Marin Medical Society

MMS News Briefs

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September 2012


Meet your congressional candidates at Sept. 18 dinner


Physicians throughout Marin County are invited to meet their congressional candidates at a Sept. 18 dinner sponsored by MMS. Both Jared Huffman (Democrat) and Dan Roberts (Republican) will be attending the dinner, to be held at Jason’s Restaurant, 300 Drakes Landing Rd., Greenbrae.

 

The event begins with a Meet & Greet Reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and program at 7. The program features interviews with both candidates for the reconfigured 2nd Congressional District, which includes Marin, Sonoma and other coastal counties up to the Oregon border.

 

Dinner choices include baked salmon, blackened ribeye steak, brandy chicken or mushroom gnocchi. Tickets are just $45 per person. To RSVP and identify your dinner choice, contact Rachel at 415-924-3891 or rachel@marinmedicalsociety.org. You can also fax the form below to 415-924-2749.

 

Sept. 18 MMS Dinner flyer




MMS membership increases by 38% this year


MMS is pleased to welcome more than 100 physicians in The Permanente Medical Group of Marin to membership in MMS and CMA. Their inclusion has increased county-wide membership in MMS by 38% since January. The total number of members now stands at 366.

 

Under the leadership of Dr. Gary Mizono, physician in chief, Dr. Lori Selleck and Dr. Irina deFischer, TPMG of Marin will sponsor membership for any physician within their group who wishes to join MMS/CMA. Thank you TPMG of Marin for your commitment to organized medicine!




Save the date: meet Assembly District 10 candidates on Oct. 9


Physicians in the 10th Assembly District--which includes Marin County, Petaluma and Santa Rosa--are invited to meet the two candidates for the district on Tuesday evening, Oct. 9, at a private home in Marin County. The event, to be held at 195 La Cuesta Dr. in Greenbrae, begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m., followed by candidate interviews with Allen (7 to 7:30) and Levine (7:30 to 8).

 

RSVPs are required. To RSVP, contact Rachel at 415-924-3891 or rachel@marinmedicalsociety.org. The event is cosponsored by MMS, the Sonoma County Medical Association, and the Marin and Sonoma chapters of the California Academy of Family Physicians.




Board member needed for Redwood MedNet


Redwood MedNet, a nonprofit health information exchange based in Ukiah, is seeking a physician to serve a 3-year term on its board of directors. The term will begin in January 2013. Meetings are held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Most board members participate by conference call; the actual meeting is held at the Ukiah Valley Medical Center. Interested physicians should contact Will Ross at 707-462-6369 or wross@redwoodmednet.org.




Marin County Physician Directory available for sale


Each MMS member received one free copy of the 2012-13 Marin County Physician Directory earlier this summer. Additional copies of the directory, which lists every practicing physician in the county, are available to members for just $30 each. Nonmember physicians and health care facilities can purchase the directory for $40, or $35 each when purchasing five or more. Cost to the general public is $55 per copy. To order by phone with a credit card, contact Rachel Pandolfi at 415-924-3891. You can also order online at www.marinmedicalsociety.org/directory or by printing the order form below and faxing to 415-924-2749.

 

2012-13 Marin Directory order form




Top stories from CMA Alert


Here are the top stories from the latest CMA Alert, the California Medical Association’s biweekly email newsletter. For a free subscription, visit www.cmanet.org/cma-alert.

 

* Could you be contracted with the state’s new exchange plans?

 

* Blue Shield to exit Healthy Families program statewide

 

* CMA member named chair of Assembly Health Committee

 

* CMA leadership working with California congressional members to plan for contentious lame duck session

 

* FAQ: What is an NPI number and how do I get one?




PEOPLE


Two longtime Marin physicians passed away in August:

 

Internist Dr. Charles “Chas” Hoffman settled in Marin County in the early 1950s after medical school, residency and more than a decade in the U.S. Navy. He established a solo private practice and also worked part-time at San Quentin and the old Ross Hospital, where he helped manage the ICU. He served as president of MMS from 1975 to 1976, and he was a founding member of the Medical Insurance Exchange of California, now known as MIEC.

 

Dr. Charles Keyes, a family physician, was an active CMA member for 46 years. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1954 and had a long career in Marin. A memorial service will be held at St. Stephen’s in Belvedere at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2. For medical records of Dr. Keyes’ patients, write to PO Box 1708, Mill Valley 94942.




MEDICAL FACILITIES


Marin General Hospital is offering free, two-part prostate cancer screenings during September. The first part, a PSA blood draw, will be available at the hospital’s outpatient lab (250 Bon Air Rd., 2nd floor, Greenbrae) from Sept. 4 to 14. No appointment is necessary. The second part is a follow-up exam at the Marin Cancer Institute (1350 S. Eliseo Dr., Greenbrae) on Saturday morning, Sept. 22. Both parts of the screening must be completed, and registration is required. To register, call 888-996-9644. Physicians participating in the screening include Drs. Patrick Bennett, Gary Grossfeld, Alex Metzger, Lloyd Miyawaki and Joe Poen.




RESOURCES


The second annual Conference on Integrative Medicine for the Underserved will be held at Santa Clara University from Sept. 6 to 8. The conference, worth up to 19.5 Category 1 credits, is subtitled “Taking integrative medicine out of the boutiques and into the streets.” Sessions will focus on affordable integrative approaches to common chronic diseases, evidence-based best practices, and community activism for underserved populations. Conference fees range from $179 to $269 and include meals. To register, visit www.im4us.org.

 

Medicare is recruiting primary care physicians and cardiologists for a Cardiac Population Health Program to improve the health of patients with cardiovascular disease. Participating doctors will gain access to several resources to help improve care for these patients, including assistance with qualifying for PQRS (physician’s quality reporting system) payments. All program assistance is provided at no cost. Enrollment forms and an information sheet have been posted at www.scma.org/resources. For more details, contact Shanti Wilson of the Health Services Advisory Group at 916-217-7078 or swilson@hsag.com.

 

Medical students are invited to attend the CMA Medical Student Leadership Conference on Sept. 15 at UC Irvine. The conference will focus on how physicians can become champions for a healthy California. Topics include implementation of health reform, improving patient safety, and getting involved in community service. To register, contact Thomas Lawson at 916-551-2078 or tlawson@cmanet.org.

 

The following CMA webinars are scheduled for September. Webinars begin at 12:15 p.m. and run until 1:15 or 1:30. To register, visit www.cmanet.org. Seminars are free for CMA members and their staff; cost for nonmembers is $99 per person.

* Guide to reviewing payor contracts (Sept. 5)

* Effective eBilling (Sept. 6)

* Impact of ICD-10 (Sept. 12)

* Creating and implementing financial and office policies (Sept. 19)




CLASSIFIEDS


Family medicine positions available

Family medicine positions available with Annadel Medical Group in Sonoma County. Contact James.DeVore@stjoe.org.

 

How to submit a classified ad

To submit a classified ad for MMS News Briefs or Marin Medicine, contact Erika Goodwin at erika@scma.org or 707-548-6491. The cost is one dollar per word.




APPLICANTS


Alex Barchuk, MD, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation*, 1125 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield 94904, 485-3508 Fax 796-0777, krh_barchuk@yahoo.com, Georgetown Univ 1985

 

Charles Elboim, MD, Surgery*, Breast Diseases, 121 Sotoyome St. #203, Santa Rosa 95405, 707-525-6180, Fax 707-521-3854, umtinc@aol.com, Univ Vermont 1972

 

Laura Norton, MD, Surgery*, Breast Diseases, 121 Sotoyome St. , Santa Rosa 95405, 707-525-6180, Fax 707-521-3854, lnorton@rrmg.com, Indiana Univ 2002

 

* = board certified; italics = special medical interest




ABOUT MMS


The Marin Medical Society, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association, supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the community. We are affiliated with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association.

 

© 2012 MMS, PO Box 246, Corte Madera, CA 94976