Family Social - 09/23

2011 TCMS Awards Nominations

CME Business of Medicine - 09/20

TCMS Directory Usage Survey

Beyond the White Coat - 10/4

TCMS on Facebook

What did you do on your summer vacation?

Austin/Travis County HHS - Cryptosporidiosis Update

Membership Applicants

Spanish Meducation Fall Classes

Revalidate your Medicare Enrollment

RSVP at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com.

It’s not too late to nominate a colleague in one of three TCMS award categories.

Each year, the TCMS Physician of the Year Award is presented to a physician who has been a TCMS member for 20 years or more and is considered and admired by their colleagues as a model physician.

This year, two new physician awards have been established – the Ruth M. Bain Young Physician Award which recognizes a physician member of the Society who is 40 years or younger or who has been in practice 8 years or less and is considered and admired by their colleagues as a model physician; and the Physician Humanitarian Award which recognizes a member who provides exceptional volunteer service to others, beyond the normal scope of practice.

The Society is currently taking nominations for all three awards. The awardees will be recognized at the Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at the Austin Country Club.

If you would like to nominate a colleague for one of these awards, complete the appropriate nomination form and return it to the Society by September 15, 2011.

Additional information, nomination forms, and lists of eligible members can be downloaded from the TCMS website or contact the Society at 512-206-1249.

On Tuesday, September 20, Michael Kreager, JD will present To Be or Not To Be Employed in the Texas Medical Association’s Thompson Auditorium, 401 W 15th at 6:00 pm. Mr. Kreager is a practicing attorney from San Antonio with over 30 years of experience. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to representing physicians and health care entities.

The presentation objectives will cover the pros and cons of physician employment; outline steps to evaluate, sell, or merge a medical practice; will recognize the impact of employment contracts; and will help you develop a plan if and when employment is no longer a viable option.

The Texas Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

TMA designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The Texas Medical Association designates this activity for up to 1 hour in the area of ethics and/or professional responsibility education.

To RSVP, contact the Society at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com.

This event sponsored in part by the following Friends of the Society: Medical Service Bureau; Texas Medical Insurance Trust; Texas Medical Liability Trust; Austin Radiological Association; and Physician’s Resource Services.

The Travis County Medical Society is conducting a short survey on how members use its membership directories.

Thank you to those who have already completed the survey. If you haven’t done so, please take this two minute survey to help TCMS understand the value of these publications to you

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tcms_survey

Physicians train for years and accumulate a lifetime of experience in practice to become experts on the human body. But what about becoming experts on the human condition – our relationships with loved ones and ourselves outside of our professional lives?

On Tuesday, October 4 at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, the Travis County Medical Society Foundation will present Beyond the White Coat: Physicians and Their Loved Ones, a CME lecture. Cocktail reception begins at 6:00 pm and the lecture begins at 7:00 pm. Bring your spouse/significant other to this program about life and relationships outside of medicine featuring Wayne Sotile, PhD and Mary Sotile, MA.

The Sotiles are nationally recognized physician counselors, hospital and practice consultants, public speakers, and authors of numerous books including The Resilient Physician and The Medical Marriage.

This CME activity will help physicians and their families understand the link between the level of success and fulfillment that they achieve from relationships outside of their professional life and the ethical behavior and level of satisfaction they achieve in the practice environment. Strategies will be discussed that deal with balancing medicine and family life, thus creating an overall life environment that enhances fulfillment of clinical and ethical responsibilities. At the conclusion of the lecture, participants should be able to describe traits common to physicians, as well as habits and aspects of daily work that can undermine or enhance physicians’ personal and professional fulfillment.  In addition, participants will be able to devise strategies to deal with these factors and create positive change.

To RSVP, contact the Society at 512-206-1146 or tcms@tcms.com. TCMS members and guests - $10 each; TCMS resident members – no charge; non-TCMS members and guests - $20 each.

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through joint sponsorship of the Texas Medical Association and the Travis County Medical Society Foundation. The Texas Medical Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Texas Medical Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This activity has been designated as ethics and/or professional responsibility education.

This event is sponsored in part by the Medical Service Bureau.

Did you know that TCMS was the first Texas medical society to have a Facebook page? The TCMS page contains information about upcoming Society events as well as information needed for your practice.

From September 1 to September 30, any TCMS physician who "likes" the TCMS page or posts a comment will be entered into a drawing for one of several prizes.

The Fine Print: Only TCMS members are eligible for prizes. Physicians will be entered in the drawing for their initial "like" and for each comment thereafter. Winners will be announced on October 3 via Facebook and the TCMS e-News. Winners will also be contacted via email.

Questions? Email Stephanie Triggs at striggs@tcms.com.  

The TCMS Journal features photographs taken by members on vacation, mission trips, or just hanging around town. To see a recent photo spotlight, check out page 4 of any TCMS Journal.
 

Want to share your favorite shots? Have a story to go along with them? Contact Editor Owen Winsett, MD at winsetto@austin.rr.com or Ron Mize at rmize@tcms.com or 512-206-1245.

Cryptosporidiosis cases often occur at higher frequency during the late summer months and we want to make sure that area physicians are aware of recent developments. 

In August 2011, Bell County is experiencing a Cryptosporidiosis outbreak.  The majority of these cases are directly connected to a local water park. 

Local Surveillance

Preliminary 2011 data, from January 1, 2011 through August 26, 2011, indicates that Austin/Travis County HHSD has identified 5 confirmed cryptosporidiosis cases.  This number is much smaller than the number of cases in 2008, the same year that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex experienced a large crypto outbreak connected to an area lake. 

Recommendations

Please consider laboratory testing for cryptosporidiosis if patients present with watery diarrhea lasting 1-2 weeks and report recreational swimming, especially if swimming occurred in Bell County.  To report cryptosporidiosis or another notifiable condition, please call A/TCHHSD at 512-972-5555. 

Health Messages for Patients

To prevent cryptosporidiosis and the spread of illness to others:

For additional Information:

Texas Department of State Health Services: Cryptosporidiosis
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Cryptosporidiosis - CDC DPD
Healthy Swimming

The following physicians have applied for TCMS membership. Under the provisions of the 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 to view new member applicants with photos.

Spanish Meducation® is the practical medical Spanish program offered through the Travis County Medical Society since 1994. The 10-week program is designed for all health care professionals: physicians, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, social workers, technicians, emergency personnel, and their support staff.

The classes develop beginning, intermediate, and advanced conversational skills in general Spanish with a concentration on health care situations. Grammar takes a back seat. All handouts are included in the tuition cost; no textbook is required.

Registration is $250 for new students; $230 for continuing students; and $210 for QRO students. Register early for discounts – receive a $35 discount if you register by August 12 or a $20 discount if you register by September 9.

To register, contact Program Director, Jill Snyder, PhD at jld@prismnet.com

or 512-835-7612.

Classes meet once a week with most from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Travis County Medical Society, 4300 N Lamar. A daytime "brown bag" class is offered from
12:00-2:00 pm at 2100 Northland Drive. No classes the week of November 21 Thanksgiving).

Level I - Beginning: Tuesdays, Oct. 4-Dec. 13 (free make-up
lessons provided)
Level II - Basic (Beginner-Plus): Mondays, Oct. 3-Dec. 12
Level III - High Basic: Wednesdays, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
("brown bag") Oct. 5- Dec. 14 at 2100 Northland Dr.
Level IV - Low Intermediate: Tuesdays, Oct. 4-Dec. 13
Level VI - High Intermediate: Wednesdays, Oct. 5-Dec. 14
Advanced Level- conversation, reading, and translation:
Mondays, Oct. 3-Dec. 12 (does not certify students for professional translation services.)

If you are a true beginner, Level I is for you. Otherwise, contact Jill at 512-835-7612 to discover which level will best match your current Spanish language skills.

Physicians who signed up for the Medicare program before March 25, 2011, must revalidate their enrollment with TrailBlazer Health Enterprises over the next year-and-a-half. The health system reform bill Congress passed last year requires it to reduce Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse. Physicians who enrolled on or after March 25, 2011, do not need to revalidate.

TrailBlazer will send notices to physicians between now and March 2013. Begin the revalidation process as soon as you receive the notice. You have 60 days to complete the enrollment forms or Medicare may deactivate your billing privileges. Do not submit a revalidation application unless you've received a revalidation request letter from TrailBlazer. The easiest and quickest way to revalidate your enrollment information is by using the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System  (PECOS). After updating PECOS, be sure to sign the certification statement and mail it to TrailBlazer.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began using new screening criteria in the Medicare provider/supplier enrollment process on March 1. CMS places new and revalidating providers and suppliers in one of three screening categories – limited, moderate, or high. CMS says each category represents the level of risk to the Medicare program for the particular category of provider/supplier, and the agency determines the degree of screening that TrailBlazer and other Medicare administrative contractors processing the enrollment applications will perform. Physicians are in the "limited" risk category.

The Texas Medical Association's Payment Advocacy staff reminds physicians that they should keep their Medicare enrollment information up to date through PECOS. TMA will ask CMS officials for more information on the revalidation program when TMA staff meets with them in the fall. Action will publish more information on the process as soon as it is available.

For more information about provider revalidation, review the Medicare Learning Network's Special Edition Article #SE1126, titled "Further Details on the Revalidation of Provider Enrollment Information."