How leasing can help you acquire new technology without the risk of obsolescence.

Vincent J. Bugliosi Jr., MD * Karen Brichta-Ekelem, MD * Allen Schwandt, MD * John Sullivan, MD * Gilbert Turner, MD * Barry Watkins, MD * Deborah Lehman, MD * Adam N. Mamelak, MD * Diane Nugent, MD * Maira Simental, MD

Congress restores Medicare physician payment rates back to the 2005 level for 2006.

On Feb. 1 in Sacramento, Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill that would establish a bulk-purchasing program through the California Department of Health Services to oversee the distribution of flu vaccine, particularly to smaller physician practices.

Join hundreds of physicians and legislators on April 4 for the California Medical Association's 32nd Annual Legislative Leadership Day. The event enables doctors to meet with legislators to lobby for or against healthcare bills and discuss challenges facing the practice of medicine. This all-day event will be held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and the State Capitol in Sacramento.

Physicians can anticipate an expanded role in preservng and promoting patient health.

Although physicians are frustrated with the lack of diversity in the healthcare workforce, they are determined to change it. Doctors are discovering ways to improve the numbers, address minority health issues and make an impact.

Southern California Physician interviews Dr. Cady during his late January visit to the Inland Empire. Learn what he thinks is next in the Medicare program, how the AMA is changing and why you can ask for more from the organized medicine powerhouse.

Twenty-five years ago, Imperial County's population was 104,000. Today, our population has grown by 50 percent to more than 155,000. That growth has had a direct impact on the demands for medical care and services. With 13 percent of the population over 65, 19 percent below the poverty level and an increasing number of Medicare and Medi-Cal participants, the way we practice medicine has changed.

For the most part, physicians favor balance billing. The mention of anything else raises blood pressures and drops glucose levels. Many say that a physician has not only the right to set his or her own fees, but also the right to try to collect those fees. The issue is how to resolve the difference between what the doctor charges and what, if anything, he is paid.

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.

When physician-attorney Robert Bitonte's medical practice burned down during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Los Angeles County Medical Association was there for him. The organization stepped in and helped Dr. Bitonte re-establish himself professionally. The assistance was something Dr. Bitonte doesn't take for granted.

Backup specialty call for the emergency department is a major source of tension between many hospital administrations and medical staffs. The federal government stipulates that any hospital offering a specific medical or surgical service must at all times have the availability of physicians to cover emergencies related to that service. Yet many physicians are reluctant to take emergency department call in their particular specialty.

Over the past decade, CalOptima has maintained a low administrative overhead while significantly improving the access to quality healthcare for eligible patients. While there have been many bumps in the road along the way--some of them putting the organization at odds with physicians--the overall performance of CalOptima is something the county and its stakeholder partners take great pride in. Now, a second decade opens with its own set of serious challenges, including some that threaten CalOptima's financial viability.

In P4P programs, the measurement of biochemical markers glows as an indicator of quality healthcare. Physician groups count on rewards for excelling at measuring these biochemical markers. It seems the act of measuring quality is all the rage, but does it apply the same way in healthcare as it does in other industries, such as manufacturing?

Here is an excerpt from the inaugural speech by Lawrence E. Clark, MD, following his installation as president of the Riverside County Medical Association for 2006.

The 18th Annual Western States Regional Conference on Physicians' Well-Being will be held Wednesday, May 18, 2006, at the UC Riverside Extension Center. Presented by the Riverside/San Bernardino Joint Physicians' Well-Being Committee, the event will feature many leading speakers, including attorneys and counselors.

The Medicare program was designed as universal coverage for seniors, not as a fee-setting mechanism. But Medicare is now the de facto rate-setter for California physician services. A decrease or no change in the Medicare update rapidly ripples across most of our contracts. Physicians have no say in determining the actual update.

In January, the Riverside County Medical Association hosted Duane Cady, MD, chairman of the board of trustees of the American Medical Association, for a two-day visit.

One of a doctor's best trading partners is his or her malpractice insurance carrier. For San Bernardino County Medical Society members, that carrier frequently is NORCAL Mutual Insurance Co. SBCMS teamed up with NORCAL to help protect physicians' careers and reputations, selecting the company because of its core values.

Save the Date!
Sunday, April 30, 2006, 2 p.m.
Southern California Medical Museum Annual Open House
San Bernardino County Medical Society, 3995 Jurupa Ave., Riverside
Join your peers for a look back. The presentation at this year's event is "History of Infant and Invalid Feeders," by Hans Davidson, MD; Marilyn Herber, MD; and Dee Gibson, RN, CNM.

On Jan. 30, 2006, the San Bernardino County Medical Society board approved the following report from the Nominating Committee, dated Jan. 9, 2006.

Medical staff concerns about the board's apathy toward medical staff issues are being addressed. Medical staff officers have been reinstalled to the board, including chief of staff, chief of staff elect and past chief of staff. Two medical staff members appointed by the chief of staff and approved by the board are seated on every board committee.

Next year, you will no longer have to keep track of and use multiple identification numbers assigned to you by health plans. Effective May 23, 2007, physicians will instead use a single national provider identifier (NPI).

Here are 28 queries for you to pose to potential insurance partners.

Tarzana dermatologist Daniel Gross, MD, says his three roles as a doctor, musician and actor keep him hopping and helping patients better.