News
How ACMEC is Financed
Did you know that part of your medical staff dues go to support ACMEC? As our medical staff in the Treasure Valley has grown exponentially, ACMEC has struggled to meet the demand for accredited CME. Financing new programming has been accomplished primarily through the contribution from the dues of new medical staff. It seems timely as we begin 2005 to review how ACMEC is financed.ACMEC has three primary revenue sources. The first is the portion of medical staff dues credentialed physicians pay to the hospitals. ACMEC receives $105.00 of the dues paid to each hospital. As the number of credentialed physicians has grown the ACMEC support has grown. We currently receive $84,000.00 from the dues of five hospitals. If you are credentialed at more than one hospital ACMEC still only receives a total of $105.00.
The second revenue source is hospital contracts. Each supporting hospital contributes an amount similar to the amount provided by the dues of their medical staff. The amount varies in accordance with the size of the medical staff. In 2004 our five hospitals have provided $111,000.00 of support.
The third revenue source has been educational grants received through industry. For the most part these are unrestricted grants from pharmaceutical or device companies. The majority of these grants go directly to speaker honorarium or travel expense. ACMEC has never utilized this revenue to support the administrative overhead, which in the current environment turns out to be the right decision.
Industry support is caving in on itself. Over regulation has made grant application burdensome and to industry a liability risk. A recent headline in Medical Meetings, "Code Blue for CME? Pharma, rethinks CME funding as risks mount", says it all. This is the area of funding where ACMEC is most at risk.
ACMEC has not raised its dues in 20 years and done well using new staff and industry support to expand.
If industry jumps for cover, we may be rethinking the need to increase our dues. We'll be discussing such issues as need requires.
VAMC Winter Retreat Back to McCall
The VA Medical Center has moved the Winter Retreat back to McCall for the first time in years. The conference will be held January 13-16, 2005 at the Holiday Inn Express - Hunt Lodge. For conference information call Nancy at 422-1325.
Anderson Center - Wednesday, 8:00 a.m.
Mercy Medical Center - Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. - Winter Room
Upcoming Events:
Winter Clinics, February 18-21, 2005 at the Sun Valley Inn. If you have questions call the ACMS office at 336-2930.
February 2005
March 2005
"But our machines have now been running 70 or 80 years and we must expect that worn as they are they will be giving way; and however we may tinker them up for awhile, all will at length surcease motion."
When my mother died of renal failure I was privileged to spend time at her bedside during her final days. Her dying didn't come easily until the morphine gave her some respite from congestive heart failure and muscle pain. In spite of her deep abiding faith, she often asked me if she would get better. I tried to be honest in my discussions with her regarding her poor prognosis. She had remained independent in her own home until the last month of her life.
Death is not a popular topic of discussion with most physicians even though all of us deal with patients who struggle with end-of-life issues. Common questions asked are, "Will I suffer? Will I be alone? Will my pain be controlled? Will I consume my families resources? Will I be a burden? Will I get to go home or will I remain in the hospital?"
All of us want a "good death", free of pain and suffering; but often the final event is not dignified but quite de-humanizing, what with the loss of control and the intrusions of modern medical care.
What we do have to offer our patients is not to "tinker them up" when it would only be futile, but to give them care and solace and companionship; not to abandom them but to keep them comfortable with all the means at our disposal. We need to be honest in our discussion regarding their prognosis and to celebrate their lives well lived.
John J. Mohr, M.D.
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center - Wednesday 8am, Anderson Center
Mercy Medical Center - Wednesday 12:30pm
VA Medical Center - Thursday 8am, AW Horsley Learning Ctr.
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Friday 8am, Centennial Room
12 Richard Maziarz, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Oregon Health Sciences University.
19 Barry Singer, MD, Clinical Instructor, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine.
12 Richard Maziarz, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Oregon Health Sciences University.
19 Barry Singer, MD, Clinical Instructor, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine.
Tumor Boards
Mercy Medical Center - Tuesday, 12:00 noon
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Thursday, 12:00 noon
Breast Care Panel-Saint Alphonsus RMC - Tuesday, 7:00 a.m.
St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center - Tuesday, 12:00 noon
Breast Tumor Board-St. Luke’s RMC - Thursday, 7:00 a.m.
MSTI Pediatric Tumor Board - 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 12:00 noon
Meridian Tumor Board - 1st & 3rd Thursday, 12:00 noon
The ACMS Physician Referral Roster is currently being revised for 2005. ACMS members who have paid their 2005 dues by December 31, 2004 will be included in the roster. Members receive one copy as part of their dues. Order forms for purchasing additional rosters were sent to physician offices December 1st. If you order additional rosters by the first of the year, the price is $35. After January 1 the price increases to $40.
Quarterly Membership Meeting, January 27, 2005, Red Lion Downtowner - Guest speaker is Monte Stiles, Assistant U.S. Attorney for Idaho. His talk will be on "Drug Endangered Children: A Call to Arms".
2 Management of HTN in the Latino Population, Edward La Cava, MD
9 Sinusitis, W. Davis Merritt, MD
18 Management of Allergic Catastrophies, Eric Gershwin, MD
23 Discovery and Development of New Therapeutics Targeting Oncogenic Receptors, Christopher Benz, MD
23 Legislative Update (Mercy), Bob Seeheusen
9 Patient Satisfaction, L. Tad Cowley, MD
18 Diagnosis and Management of Fabry’s Disease, Nicola Lango, MD
30 Insulin Initiation Issues in Type II Diabetes, Steven Edelman, MD
5 Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Disease, Steven Mings, MD
12 Fungal Infections: An Oncologists Perspective, Richard Maziarz, MD
19 Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Barry Singer, MD
26 Update on COPD, Joe Crowley, MD
5 Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Disease, Steven Mings, MD
12 Fungal Infections: An Oncologists Perspective, Richard Maziarz, MD
19 Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Barry Singer, MD
26 Update on COPD, Joe Crowley, MD
6 Topic TBA, David Dale, MD
13 No Conference
20 Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Barry Singer, MD
27 BPH, Christopher Kane, MD
7 Update on Gallbladder and Biliary Diseases, Stephen Schutz, MD
14 Update on Pap Smear Technologies, Mickey Myhre, MD, Jack Chaffin, MD
21 Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Barry Singer, MD
28 A Stroke Protocol, James French, MD
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