a quarterly publication of the pitt county medical society summer 2013

medicalmatters

medicalmatters

President’s Letter —

It is the middle of summer and ournormal erratic weather has arrived.The super-hot days are yet to come.For those of us left in Pitt County it ismuch business as usual. The streetsare clearer with students on break andmany off to the beach for much de-served vacations.

We at Pitt County Medical Society arebusy preparing for the Fall. Our yearlyWelcome Dinner for new physicians inPitt County will be on September 26that the Hilton Greenville. Carroll Dashiellwill provide entertainment. A limitednumber of excellent speakers includ-ing our North Carolina Medical SocietyPresident, Michael Molton, MD, will

address current issues affecting us all.Please mark your calendars and attendthis exciting and informative event tomeet the new physicians and socializewith local doctors. New membership isalways welcome but not required toattend the event.

We are preparing actively to initiateour medical student scholarship. Theinitial fundraising effort will coincidewith the new physician dinner. We hopeto help a deserving but financiallychallenged medical student start his/her career with the help of this im-portant scholarship.

We look to the future, not only withthe new scholarship, but also to thechanging field of medicine. Some ofthese changes are driven by insurancecompanies and government, and someare driven by improvements in prac-tice models. No matter the changes,Pitt County Medical Society intends tobe with you, providing you with re-sources and opportunities to give you

confidence as you forge ahead. Weintend to change and grow accordingto your needs, not staying in 1980, oreven 2000, but continuing to evolveinto the organization that will give youwhat you need to thrive during thistransitional era.

Get involved with the Pitt CountyMedical Society by attending Boardmeetings or by volunteering for theBoard of Directors. Participate in ourcurrent events, and feel free to requestnew events that will help meet yourneeds. Communicate, involve, and in-form yourself and your partners aswe support each other in the 21stCentury. PCMS can be all that you wantit to become!

Bryan Cooper, MD, MS

Bryan Cooper, MD, MSPresident, PCMS

Inside this issue2 Will Your Voice Be Heard?

Just a ReminderCall for Posters

3 We Welcome These New Physiciansto the PCMSWelcome Dinner 2013

5 Supper & CME 2013!6 The First Quarter: Morbid Obesity

Pilot Project Begins to Show Results

Pitt County Medical Society Board of DirectorsAt Large MembersNathaniel Hamilton, MDVenkata Jonnalagadda, MDChristopher J. Gauland, DPM

Early Career RepresentativeMeredith Duke, MD

Executive CommitteeBryan Cooper, MD. MS — PresidentKaren Buckley, MD — President ElectMark Manwaring, MD — Sec./TreasurerRichard Zeri, MD — Past President

Medical Student RepresentativeJake Lloyd

WILL YOUR VOICE BE HEARD?When healthcare policy makers want to know how doctors feel about an issue, whom do they call?

Sometimes they call their own physician, but that is just one opinion. In North Car-olina, they call the North Carolina MedicalSociety (NCMS). For nationwide policy

issues, they call the American Medical Association (AMA).While NCMS and AMA have thousands of physicianmembers (NCMS about 15,000 and AMA about 220,000),do they know how you feel about an issue?

I have been involved in medical organizations for over30 years. Why? Because my voice on important issuesthat will affect the practice of medicine can be drownedout by those who only care about increasing their scopeof practice or increasing their paycheck while patientssuffer. We have over 50 million uninsured citizens inAmerica and they are postponing or avoiding seeingtheir doctors because they are worried about how theywill pay the bill. Eventually, these hardworking Ameri-cans will get sick and have to go to an urgent care cen-ter or emergency department. They will get the bestacute medical care in the world but also the mostexpensive. When they can’t pay the bill, their credit willbe devastated or even worse, they may need to file forbankruptcy. The hospital will increase charges to coverthe losses, and we insured citizens will pay the billthrough higher insurance premiums and taxes.

America can do better but will do better only if we phy-sicians raise our voices together to say that our patientsneed access to healthcare insurance that covers preven-

tive measures, catastrophic illness and routine visits withaffordable deductibles and co-pays. The Affordable CareAct (ACA) moves us toward that goal, but it needs vastimprovements to eliminate waste and fraud. The ACAwill be improved only if we raise our voices together totell the healthcare policy makers how. We are the oneswho know how to improve healthcare delivery in Amer-ica, but our voices are in danger of being drowned out.

We need your voice. Please join or continue yourmemberships in the Pitt County Medical Society, the NCMedical Society and the American Medical Association.Together, we are stronger and our voices will be heard.

We also need seven Pitt County docs to volunteer toattend the NCMS House of Delegates meeting in Octo-ber to express our opinions on the important healthcare issues of this challenging time of change in heathcare delivery. PCMS, NCMS and AMA are grassrootsorganizations that advocate for our patients and ourprofession. Your voice can be heard there and will beheard there, but only if you get involved.

Our profession needs your voice, now more than ever.

Chuck F. Willson MD, Former President of PCMS (1986)

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A quarterly publication of the Pitt County Medical Society

Need More Information? Contact us…Pitt County Medical SocietyPost Office Box 18, Greenville, NC 27835252-758-8833www.pittcountymedicalsociety.org

Tricia Maddrey Baker, Executive DirectorEmail: tmbakerpcms@earthlink.net

Pitt County Medical Society is now on Facebook!

Be sure to “like” the page. This is your page for issues important to you!

Medical Matters is designed and published locally by Impressions Group, LLC • 252-355-8345

medicalmatters

JUST A REMINDERAnnual dues statements will be sent in

October by NCMS. Don’t forget to checkthe PCMS Box, as well as the NCMS Box!

If you would like a group statement or ifyou’d like to pay PCMS Dues for 2014

directly, call 252-758-8833. Thank you!

CALL FOR POSTERS!North Carolina Medical Society First

Scientific Poster Session Oct. 25th-26thVisit www.pittcountymedicalsociety.

com/memberevents to learn more

Charles F.Willson, MD

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Welcome Dinner 20 1 3

Hilton Greenv i l le

Thursday , September 26th

Cockta i ls 6pm . Dinner 7pm

The even ing wi l l feature f ine d in ing, music , and pr izes!

Guest speakers from N C MS.

$3 5 per personPlease br ing a guest !

R S V P to 7 5 8 - 8 8 3 3

We Welcome ThesePhysicians to the PCMS

Nicholas Peter Taraska, MDEastern Nephrology

Ruth C Flynn, MDGreenville Psychiatric Associates

Jonathan O'Quinn, DPM Eastern Carolina Foot & Ankle Specialists

William M. Johnstone, Jr, MDECU Physicians, OBGYN

Michael E Smith, MDEastern Psychiatric & Behavioral Specialists, PA

Reginald Keith Sherard, MDECU Physicians, Emergency Medicine

Bradleigh Zito, PA-CEastern Radiologists

Steven E. Skahill, MDRoanoke Medical Associates

David Herman, MDVidant Medical Center

Beverly M Harris, MDGreenville Women’s Clinic

Rachel E. Thomas, MDFreedom Hill Community Health Center

Chris Gauland, DPM Eastern Carolina Foot & Ankle Specialists

Monica A. McGill, MD, MBA Client First of NC

Carol Ann Moore, MD ECU Physicians, Emergency Medicine

Elizabeth G. Baxley, MD ECU Physicians, Family Medicine

J. Corey Allen, MDEastern Urological Associates

Emilie E. Pendley, MD ECU Physicians, Emergency Medicine

John E. Gough, MD, FACEP ECU Physicians, Emergency Medicine

Lillian Burke, MD Eastern Institute of Medical Sciences

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Supper & CME 2013!May 29 was Supper and CME! The CME featured MichaelL. Gordon, Health Care Litigation Partner, K&L Gates LLP.He carefully outlined a “worst case scenario” of FederalAgents coming to the practice doors, in response to avariety of external triggers. As he discussed the rights ofthe practice and the employees, he was careful to de-fine what not to do as well. For example, one may notinstruct employees not to talk with the agents, but it isfine to let the employees know it is their own decisionto make. It’s also a good idea, he said, to inform theemployees that they may choose to be represented bycounsel when they speak with agents.

Another (rather obvious) reminder that he gave was tosecure a list of items removed from the practice, but tofirst ask if you may copy or give a copy of any paper orvirtual record that is seized. Of course, for any practice,calling your attorney when the agents arrive would bea prudent course of action. Being polite to the agents isalways a good plan, another obvious response that issometimes forgotten.

Audits, though different, also require preparation of allthe staff. Mr. Gordon strongly advised to have a robustcompliance plan in place, and to follow it consistently.Education and training of staff, prudent always, also de-monstrates to auditors that the practice is workingdiligently towards meeting all requirements.

Another strong suggestion by Mr. Gordon is to be sure

to meet the deadlines for the delivery of documents tothe contractor, citing cases where not meeting thedates required were to the detriment of the provider.He advises to be sure to both give all evidence for eachcase, and to make copies and document with date andnumber of each page/item that is sent to the contractor.He also encourages everyone to be careful to note thecontractors’ requests; there have been occurrences ofmultiple contractors working on the same case, “double-dipping.”

The Seminar speaker was Jacqueline M. Becker, MED,BSN, CPHQ, CPHRM, Supervisor, Sr. Risk Management/Patient Safety Consultant for MagMutual. She gave ashort seminar about the state of Electronic HealthRecords, receiving feedback from the attendees forevery slide. At the end of her seminar, she showed avideo of the Future of EMR which fascinated everyone.Because the technology cannot keep up with the ideasyet, it seemed far-off, but the video showed the best ofwhat may be possible, using recordings of office visits,records of tests, and easy computer interface for effi-cient and accurate patient interaction. Thanks go toMagMutual for partially underwriting this event.

Do you have a topic that you would like to see discussedin a PCMS-sponsored CME or a Supper & CME event?Please connect with anyone on the Board of Directors,the PCMS office, or attend a Board Meeting to let usknow! This is Your Society; let it work for you.

Michael L. Gordon, Health Care Litigation Partner with K&L Gates LLP, was featured at the May 29th Supper & CME

Jacqueline M. Becker, MED, BSN, CPHQ, CPHRM, Supervisor,Sr. Risk Management/Patient Safety Consultant for MagMutual, gave a short seminar on the state of Electronic Health Records.

The First Quarter: Morbid Obesity Pilot Project Begins to Show ResultsWe’ve been following this new care coordination project through our PCMS Member, Perrin Jones, MD. He presents this spreadsheet with first quarter results. While the data tableshows patients did not lose weight during the first 3 months, it also showed that they did not gain weight either. The data also reveals a downward trend with regards to Hgb A1c, blood pressure and LDL, all indicative of improved disease management.

The goals for the next quarter include specialist referrals using agreed upon criteria as well as incorporatingcommunity based nutrition and exercise programs at Lenoir Memorial Hospital. We look forward to continuingto track this project!

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AT ENROLLMENT FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

Average weight 283.3 283.4

Average BMI 46.8 46.8

% of patients with Diabetes 51.1% 52.1%

% of Diabetics with Hgb A1c >=9 17% 16.7%

% of Diabetics with Hgb A1c 7-9 44.7% 39.6%

% of Diabetics with Hgb A1c <7 38.3% 43.8%

% of patients with HTN 90.2%

% of HTNsives w/ SBP<140 & DBP<90 67.5% 72.3%

% of patients with dyslipidemia 94.6%

% of pts w/ dyslipidemia w/ LDL<100 40.2% 48.2%

% of diabetics with LDL<100 59.6% 62.5%

% of pts with OSA 52.2% 54.3%

% of pts w/ OSA on CPAP or BiPAP 81.3%

Perrin Jones, MD

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mini internship dates announced for fall

Pitt County Medical SocietyPO Box 18Greenville NC 27835

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