Four physicians take issue with a Southern California Physician article that concludes doctors and hospital administrators largely get along.

College costs are steep so reap the tax advantages of this unique savings program.

Jack Lewin, MD * Rebecca Patchin, MD * Gus Alva, MD * Benjamin Lehr, MD * Charles Gunnoe, MD

California physicians also propose resolutions on advance healthcare directives and providing health insurance for children.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed changes to the Medicare fee schedule in an attempt to improve the accuracy of payments to physicians for their time.

Southern California physicians in academic medicine share what drew them to the university setting and describe its unique challenges. Most doctors who teach doctors say the rewards are personal. A UCI professor says: "It's something innate. It's something you love to do."

Ensuring your patients understand you may require choosing different words. Health literacy experts share how to improve communication in physician practices using simple tools and practical strategies. Learn six steps to improve patient care and nine words to use.

There's an important drama playing out in the emergency room behind the scenes and beyond the trauma cases. It's about balance billing. An out-of-plan insured patient meets a doctor for the first time in the ER. The patient doesn't really want to be there, but chances are the doctor is going to get stiffed with the bill.

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.

There are so many issues that affect our daily practice. And the OCMA sorts them out and identifies which are at the forefront, so we as individuals can take a stand for our patients and our chosen profession. So stand up and speak out. The small efforts by many make a huge difference.

Why must doctors be degraded by posting actions against them on a very public billboard at www.caldocinfo.ca.gov. Reports on disciplinary action have always been readily available for those who wish to know or need to know. Not posting the information online does not mean the government is hiding something.How will it rehabilitate any physician to be figuratively marked with the proverbial scarlet letter?

Medical staff leaders rejoice! California's Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeals decided that Integrated Healthcare Holdings Inc. did SLAPP Michael Fitzgibbons, MD. Many of us monitoring medical staff issues view this as upholding our right to speak up for our patients and the quality of care in hospitals.

In an effort to improve the delivery of healthcare services to limited-English proficient (LEP) Californians, the Riverside County Medical Association participates in a collaborative of 32 physician and medical organizations from across the state. The group is called the Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency.

In June, the Riverside County Physicians Memorial Foundation awarded scholarship grants to two deserving medical students. The recipients of the $1,500 scholarships are Rebecca Meeh and Victoria Vo. Both are enrolled in the UC Riverside/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences.

The Riverside County Physicians Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Its primary purpose is to engage in activities of a charitable and benevolent nature. The foundation currently operates two programs, including the medical student scholarship program and Project K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Doctors). To make a contribution to the Riverside County Physicians Memorial Foundation for either program, contact Jeanne Vale at 951/686-3342.

The Riverside County Medical Association, in conjunction with JP Morgan Chase Bank and Merchant Services, is pleased to offer a new member benefit that offers you significant savings on credit card processing fees.

The balance billing controversy could divide the physician community and is already beginning to drive a wedge between physicians groups and hospital-based physicians. The resolution of this issue is a major challenge facing the California Medical Association.

Peggy Firtzsche, MD; W. Benson Harer Jr., MD; Edward Dainko, MD; and Dennis Park all receive special honors at the San Bernardino County Medical Society's June event.

In May, I attended the Ninth Annual California Healthcare Leadership Academy in Indian Wells. The theme was "Re-engineering Healthcare: Meeting Future Expectations Without Breaking the Bank." The California Medical Association developed an outstanding program. Personally, I found the meeting invigorating, yet sobering.

In June, Oxnard ophthalmologist Lee Wan, MD, received formal commendation from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for serving a full term on the Tobacco Settlement Allocation Committee. His service began July 22, 2003.

Follow these six steps to get what you want in a temporary employee.

Loma Linda University Medical Center's Sean Bush, MD, teaches physicians how to treat snakebites and the public how to prevent them.