As part of reform, we should measure our disease burden and specify covered services.

Ernest Levister Jr., MD * Hector Flores, MD * John Gordon Harold, MD * Kenneth Lam, MD * David Rickles, MD * Quynh Kieu, MD

At the state and national level, Medicare problems are crystallizing, but change at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is not easy.

In June, the California Medical Association and hundreds of politically active California physicians forced Blue Cross to postpone its planned June 1 fee schedule changes until Aug. 6, because the company did not provide 45 days' notice. Due to the hail of phone calls doctors directed at the California Department of Managed Health Care, which oversees Blue Cross, the insurer did finally inform physicians of the upcoming schedule changes.

Treating partners via expedited partner therapy can reduce reinfections. Here are the steps a provider can use to help these patients.

   What draws generation after generation into medicine?
   Several Southern California doctors reveal just how and why their family trees are firmly planted in the medical field.
   Compelling role models and mutual understanding of the demands are just the start. A family tradition in medicine is based on love.

Avoiding common mistakes and taking proactive steps can keep you from getting sued.

In order to spur the widest possible member involvement, LACMA has re-established a number of dormant committees and created a variety of new ones. A few officers and board members cannot do this alone, and I encourage you to participate either through a committee or in your local LACMA district.

Responding to the multiple dueling reform plans facing the California Legislature, the Los Angeles County Medical Association convened a task force to spell out what the association considers the most important elements of any reform.

Kevin de Leon, a first-term Democratic assemblyman from Los Angeles, had a chance to hear physicians' concerns at an April 26 fundraiser at the Los Angeles County Medical Association's downtown headquarters.

Meeting for the third time in 10 years, the Women's Health Policy Summit assembled fresh approaches to 10 areas of health disparity among women that will help guide policy at the local, county and state levels.

California Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) visited the Los Angeles County Medical Association's headquarters for a May 16 fundraiser held in his honor by the political action committees of LACMA, the California Medical Association and seven other physician organizations.

In the United States, all of us are supposed to have the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I would like to add the pursuit of health to those rights. It is difficult to be happy if one is not healthy. Health is not only the absence of disease, but also a feeling of complete well-being.

The Orange County Medical Association is working closely with CalOptima as the organization considers two reimbursement changes for emergency physicians and hospital contracts.

The current debate on immigration reform has given me a chance to reflect on international medical graduates (IMGs). America's allure of prosperity and political and economic freedom has led many physicians trained overseas to the United States, including me, a Canadian.

Women in medicine have been strongly supported by our local medical association. The Riverside County Medical Association is proud to have had five women as president. Their contribution to the organization is lasting and significant.

The Riverside County Medical Association coordinated a two-week visit to Australia and New Zealand in March. We were there to see the sights and to learn more about the unique healthcare systems serving each country.

More than 130 attendees from hospitals and programs in California, Washington and Arizona spent May 23 learning how to recognize and deal with impaired physicians. The instruction was part of the 19th Annual Western States Regional Conference on Physicians' Well-Being, held at the UC Riverside Extension Center.

I have read many medical school applicants' personal statements, but have yet to find one that said, "I want to be a doctor so I can become wealthy." Most applicants recount experiences that illustrate why they want to become caring, giving, service-oriented physicians. Their idealism and altruism are catching as they describe their passion to help people.

During a ceremony held at the Mission Inn in Riverside on April 19, Dev GnanaDev, MD, was honored with a prestigious Dr. C. David Molina Community Champion Award, given by Molina Healthcare of California. Dr. GnanaDev received the award designated for a healthcare professional.

Twenty-five years ago there was much concern in the medical community that we would have a glut of doctors. As a result, medical school graduates have only increased 4 percent over that time. Fast-forward to today and there is much talk about a severe doctor shortage by 2020.

Three brief statements from Michael Ciano, MD, Nicholas Bednarski, MD, and Joe Dunn add to the discussion about lobbying Sacramento politicians on health reform.

San Bernardino pediatrician Marti Baum, MD, is happiest helping the underserved and paving the way for the next generation of socially minded physicians.