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Texas Medical Association - New President Installed Retired Physicians’ Organization - June 21 Texas Medical Board - Death Registration Fines Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease Symposium E-Prescribing - Avoid 2012 Penalty
Travis County Medical Society member, C. Bruce Malone, MD was installed as the 146th President of the Texas Medical Association on May 14. TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation.
Adapting to health system reform will be an important focus during Dr. Malone’s one-year term as TMA president. He says, “If we lose the ability of the patient to interact with the doctor and to decide what’s best for that patient’s care one-on-one without interference by corporations or bureaucracy, we’ve lost the heart of American medicine.”
Congratulations, Dr. Malone!
Each month, TCMS physician members and their office staff can register to win one of several prizes by visiting www.tcms.com. The first drawing was held May 31. Congratulations to the May winners! Robert Milman, MD of Austin Radiological Association and Jessica Love of Renaissance Women’s Group each won a $50 gift certificate to restaurant.com. Angela Smith of Austin Gastroenterology won a Kindle.
Visit www.tcms.com to register for the monthly prize drawing. While there, browse the website for information about upcoming educational events, compliance regulations, practice management tips, community events, and much more.
Check back frequently for new and updated information.
Bring your spouse and physician colleagues to Thirsty Planet Brewing Company (11160 Circle Drive, just past the Y at Oakhill) on Saturday, June 11 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Enjoy a tour of the micro brewery, taste a beer or two, and have
$10 per person includes a souvenir pint glass, beer, and dinner.
RSVP required – contact the Society at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com.
This event sponsored in part by Austin Radiological Association, a Friend of the Society.
The next meeting of the RPO will be Tuesday, June 21 at Tarrytown Methodist Church, 2601 Exposition at 11:30 am. Tom Caven, MD; Janis Graef, MHA, CPA; and Marianne Mowry, MSN, RN will present University Medical Center Brackenridge: A Powerhouse Teaching Facility.
To RSVP, contact Ann Jeansonne at (512) 206-1249 or ajeansonne@tcms.com.
Zoom into the Alamo Drafthouse Village Cinema for a private viewing of Cars 2! Enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with Lightening McQueen, Mater, and some new friends on opening weekend.
Ticket price is $15 for physician members and guests and $10 for resident physician members. Tickets include one food item and one non-alcoholic beverage.
Doors open: 3:00 pm; Showtime: 3:30 pm (location subject to change).
Seats are limited and RSVP required – contact the Society at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com.
This event sponsored in part by these Friends of the Society: Medical Service Bureau; TCMS Healthcare Staffing; Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust; Texas Medical Liability Trust; Austin Radiological Association; University Federal Credit Union; Atchley & Associates; and Onair Development.
Bring your spouse and join your physician colleagues on Lady Bird Lake for sunset bat watching. Capital Cruises is located at 208 Barton Springs Rd near the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Boarding begins at 6:30 pm; departure at 7:00 pm; and docking at 9:00 pm.
Tickets are $10 for physician members and guests; $5 for resident physician members. Tickets are limited to 2 per member and must be paid for in advance. Pizza and beverages included.
To RSVP, contact the Society at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com.
This event sponsored in part by these Friends of the Society: Medical Service Bureau; TCMS Healthcare Staffing; Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust; Texas Medical Liability Trust; Austin Radiological Association; University Federal Credit Union; Cedar Park Regional Medical Center; and ContegoHIM.
The Sacred Heart Community Clinic, located on the campus of St. William Catholic Church, is looking for physicians (family practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics or those comfortable running a general medical clinic) to see patients on Tuesday nights (6-8:30pm) or Saturday mornings (8:30-noon). If interested, please contact Liz Burton-Garcia, clinic director at liz@sacredheartclinic.org or 512-827-7422.
Physicians interested in joining the Catholic Physicians Guild of Central Texas can visit www.catholicphysiciansguildofcentraltexas.org or call Frank Mazza at 512-324-3567 or David Fleeger, MD at 512-452-9551.
McCallum High School is in need of physician and nurse volunteers for athletic physicals on Thursday, July 28 from 5:00 pm-7:30 pm. To volunteer, contact Kristin Rogers at 512-414-7572 or kristin.rogers@austinisd.org.
Leander Independent School District is in need of physician volunteers to assist with athletic physicals on Saturday, July 30. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 am. Physicals are scheduled from 8:00 am-2:00 pm. To volunteer, contact Dawn Allen at 512-435-8073 or dawn.allen@leanderisd.org.
On June 1, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) will resume disciplining physicians who do not use the Texas Electronic Registrar (TER) Death Registration system to register patient deaths, TMB Executive Director Mari Robinson, JD, told the TMA Patient-Physician Advocacy Committee at TexMed 2011. The fine is $500.
Last November, TMB refunded money to more than 100 physicians who had already been fined and suspended pending cases because of physicians' complaints about the registration system. TMB said the delay in disciplining physicians would last until the 2011 session of the Texas Legislature ends on May 30.
If you haven't registered and aren't using the system, now is a good time to do so. Here's what TMB said in the January TMB Bulletin: “It’s important to note that electronic death
certification is here to stay. The health department adopted this system because it is faster for all parties involved, and it's less
To register, visit www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/requestTER.
Join Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart for a medical symposium on Thursday, June 30 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the University of Texas Club, located in the UT football stadium. Stan Wang, MD, JD, MPH will present Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease. Upon completion, participants should understand the epidemiology of sleep apnea; the interactions between sleep apnea and heart disease; and the role of positive airway pressure therapies.
In June 2011, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will begin issuing a new Medicaid ID card to Texas Medicaid clients. The new ID – Your Texas Benefits Medicaid Card – is a plastic, magnetic-striped card that will replace the current paper Medicaid ID (Form 3087).
For more information about the Your Texas Benefits Medicaid ID card and provider website, read the “Frequently Asked Questions: Providers.” Additional resources can be found at www.hhsc.state.tx.us/medicaid/index.html and www.tmhp.com.
To avoid penalties in 2012 (1 percent of Medicare Part B claims), TMA recommends all physicians report e-prescribing via claims on at least 10 unique Medicare encounters by June 30, 2011 and report at least 25 unique Medicare encounters during the full 2011 year to qualify for the 2011 incentive.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has offered the e-prescribing incentive since 2009 to encourage the use of e-prescribing to improve the efficiency and safety of health care.
If you plan to apply for the Medicare EHR incentive in 2011, note that you can't receive the e-prescribing incentive in the same year. Physicians enrolled in the federal Medicare EHR incentive program can still be penalized in 2012 if they do not report 10 e-prescriptions via claims method using G-code G8553. Part of the “meaningful use” criteria set for the federal EHR incentives requires e-prescribing. Physicians applying for the Medicaid EHR incentive are still eligible for e-prescribing incentive payments.
What type of encounter will count as an event?
How do I report e-prescribing data?
For more information visit www.texmed.org.
The following physicians have applied for TCMS membership. Under the provisions of he bylaws, names of applicants are presented to the membership for review. Written objections to the applicant’s membership must be directed to the TCMS Board of Ethics within 30 days of publication.
Click here for New Member Applicants
4300 N Lamar, PO Box 4679, Austin, Texas 78765 (512) 206-1249
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