Download - March/April Bulletin
MARCH/APRIL2012Volume 42, No. 2
ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETYin conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY
President’s MessageA Well Kept Secretby George A.W. Smith, MD
Dr. George A.W. Smith
Founded in 1873
I have a very exciting discovery that I can
hardly wait to share with you. I have been
practicing medicine in Pensacola for the past
seventeen years and perhaps this may not be
news to you. I suspect however that with the
exception of the past presidents of the Escam-
bia County Medical Society this is a well-kept
secret. Having just assumed the presidency of
the Society, I learned last month my responsi-
bilities include representing the medical soci-
ety on the Rehabilitation Foundation of North-
west Florida. Of course having never heard
of them before I was very happy to meet with
their Executive Director Robert Bowman, Ed.D
to hear more about this organization and the
role I would play.
It turns out that the Rehabilitation Foundation
of Northwest Florida followed the successful
initial funding and establishment of the Reha-
bilitation Institute of West Florida in 1975. In
1973-74 a community based feasibility study
concluded that the community needed and
could support a combined inpatient rehabili-
tation and a vocational rehabilitation center
for the physically handicapped. The initial 38
beds of the Institute were designed into the old
Medical Center Clinic on Palafox Street and full
rehabilitation hospital services were available
in 1976. It soon became apparent that a signif-
icant number of the severely disabled needing
rehabilitation had no funding source. Thus in
1980 the Foundation was started with several
small contributions and a $20,000 grant from
the Gannett Foundation. In 1983 the Institute
Trustees voted to sell to any local hospital in an
effort to secure funds for the foundation. The
West Florida hospital’s offer of about $3.3mil-
lion was accepted and most of this money was
transferred to the Rehabilitation Foundation to
fund rehabilitation services to individuals with
physical disabilities who were needy and had
no other funding source. Foundation invested
assets grew over the years and although the
Institute Trustees stipulated that only the in-
vested earnings would be used, to date over
$6 million has been awarded to local citizens
of both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Most of the funds have been awarded for inpa-
tient rehabilitation, but awards are also made
for out-patient therapy, orthotics and prosthet-
ics and rehabilitation equipment.
www.escambiacms.org
Upcoming Events
Friday March 23, 2012ECMS Doctors Day
CelebrationIce Flyers Hockey
Game, 7:05pPensacola Civic Center
Please rsvp by March 16
Tuesday April 10, 2012Florida State
Representative Doug Broxson
“Update on Florida Regulation”
McGuire’s Irish Pub, 5:30p
Wednesday May 9, 2012Annual
Mini Health FairPaul’s on the Bay, 5:30p
RSVP: [email protected]
ECMS BulletinThe Bulletin is a publication for and by the members of the Escambia County Medical Society. The Bulletin publishes six times a year: Jan/ Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec. We will consider for publication articles relating to medical science, photos, book reviews, memorials, medical/legal articles, and practice management.
EditorsChristopher Burton, MD
Erica Laxson, Executive Director
AD PLACEMENTContact Erica Laxson at 478-0706
Ad Rates¹∕₈ page: $100 • ¼ page: $150 • ½ page: $300
2012 ECMS OfficersPresident
George A.W. Smith, M.D.President-Elect
Wendy Osban, D.O.Vice President
Susan Laenger, M.D.Secretary /Treasurer
Christopher Burton, M.D.
Pages 4 A Successful First Year for the Go Seniors! Transportation Program!
Page 5 Ways to Maximize Effective Cash Flow in an Ever Challenging High Self-Pay Environment
Page 6 Merging Practices? Be Sure to Protect Yourself
Vision for the Bulletin:-Appeal to the family of medicine in Escambia and Santa Rosa County and to the world beyond.- Collaborate with the Alliance to bring together Escambia and Santa Rosa County medical families. To know the needs of the community and promote the healthcare needs.- A powerful instrument to attract and induct members to organized medicine. Views and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the directors, staff or advertisers.
Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
2012 Calendar of Events
Friday March 23, 2012DOCTORS DAY
Ice Flyers Hockey Game, 7:05p
Tuesday April 10, 2012General Membership Meeting
Legislative Update, Doug BroxsonMcGuire’s Irish Pub, 5:30p
Wednesday May 9, 2012ANNUAL MINI HEALTH FAIR
Paul’s on the Bay, 5:30p
Tuesday July 10, 2012General Membership Meeting
EHR/Meaningful UseCactus Flower, 5:30p
July 27-29, 2012FMA ANNUAL MEETING
Boca Raton, Fl
Tuesday August 14, 2012General Membership Meeting
Heritage Hall, 5:30p
Sunday September 30, 2012WOMEN IN MEDICINE BRUNCH
Tuesday October 9, 2012General Membership Meeting
[1AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM]Breast MRI, Patricia Green, MD
5:30p
Tuesday November 13, 2012General Membership Meeting
Saturday January 19, 2012ECMS INAUGURAL BALL
MembershipESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY in conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY3
Santa Rosa Countyin conjunction with
Escambia County
MEDICAL SOCIETY10 Dinner Meetings in 2012: Opportunities to receive Free Florida Man-
dated Courses.
Representation in Legislature: ECMS has members actively participat-
ing in the FMA and AMA. Such topics include: Managed care legislation,
PRN sovereign Immunity, Mandatory malpractice, tort reform, and grass
roots efforts. ECMS gives our physicians’ updates through our newslet-
ters, email, and faxes.
Malpractice Insurance Discount: The Doctors Company/FPIC gives
ECMS members a 5% discount. In addition, FPIC’s claim-free program
currently allows for the following discounts: 25% claims-free 15= years;
20% claims feree10-14 years; 10% claims-free 5-9 years.
20% Discount on Pensacola Opera Tickets
DocBookMD: ECMS providers are now listed on the ECMS iPhone and
Android application.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Members can receive up to 24.8%
return on insurance premiums with OptaComp.
CME: ECMS offers free CMEs to our members at many of our meetings.
Directory and Website: ECMS website and Member directory, which in-
cludes you office information and picture, as well as allows you to control
Benefits of Membership 2012the information and register for ECMS events. We also work with physi-
cians to create and manage their own internet site.
Patient Referral: ECMS refers patients to our physicians daily.
Physician Information Service: ECMS has connections in Pensacola.
The Society is pleased to research, ask, and retrieve information for you
or your office personnel.
Vested Vendor Resource Guide: These vendors are financially and per-
sonally invested in the success of the practice of medicine. They sup-
port our CME events, dinners, special events and our Bulletin newsletter.
Please make sure to call a supporter of ECMS.
The Florida Healthcare Law Firm: At no charge members of the Es-
cambia County Medical Society may call the hotline 561-306-5699 with
questions regarding specific legal issues.
Crown Plaza: Mention “Medical Society” for a yearly discounted rate on
you or your guest next stay.
Transworld Systems: Member discount on professional services. Please
contact Lin Engie #850-725-4408.
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Happiness for you, your staff and your patients
MembershipESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY in conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY4
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A loan that’s good for your business is also good for your peace of mind.James Ferreira, Community Banker70 North Baylen Street | Pensacola, FL 32502 | 850.444.1210
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A Successful First Year for the Go Seniors! Transportation Program!by Erica Laxson, ECMS Executive Director
This May the Escambia County Medical Society Foundation (ECMSF) will celebrate their one year anniversary of the GO SENIORS! program. For the last year this program has provided Yellow Cab of Pensacola vouchers to eligible seniors living in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. Funded by The Fellows Memorial Fund, it is designed to encourage independent community mobility for seniors who need transportation assistance that may find the cost of transportation prohibitive to meet healthcare needs.
The Fellows Memorial Fund was founded in 1961 under the will of the late Earle W. Fellows-Williamson, widow of the beloved Pensacola physi-cian, Dr. J. Hugh Fellows. The Fellows Memorial Fund assists in providing loans for students in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology, and ministry, as well as fund programs around the elderly at risk popula-tion in our community. The ECMS Foundation is involved in providing ser-
vices to at risk populations and currently supports the WeCare program has focused on providing specialty physician care to the working poor. With financial support of The Fellows Memorial Fund and physicians the Go Seniors! program has helped provide door-to-door transportation for healthcare related needs to more than 1000 patients living in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.
Go Seniors! transportation vouchers have been distributed by ECMS physicians, Health and Hope Clinic, St. Joseph’s Clinic, Good Samaritan Clinic, and the Escambia County Community Clinic. To be eligible, a per-son must be 60 years of age and be certified by a healthcare professional as needing door-to-door assistance. For more information call Escambia County Medical Society Foundation (850) 478-0706. Congratulations on a
very successful first year!
Wishing you Success & Happiness in the New YearAttention Members!
Call Susan Prescott Today!Phone: (850) [email protected]
Foundation
You may be eligible for 10 Continuing Medical Education Credits, Sovereign Immunity, and a Free Florida License.
Submit Your We Care Hours!
It is now time to send in your updated information for the 2012 ECMS Pic-torial Directory. Our Medical Society directory is very beneficial for many reasons with use by members, non-members, and other health commu-nity providers.
As a benefit to our members, the directory will list the physicians alpha-betically and by specialty. The directory will contain the physician name, address, phone number, specialty, NPI, picture, and website address if applicable. Our 2012 ECMS Directory will be distributed to each member at no cost.
The purpose of this directory is to promote the concept of members do-ing business with both members and supporters, as well as to provide a comprehensive, easy to use reference and referral guide.
Thank you to our friend Malcolm Ballinger and his team for all of their hard work in putting our Pictorial Directory together.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me, Erica Laxson, Executive Director, at 478-0706 ext 2.
Practice ManagementESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY in conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY5
Ways to Maximize Effective Cash Flow in an Ever Challenging High Self-Pay Environmentby Lin Engie, Transworld Systems, Inc.
Accounts receivable are a major concern for medical practices in today’s
world. Many practices struggle with how to deal with self-pay patients and
insurance companies who don’t pay on time, or not at all. With today’s
trend of ever higher deductible plans, and larger self-pay amounts, this is
becoming a more critical cash flow issue for a majority of medical prac-
tices. According to an MGMA study, self-pay increased from 12% in 2007
to 20% in 2010, trending to 30% in 2012. This means a third of a practice’s
revenue now comes from self-pay. Can you afford to solely focus on in-
surance resolution for your practice’s cash flow? For many practices, the
answer is clearly “no.”
Here are some proven ways to maximize cash flow and collections. First,
have a clearly defined and carefully communicated, yet diplomatic pay-
ment policy to help avoid difficult collections situations. By following these
simple steps, you can watch your practice thrive while retaining good,
professional relationships with your patients.
Developing and implementing a sound collection policy is vital to running
a successful practice. If your staff is not well informed, and patients are
not educated on payment expectations, chances of late or non-payment
increase. Ensure that your practice’s terms of payment are clearly stated
in writing for both staff and patients. If you don’t have a systematic invoice
and billing system, get one. Studies show that the faster you mail invoices,
the sooner you’ll be paid. An invoice should clearly show the amount due
and when payment is expected, or else they may fall to the bottom of the
patient’s payment stack.
In addition to your policy and billing procedures, contacting late payers
every 10-14 days enables you to diplomatically remind the patient of your
terms of payment. Remember when evaluating accounts, use the data
on your aging sheet, not your feelings, because if you’re not being paid,
someone else probably is. In the event that a patient has moved without
providing you the new address, the USPS will research their information
and provide you with the change of address, if available. So make sure
that your outgoing envelopes state “Address Service Requested”.
For more difficult situations, make sure your staff is trained to be firm, yet
courteous, when dealing with patients. Train your collections staff on cus-
tomer service because they must “sell” your patients on the idea that you
expect to be paid in a timely manner, without alienating them. And, if your
practice makes a mistake, quickly admit it and correct it. Denying an obvi-
ous error only fans the flames of resentment your patient may already feel.
There may be a point in which your internal procedures are not effective
enough. A third party can motivate a patient to pay, simply because the
demand for payment is coming from an outside agency. Another reason to
outsource is if you do not have the internal resources to consistently and
systematically (every 10 to 14 days) follow up on every past due account.
Before paying a percentage to a collection agency, or using small claims
court or an attorney, check into using a flat fee, diplomatic pre-collection
service, where you may collect more without giving up a percentage of
your revenue. If you decide to outsource, make sure to use a reputable
and financially stable company, and one that is HIPAA-compliant.
Always remember that in many states, medical practices are governed
by the same collection laws as collection agencies. If you’re not sure of
your own procedures, call your state’s department of finance or consult
an attorney.
In the end, remember that even with a carefully designed and adminis-
tered collection plan, there are some accounts that will never be collect-
ed. Adopting an early intervention plan to identify these few accounts that
have no intention of paying you will save your practice time and money
while benefiting from improved cash flow from the vast majority of ac-
counts that will pay.
Medical/LegalESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY in conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY6
Merging Practices? Be Sure to Protect Yourselfby Georgette A. Samaritan, RN, BSN, Senior Risk Management Consultant
Many practices are considering mergers with, or selling to, another prac-tice as a way to reduce overhead expenses and take advantage of econo-mies of scale. If your practice is moving down that path, along with all the other details, please don’t overlook how you will insure and protect the physicians’ medical professional liability in this new organization.
If both practices use the same insurer, the process of combining the poli-cies is simple, and may even result in a larger group discount. Notify your carrier, and they will walk you through the process.
If the practices currently use different carriers for medical professional li-ability insurance, or are seeking a new carrier for the new entity, there are some important factors to consider:
1) Prior Acts coverage (also called “nose” coverage). It is essential that you confirm that any new policy covers prior acts for all of the physicians included in the new entity. This means that the new insurance company will assume responsibility for claims that arise, reaching back as far as each physician’s retroactive date (or original inception date) of coverage. If Prior Acts coverage is not available from the new carrier, seriously con-sider purchasing an Extended Reporting Endorsement (tail coverage) from the current insurance companies. While these can prove expensive, they give the newly merged practice the opportunity to start over with the new insurer for less premium.
Without the purchase of either an Extended Reporting Endorsement or Prior Acts coverage, there will be no insurance protection available for any patient care delivered prior to the new effective date (and new retroactive date).
For example, consider Dr. Lincoln. He has purchased new coverage effective 3/1/2011 and the retroactive date with his previous insurer is 3/1/1997. If Dr. Lincoln’s new insurance company agrees to provide Prior Acts coverage, they will now be responsible for any future claim arising back to 3/1/1997. If the new company cannot provide, or is unwilling to provide, Prior Acts coverage, they will give him a new retroactive date,
3/1/2011, and will only cover claims incurred after this date. Dr. Lincoln must then purchase an Extended Reporting Endorsement from his old insurer, or go without coverage for any future claims from his practice arising between 3/1/1997 and 3/1/2011.
Before making any changes, make sure that all known or potential claims have been reported to your current carrier.
2) Coverage trigger. Check policies from both the old and new insur-ance companies for what is considered a claim, or the “coverage trigger”. Look for a policy that considers a claim to be reported on the date you re-port an incident to the insurance company (incident reporting or incident sensitive), whether or not a lawsuit has been filed.
3) Financial strength. You want to know that the company selected will be there when you need them, to protect your livelihood and reputation. AM Best ratings are a good source of independent information on insurance companies. You can also inquire about a company’s total assets and sur-plus and review prior annual reports or financial statements.
If your practice is being acquired by a hospital, insist on individual physi-cian coverage with a company you know and trust. This may be pivotal if a lawsuit arises against you and the hospital-employer. The entity paying the premiums usually has some say in the decisions about the lawsuit. Also, in a hospital, all physicians’ medical professional liability insurance is often lumped together and applied to overhead – making is possible that your rates could increase greatly over time.
There are many important factors to consider when merging practices with or selling your practice to a hospital. Prior to making such a signifi-cant decision, do your due diligence by reviewing your current and poten-tial insurance policies and other contracts. Thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons of the opportunity along with the assistance of legal counsel and other professionals who specialize in such sales or mergers before you finalize your decision.Georgette Samaritan is a Senior Risk Management Consultant with MAG Mutual Insurance Company, Atlanta, GA
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Sacred Heart Medical Group Welcomes
James Williams, MD
Paul Tamburro, MD
Mark Grise, MD
Dr. James Williams, Interventional Cardiologist, is fellowship-trained in cardiology and has special interests in diagnosis and management of heart disease, preventive cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac pacemakers, stress testing and ICU-related procedures.
Dr. Paul Tamburro, Cardiologist and Medical Director of Sacred Heart Cardiovascular Services, is fellowship-trained in cardiology and has special medical interests in valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure, coronary-artery disease, arrhythmias, cardiac catheterization and noninvasive cardiac testing.
Dr. Mark Grise, Interventional Cardiologist, is fellowship-trained in cardiology, critical care and interventional cardiology. Dr. Grise specializes in a minimally invasive intervention in which the catheter is inserted into the radial artery instead of the femoral artery.
Now accepting new patients.Sacred Heart Medical Office Building,
Suite 404. Physician Referral Line: 850-416-4763.www.sacredheartmedicalgroup.org
In The CommunityESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY in conjunction with SANTA ROSA COUNTY7
Hospital News
Baptist Health Care NewsNew Cath Lab Coming to Gulf Breeze Hospital.
Construction recently began on a new, state-of-the-art cardiovascu-
lar catheterization laboratory at Gulf Breeze Hospital, which will provide
even more convenient cardiovascular care for residents of Santa Rosa
County. The $1 million project will bring additional cardiovascular diag-
nostic services which are currently not available in Gulf Breeze and near-
by communities. Construction on the lab is scheduled for completion in
May 2012.
Baptist Hospital Completes $35 Million Campus Transformation
Less than two years ago, Baptist Hospital, the flagship facility for
Baptist Health Care, announced a vision that would transform its cam-
pus into one of the most aesthetic and technologically advanced medical
facilities in the nation. In March, that vision came to fruition and exceed-
ed even the greatest expectations with the completion of its $35 million
project, the largest in Baptist Health Care’s 60-year history. The project
includes a new main entrance, two-story main lobby, enhanced family
waiting areas, operating room expansion, progressive care unit, outpa-
tient surgery and more. Visit BuildingABetterBaptist.org to see photos and
learn more details about the recent transformation.
Sacred Heart NewsInterim CEO Selected for Sacred Heart Health System In mid-January, former SHHS President and CEO Laura S. Kaiser an-nounced that she would be leaving Sacred Heart and Ascension Health to become the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Inter-mountain Healthcare, a large nonprofit health system, based in Salt Lake City and serving Utah and Idaho. A search committee comprised of leaders from Ascension Health and the SHHS Board of Directors recently announced the selection of Susan L. Davis, RN, Ed.D., as interim CEO to lead the Health System while recruiting of a permanent CEO continues. Susan began work at Sacred Heart in early March. In addition to her interim role at Sacred Heart, Susan also will retain her role as Ascension Health Ministry Market Leader for New York and Connecticut, and will add the markets of Florida and the Gulf Coast, where she will provide leadership and strategic direction for Sacred Heart and the ministries in Mobile and Jacksonville. Partnership With Bay Medical Center Approved Culminating months of negotiations, the Bay County Commission-ers recently voted to accept the proposal of the joint-venture company of Sacred Heart Health System and LHP Hospital Group, Inc., to lease and operate Bay Medical Center in Panama City for the next 40 years. The partnership with the 323-bed regional medical center will pro-vide funding for Bay Medical to eliminate its debt and gain the financial and clinical resources of two larger healthcare organizations. The agree-ment also allows Sacred Heart to fill a gap in its service area and strength-en its presence in a key market in Northwest Florida.
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
8880 University Pkwy., Suite BPensacola, FL 32514Ph: 850-478-0706 Fx: 850-474-9783Email: [email protected] Director: Erica Laxson
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View and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the board of directors, staff or advertisers. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit or reject any submission.
Member Benefit: The Health Care Attorney On Call Hotline (561) 306-5699
www.escambiacms.org
MECOP Reminder
43rd Annual Pediatric SymposiumMemorial Day WeekendSaturday, May 26, through Monday, May28Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa7 a.m. until Noon each dayvisit www.mecop.org for topics and agendaContact 850.477.4956 (option 1) to register
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