theirs with $2,000.00. They focus on the Health Committee Chairmen. It was formed because other events didn’t work and the PAC gave them access they didn’t have before and helped them network with other PACs. It also increased their visibility and their members became more involved because in order to raise money, doctors must call doctors to encourage them to donate to the PAC. But it was suggested that the minimal amount needed to have a successful PAC is around $30,000.00 a year. The wrap-up session concluded that the practice of medicine is regulated at all levels of government: local, state and federal. It is important for individuals who understand critical issues that impact the recruitment, training, and practice of Family Medicine to participate in this process to ensure that those issues are considered whenever and wherever legislation is proposed. 8
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS Through the dedication and generous support of our 2003 Partners, the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians continues to present outstanding continuing medical education activities. We appreciate their support and hope that you will join us in extending a warm and heartfelt THANK YOU to the representatives of these companies. DIAMOND PARTNER (15,000+) Aventis AstraZeneca PLATINUM PARTNERS ($10,000-$14,999) Schering Pharmaceuticals GOLD PARTNERS ($5,000-$9,999) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Eli Lilly and Company GlaxoSmithKline Wyeth Laboratories SILVER PARTNERS ($3,500-$4,999) Merck & Company BRONZE PARTNERS ($2,000-$3,499) Berlex Laboratories Otasuka Pharmaceuticals Purdue Pharma, L.P. PARTNER American Academy of Family Physicians Aventis Pasteur McNeil Consumer Products transferred their membership to our chapter in 2003! ACTIVE Shamim Akhtar Ali, MD, Lafayette Timothy A. Bella, MD, Baton Rouge Arthur Tomlinson Fort, MD, New Orleans Judith M. Hackett, MD, New Orleans Scott A. Kurzer, MD, Harvey Robert F. Marshall, MD, Jennings Randall K. Wagman, MD, Lake Charles Mohammed Yousuf, MD, Metairie RELOCATIONS TO LOUISIANA Jack L. Berg, MD, Shreveport - Uniformed Services Michelle Mireille Davis, MD, New Orleans - California Christopher Fernandez Del Riego, MD, Metairie - California James E. Domst, MD, Leesville - Colorado Bobby T. Ensminger, MD, Winnfield - Arkansas Yousri Gadallah, MD, Oakdale - Nevada Sheri Renee Godbey, MD, New Orleans - Massachutes Pamela R.H. Guoth, MD, Mamou - Georgia Corey M. Hall, MD, Baton Rouge - Pennslvania Alicia M. Hopkins, DO, Shreveport - Ohio Thomas Price Houston, MD, New Orleans - Illinois Evelyn J. Johnson, MD, Lafayette - Virginia Kenneth E. Joslyn MD, Mandeville - Oklahoma Sumna Kuruvilla, MD, Monroe - Foreign Chapter Nicole W. McKee, MD, Houma - Florida Judith Bynum Nance, MD, Pineville - Mississippi Michael Shane Phillips, MD, Ruston - Alabama Evelyn J. Rodrizuez, MD, Rosepine - Massachutes Mary H. Sherk, MD, Lake Charles - Pennslvania Bradley James Touchet, MD, Alexandria - Oklahoma Jose L. Veras-Pola, MD, Metairie - New York TRANSFERS OUT OF LOUISIANA Serena Barakat, MD, Virginia Srinivas R. Bramhadevi, MD, Ohio Andrea B. Brown, MD, Texas Israel Caro, MD, Florida Stephen Matthew Cary, MD, Wisconsin Andrew L. Chesson, III, MD, North Carolina Melody L. Counts, MD, Virginia Kelly M. Degraffenreid, MD, Georgia Debra LeAnn Drake, MD, Tennessee MEMBERSHIP 2003 Membership Report Please join us in welcoming the following members who either joined or Somes C. Guha, MD, West Virginia Michael Haghighi, MD, Florida Alan Jamison Hanley, MD, Georgia Jane Elizabeth Hartline, MD, Arizona Kevin C. Hayes, MD, Mississippi Andrew J. Henning, MD, California Mitchell F. Horan, MD, Nevada Mishi K. Jackson, MD, Georgia Kyle Lee James, MD, Washington Vishal B. Malpani, MD, West Virginia Marilyn Dianne, Marshall, MD, Arkansas Stefan L. Montgomery, MD, Texas Le Tuong Nguyen, MD, Florida Senam E. Oraha, MD, Pennslvania Jimmy R. Randles, MD, Texas Anjali A. Rege, MD, Vermont Jean A. Rizkallah, MD, Indiana Evelyn I. Rodriguez, MD, Uniformed Services Cengiz Paul Satir, MD, Texas Vickie H. Satir, MD, Texas Satyadevi R. Sista, MD, Massachutes Raji Srinivasan, MD, Pennslvania Joshua A. Summers, MD, North Carolina Dennis M. Swenie, MD, Illinois Christopher B. Thomas, MD, New York Mark Edward Tilyou, MD, Pennslvania Anh Chi Tran, MD, California Leticia K. Tucker, MD, Kentucky Victor Joseph Weaver, MD, Tennessee Sharon E. Westbrook, MD, Idaho Johnny M. Wilson, MD, Texas RESIDENT TO ACTIVE RAPIDES REGIONAL -ALEXANDRIA Kenneth E Brown, MD, St. Joseph Laura C Fairbanks, MD, Pineville Uzvalatha Ganji, MD, Alexandria Jonathan David Hunter, MD, Alexandria Jason Robert Morris, MD, Alexandria Mark A Schneider, MD, Marksville Gordon E White, MD, Alexandria BATON ROUGE GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER Carol L. Smothers, MD, Baton Rouge E. A. CONWAY MEDICAL CENTER Sowmya Brahmadevi, MD, Monroe Patrick Leroy Flyte, MD, Casa Grande, Arizona Godfrey Sama-Nyuva Fondinka, MD, Bamberg, S. Carolina Charla Frances Little, MD, Monroe Sandra K. Parker, MD, Monroe Roshni B Patel, MD, Monroe Khaled Shafiei, MD, Monroe Parviz S Talebi, MD, Monroe 9
Page 1: LOUISIANA FAMILY DOCTOR Winter 2003
Page 4 and 5: FROM THE PRESIDENT A Movement As fa
Page 6 and 7: Upcoming Events COMING IN 2004! 9TH
Page 10 and 11: MEMBERSHIP EAST JEFFERSON GENERAL H
Page 12 and 13: RESIDENTS’ CORNER Baton Rouge Gen
Page 14 and 15: RESIDENTS’ CORNER Adjunct Assista
Page 16: Louisiana Academy of Family Physici

*LA Family Physician V16#2 03 - Louisiana Academy of Family ...

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