Newsletter XV April 2001
CCMS wins Bronze Quill award from IABC
President’s Message – Is
There a CPT Code For Compassion?
Medical Licensure Renewal Deadline Approaching
Clark County Medical Society Board of Trustees Minutes
Clark County Medical Society New Members March 2001
March 2001 Provisional Members
The Clark County Medical Society
was recognized by the International Association of Business Communicators
(IABC) with an Excellence award at their Bronze Quill awards presentations in
February at the
“We are very proud of the redesigned
IABC handed out 133 awards of Merit, Excellence and Bronze Quills to companies and organizations that provided 180 entries for the 2000 contest.
CCMS will hold its elections for the 2001 Board of Trustees by mailing ballots to all members by May 1. The ballot will have separate listings for the Nominating Committee slate and Write In Ballots. The deadline for submitting Write-In candidates was April 13.
At the request of two candidates, the Nominating Committee slate has been modified. Following is the revised Nominating Committee’s slate of candidates:
President-elect: Donald Kwalick, MD
Secretary: Edward Kingsley, MD
Treasurer:
Delegate Chair: Warren Evins, MD
Trustees: Leroy Bernstein, MD;
Nominating
Committee:
Ballots must be returned to the
Clark County Medical Society office no later than
Raul T. Meoz, M.D., CCMS President 2000-2001
In a recent article published in a local newspaper, the author gives the public some tips on how to avoid waiting in a physician’s waiting room, and how to get to see the best physicians possible by doing a lot of research before hand. As I read the article I could not help but feel that I was reading a Consumer Report magazine depicting techniques on how to “get the best deal when shopping for a doctor”. Actually, if that article has not already been written, I am sure one is in the works somewhere. In this consumer oriented society, I am afraid physicians as a whole are viewed as just another provider of services, and as such, instructions are needed on how to negotiate the best quality care possible. It makes sense, since Americans spend more time researching where to go for vacation or what kind of car to buy, and less time making fundamental decisions regarding health care. Since we as physicians are not doing a great job of “marketing” ourselves, others see fit to be in the business of preparing field guides to medical care.
I still believe that there is “something” that separates us from being just the repair mechanics of the human body. It may not be our nice offices and waiting rooms (check out some of the automobile dealerships in town), or our itemized bills (some may resemble window stickers), or our skills and knowledge (taken for granted). That “something” has to be the special caring for our patients and their families; the extra time spent discussing trivial things that, while not adding to the medical diagnosis and treatment, may add significantly to the rapport with our patient; the sitting down, even if just for a few minutes, when entering the exam room, making our patients feel that at that moment, they are all that matters to us; the phone call returned in a timely fashion; the brief apology for making someone wait; the ability to listen with our ears, eyes and souls. I believe all of that makes a difference. Often when our medicine and technology fail to heal, all we have left to give is our presence, our time and our sympathy. That alone can make a big difference.
The American Medical Association’s principles of medical ethics states “A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical service with compassion and respect for human dignity”. That is the extra “something” that may set us apart. Compassion cannot be learned from books nor quantified and, so far, has not been used as a scoring tool of physician competency. It is a quality that is within us and always has been. It was part of our oath to practice medicine, and it will never have a CPT code.
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The Association of Community Cancer Centers
(ACCC) has renewed the membership of
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The rehabilitation unit at
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On January 29, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) issued a warning urging individuals, health care
organizations and medical product distributors to stop dispensing and/or
distributing certain injectable medications marketed
by Phyne Pharmaceuticals of Scottsdale, Arizona. The
products were manufactured by AMRAN Inc. of
The nationwide recall follows FDA’s recent inspections of Phyne Pharmaceuticals and AMRAM Inc. During the inspections, FDA found violations of requirements for good manufacturing standards for pharmaceuticals. The violations FDA found demonstrate that the products lack assurance of sterility and potency. According to the report, the FDA is aware of three reported serious injuries associated with one of the recalled products, Colchicine. Apparently, the medication was labeled as containing .5mg/ml but was actually formulated at a concentration of 5mg/ml.
This recall involves all lot numbers and codes, strengths and sizes and expiration dates of medications manufactured and/or distributed by these companies. For a complete list of the medications listed in the recall, call Compliance Alliance at 360-3838.
Anyone in possession of these products
is urged to contact and to return the products to Phyne
Pharmaceuticals at
Any adverse reactions experienced with the use of these products should also be reported to the FDS’s MEDWATCH Program by phone at (800) FDA-1088, by fax at (800) FDA-0178, by mail at MEDWATCH, HF-2, FDA 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787 or on the MEDWATCH web site at www.fda.gov/medwatch.
·
The Clark County Medical Society Board of
Directors announced that Weldon (Don) Havins, MD, JD, has been appointed
Executive Director and Special Counsel to the Medical Society. Lisa Puleo, the former Executive Director, remains at CCMS as
Office Manager. A CCMS member since
1982, Dr. Havins is a board certified ophthalmologist. He completed a J.D. at the
·
Street Teens, an organization headed up by David
Mereuax had been formed to help those teens usually between 12-18 who are living on the streets of
· CCMS has granted the status of Life Member to Richard Diskin, D.O. Dr. Diskin has been a member of CCMS since 1987 and served as CCMS president in 1994.
Weldon (Don) Havins,
M.D., J.D., CCMS Executive Director and Special Counsel
All licensees of the Nevada Board
of Medical Examiners (NBME) must renew their medical licenses by June 30th of
this year. Licensure renewal forms have
been mailed from the NBME office in
All licensees must provide evidence
of 40 hours of Category I CME, twenty of which must have been in the licensee’s
scope of practice or specialty. All
licensees must provide proof of completion of 2 hours of Category I CME in
Medical Ethics. The regulations of the
NBME, Nevada Administrative Code 630.157, state that if the holder of a license
fails to submit evidence of completion of the required CMEs,
his license will not be renewed. Such a
person may not resume the practice of medicine unless, within 2 years he pays
twice the registration fee, submits to the board evidence of completion of the
required CMEs, and is found by the board to be
otherwise qualified for active licensure status. CME requirements for new CCMS members who
obtained their initial medical license since the last biennial renewal period (
Those licensees
whose medical licenses have not been renewed by June 30th will have their
licenses summarily suspended on July 1st.
Practicing without a valid, current NBME license constitutes “practicing
medicine without a license.” Nevada
Revised Statutes 630.390 provides that a person who practices medicine without
being licensed is guilty of a category D felony and “shall be punished” as
provided in NRS 193.130(2)(d) which states that the
“court shall sentence a convicted person to imprisonment in the state prison
for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than
4 years. In addition to other penalty,
the court may impose a fine of not more than $5,000 ....”
Don’t jeopardize your medical license - renew well before the June 30 deadline.
To assist CCMS members with
satisfactory completion of their required Category I CME hours, CCMS is
developing, at the time of this newsletter, a 2 hour Category I CME Medical
Ethics course, free of charge to CCMS members, on the Saturday mornings (9:00
AM to 11:00 AM) of May 5, May 26, and (for those who love to live on the edge,
or just desire a little CME I insurance) June 16. This course is jointly sponsored with the
University of Nevada School of Medicine. Weldon (Don) Havins, M.D., J.D., CCMS
Executive Director and Special Counsel will teach the course at the Medical
Society office,
Shanila Choudhury,
Alliance President
On behalf of the Clark County
Medical Society Alliance, I would like to thank all our members and guests for
their support of our Candlelighters fundraiser. This was the first time the
For those of you who missed the Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation, it was an overwhelming success. Red Rock Country Club was a beautiful setting for this elegant luncheon. Neiman Marcus and their impeccable models did a superb job. They delighted us with the upcoming Spring Fashions. Professional make-up artists from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics showed us a few tricks along with make-up trends of the upcoming season. I would like to thank Anne Yendrik, the public relations manager from Neiman Marcus, who perfectly orchestrated the whole event. We could not have done it without her.
We were honored to have Nevada
State Medical Association Alliance President Linda Smith fly in from
Don’t miss our next luncheon, which
will be held as Miriam Iqbal’s home, a board member
who was kind enough to open her home for us. She lives in Tournament Hills
Guard Gated Community. It will be held on
Present Were: Raul Meoz, MD, Presiding; Stanley Ames, MD; Raj Chanderraj, MD; Jeffrey Cichon, MD; John Ellerton, MD; Warren Evins, MD; Stacey Garry, MD; Weldon Havins, MD; Kevin Hyer, MD; Edwin Kingsley, MD; Donald Kwalick, MD; Marietta Nelson, MD; David Steinberg, MD; and Annette Teijeiro, MD.
Staff Present: Lisa Puleo, Executive Director; Deborah Spencer, Public Relations Coordinator; Marisol K. Aliaga, Public Relations Assistant; and Kirsten Allison, Membership Administrative Assistant.
Guest Present: Dr. Joel Bower
At
Dr. Meoz ntroduced Dr. Bower to speak to the Board regarding Shelley Berkley’s Bill allowing a special volunteer license at no cost for doctors who retired in good standing to take care of indigent patients at any federally qualified health facilities.
Dr. Kwalick moved to accept the concept above.
Dr. Havins second the motion, which passed unanimously.
Dr. Evins moved to approve the January Minutes.
Dr. Cichon seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Administrative
Report:
Lisa reported: 1) Membership is at 756 as compared to 669 this time last year. 2) Lisa introduced Deborah Spencer as our new PR Coordinator. She will take over the Committees previously assigned to Janet, including the nominating committee, which will meet soon per our Bylaws. 3) A delegate meeting of the CCMS Southern Delegation is scheduled for tonight, immediately after the BOT meeting.
Building Committee
Dr. Teijeiro reported:
General quotes were given by Bentar Construction regarding our building.
The idea of either fixing our building or building a new building was discussed.
Dr. Ellerton suggested we start a building fund, as we will need to either build or upgrade while the building committee formulates a proposal.
Dr. Evins motioned we begin a Building Fund.
Dr. Ellerton seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Community Relations
Committee
Dr. Meoz reported: 1) CCMS/UNSOM Mixer is to be held Tuesday, February 27 from 6-8 p.m. at the Anthem Country Club, 1 Gross Pointe Place, Henderson. There are currently 65 RSVPs. Please RSVP now if you plan to attend. Only two board members have RSVP’d. 2) Legislative/Membership Dinner has been slated for April.
Currently we are determining key legislative issues to determine topics and speakers to feature for the dinner. 3) Dr. Ellerton, chairman of the Scholarship Committee, has to select a date in May to hold the Golf Tournament. 4) Installation Dinner will be held on or about June 12. Deborah is working with incoming president Dr. Chanderraj to select a location. 5) The creation of a CCMS-wide fax network was discussed. At this time, the Board is not interested.
Website subcommittee
Dr. Steinberg reported: Website RFP’s have been re-sent with a more detailed outline and a two-week deadline.
Credentialing
Committee
PROVISIONAL MEMBERS
Carpenter, J. Daniel DO, Radiology; Ciccolo, Michael MD, Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgery; Fadell, David DO, Orthopaedics; Garcia, Richard MD, Pediatrics; Tu, George S. MD, Pulmonology; Woods, Robert DO, Family Practice; Yoon, Jinny MD, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
FULL MEMBERS
Freeman, Judy MD, Diagnostic Radiology; Gamnerdsiri, Suhattai MD, Cardiology; Chue, Alice H. MD, Radiology; McMahon, Matthew DO, Cardiology; Miao, Michael MD, Orthopaedics; Narala, Chandrasekhar MD, Cardiology; Ruggeroli, Charles E. MD, Cardiology; Scarbrough, Eric MD, Ear, Nose & Throat; Sorensen, John MD, Cardiology
Dr. Ames moved to approve the Provisional and Full Members.
Dr. Steinberg seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Old Business
Dr. Steinberg reported that he and Dr. Wax spoke with
Dr. Steinberg made a motion to invite
Dr. Havins seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
New Business
Lisa’s proposal to split the job of Executive Director into Director and Office Manager, with Lisa respectfully requesting the office manager job with a 28 percent reduction in hours and a 39 percent reduction in pay.
Dr. Garry moved to pursue the proposal.
Dr. Kingsley seconded it, which passed unanimously.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by
Dr. Meoz at
May 15
BOT Election Deadline, Ballots must be returned by
May 17-20
Annual Meeting,
June 12
Installation Dinner,
James Aachen-Winans, MD, Ear, Nose & Throat, 3321 N. Buffalo Dr., #101, Las Vegas, NV 89129
Hayley Brown, MD, Plastic Surgery, 10001 S. Eastern Ave., #406, Henderson, NV 89052
Claus Dencker, MD, Anesthesiology,
2300 S. Rancho, #215,
Arthur Herpolsheimer, MD, Ob-Gyn,
Jonathan Hughes, MD, Pathology,
Enrique Lacayo, MD, Gastroenterology, 2010 Goldring Ave., #302, Las Vegas, NV 89106
David Lanzkowsky, MD,
Anesthesiology,
George McMickle, MD, Ophthalmology, 2080 E. Flamingo Rd., #500, Las Vegas, NV 89119
David Martin, MD, Ear, Nose & Throat, 3101 Maryland Pkwy., #102, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Gary D. Morris, MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, 2650 N. Tenaya Way, 3rd Floor, Las Vegas, NV 89128
Jeanette M. Pitts, MD, Dermatology, 4 Sunset Way, Ste. B,
Aanshu Shah, MD, Diagnostic
Radiology,
Francis Teng, MD, General Surgery, 1111 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Debra Wright, MD, Ob-Gyn,
If you have any pertinent information about the following
candidates, please contact: CCMS,
Luis C. Ortega, MD – Psychiatry
Paul D. Smith, MD – Pediatrics
April 18
Hospice Foundation of America’s Eighth Annual National and Statewide Living with Grief Teleconference Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs, Professional Responses 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, Bel Air Room. For details on the event and CE credits, call 318-8452.
April 19
April 24
Volunteer
April 26
National Conference for Community and
Justice (NCCJ) Annual Community Heroes Dinner 2001 at
April 26-27
American Lung Association of
April 28
March of Dimes WalkAmerica at UNLV. Call 732-9255.
April 28-29
May 5-8
Academy of Correctional Health Professionals Clinical Updates in Correctional Health Care, 6th Annual Spring Educational Conference. Alexis Park Resort. Call (773) 880-1460 to www.ncchc.org.
May 10
Nevada Medical Group Management Association, Southern Chapter will host speaker Mark Ricciardi, Esq., who will discuss labor law in the Rendezvous and Sky Rooms, Sunrise Hospital. Call 648-5700.
May 18
August 3-5
American Lung Association is seeking volunteers and
participants for the
UMC For additional information please call 616-4900
April 17
NICU Journal Club
April 19
Orthopaedic Trauma Conference 7:30 a.m. 4 North Conf. Room
Tumor Board: “GYN Cancer – Radiation Therapy”
Perinatal Neonatal
Interdisciplinary Rounds
April 20
Medical Ground Rounds: “Medical Ethics”
April 25
OB/GYN Grand Rounds
April 26
Orthopaedic Trauma Conference 7:30 a.m. 4 North Conf. Room
Tumor Board: “GYN Cancer – Chemotherapy”
Perinatal Neonatal
Interdisciplinary Rounds
April 27
Medical Grand Rounds: “Porphryia –
Diagnosis and Screening”
April 24
Peptic Ulcer Disease 12 p.m. 2020 Goldring
Cir.,
Upcoming Courses
May 11-12
Peripheral vascular intervention course at
May 19
2nd Annual Stroke Conference,
May 19
Pain Management CME Program,
The following referrals were provided to CCMS members in the first quarter of 2001
|
Specialty |
Referrals |
|
Allergy |
0 |
|
Anesthesiology |
0 |
|
Cardiology |
7 |
|
Card. Vascular Surgery |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
Dermatology |
14 |
|
Diagnostic Radiology |
1 |
|
Ear, Nose & Throat |
2 |
|
Endocrinology |
3 |
|
Family Practice |
34 |
|
Gastroenternology |
12 |
|
General Surgery |
3 |
|
Genetics |
0 |
|
Geriatrics |
0 |
|
Gynecology |
4 |
|
Hematology |
0 |
|
Infectious Medicine |
0 |
|
Internal Medicine |
19 |
|
Nephrology |
0 |
|
Neurology |
14 |
|
Neurosurgery |
7 |
|
Ob-Gyn |
18 |
|
Oncology |
6 |
|
Ophthamology |
15 |
|
Orthopaedic Surgery |
9 |
|
Pain Mgt. |
8 |
|
Pathology |
0 |
|
Pediatrics |
10 |
|
Ped. Cardiology |
1 |
|
Ped. Surgery |
0 |
|
Plastic Surgery |
16 |
|
Psychiatry |
16 |
|
Pulmonology |
1 |
|
Radiology |
0 |
|
Rheumatology |
0 |
|
Urology |
9 |
|
Vascular Surgery |
0 |
|
Other |
0 |
|
Totals |
232 |
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PHYSICIANS OFFICE @
·
·
PHYSICIAN WANTED. Immediate opening for established wellness
center in
·
PHYSICIAN WANTED: Part-time
·
BLDG. FOR LEASE/SALE up to 7,000 sq. ft. 2905
·
HOSPITAL PRACTICE FOR
· USED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT for sale. Bargain.Call (888) 385-0203.
· PRACTICE MANAGEMENT/BILLING SYSTEM for sale. Includes MedOccur software licensed for 7 users and a server w/4 monitors/keyboards. Approximately 18 months old, originally $17K and supported by Computer Systems for Business, Inc. Price negotiable. Call 435-1037.
·
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT. 1600+ sq. ft. business
office space next to
· OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE by the hour -- day -- week - etc. Day or night. Also, weight loss clinic doctor needed for high traffic location. Call Dr. Gary Solomon 812-3591.
·
PART TIME PHYSICIAN to monitor patients
undergoing a new high technology cardiovascular treatment. This
·
INTERNIST - Mature, competent, good credentials,
and licensed in
· OB/GYN established practice for sale. Call 384-7756.
· ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOUR OFFICE BUILDOUT TO BE COMPLETED? There is a terrific opportunity to start building your practice in Green Valley Ranch Area! Beautifully furnished medical office in prime location off I-215 and Eastern attached to new St. Rose Siena Hospital. Leased on a half-day per week basis, 1,200 sq. ft. office with 3 exam rooms and consultation office. Interested parties call Ellen at (702) 454-6226.
· OFFICE SPACE TO SHARE Surgical specialist wishes to share completely furnished office suite. Flamingo/Burnham location. Immediate occupancy available. Call 734-1940.