John G. Elder, MD, of Sansum Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, and Tom Nolan, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, address the group.

The Supreme Court upheld the July decision of the Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, stating that LA County unlawfully removed benefits from physicians.

The Los Angeles County Medical Association Alliance landed two prominent positions on the California Medical Association Alliance board for 2006-07.

A new federal program will reimburse physicians and hospitals for emergency and on-call care provided to undocumented immigrants.

The first-of-a-kind event gives physicians a chance to network and build camaraderie.

In response to repeated physician calls about Medicare Part D, the Los Angeles County Medical Association hosted a series of seminars on the new prescription drug benefit this past fall. Presented by Catalina Ramirez, director of economic advocacy, and Faye Mosley, director of member services, the meetings taught physicians how Medicare Part D works.

New information for physicians is available on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site, enabling doctors to determine if they qualify for Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) bonus payments for 2006 on claims from Jan. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2006.

Medical students learn about organized medicine and network with physicians about real-life practice issues.

Nearly 100 UCLA, USC and Western University medical students jumped at the chance to network with physicians on Jan. 5 at the Los Angeles County Medical Association's Ninth Annual First-Year Medical Student Dinner.

The second Early Career Physician Event was even more successful than the first, attracting 50 doctors, who had a chance to network, swapping business cards and best practices. Hosted by Los Angeles County Medical Association District 5 leaders Stacy Waneka, MD, a Pacific Palisades family practitioner, and Eric Levander, MD, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist, the event was held Jan. 26 at Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica.

Effective this month, Medicare carriers will no longer accept "surrogate" physician identification numbers, according to Catalina Jovane, director of economic advocacy services for the Los Angeles County Medical Association.

The Los Angeles County Medical Association Alliance wrapped up its year by enjoying "Tea With Queen Victoria" and an installation ceremony for its 2006-07 officers.

L.A. Care Health Plan will contribute $40.5 million to the Children's Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles, the coalition responsible for raising money to support Healthy Kids. Healthy Kids is a free and low-cost health insurance program for children from low-income families in LA County.

The top officer ranks of the Los Angeles County Medical Association have been filled for 2006-07. Ralph Di Libero, MD, a Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon and former president of District 1, will serve as president. He was most recently president-elect. Simultaneously, Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, a Los Angeles physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, will take the post of treasurer. David Aizuss, MD, will act as president-elect and Howard Krauss, MD, as secretary.

Jonathan Fielding, MD, MPH, director of public health and health officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, was keynote speaker at a lecture on pandemic flu preparedness. Hosted on May 25 by the Los Angeles County Medical Association at the UCLA Fowler Museum, the event drew more than 50 local physicians eager to prepare for a potential outbreak.

This month, meet the new LACMA district presidents for 2006-07. District presidents provide leadership to district members, host meetings and foster networking within the organization. To find out about events in your area, call or e-mail your LACMA district president.

A top official from the new Los Angeles County Department of Public Health tells District 1 physicians how to prepare.

The association teams up with Bridgeport Financial, which takes a positive public-relations approach to medical debt collections.

Nearly 150 Los Angeles County providers who serve low-income communities received free e-prescribing technology in August thanks to a new $300,000 pilot program by L.A. Care Health Plan.

LACMA and CMA sponsor a Medicare Town Hall Meeting to air concerns about continued claims denials for alleged fraud.

Arthur E. Auer brings more than 30 years of medical association management experience to the organization.

To congratulate Los Angeles County's new delegation to the Legislature, the Los Angeles County Medical Association and the California Medical Association hosted an evening reception for local state senators and assemblymembers. The LACMA Political Action Committee played an integral role in getting 75 percent of LA County's local legislators into office, including Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles) and State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-San Fernando Valley). More than 100 people attended the October reception.

"One of my goals in office is to fight for universal healthcare in LA County so consumers won't have to worry about insurance," says Assemblyman Davis. "My relationship with LACMA will show me how to go about doing that."

The Los Angeles County Medical Association's Beverly Hills District 7 hosted a membership recruitment event on Oct. 25 at the Le Meridien Hotel in Los Angeles. Irving Posalski, MD, president of District 7, welcomed plenty of prospective members such as Michio Abe, MD, a Los Angeles internist, and Marion Johnson, MD, immediate past president of the Association of Black Women Physicians in Marina Del Rey. Dr. Posalski invited local physicians to join organized medicine and briefly outlined the association's benefits.

"When we ask physicians to join, many object by saying they don't have time or ask 'What will LACMA do for me?'" Dr. Posalski says. "LACMA fights for physicians and their patients on the state and national level. But we can't do it alone. We need you to join and fight with us."

The Los Angeles County Medical Association held a fundraiser for new Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) on Nov. 20 at the Santa Monica home of Howard Krauss, MD.

Los Angeles County Medical Association Districts 6 and 17 hosted an Economic Advocacy Seminar on Nov. 29 at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant in Woodland Hills. More than 30 doctors and office managers attended for a lively discussion on how to handle unfair insurance company payment practices and how to obtain better PPO contracts.

In response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's health reform proposal, the Los Angeles County Medical Association launched a Health Insurance Task Force to join the debate regarding expanded healthcare access in California.

On March 7, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a resolution that will provide $33.3 million in additional revenue for trauma and emergency services through January 2009. Physicians who treat uninsured patients in the ER will benefit, as will all hospitals that deliver unfunded care.

The Certified Medical Coder preparatory course can train a trusted office staffer to be a high-caliber coder with a mastery of terms and coding conventions.

Los Angeles' House of Medicine is already making big political strides in 2008. LACPAC, the political action committee affiliated with the Los Angeles County Medical Association, donated money or otherwise lent its support to six state-level candidates facing primary battles, and on June 3, all six won.