Diagnostic Management Affiliates PPO, LLC

A Newsletter for Our Clients and Friends

Spring 2009

The Mardi Gras festivities are now behind us, but with Spring-time and crawfish season in full-force, Louisianans will now look to our Spring festivals to keep us entertained. A season packed with food, fun, and music; the Louisiana Springtime spares no expense to perpetuate the decadent, fun-loving Cajun spice that accompanies our Louisiana heritage. While it would be impossible to include all of the festivities of the Louisiana Springtime in this one little newsletter, here are a few of my personal favorites that might be worth looking into this Spring:

Cajun Hot Sauce Festival, New Iberia, LAEvery April, the Cajun Hot Sauce Fes-tival spices up the Acadiana fairgrounds with a huge Louisiana carnival featuring cook-offs, live music and entertainment, and lots and lots of Cajun hot sauce. The carnival also includes fun for the entire family featuring helicopter rides, hot air balloons, crafts, kite flying, and an exotic petting zoo.

Unlike any other carnival, this four day festival adds a little kick with its hot sauce theme: a Tabasco jambalaya cook-off, people’s choice hot sauce competi-tion, and the ‘Queen of the Hot Sauce Festival’ pageant.

French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, LAThe French Quarter Festival opened its doors in 1983. It is already known to be the largest free-music event in Louisiana, and is soaring to new heights every year. In 2008, the Festival was awarded ‘Best Festival’ by both offBeat Magazine and New Orleans Magazine, who also awarded the festival ‘Best Event Open to the Public’, where it even managed to beat out Mardi Gras.

French Quarter Festival is dedicated to supporting the local music community. The Festival only schedules local musicians.

Springtime FestivitiesNo matter what style of music you enjoy, you’ll find it at French Quarter Festival. Seventeen outdoor stages feature every genre from gospel to jazz, from funk to classical, and from Cajun & zydeco to brass band.

The Festival offers over 250 hours of entertainment featur-ing more than 150 musical performances on seventeen stages throughout the French Quarter over a three-day week-end. You will also find the “World’s Larg-est Jazz Brunch,” which showcases the festival food booths operated by nearly 60 local chefs and restaurants through-out the entire weekend.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LAIn announcing the first Jazz and Heritage Festival, jazz impresario George Wein proudly declared, “The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival represents a new and exciting idea in festival presentation. This festival could only be held in New Orleans because here and here alone is the richest musical heritage in America.”

From the very beginning, the Festival was envisioned as an important event that would have great cultural signifi-cance and popular appeal. The Festival

was the culmination of years of discussions and efforts by city leaders who wanted to create an event worthy of the New Or-leans legacy as the birthplace of jazz. This two weekend festival brings in artists and visitors alike from all over the world to cre-ate a bold blend of national and international flavors.

Over the years Jazz Fest has received many honors, includ-ing being named the ‘Festival of the Year’ four times by Pollstar magazine. The 2004 event marks the 35th anniversary of Jazz Fest, which the Wall Street Journal says “showcases a wider, deeper lineup of essential American musical styles than any festival in the nation,” and which Life magazine has called “the country’s very best music festival.’’

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Diagnostic Medicine Affiliates welcomes our newest Pain Medicine provider for the North Shore and New Orleans ar-eas, Dr. Michael Francis. In addition to his pain medicine and anesthesiology work, Dr. Francis is the Medical Director at the Integrative Pain Medicine Center in Covington, LA. He also practices out of many quality facilities around the North Shore including Slidell Memorial Hospital, Fairway Medical Center, Southern Surgical Hospital, and the Louisiana Medical Center and Heart Hospital in Lacombe. As a New Orleans resident, Dr. Francis is available to the New Orleans population as well.

Dr. Francis began his undergraduate work at Xavier Univer-sity in New Orleans before completing his Bachelor of Science at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI in 1977. He went on to receive his Medical Degree (MD) from the LSU Medical Center of New Orleans in 1981.

In 1984, Dr. Francis completed his postgraduate training in anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and af-filiated hospitals. He was appointed in 1986 to fellowships in Pediatric Anesthesia at the Denver Children’s Hospital, and in Pain Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

From 1989 until 2000, Dr. Francis served on the faculty of Tulane Medical Center in the Dept. of Anesthesiology. After

Dr. Michael Francis - Pain Medicine

Inspired by the spirit of Mahalia Jackson and the Eureka Brass Band back in 1970, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival continues to celebrate the culture of Louisiana with the combined fervor of a gospel hymn and the joy of a jazz parade.

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, New Orleans, LAEvery Memorial Day weekend, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience brings together a wealth of culinary and viti-cultural talent against a backdrop of New Orleans’ art, archi-tecture, music and rare antiques. This event – one of the most prestigious of its kind – brings food connoisseurs and wine-o’s together for a five day feast and celebration that takes aim at all of the senses. The event brings together world-renowned winemakers, celebrated chefs, and industry insiders for a showcase of signature events designed to entertain, educate, and inspire.

The events include culinary seminars, demonstrations, vintner dinners, wine tastings, and the ever-popular “Krewe of Cork” parade through the French Quarter; a rollicking event of marchers in wine-themed costumes celebrating food, wine, and fun. The Wine and Food festival Experience participants include a who’s who of New Orleans chefs along with an A-list of chefs and vintners from around the world.

Jambalaya Festival, Gonzales, LA The town of Gonzales proudly declares itself as the “Jamba-laya Capital of The World”. In 1967, the town formed the Jambalaya Festival Association to put together a Memorial

Springtime Festivities (continued)Day weekend event to celebrate this great distinction. Every year you will find a variety of food, fun, music and activities that have made the Jambalaya Festival a must-see springtime festival in Louisiana.

The Festival features lots and lots of Jambalaya served daily, live music and entertainment, carnival rides, cooking contests, a variety of food, and so much fun it takes four days to get it all in. The Festival highlight is the World Champion Jambalaya Cooking Contest, a two-day cook-off that features chefs from all over Louisiana. Each chef is given the exact same ingredients to compile their dish over a wood fire, but only one has the honor of coming away with the coveted title of “World Jambalaya Champion.”

Back to the Beach Festival, Kenner, LAThe Back to the Beach Festival is put on annually by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. Since the floodgates opened in 1989, revelers have poured into Laketown in Kenner, LA to enjoy great local bands, Louisiana festival foods, arts and crafts, car shows, and a scenic run/walk through the Lake-shore.

“Our goal is to get people of all ages out to the lake,” says Sheila Ehren, the foundation’s development and outreach direc-tor. All of the benefits from this festival are put towards benefit-ing the Louisiana Coast and Lake Pontchartrain River Basin.

* Sources: Whereyat.com, nojazzfest.com, nola411.com, cajunradio.org, saveourlake.org, nowfe.com, fqfi.com, jambalayafestival.org, goneworleans.com, louisianafairsandfestivals.com, nola.com

Katrina, he was on the faculty of the Medical College of Wis-consin as the Assistant Director of Interventional Pain Medicine teaching the Pain Fellows until he returned home to serve the Southeastern Louisiana community.

Dr. Francis is an honored diplomate of both the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine. He also holds memberships in many honorary and professional societies such as The American Academy of Pain Medicine, The American Pain Society, The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, The American Academy of Physicians Executives, and the International Spine Interven-tion Society.

As the Co-Editor of ‘What’s new in Pain Medicine’, Dr. Francis is on the progressive end of a rapidly changing medical field. He also works to promote strong ethical values and treat-ment modalities in his practice, as reflected in his membership in the Ethics Committee for the American Academy of Pain Medi-cine where he has been positioned since 2005. Also serving as a member of the Communications Committee for the American Academy of Pain Medicine, Dr Francis works to communicate and promote modernized treatments and ethical values in hopes to provide a positive influence to the field of pain medicine.

LSU Health Care NetworkDiagnostic Management Affiliates has received a huge boost

to our provider list with the acquisition of the LSU Health Care Network. The LSU Health Care Network (LSUHN) is a group of medical practices consisting of specialized physicians who seek to deliver quality care and service in a convenient, affordable manner.

LSUHN’s doctors have been ranked among the best in the city wide surveys and these doctors are among the most respected in their specialties. Since these physicians are employed as faculty members of LSU Medical School, patients can expect to receive treatment from doctors who remain on the cutting edge of medical and technological development.

Most patients through LSUHN can be seen as same or next day appointments. With office locations throughout the Garden District, Uptown, Kenner, and the Westbank, the LSU Healthcare Network is accessible for your clients anywhere throughout the city of New Orleans.

In all, the addition of the LSU Healthcare Network has allowed DMA to incorporate 11 new physicians into our provider plan, including two Neurosurgeons and nine Orthopedic Surgeons. For more information on the LSU Healthcare Network, or for a list of the LSUHN providers who will be available to you through DMA’s provider plan, please contact us at (504) 484-7077.

DMA’s provider plan offers the most comprehensive selection of Imaging Services in Southern Louisiana. In order to complement our vast selection of facilities, DMA’s MRI pricing is now more competitive than ever. Our goal is for these pricing changes to help make MRI’s more affordable for our customers throughout the entire Southern Louisiana region.

Our basic plan for MRI services affords attorneys the ability to defer payment for 24 months or until your case settles. For attorneys whose cases require multiple MRI orders, this option can go a long way to help keep your cash flow open to your practice.

In the New Orleans metropolitan area, we offer a price of $690 on both open and closed MRI scans. Our closed scans through Magnolia Diagnostics offer high-resolution imaging services, as well as a comfortable wide-tunnel magnet. Magnolia specializes in attorney MRI work, and promises top-quality imaging along with radiology readings that are geared toward building your cases.

We also offer Open MRI scans at the same price through Metairie Imaging. Metairie Imaging works to provide a

DMA Lowers MRI Pricescomfortable, patient-oriented setting. This facility offers very 4.5 ft wide open MRI unit with can comfortably accommodate pat ients who are claustrophobic or overweight. They proudly stand as one of the only privately held facilities to be awarded ACR Certification for quality and safety by the American College of Radiology.

On the North Shore, DMA’s competitive pricing plan offers MRI’s at $700 through North Shore MRI. Since 2001, North Shore MRI has been committed to providing the highest quality in patient and imaging care. This outstanding facility will also work to get the reports for your case into your hand within 24 hours. As if that

were not enough, our great prices on North Shore MRI’s quality services also extend to the company’s other locations: Champion Diagnostics in Baton Rouge and Ascension Open MRI in Gonzales.

DMA will continue to work towards lowering our MRI prices throughout Southern Louisiana. For more information, please contact us at (504) 484-7077.

Douglas Bostick, III Orthopedic Surgeon

DMA is happy to announce our new orthopedic surgeon on the New Orleans West Bank, Dr. Douglas Bostick, III. Dr. Bostick is a New Orleans native who received his undergraduate train-ing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Upon completing his undergraduate work in 1991 with a BS in Biology, Dr. Bostick returned home to complete his medical training. He received his medical degree (MD) from the LSU School of Medi-cine in 1996 before completing his orthopedic training at the LSU School of Medicine in 2001. During the course of his training, he was nominated for both Charity Hospital Intern of the year in 1997 and Charity Hospital Resident of the year in 1998.

After completing his medical and orthopedic training, Dr. Bostick received his certification from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has also received specialized training in areas such as arthroscopic and minimally invasive procedures, as well as computer assisted surgery.

Dr. Bostick has been practicing at the Jefferson Orthopedic Clinic since completing his orthopedic training in 2001. The Jefferson Orthopedic team of physicians seeks to offer their pa-tients “a friendly environment with a courteous staff to care for your orthopedic problems,” and members of the clinic have been nominated for such awards as ‘Best Doctors in America’ and ‘Best Doctors in New Orleans’.

3532 Canal Street, Suite 6 New Orleans, LA 70119

Inside DMA is a quarterly newsletter published by Diagnostic Management Affiliates PPO LLC. DMA does not prescribe medical advice. Comments are welcome. For additional information, call or write us as follows: DMA, Attention: Stuart Schmidt,

Marketing Manager, 3532 Canal Street, Suite 6, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119, (504) 484-7077 or (888) 663-7077.

It has been an exciting start to the 2009 year for DMA. As I noted in the last newsletter, our biggest goals coming into the year included the expansion of our provider list as well as developing a more competitive pricing structure.

Things are looking great for our provider list. Over the first quarter of the year, we have managed to incorporate six Orthopedic Surgeons, two Neurosurgeons, and one Pain Management provider. We have also added to our plan the option of bracing, prosthetics, and electrotherapy equipment for your clients through RS Medical. I will be doing my best to keep all of our customers updated as we continue to expand our provider network. We still have plenty of new providers to come and don’t forget that if you ever have a provider you would like to see in our network, all you have to do is let me know.

Everybody wants to see lower prices. So far this year, we have been able to slash our MRI prices throughout the state. We hope to continue this trend, as well as to extend these lower prices into the other areas of our network. As you know, DMA charges no markups upon provider rates, however we are working closely with our providers in hopes of establishing a discounted price which we can then pass on to you.

Things have been especially exciting for DMA on the attorney end. We have been seeing a lot of new faces in our network, and we now are now financing medical costs for over 350 attorneys throughout Southern Louisiana. We hope to continue this expansion, as well to bolster our customer base throughout New Orleans, the North Shore, and Houma, as well as the smaller markets and surrounding areas. Our numbers are reaching their highest points since pre-Katrina, and we are hoping to surpass those numbers in the near future.

Sincerely,

Stuart Schmidt

Letter from the Marketing Manager