Turbulent world events and emerging diseases continue to focus heightened attention on the role of public health, and demonstrate the vital need for emergency preparedness. Public health emergencies have the potential to rapidly overwhelm our existing medical response capabilities. Therefore, maintaining a team of volunteer health and medical professionals to provide a medical surge capacity and augment staff shortages during emergencies is critical to our preparedness effort.

During his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called upon every American to help strengthen the country's communities by dedicating a portion of their lives to the service of others. Further, to boost national service programs and help people connect with volunteer opportunities, the President created the USA Freedom Corps and its companion organization, the Citizen Corps. The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), which brings volunteer health professionals together to supplement existing local emergency plans, is one of four component programs of the Citizen Corps. The Clark County Health District is among the roughly 170 agencies and communities nationwide currently receiving federal funding to create and strengthen Medical Reserve Corps units.

The mission of the Medical Reserve Corps of Clark County (MRCCC) is to develop a committed and available reserve of practicing and retired health care professionals that can be rapidly mobilized to strengthen our medical response capability during large-scale local emergencies. In short, the MRCCC provides the organizational structure to recruit, organize and train our community's reserve medical volunteers. Importantly, unlike similar programs such as Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT), MRC units cannot be "federalized" during large-scale emergencies. The MRCCC has been created by our local community for our local community.

Any active, inactive or retired health care professional in good standing (doctors, nurses, licensed practitioners of nursing, certified nursing assistants, emergency medical technicians, pharmacists and others) or student of a health profession may apply to volunteer with the MRCCC. In addition, applicants are required to be in good health, at least 18 years of age, and have a valid driver's license with access to an insured vehicle.

The responsibilities of volunteering with the MRCCC will vary depending on the nature of the public health emergency (such as an infectious disease outbreak or act of biological terrorism). Some potential responsibilities include the following:

Augment medical and support staff shortages at medical or emergency facilities;
Assist with the distribution or dispensing of pharmaceuticals;
Assist with surveillance and notification;
Assist staging area staff, both medical and non-medical;
Assist with immunization clinics, education, infectious disease outbreak support, mitigating the consequences of a terrorist act and other duties.

The success of the MRCCC is based on the availability of its volunteers to respond in a timely manner when deployed. Prior to beginning the application process, we ask that each potential volunteer consider his or her family responsibilities, work commitments, physical limitations and ability to work 4 to 8 hour shifts for extended periods.

Applying to become a member of the MRCCC is a simple process. To begin, call the program coordinator at (702) 383-6181 to have an application packet sent to you. After you have completed the materials, the program coordinator will review your application, confirm your credentials, licensing and/or certifications, and contact your references. Following this review, the program coordinator will schedule an orientation meeting, and will place you in a role compatible with your experience, expertise and training.

The MRCCC is an opportunity for you to give back to the community, effectively writing a prescription to yourself to volunteer "PRN." Here are a few key benefits of becoming a pre-registered volunteer:

You will receive identification recognized by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and other emergency responders, which will provide you access to emergency scenes, allowing you to provide help immediately within the scope of your license and certifications;
You will assist other emergency responders, rather than act alone;
You are eligible for free continuing education and training (not required);
You are eligible to receive workers compensation benefits, as well as protection under the Cooperative Agreement for Coverage of Liability Claims and Related Expenses, to which the Clark County Health District is a party.

With your help, we can meet the call to service issued by the President, and achieve our local vision for public health emergency preparedness and response. Please take this opportunity to learn more about the MRCCC by calling (702) 383-6181. Additionally, please share this volunteer opportunity with friends and colleagues, and thank you for your interest in the MRCCC.

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President’s Message

By Ed Kingsley, M.D., 2003-2004 CCMS President

On behalf of all physicians who participate in the Medicaid program, I would like to thank Larry Matheis, Executive Secretary of the NSMA, for his involvement in weekly meetings with Charles Duarte, Policy Administrator for the Nevada State Division of Health Care Financing, over the last couple of months, to try to resolve the problem of non- or slow reimbursement of claims to those physicians since last fall. Dr. Ron Kline and I first met with Mr. Duarte and his boss, Mike Wilden, Secretary of Welfare Services, in January to address numerous problems with the Medicaid program in relationship to participating providers. Other problems have included:

· "unbundling" of claims and down coding,

· insufficient number of personnel and phone lines at First Health, the insurance company contracted to administer the Medicaid program, to respond to doctors and their office personnel with their questions and problems and

· problems with the claim forms provided by First Health.

We were able to get them to agree to weekly meetings dedicated to solving these and other problems, and Mr. Matheis has been attending these meetings and reporting back to all members of the NSMA on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there is still a huge backlog of unpaid claims. If any of you are still having difficulties with claim or other issues with Medicaid, please notify Mr. Matheis at

lmatheis@nsmadocs.org.

Don Havins, Dot Freel and I attended the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners workshop regarding its proposed new regulations on physician proficiency testing on January 29th, along with about 40 other interested parties. There was unanimous opposition to the BME's proposal, the details of which were outlined in my last month's President Message, by all those who came and spoke. I spoke on behalf of your Society in expressing our opposition.

First, I believe the current proposal will not guarantee physician "proficiency" since "proficiency" is not defined. There is no widely accepted national standard for determining physician proficiency for the majority of medical specialties. In addition, the basis of proficiency in this proposal is primarily premised in the peer review processes at hospitals or other medical treatment or diagnostic centers that have received JACHO approval. For most physicians on staff at one or more of these facilities, that process is quite minimal, and woefully inadequate to determine "proficiency", in my opinion.
Second, it is an exclusionary regulation - there will be many physicians in this state who will not be included in the guidelines of the proposed regulation whose "proficiency" will need to be evaluated by some other means as determined by the BME.
Third, it seems to me that this proposed regulation is an exaggerated response by the BME to allegations that it is not doing enough to regulate Nevada's doctors, especially those few who are primarily responsible for a majority of the malpractice lawsuit awards. And I emphasize "few".
Four, in the past, I believe the BME has not sufficiently enforced its own regulations regarding disciplinary action against errant practitioners.
Last but certainly not least, I believe it will further exacerbate our current physician exodus contributing to an even greater shortage of qualified practitioners in our state. Your Society is planning on introducing a resolution at the NSMA annual meeting to be held in April that offers an alternative option to this proposed regulation. There will be other workshops in the future for additional feedback on this issue.

Every other Tuesday, the "Committee for Affordable and Accessible Healthcare" has been meeting and will continue to meet at the Society's office to discuss and implement activities to help pass the KODIN Initiative next November. Dr. Rudy Manthei is chair and others attending include Dr. Don Havins, Dot Freel, Alliance president Annette Mohs, Ryan Erwin and the staff of November, Inc. (the consulting firm which is organizing the campaign with nationally known media relations expert Sig Rogich) and your Society president. This committee's activities are the principle means for accomplishing our goal in passing this Initiative and its importance in bringing together all interested parties in accomplishing this cannot be understated. To quote a recent update on the Committee's plans by Larry Matheis, its "focus is on getting material and training for physicians, Alliance members and physician office staffs who will carry the message to patients and voters in a variety of settings. A rapid response group of physician and Alliance spokespeople coordinated through the campaign team will be created to respond to media stories . . . [It] will coordinate small group information sessions with voters. These will be small meetings in homes to allow voters to hear about the Initiative and the crisis. Every physician will be invited to have voter registration material in their offices (and to have registrars available in the larger offices and professional buildings.) Hospitals have agreed to use their facilities as well. Campaign literature explaining the crisis and the Initiative is being printed. The campaign team has developed letters to the editor and talking point for talk radio discussions about the Initiative and the medical liability crisis. All of these materials will be assembled into a packet of information that will be distributed to all physicians and grassroots activists soon." Effective advertising through the various media will be crucial and expensive. The Nevada Trial Lawyers Association, which is the main organized opponent to this Initiative, is calling on its members to raise at least $3 million for its war chest. Nevada will be in the national political spotlight for the next 8 months as we work to pass the nation's first MICRA-style reform attempted at the ballot box, and its passage is considered essential by the current administration and many within the Senate for any medical malpractice tort reform legislation at the national level. However, most importantly, in my view, this will probably be our ONLY opportunity to enact meaningful tort reform within our own state. If this Initiative fails, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain any legislative relief for the next several years. In other words, it's now or never! I want to thank you, our Society's members, in advance for your assistance that will be requested over the next several months to help pass this Initiative.

Dr. William Mangold, the Medicare Contractor Medical Director for Nevada, is seeking 15 specialty representatives for the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee. Six (allergy, cardiovascular/thoracic surgery, gastroenterology, internal medicine, maxillofacial/oral surgery and radiology) have already received nominations. The other specialties include: infectious disease, neurology, nuclear medicine, ob-gyn, orthopedics, peripheral vascular surgery, physical medicine/rehab and plastic surgery. If anyone is interested, please contact Dr. Mangold at 602-532-2507/2706. This is the local committee that makes recommendations to the national Medicare policy committee regarding claim reimbursement issues for drugs and procedures.

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Opinion: Nevadans deserve better from their state board

Regulators are running out of excuses for the poor job they're doing disciplining doctors

By the Reno Gazette-Journal

So, how well do you know your doctor?

That's a crucial question for Nevadans, especially today, when we no longer can expect to have the same family doctor for most of our lives. Our population is in constant motion, and doctors are as likely as their patients to be looking for a change of environment.

That's why it's more important than ever that patients have the resources they need to evaluate their doctors and ensure they are receiving the best care possible.

Unfortunately, it appears that they cannot look to the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners for help.

A six-month examination by the Reno Gazette-Journal found an agency that isn't sure of its mission, doesn't know who it's working for and doesn't seem very interested in finding out.

Clearly the Board of Medical Examiners doesn't believe it's working for patients of Nevada doctors.

If it were working for patients, it surely wouldn't be proud of a Web site that is difficult for the public to use, incomplete and often inaccurate. (Late last week it appeared that officials finally were making improvements in the site.)

Though board officials say that their agency is a model for other agencies around the nation, there are Web sites that are far easier to use and provide considerably more information. Officials only need look to Arizona for a real model of what can be done when an organization wants to be truly helpful to the public.

Nor can the agency blame a lack of money for the poor state of its communications efforts. The board has operated with a surplus for several years, but has demonstrated little interest in using it to improve its services. Unfortunately, that money isn't likely to be available in the future.

If it believed it was working for the public, it also would be a lot more aggressive when it comes to meeting its responsibility to investigate allegations of malpractice and to discipline poor doctors. Critics say that the board spends its time on the easy cases - punishing paperwork errors, rubber-stamping actions by boards in other states, disciplining drug violators - while ignoring more complex cases and doctors who are facing multiple malpractice suits. Are the critics right? The board's veil of secrecy makes it hard for Nevadans to find out.

Yet the board isn't serving Nevada's doctors well either. When it neglects to investigate complaints, when it refuses to communicate with patients who file the complaints, or with the public, it allows all doctors in Nevada to be tarred with the same brush. When patients can't find out who the bad doctors are, everyone is open to suspicion.

That's particularly true for doctors who are most often sued for malpractice in the state. The doctors and their lawyers who argue that multiple lawsuits don't mean a doctor is incompetent may well be right. Some specialties may, in fact, be more likely to suffer poor outcomes and therefore be more susceptible to lawsuits for malpractice. Once sued, a doctor may, in fact, be more likely to be sued, in a lawyerly version of "piling on." And insurance companies may, in fact, be too quick to settle lawsuits than spend the money necessary to defend their clients in court.

If all those contentions are true, there's no way for anyone to learn about it from the Board of Medical Examiners, which, by not following up with investigations of those sued for malpractice and making the results of investigations public, has left the public guessing whether allegations are true or not.

And, if the contentions aren't true, if some or all of those doctors being sued are, in fact, actually bad doctors, patients can't know that either as long as the board ignores its legislative mandate to investigate those doctors.

Nevadans deserve - and need - better from the Board of Medical Examiners.

They need an aggressive board that goes after poor doctors, and not just those already investigated elsewhere.

They need a board that follows up lawsuits alleging malpractice with investigations of its own, instead of letting a secret settlement be the last word.

They need a board that communicates openly with both doctors and patients, following up with everyone who files a complaint, listening to them and informing them of the outcome of investigations.

And they need a board that makes information available and easy to access for patients so Nevadans can answer truthfully that they know their doctors well.

Note: This editorial was published by the Reno Gazette-Journal as part of their two-day series and special section “Doctor Discipline: Does Nevada do enough?”, published February 15 and 16, 2004, after six months of research into the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners. It is reprinted with their permission.

The text of the complete series can be found on their web site at:

http://www.rgj.com/extra/doctordiscipline04.php

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New Members for January 2004

Congratulations and Welcome to the Clark County Medical Society

Gilberto J De La Torre, MD, Gastroenterology, 2121 E Flamingo Rd #206, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Carmen F Jones, MD, Pediatrics, 2255 Renaissance Dr #C, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Carolyn A Matzinger, MD, Internal Medicine, 872 E Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Sharon L Poon, MD, Anesthesiology, 2635 Box Canyon Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89128

Reinstated Members

Victor E Grigoriev, MD, Urology, 2901 N Tenaya Wy #100, Las Vegas, NV 89128
Stephen J Portz, MD, Cardiology, 3201 S Maryland Pkwy #502, Las Vegas, NV 89119

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Membership Applicants To Go Before Credentialing Committee

If you have any pertinent information about the following membership candidates, please contact:

Clark County Medical Society, 2590 E. Russell Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89120

Keith S Blum, DO - Neurological Surgery
Ian G Haycocks, MD - Diagnostic Radiology
Kelly A Kogut, MD - Pediatric Surgery
Carlos F Luna, MD - Pediatrics/ Pediatric Cardiology
Alexander Norton, Jr, MD - Ob-Gyn
Abraham Rothman, MD - Pediatrics/ Pediatric Cardiology

For information on becoming a member of the Clark County Medical Society, call Marlaina Burns at 739-9989

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Clark County District Court Medical Malpractice Filings against Health Care Providers

Jan 2001 – Jan 2004

2001 2002 2003 2004

Jan 39 33 109 50

Feb 20 14 88

Mar 35 30 148

Apr 37 34 101

May 37 35 108

Jun 27 24 98

Jul 19 100 97

Aug 54 51 63

Sep 20 65 85

Oct 37 83 114

Nov 38 184 50

Dec 9 170 55

Sum 372 823 1116

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CEO Article

By Weldon (Don) Havins, M.D., Esq., CCMS CEO and Special Counsel

The Division of Insurance receives information from professional liability insurers regarding claims closed by insurers. Since the implementation of the Medical Dental Screening Panel in 1986 through June 2002 data received by the Clark County Medical Society indicate there were 726 claims closed. Of these 56% (406) closed without a payment to the plaintiff. Thirty-eight percent (278) were settled with an indemnity payment to the plaintiff. Six percent (42) went to trial where the defendants won the majority of cases. Interestingly, 210 of the 726 claims (almost 30%) were closed without a payment to a defendant attorney, with 73 of these involving payments to the plaintiff. This implies that in 10% of claims, the insurance company settled directly with the plaintiff without employing a defense attorney.

The adjacent page lists information regarding particular specialties where there was more than one claim closed. At least 89 claims were closed where the specialty was not described. The first column lists the specialty. The second column states the total number of closed claims in that specialty (where the specialty was identified). The third column lists the number of the total claims that were closed with no (indemnity) payment to the plaintiff. The fourth column indicates the number of closed claims where a payment was made to the plaintiff. The fifth column lists the highest payment insurers reported they made on a claim in that specialty. The last column indicates whether the highest payment of the closed claim occurred due a settlement or to a jury trial award.

Claims closed from the perspective of professional liability insurers can be quite different from the disposition medical malpractice cases filed in District Court in Clark County. From 1986 to October 1, 2002, for a case to be filed in District Court, a medical malpractice claim must have been filed with the Medical Dental Screening Panel (MDSP) and a finding made by the MDSP. Only then could the claim against a physician, dentist, or hospital be filed in Clark County District Court. Claims filed in District Court during that period had a much higher incidence of closing with a payment to the plaintiff, as seen in the graph below. We are not able to determine how many of these are "nuisance" suits.

Note: CCMS is aware of anecdotal stories involving settlements greater than those listed in this chart. However, CCMS was unable to independently verify that information. The raw data basing the following information is available to CCMS members by email request to: ccms@lvcm.com. The data is in MS Excel format.

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Federation of Physicians and Dentists Grows in Clark County

By Gale Koch, Health Care Advantage

The list of Federation Members is growing every day. Physician members recommending to other physicians the benefits of the Federation has fueled the growth. If you have not taken the opportunity to hear about the Federation of Physicians and Dentists, then you owe it to yourself and your profession to do so. Attend the meeting on March 31, 2004, Wednesday evening 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunrise Hospital Auditorium. The following contacts are available to answer questions and review the benefits: Gale Koch at 812-3128 or Jack Seddon at 1-800-355-5777.

The erosion of reimbursements and decision making for your patients is not the fault of the other guy. It is neither the rules nor the institutions that create and implement change. Physicians have the ability to respond to those circumstances and thereby create the environment they desire, but only if you choose to reclaim it. Below are testimonials of some of your peers that have chosen to join and make a difference:

Many of you may know me, as I have been a long time physician resident of Southern Nevada. Over the past decade I have been aware of the need to create uniformity within the medical community concerning our dealing with managed care. We need to have individual representation that reiterates the same message to the Managed Care Industry. I chose to join the Federation of Physicians and Dentists as they offer consistency in their approach to Managed Care Networks and Insurance Companies. The consistency of contract language recommendations, third party messenger and purchasing power is offered to all its members. That consistency creates power in representation for each Federation member leaving the only variable to be physicians. Our independent decision making has given us strength in our clinical encounters but weakened us in business matters. I ask that each of you decide to make a difference and join the Federation of Physicians and Dentists. Together we can regain the respect and earning power that we allowed to slip away.

James Hogan, MD

How much longer can we remain in practice and in Nevada? That is the question we have continued to ask ourselves these last two years. We have scaled back personnel and other costs but we are still losing the battle to escalating malpractice insurance rates with little or no increase in compensation from our managed care contracts. The quandary is how do we find the time to renegotiate all of our managed care contracts while continuing to work sufficient hours to remain solvent?

We believe that by hiring the Federation to help us and act as our agent in these negotiations we can continue to dedicate the necessary time to our practices while they work on our behalf to increase our compensation. As you all know, the scales must be brought back into balance if we are to remain in Nevada as physicians.

Rhonda K Robbins, MD

Desert Ob/Gyn Specialists

The Federation of Physicians and Dentists membership list currently includes primary care, pediatrics, Ob-Gyn, ENT, cardiology, orthopaedics, cardiovascular, infectious disease, and anesthesiology. The Federation members receive the following benefits:

FPD representatives review all managed care contracts and draft proposed changes;
FPD policies utilize the messenger model protocol in dealing with insurance companies and the self insured market;
FPD is an affiliate of the AFLCIO which lends to them strong lobbying power to include currently supporting the Collective Bargaining Bill for physicians currently in the House of Representatives;
FPD representatives works closely with other unions concerning healthcare issues; and
FPD offers discount benefits for MasterCard, Visa, and unsecured loans.

Future plans are to put together a local purchasing coalition to receive discounts on medical and office equipment, supplies, health insurance, etc.

To quote Dr. John Nowins, chairman of the local chapter of the Federation of Physicians and Dentists, "It is refreshing to see physicians becoming business savvy. Practicing medicine needs to be about good business sense in order to continue to give good patient care. We are all aware that when the patient is consistent in following the advice of the physician, the end result is successful treatment. In business, the same principle applies. Membership in the Federation provides consistency with contract review and the messenger format used in dealing with Managed Care Companies. That consistency has resulted in success for Federation members throughout the country. Clark County has become one of the fastest growing chapters in the country as the medical community is recognizing the benefits of being a Federation member. If you are not currently a member, call today for an application."

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Alliance Message

By Annette Mohs, 2003-2004 CCMS Alliance President admohs@earthlink.net

Greetings from the Alliance

Our year may be more than half over but we have so many spectacular events planned for the next few months, I still feel I am swirling in the whirlwinds I experienced in September. Our March Fashion Show Benefit, The April Nursing Awards and Member Recognition Lunch, The April Legislative Dinner and our May Hat Luncheon to name them all, are busily being planned by my wonderful Board.

First, March 16, 2003 is the Annual Alliance Fashion Show and Silent Auction Benefit. Our chairperson Mary Bryan, has put together a wonderful event at the MGM Grand Ballroom. The show is called "Boutiques of Las Vegas" and will feature 5 stores, Vasari, Musette, Pink, Champage, and TallulahG. These stores have donated their clothing to be used for the fashion show along with their time and effort. The success of our past benefits has brought several entertainers asking to perform and all the fashion models are volunteering their time. All proceeds from this event will be donated to FEAT, Families for Effective Autism Treatment. If you, your spouse or friends are interested in more information please contact Cheryl Hegger at 379-4500.

Second, in April, we will meet at Shanila Choudhury's home for a Indian Luncheon to present the 10 nursing scholarships you made possible by your participation in the Greeting Card Project.

Also planned in April the Alliance is working with the Society planning a legislative dinner, featuring John Nelson, M.D., President-Elect of the AMA to speak about Nevada's Medical Liability Insurance Crisis.

For more information about any of these events, please do not hesitate to contact me at 248-9624.

Best Wishes,

Annette Mohs

President, Clark County Medical Society Alliance

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Slate of Candidates

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Minutes Synopsis

(Members can receive a full copy of meeting minutes by calling 739-9989.)

CLARK COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

Tuesday, January 20, 2004; 6:00 P.M.

Guest Speaker

Attorney Archie Lamb presented information regarding a class action lawsuit he may be filing against a local managed care corporation. He anticipates this will be a state class action suit, unlike the recent federal class action suit recently won against Aetna. The Board decided to concentrate exclusively on passing the KODIN initiative. This issue of endorsing any class action lawsuit was tabled for one year on a consensus vote of the Board.

Action Items

The minutes from the December 16th meeting of the Executive Council were approved, with the addition that the Board voted to give small bonuses to the staff and Dr. Havins declined to accept a bonus at this time and thanked the Board for voting bonuses to the other staff.

Dr. Steinberg reported the revenue thus far in the fiscal year is less than it was last year at this time. Expenses are down compared to last year at this time. There was more in the bank account than there was last year at this time. Dr. Steinberg reported there have been numerous building maintenance problems.

Committee Reports

Dr. Bernstein reported there are 20 physicians and 20 participants signed up for the Mini-Internship program. The dates for the program are February 2, 3, 4 and the dinner will be on February 5th at McCormick and Schmick's.

The following applicants were approved for membership: Gilberto Delatorre, MD, Gastroenterology; Carmen Jones, MD, Pediatrics; Carolyn Matzinger, MD, Internal Medicine; and Sharon Poon, MD, Anesthesiology.

Dr. Colletti reported the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition is distributing brochures in an attempt to increase interest in pursuing nursing careers.

Alliance Report/KODIN Update

In Annette Mohs' absence, Dr. Havins stated the KODIN task force, Larry Matheis and the Alliance met that morning. Information packets should be ready for distribution shortly. Dr. Colletti suggested faxing a KODIN information sheet to all doctors in the CCMS database. The Board agreed and directed staff to fax broadcast the information sheet. Deborah Barton reported she had been working with the Alliance on the Legislative Dinner which has been scheduled for Friday, April 23, 2004 at 6:30pm at the Green Valley Casino Resort. Dr. Jones will be sending a brochure to doctor's offices on training their staff to register voters. He received approval to have the CCMS phone number listed on the forms so staff could compile the information of those offices interested. The Alliance will go to those offices and train the staff on how to set up for registering voters.

County Health Officer Report

Dr. Kwalick reported the flu season may be over. The Health District gave out 29,000 flu shots, and no serious side effects were reported. The trauma system development task force had its first meeting and will suggest specifics for development of a comprehensive trauma system for Southern Nevada. The Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory will be finished Thursday but will still have to be certified prior to pathogen testing. Environmental testing can be performed starting January 22.

Nevada School of Medicine

Dr. Harter announced Dr. David Gremse began service with the School of Medicine as the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. The Search Committee will meet in San Jose to interview the 11 candidates for the Dean position and hopefully a new dean will start by July 1 or September 1.

Scholarship Fund Report

Dr. Ellerton stated the large donation to the Scholarship Fund has resurfaced. There will be some conditions which he feels will not be onerous. Dr. Colletti reported the Scholarship Fund Board of Directors met and decided on awarding $1,000 each to four nursing students at each school. The Directors changed the criteria for the nursing and medical student scholarships.

NSMA Update

Larry Matheis reported that MCC seems to be clearly in violation of the law by billing physicians for an administrative fee. The matter now rests with MCC, the Attorney General and the Insurance Division. Meetings are being held weekly in regards to fixing the Medicaid/First Health reimbursement problems. NSMA will be focusing on getting the KODIN initiative passed.

President's Report

Dr. Kingsley thanked those who responded to the faxed request to donate blood and to notify their patients of the need for donating blood. Dr. Kingsley and Dr. Kline attended a meeting on the reimbursement problems with Medicaid/First Health. This meeting was initiated by Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins. First Health has admitted to the problem and is working to resolve it. They are giving providers a month's reimbursement of their average payment up front while they resolve the problem. It was decided a thank you letter be sent to Richard Perkins.

Administrative Report

Dr. Havins informed the Board of the demise of the CCMS phone system. Dot Freel obtained four quotes to replace the system. Drs. Clifford and Steinberg gave Dot Freel the names of companies to obtain two additional quotes. The board voted to have Dr. Havins and Dot obtain 2 additional quotes and choose one as long as the system will be less than $2,500.

Marlaina Burns discussed the "Resident" member fee. Larry Matheis stated he would inquire into the matter and get back to us.

Dr. Evins asked those Board members who have not paid Med Pac dues to please do so.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Tuesday, February 17, 2004 at 6 pm.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by Dr. Kingsley at 8:45 pm.

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2004 Mini Internship Program still a success in 10th year

By Deborah Barton, CCMS Community Relations Coordinator

Twenty-nine physicians and “interns” joined in the CCMS Mini Internship Program, February 2-5, 2004. The annual physician “shadow” program culminated in a debriefing dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.

Participants included 17 legislators, judges and community leaders and 12 CCMS physician members.

Each year, “interns” indicate their preferences for the specialties they would like to observe and their availability for the internship period, then each intern is paired with a volunteer physician.

To volunteer for the next program, please call CCMS at 739-9989. Judge Nancy Saitta, a participant this year, raised the topic of having physicians shadow judges. Please call Deborah at CCMS to express interest in this program as well.

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CME Calendar

Cardiovascular Consultants 691-9154

Clark County Medical Society 739-9989

3/31 - “Management of Chronic Pain and Opiate Addiction,” 5:30 p.m., 2 CME hours

4/21 - “OSHA for Physicians,” 5:45 p.m., 2 CME hours

St. Rose Hospital 616-5832

Southwest Medical Associates 242-7347

3/11 - “Disease Management Guidelines”

Summerlin Hospital 233-7572

Sunrise Hospital 731-8210

3/2 - “Smallpox - AHEC,” 12:30 p.m.

3/3 - “Ethics - Sleep Apnea,” 5 p.m., 2 CME hours

3/12 - “Update on Radiation Therapy,” 12:15 p.m.

3/20 - “Bioterrorism,” 7 a.m., 4 CME hours

3/23 - “Agitation,” 6:30 p.m.

3/25 - “Ethics,” 5 p.m., 2 CME hours

UMC 383-2604

Valley Hospital 388-4847

3/9 - “State Government Relations for Healthcare Professionals (Medical Ethics),” noon

3/23 - “Physical Rehabilitation,” noon

4/13 - “Pain Management (Medical Ethics),” noon

4/27 - “Trauma in the Community Hospital,” noon

*Special Note: CCMS members can receive free CME courses on the internet with World Medical Leaders.

To have your CME courses listed on our calendar, please contact Deborah Barton at 739-9989 prior to the deadline of the 12th each month.

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Clark County Health District Disease Statistics* - January 2004

DISEASE CASES REPORTED YEAR TO DATE

Jan 2003 Jan 2004 2003 2004

VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES

DIPTHERIA 0 0 0 0

HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZA 1 0 1 0

(invasive)

HEPATITIS A 1 0 1 0

HEPATITIS B 4 3 4 3

INFLUENZA 8 49 8 49

MEASLES 0 0 0 0

MUMPS 0 0 0 0

PERTUSSIS 1 0 1 0

POLIO 0 0 0 0

RUBELLA 0 0 0 0

TETANUS 0 0 0 0

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES **

CHLAMYDIA 376 359 376 359

GONORRHEA 141 194 141 194

SYPHILIS (Primary & Secondary) 0 2 0 2

SYPHILIS (Early Latent) 2 2 2 2

ENTERICS

AMEBIASIS 2 1 2 1

BOTULISM-INTESTINAL (Infant) 0 0 0 0

CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS 6 2 6 2

CHOLERA 0 0 0 0

CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS 0 1 0 1

E. COLI O157:H7 0 2 0 2

GIARDIASIS 9 3 9 3

ROTAVIRUS 84 156 84 156

SALMONELLOSIS 10 12 10 12

SHIGELLOSIS 1 5 1 5

TYPHOID FEVER 0 0 0 0

YERSINIOSIS 0 0 0 0

OTHER

ANTHRAX 0 0 0 0

BOTULISM INTOXICATION 0 0 0 0

BRUCELLOSIS 0 0 0 0

COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS 3 5 3 5

ENCEPHALITIS 0 0 0 0

HANTAVIRUS 0 0 0 0

HEMOLYTIC UREMIC 0 0 0 0

SYNDROME (HUS)

HEPATITIS C 0 0 0 0

LEGIONELLOSIS 0 1 0 1

LEPROSY (HANSEN'S DISEASE) 0 0 0 0

LEPTOSPIROSIS 0 0 0 0

LISTERIOSIS 0 0 0 0

LYME DISEASE 1 0 1 0

MALARIA 0 1 0 1

MENINGITIS, ASEPTIC/VIRAL 2 4 2 4

MENINGITIS, BACTERIAL 2 4 2 4

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE 0 0 0 0

PLAGUE 0 0 0 0

Q FEVER 0 0 0 0

RABIES (HUMAN) 0 0 0 0

RELAPSING FEVER 0 0 0 0

RSV (RESPIRATORY 365 281 365 281

SYNCYTIAL VIRUS)

TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME 0 1 0 1

TUBERCULOSIS 9 7 9 7

TULAREMIA 0 0 0 0

* Numbers include confirmed and probable cases

** For HIV/AIDS statistics please call the Clark County Health District Office of AIDS at 759-0730.

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Classifieds

PHYSICIAN PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES: Southwest Medical Associates is seeking experienced BC IM-Hospitalists, Critical Care Intensivist, Urgent Care and Primary Care Physicians. Contact: Michael Griffin for confidential consideration (702) 877-5158 or email mgriffin@sierrahealth.com
TELERADIOLOGY: Full time and part time positions available for Bd Cert. Radiologist. Contracts in 5 states. Will cover additional licensing and liability expenses. Call 612-7832. Physicians only.
WANT TO ADVERTISE? CALL 739-9989 for advertising information. CCMS members receive a free classified ad (up to 40 words) up to three times a year. Call Today!

County Line Advertisers

Bank of Commerce 949-9800 www.bankofcommerce-nevada.com

C D Smith Co. Medical Supplies 871-1877 www.cdsmithco.com

Christopher Commercial 243-2800 www.christophercommercial.com

Dr. Michael Colletti 734-2242

Colonial Bank 304-3770

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Medical Reserve Corps of Clark County