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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Bale/Doneen Preceptorship - August 26-27, Chicago IL. The Bale/Doneen Method combines the science of disease-detection with lifestyle counsel and pioneering medical treatment. Visit baledoneen.com for details.
Cleveland HeartLab Annual Symposium - September 15-16, Cleveland, OH. Where inflammation meets lipids: prevention strategies and therapeutic interventions. Visit clevelandheartlab.com for details.
Next AAPP meeting - September  24-25, Boston MA
Held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Marriot Hotel. Discounted AAPP rate available through September 2. Visit aapp.org for details.
CLICK HERE to REGISTER for the upcoming AAPP SUMMIT!
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SUMMARY OF THE MOST RECENT AAPP SUMMIT IN SEATTLE, WA |
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Tom Blue, AAPP Executive Director
The AAPP Seattle Summit was the largest and most content-packed event in the history of the organization.
The event began in traditional form with a Friday evening reception and the Waterfront Mariott and kicked off bright and early on Saturday morning with a captivating reflection on the birth and evolution of private medicine by one of the fathers of the industry - Dr. Garrison Bliss, founder of Qliance.
In what has evolved to be the standard AAPP Summit format, the day was filled with short (20-45 minute) presentations on topics ranging from marketing private medicine to women to the billing and legal nuances facing private physicians.
Members in attendance all noticed the multitude of featured technologies at the event. The assortment of cardiovascular disease screening technologies expanded to feature not only SonoSite ultrasound, but the BioZ technology, and MCG by Premier Heart. These technologies made a nice complement to our cast of sophisticated cardiovascular labs including the Cleveland HeartLab, Berkeley HeartLab, diaDexus, Navigenics, and others.
The AAPP introduced two new and exciting partnerships. The first, with Contemporary Insurance Services, Inc, is covered in this newsletter; please read the article for details.
The second partnership brings AAPP members an outstanding program for medical evacuation and travel medicine services through industry leader, On Call International. If you have ever considered the relevance of this type of service to your patients, please contact us, and we will connect you to our partners at On Call International.
Ordinarily, the AAPP summits end following the reception on Saturday night. In Seattle, however, the fun spilled into Sunday with workshops on:
- Hand-held ultrasound by Sonosite
- The latest in weight management and health coaching by Take Shape for Life
- Travel medicine by On Call International
- Health age measurement by Telome Health
- Home testing for sleep apnea by Watermark (AAPP members received a free in-room sleep study using the Watermark technology)
If you missed Seattle, we hope to see you in Boston on September 24-25 for the first Fall Summit. Register today! _____________________ |
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AAOSH - MAKE THE CONNECTION! |
At a landmark meeting for medical and dental professionals, held on June 24-25 in Chicago, AAOSH brought together doctors from diverse disciplines for the purpose of understanding and advancing awareness of the oral and systemic health link. AAOSH invites health professionals and members of the healthcare community at large to increase their understanding of the many relationships between the mouth and the body, and to become actively involved in changing the public and professional attitudes and awareness related to the many oral-systemic connections. In support of this effort, AAPP now offers a Dental Membership for members of the dental community wishing to connect with doctors and promote the private physician healthcare model. Dentists, physicians, and most importantly, patients, stand to benefit from this blossoming association. For more information, visit www.AAOSH.org.
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
JORDAN SHLAIN, M.D. |
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 Dear fellow AAPP members:
I would like to take a moment to reflect on who we are, what we are doing, and why it’s so important. The American Academy of Private Physicians was founded on a simple premise: more time and better care for our patients while freeing doctors from complex payment schema and contracts by ‘third party payers.’ Simply put, we are held accountable to our patients, not to insurance companies. Full stop.
The organization, which began with the efforts of the indefatigable Garrison Bliss, has evolved into a national voice: “Of the doctors, By the doctors, For the patients.” Our efforts are centered on making sure that physicians, patients, policymakers, and media all know that our movement represents a necessary path forward in the reform process. By elevating the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, we are in a unique position to define what the ‘future’ of primary care and all medical care could look like.
As ‘healers,’ we need to move away from the ‘Don’t just stand there, Do something’ model to the “Don’t just do something, Stand there” model. That is, medicines and procedures should not be a tool to use just because they exist. Rather, cogent and contextual thought should define the right thing to do. The private physician model is predicated on more time, more thought and less pills and procedures.
We are building the wellness model of the future and actively critiquing the circular illness-model. The common denominator that sets us apart is our desire to listen longer, ask more questions, and take the time to work through a complex problem in the spirit of healthy living and longevity.
We have a lot of work to do and we need your help. I am personally asking you, our members, to get your fellow private physicians involved. We will be revamping our web presence to generate more leads for your practice and create a certification platform for practices as well as vendors. I would like to personally thank Shelly Banyay and Tom Blue for their remarkable work. I hope to see you in Boston!
In Health,
Jordan Shlain MD
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UPDATE ON HEALTHCARE REFORM RELATED TO HSAs AND PRIVATE MEDICINE |
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A healthcare reform movement which would impact consumer-driven health plans and their associated healthcare accounts, spearheaded by Roy Ramthun, is currently working its way through Congress. Mr. Ramthun cautions that it has a "long way to go" before it is passed, but the fact that this bill even exists is encouraging.
The bill number is S. 1098/H.R. 2010. It addresses a number of issues, and one of them, Sec. 123, is of special interest to private physicians: if passed, "periodic provider" fees paid to physicians for the right to receive medical care on an as-needed basis would become HSA-eligible expenses.
In part, the bill represents an effort to elevate and draw attention to the importance and relevance of preventative medicine. AAPP sees it as one more small step towards fixing the broken healthcare system (we hope).
To follow the progress of this bill, or to read the full text, simply enter the bill number here.
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FEATURED: CONTEMPORARY INSURANCE SERVICES, INC. |
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Contemporary Insurance Services (CIS), a nationwide insurance broker, is endorsed by AAPP to provide medical malpractice insurance to its members at special rates. CIS has serviced the malpractice insurance needs of healthcare professionals for over 30 years, and provides malpractice insurance and related coverages to over 4,000 healthcare professionals.
After researching private physican style practices, CIS felt that this unique approach to healthcare would likely result in fewer claims, and could therefore justify a discount for medical malpractice insurance. Several insurance companies were contacted, and Admiral (rated A+ superior by A.M. Best) stepped up to provide an excellent policy at a fair price.
This program has just been launched and AAPP members are already seeing substantial premium savings when participating in the program.
AAPP Board Member, Dr. Charles C. Whitney shares his experience:
"I have found a way to get my AAPP dues for free! Contemporary Insurance Services, Inc. is a new sponsor to our organization. They are a broker for Admiral Insurance Company. Admiral Insurance Company has recognized the low likelihood that private Physicians will be suited, and has priced their insurance premiums accordingly.
Several years ago when I described my practice type to my current malpractice carrier, I was able to negotiate my premium being cut in half. I was skeptical that Admiral Insurance Company would be able to undercut my existing rate. It is already significantly lower than what most Family Practice Physicians pay in the state of Pennsylvania. I am pleased to report that they were able to reduce my premium by an additional $1,317.
Paul Fischerkeller, CIS Asst. Vice President of Sales, tells me that as more AAPP members come on board, that premium could be reduced further. Part of my significant premium reduction is due to my AAPP membership. $529 of my reduction in premium was because of my AAPP member discount. This more than paid for my 2011 dues. I strongly encourage you to contact Paul to get a quote. There is no obligation. He and his staff have been extremely helpful and pleasant through the process. It took very little effort on my part."
Visit cisinsurance.com to learn more.
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