September 2011 1

ROUNDS September 2011

(Click on a title below for a link to that article.)

President’s Message by Betsy Ballard, M.D.: Reflections on Health Care Reform

What Grade Would You Give to Your Relationship with Your Hospital?

MCMS Wants Input from All...

Help Us Stay in Touch With You! MCMS Survey... Betsy Ballard, M.D. Installed as 108th MCMS President in Spring

MCMS Spring Conference Offered Valuable Education

Welcome New MCMS Members

What are the Barriers to Your Ability to Care for Your Patients?

Progressive Networking Night Planned for Young Physicians

MCMS Welcomes New Corporate Partner

MCMS Annual Awards Being Presented at September General Membership Meeting

MedChi House of Delegates September 24-25 in Frederick

MCMS Female Physicians Learn to Dress for Their Profession

Nominating Committee Slate Presented for 2011-12

MCMS Female Physicians Annual Brunch Event on Sunday, October 2

Community Outreach Committee Focuses on Childhood Obesity

Members Gather for Summer Networking Wine Tasting Event

MCMS ROUNDS - September 2011

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MDMEDICAL SOCIETY NEWS

ROUNDSMONTGOMERY COUNTY, MDMEDICAL SOCIETY NEWS

September 2011

insidecontinued on page 4

What Grade Would You Give to Your Relationship with Your Hospital?

The impact of health system reform on the patient-hospital relationship is being felt – both positively and negatively. Physicians in our com-munity have voiced concerns about their hospitals’ strategies for community expansion, EHR imple-mentation, and physician practice acquisition, and others looked to the Society for resources.

These opportunities have led the leadership of the Medical Society to plan an interest-ing and provocative panel presentation at the next General Membership Meeting being held on Wednesday, September 21, at 6:00 p.m. at Manor Country Club.

For upcoming events and more MCMS news, go to www.montgomerymedicine.org Calendar of Events

Communications Survey 3

New MCMS Board 5

Forum Invitation 6

Strategies Conference 8

Welcome New Members 10

Young Physicians' Event 12

Reflections on Health Care Reform It's been more than a year since the signing of

the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and there has been time to determine what this means to the practice of medicine and to our patients. While I think that we can agree that the goals of the new programs and regula-tions are ambitious, as the law currently stands, its implementation may have unintended con-sequences. With the change in the make-up of the House after the fall 2010 election, attempts to repeal the act have begun. It is unlikely that the entire act will be repealed but changes are expected. However, there are two basic prin-ciples that are likely to remain: 1) The uninsured should have health coverage, and 2) physicians and hospitals need to provide quality, efficiency and cost-effective, medical care.

Insurance provisions in PPACA when taken together will increase the number of covered individuals. This includes:

A requirement that all citizens and legal resi-1. dents have health coverage and indeed comes with a tax penalty for not having insurance beginning in 2014. For those of us who take emergency room call this may result in fewer uninsured patients (depending on the number of illegal aliens in the demographic mix), but this is currently in the courts to determine the legality of the mandate;

An increase in the number of patients on 2. Medicaid; and

Creation of insurance exchanges for small 3. businesses and individuals to purchase coverage. Some studies suggest that this will result in small businesses dropping health care coverage for their employees as this is increasingly a high budget item. Conversely, this may provide individuals who presently cannot afford health care an opportunity to finally have coverage.

We know from the Massachusetts experience that some who have put off seeking care will now be able to access care and increase the number of physician visits.

There are some payment reforms that impact physician practices, not all positively.

There will be incentives to primary care 1. physicians who bill at least 60 percent of their total Medicare claims for home, office or nursing home visits. This is an attempt to reduce more costly ER and hospital care.

There will be incentives for participating in 2. the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and, beginning in 2015, penalties if you don’t.

continued on page 2

President’s Message

Betsy Ballard, M.D., President

2 ROUNDS

Are you frustrated? Angry? Confused? We are ready to listen.

Employed physicians. Primary care phy-sicians. Large group practice physicians.

"The times they are a-changin'!" Bob Dylan said it best. Little did he know that his words would be so relevant to Medi-cine today.

Regardless of your practice setting or specialty, you are facing challenges that you and your colleagues have never faced before, like if your hospital forms an ACO, where does that leave you? Signifi-cant changes brought about by health re-form, escalating costs, hospitals gobbling up physicians’ practices, hyper-regulation, uncertainty in the marketplace, and the nationwide shortage of physicians are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!

We want to hear from you so we can better understand how to represent you in Congress, with the state legislature, with regulators, and the public. Join Montgom-ery County Medical Society at one of the forums we have organized to hear your

concerns and your ideas. Please attend and bring your colleagues whether they are members or not.

Employed Physicians Forum: Tuesday, October 18 at 6pm

Primary Care Physicians Forum: Monday, October 24 at 6pm

Large Group Practice Forum: Thursday, November 3 at 6pm

*Meetings will be held at MCMS Headquar-ters, 15855 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, MD. A light dinner will be served.

There is no charge to attend. We want as many physicians to attend as possible to voice your opinions about your needs and challenges in this new era of Medicine.

See the flyer in this issue of Rounds, or call 301.921.4300 to RSVP.

In addition to the business of the Society, the panel presentation will occur during the dinner following the networking reception.

Panelists include Gaurov Dayal, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Adventist HealthCare, Inc.; Kevin Sexton, President & CEO, Holy Cross Hospital; Jacky Schultz, Chief Operating Officer, Suburban Hospital - Johns Hopkins Medicine; and Eric R. Wagner, EVP, External Affairs & Diversified Operations, MedStar Health.

For more details, see the panel on the back page. Questions? Call MCMS at 301.921.4300.

What Grade Would You Give to Your Relationship with Your Hospital? … continued from page 1

MCMS Wants Input from All... Help Us Stay in Touch With You!

Recently MCMS sent out a Com-munications Survey to find out what method you prefer for communica-tions about MCMS activities, events and news. Although many members faxed back their responses, we would like to receive responses from all of our members. That way we will best know how you would like us to stay in touch with you. If you have not filled out the survey, please fill out the copy on page 3 and fax it back to MCMS at 301.921.4368. We also encourage all members to check their spam and make sure that MCMS is in your in-box. We cannot keep you informed if you do not receive or open your email. As always, MCMS staff is here to serve and assist you in your practice.

September 2011 3

4 ROUNDS

Starting this year, co-pays have been 3. eliminated for certain preventive ser-vices, and annual wellness visits will be covered by Medicare.

To provide and incentive for physi-4. cians to care for influx of Medicaid pa-tients beginning in 2013-2014 states must pay primary care physicians who provide care to be reimbursed at Medicare rates.

Patients who enter the “donut hole” in 5. the Part D will receive a $250 rebate with the hole shrinking over time.

In 2013, a pilot program will begin 6. for ten conditions to bundle payments for each episode of care delivered by disparate providers.

One aspect of the legislation is the im-petus for the Secretary of Health and Hu-man Services (HHS) to look at new mod-els of health care delivery systems. This includes the much-discussed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model as well as the establishment of the “Independence at Home” project to provide beneficiaries primary care in their homes and allows physician to share in any cost savings. There are grants for states to test other health delivery models such as the medi-cal home. CMS is required to develop a Physician Compare Website, similar to the Hospital Website, with the informa-tion gathered from the PQRI. The AMA has been actively involved in advising the design and content of this website which is intended to assist Medicare beneficiaries to find “quality” physicians.

While tort reform was not a part of this reform package, much to the disap-pointment of physicians, HHS has been charged with awarding $50 million in demonstration grants for a five-year period to allow states to develop, implement, and evaluate alternatives to the current tort litigation system.

So what can we expect? With signifi-cantly expanded insurance coverage, an increase in the demand for physician visits will place a growing burden on practices that are already either overextended or at full capacity. This will place additional strains on physician time, increasing

staffing needs and administrative costs for private practices. This is likely to be compounded by the large IT costs re-quired for systems that will meet the new reporting requirement and add another layer of complexity through a higher level of legal compliance responsibilities. Only large groups or institutions will have the financial resources required for the upfront costs of implementing and maintaining these systems.

Not surprisingly, most physicians are unhappy with a health care reform pack-age that doesn’t really address physicians’ concerns. In a national study published in August, 2010, 69 percent of physicians felt that patient volume would increase, and most no longer have the time or resources to see additional patients in their prac-tice and maintain the quality of care they currently provide. The frustration physi-cians feel was evident in that study when the question was asked regarding what changes they were contemplating in the next three years as the reforms are phased in. Fully one-third of physicians between the ages of 50-60 plan to retire and 15 percent of those between the ages of 40-50 are thinking of doing likewise. Other com-mon refrains were joining a large group practice or seeking hospital employment, leaving clinical practice for a health care related field, and leaving clinical practice for a non-health care related career. Some plan to move to a different community (anywhere but Maryland) or work locum tenens, while others plan to close their practice to new patients or switch to a concierge practice model. The net result if this occurs would be a reduction in the number of physicians available at a point in time where there are increased numbers of patients seeking care, thus reducing ac-cessibility to physician-provided care.

Are you contemplating any of these changes? We would like to know.

One of the interesting potential oppor-tunities to come from the PPACA is the development of Accountable Care Organi-zations (ACOs). Primary care physicians, once relegated to second-class citizen status, are now the stars. These entities require the participation of primary care physicians to take the lead and control care for Medicare beneficiaries. Risks and rewards will be shared by all members of

the entity. While there is no requirement as to who makes up an ACO, hospitals are actively recruiting primary care physi-cians as a way to position themselves to take advantage of the anticipated financial benefits. At the Spring House of Delegate meeting, MedChi was charged with doing a feasibility study on forming an ACO, or other entity, which would be physician led. Locally, Montgomery County Medical Society is trying to determine what edu-cational opportunities are needed to help physicians learn about this and other new payment models.

So stay tuned. MCMS is doing all we can to help you meet the challenges of these changing times.

President's Message … continued from page 1

September 2011 5

Dr. Betsy Ballard, a general surgeon who practices in Silver Spring, Maryland, was installed as the 108th president of MCMS on May 4. She is only the 7th female physi-cian to be elected to this position in 108 years. Dr. Ballard graduated from Uni-versity Central del Este in 1980 and did her internship, residency and fellowship in general surgery at Brown University, Miriam Hospital finishing in 1987. She practices at Holy Cross Hospital.

Dr. Duane Taylor, MCMS President-Elect, is a board-certified otolaryngologist. He is the medical director of LeVisage ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery in Bethes-da. He graduated from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine in 1985. He interned at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hous-ton, Texas, did his residency in otolaryngol-ogy at UCLA, and his fellowship in facial plastic surgery at UCLA finishing in 1991. Dr. Taylor is a member of the Montgomery County, Maryland Commission on Health and served as the first chair of the com-mittee on diversity, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Brent Faulkner, MCMS Vice Presi-dent, practices at the Ambulatory Plastic Surgery Center in Rockville, Maryland. Board-certified in plastic surgery, he graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in 1999 as a member of AOA, the Medical Honors Society. Dr. Faulkner did his residency in plastic surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center between 1999-2004, and his fellowship in plastic surgery from 2004-05.

Dr. Shannon Pryor was elected MCMS Secretary. Dr. Pryor graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1993. She did her internship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1994-98. An otolaryngolo-gist and head and neck surgeon, Dr. Pryor works with Kaiser Permanente and the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ali Hendi was elected Treasurer of MCMS. Dr. Hendi graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1999. He interned at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and did his residency in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. He then did a fellowship at Shadyside Hospital in Pitts-burgh in Mohs surgery.

Betsy Ballard, M.D. Installed as 108th MCMS President in Spring

Immediate Past President Robert Karp, M.D.

Chair, Women in Medicine Committee Kathy Huang, M.D.

Co-Chair, Women in Medicine Committee Helen Barold, M.D.

Chair, Community Outreach Committee Michael Dempsey, M.D.

Chair, Third Party Payer Committee Burt Littman, M.D.

Co-Chair, Third Party Payer Committee Madalene Greene, M.D.

Chair, Emeritus Committee Michael Dobridge, M.D.

Chair, Young Physicians’ Committee David Parver, M.D.

Co-Chair, Young Physicians’ Committee Natasha Herz, M.D.

Chair, Legislative Committee Larry Green, M.D.

Co-Chair, Legislative Committee Stephen Rockower, M.D.

Co-Chair, Corporate Relations Ali Hendi, M.D.

Co-Chair, Corporate Relations Gary Roggin, M.D.

Chair, MedChi Delegation Mark Seigel, M.D.

Vice-Chair, MedChi Delegation Shannon Pryor, M.D.

Parliamentarian Joseph Snyder, M.D.

Medical Staff Liaisons:

Montgomery General Hospital John Glancy, M.D.

Washington Adventist Hospital Wendell Miles, M.D.

Suburban Hospital Gary Roggin, M.D. Holy Cross Hospital Lynne Diggs, M.D.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Sung Yoon, M.D.

Presidential Appointee Audrey Corson, M.D.

Presidential Appointee Peter Kaufman, M.D.

Presidential Appointee Farzaneh Sabi, M.D.

MCMS Representative- Commission on Health Peter Sherer, M.D.

Mont. County Public Health Officer Ulder Tillman, M.D.

Chair, Special Awards Committee Amy Byer, M.D.

Members of the MCMS Board Serving on the MedChi Board:

Speaker, MedChi House of Delegates Brian Avin, M.D.

MedChi Trustee (Representing MCMS) Mark Seigel, M.D.

MedChi Board (Specialty Trustee) Shannon Pryor, M.D.

MedChi Board (Bylaws Chair) Joe Snyder, M.D. MedChi Board (At Large Trustee) Stephen Rockower, M.D.

MedChi Board Mollyann March, M.D.

Editor, Maryland Medicine Bruce Smoller, M.D.

Other members of the 2011-2012 MCMS Board include:

6 ROUNDS

September 2011 7

Each day brings new challenges to our physician members and their staff to take care of patients and run their practices as effi-ciently and effectively as possible. In order to assist our members, MCMS offered an Educational Conference on May 4th during the afternoon. Held at Manor Country Club, sessions offered addressed three areas: Human Resources, Reimbursement and Health Law.

Sally Seiler and Sharon Williams from The Neurology Center, and Joe Beale from Beale Personnel presented on Recruiting and Keeping Great Employees. An ongoing issue, great employees make the difference between a practice and a really well run practice. Darla McClure and Karen Shapiro from Stein Sperling then discussed Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Pay Issues and Employment Law Challenges.

The area of reimbursement is always a challenge for staff who must deal with insurance companies each day. Linda Casey from Snyder Cohn addressed Appealing an Audit: What you Need to Know and Why You Must Do It! Linda then discussed Perfecting Your E & M Coding and Documentation Skills. Why it is a Must! With the New ICD-10 codes going into effect, it is so important to make sure that the billing staff is up to par on coding issues.

Health attorney Jamie Doherty presented "How the Recent Maryland Legislative Session Impacts Your Practice." The recent is-sue of Maryland Medicine addressed the 2011 Maryland Legisla-

tive Session and the MedChi website (www.medchi.org) includes a Compendium of 2011 Maryland Laws. Check them out, espe-cially as they affect your particular specialty. Jamie's partner, Jeff Pecore, Esq., discussed ACOs, Patient Centered Medical Homes and Other New Practice Options for Physicians at the General Membership Meeting dinner.

In addition, the conference included exhibitors who run com-panies meant to assist you in your practice. These included sev-eral EHR/EMR companies as well as Maryland approved MSOs (Management Service Organizations). MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society now offers a state certified MSO, MedChi Network Services. We recognize that several MSO provide valu-able services to physicians throughout Montgomery County

The next all-day educational conference, the annual MCMS Strategies Conference, will take place November 17 & 18 and cover issues that affect medical practices. Look for information on this important yearly meeting.

If you were unable to attend these sessions but have ques-tions on any of the issues addressed, please call MCMS at 301.921.4300. The MCMS staff will assist you.

Below are the names of the companies, personnel and contact email of those who exhibited at this event. Feel free to contact them with questions or concerns that relate to you and your practice.

MCMS Spring Conference Offered Valuable Education

Ameriprise Financial Trung Vu trungvu@aol.comAVS Medical/McKesson Lloyd Morris lloyd@avsmedical.comBeale Personnel Joe Beale Beale@bealepersonnel.comBEI- Business Engineering, Inc. Ellen Jennings jenningse@beinetworks.comCeltic Healthcare Jody McKinney Mckinneyj@celtichealthcare.comCommunity Radiology Associates Chris Zysk christopher.zysk@radnet.comCRISP Craig Behm cbehm@ksmprofessionals.comDarnell Associates, Inc. Ray Islan ray@billingsetc.comDatamatrix Technologies Sudeep Chaudhuri sudeep@datamatrixtech.comD'Souza & Associates, Inc. Rohan D'Souza rohan@dsouzainc.comEase Technologies Chris Corbett ccorbett@easetech.comMaryland Health Care Commission Bill Chan wchan@mhcc.state.md.usMcFarland and Associates, Inc Toya McCoy tmccoy@mcfarlandassociate.com Leroy Hackett leroyhackett@mcfarlandassociate.comMedChi Insurance Agency Ron Fisher rfisher@medchiagency.comMedical Account Services Larry Campbell lcampbell@masbilling.comMed Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland Cathy Dolan cdolan@weinsuredocs.comMontgomery Hospice Isabel Tom itom@montgomeryhospice.orgNIH Federal Credit Union Nekesha Williams nwilliams@nihfcu.orgNixon Uniform Service & Medical Wear Tony Acquaviva acquavivaa@nixonmedical.comOn Call Medical Coats Daniel Kohn, M.D. customerservice@aetnacoat.com Oxbow EMR Colin Higbie Chigbie@OxbowEMR.com Ken Bergner Kbergner@oxbowEMR.comPotomac Home Health Care Debra Norberg debranorberg@gmail.comSnyder Cohn Maureen McCarthy mccarthym@snydercohn.comStein, Sperling, Bennett, DeJong, Driscoll & Greenfeig, P.C. Darla McClure Dmcclure@steinsperling.comSun Trust Bank Craig Badman craig.badman@suntrust.comTri County Office Supplies Bill Poland tricountyoffice@earthlink.netWavelength Information Services, Inc. Murray Oltman Murray@WavelengthIS.com

8 ROUNDS

Mark Your Calendar... Details Coming Soon!2011 Medical Practice Strategies Conference & Annual Trade Show

Rockville Hilton Hotel

Thursday, November 17Registration 2:30 p.m. Simultaneous Sessions 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. OSHA Training for Medical Practice Staff 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Marketing Your Medical Practice Using Electronic Media 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. MCMS’ Annual Trade Show & Expo – More than 60 vendors expected!

Friday, November 18Registration & Exhibits 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.Strategies Conference 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For more information, call 301.921.4300

September 2011 9

10 ROUNDS

MCMS welcomes the following physicians and practice managers who have joined MCMS recently.

PhysiciansSyed Ahmed, M.D.NeurologyThe Neurology Clinic of Washington, LLC301.260.7600

Sharmila Aryal, M.D.Family PracticeMary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care202.483.8196

John Bassett, M.D.GastroenterologyBethesda Naval Hospital301.295.4600

Petr Bocek, M.D.Allergy and ImmunologyPetr Bocek, M.D.301.349.5930

James Bridges, M.D.Radiation OncologyShady Grove RadiationOncology Center301.309.6765

Jessica Brown, M.D.PediatricsJessica Brown, M.D.202.234.0474

Royce Burns, M.D.Emergency MedicineDoctors Community Hospital301.552.8665

Craig Campbell, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyCommunity Radiology Associates, Inc.301.438.5150

Daniel Clarke, M.D.Radiation OncologyAssociates in Radiation Medicine301.681.4422

Tuesday Cook, M.D.General SurgeryTakoma Surgical Associates301.891.6000

Ricardo Cook, M.D.Orthopaedic SurgeryPotomac Valley Orthopaedics301.774.0500

Christopher Duke, M.D.Internal MedicineDrs. Mulhausen & Duke, LLP.301.656.6452

P.K. Grewal, M.D.AnesthesiologyAdvanced Pain Management Services301.682.7246

Naveen Gupta, M.D.Internal MedicineGita C. Bakshi, M.D.301.530.5142

Leila Hall, M.D.PediatricsNext Generation Pediatrics, LLC301.832.6048

James M. Kiwanuka, M.D.PediatricsJames M. Kiwanuma, M.D., P.C.301.926.7891

Daniel Kohn, M.D.Emergency MedicineSinai Hospital of Baltimore410.323.4654

Phi Lam, M.D.Family PracticePatient First-Waldorf240.427.1926

Lakeischa McMillan, M.D.Obstetrics and GynecologyWomen’s First OB-GYN Associates301.681.3300

Welcome New MCMS Members

September 2011 11

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on your cash secured against real estate. Call 703-955-4026

for details.

What are the Barriers to Your Ability to Care

for Your Patients?The New York Times and American Public Media (a col-

lection of newsrooms across the country) are asking for physicians to tell their stories. This request for informa-tion was featured with the interview/physician profile of Dr. Ronald Sroka, primary care physician (Crofton, Maryland) and former president of MedChi, the Mary-land State Medical Society This is a great opportunity for providers to connect directly with reporters and to share your feedback on insurer administrative protocols, i.e. prior authorization, step-therapy and therapeutic substi-tution that are affecting your practice and interrupting, delaying and obstructing patient care.

If you wish to tell your story about what you have seen over the years concerning the practice of medi-cine, please go to the following link, fill out a form and email it to American Public Media.

http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/user/form_dis-play.php?isPIJ=Y&form_code=d7f5037bcc11

David Novak, M.D.GastroenterologyKaiser Permanente301.618.5500

Ifeyinwa Okocha, M.D.Allergy and AsthmaFishman Allergy and Asthma202.833.3500

Orlee Panitch, M.D.Emergency MedicineShady Grove Hospital240.826.6000

Mark Paster, M.D.Family PracticePatient First301.497.1820

Leo Rosmaryn, M.D.The Orthopaedic Center301.251.1433

Arthur Schwartz, M.D.OphthalmologyWashington Eye Physicians & Surgeons, P.C.301.654.5114

Lindsay Sher, M.D.Bethesda PhysiciansInternal Medicine301.656.4010

Ashraf Sufi, M.D.GastroenterologyAshraf M. Sufi, M.D., LLC301.919.9683

Stuart Weich, M.D.PediatricsChildrens First Pediatrics301.681.6000

Bryan Williams, M.D.AnesthesiologyKaiser Permanente301.929.7100

Practice ManagersBrenda BrouiletteArthritis and Rheumatism Associates202.293.0914

Penny DomanMontgomery Gastroenterology, P.A.301.942.3550

Kimberly FosterComplete Care for Kids301.540.8974

Marilee HallNext Generation Pediatrics, LLC301.832.6048

Fran LinfordAdventist Medical Group301.315.3826

Victor LowThe Plastic Surgery Institute of Washington301.881.7770

Margarita OrfanosPlotsky Medical Associates, P.C.301.330.0661

Ada PerkinsThe Feldman ENT Group301.657.7850

12 ROUNDS

International Travellers' Clinic

September 2011 13

Progressive Networking Night Planned for Young Physicians

Young physician members of MCMS are invited

to a unique event on Thursday, October 20th. The

first-ever Progressive Networking Night is a take-

off on the “progressive dinner” idea which is being

modified to give young physicians a chance to

network at three different practices all located in

one medical office building. It will also give the

three “host physicians” a chance to talk about what

is unique about their practices, and to share office

procedures and policies with those attending.

The three practices are all located at 9715

Medical Center Drive. They are the practices of

Brent Faulkner, M.D., plastic surgery, Joshua Katz,

M.D., colorectal surgery, and Dongmei Wang, M.D.,

hematology/oncology.

The event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and the

group will move to the next office after forty five

minutes. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be offered

at each location.

This is just one of many exciting events that are

open to young physician members of the Society

to help you build your referral base and build a

stronger sense of community.

MCMS is proud to welcome HSBC Bank USA as its newest Corporate Partner.

With a global reach spanning 87 countries, local expertise in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C., and a full range of financial resources, HSBC Bank is committed to healthcare professionals and their practices.

Dedicated healthcare banking relationship managers assist professionals with their personal and business needs includ-ing deposits, investments, insurance, cash management, credit cards, merchant services, payroll services, and financing such as working capital lines of credit, term loans, equipment loans, and personal and business mortgages. Contact Ann D. Conger, Senior Health Care Banking Relationship Manager of Pre-mier Corporate & Professional Services at 202.496.8757 or ann.d.conger@us.hsbc.com.

MCMS Welcomes New Corporate Partner

MCMS's Special Awards Committee has announced its award recipients for 2011. The 2011 awards are being presented at the September 21st General Membership Meeting at Manor Coun-try Club. Delegate Heather Mizeur and Senator Jennie Fore-hand will receive the 2011 Dr. Henry & Page Laughlin-MCMS Outstanding Public Official awards. Nominated by Drs. Carol Garvey & Bruce Smoller respectively, these public officials have advocated for legislative initiatives which promote access to qual-ity medical care and/or public health initiatives, and have been supportive of enhancing the medical practice environment. Dr. Stephen Rockower will receive the Dr. Henry & Page Laughlin-MCMS Outstanding Physician Member Award. He was nomi-nated by Drs. Robert Karp & Betsy Ballard. They noted, " 'Rocky' gives his time and shares his expertise unselfishly, and is a role model for other current and future organized medicine lead-ers!" Nominated by Shannon Pryor, M.D., Dr. Robert Karp, will receive the Dr. Henry & Page Laughlin-MCMS Outstanding Of-ficer Award. In her nomination, Dr. Pryor noted that "he was able to help guide the society through a difficult time following the fire that destroyed our building and ultimately handed over the presi-dency with MCMS in a stronger position than when he began."

MCMS Annual Awards Being Presented at September

General Membership Meeting

14 ROUNDS

On June 7th 50 female MCMS members met for an evening of networking, fun and relaxation for a good cause. Held at Bloom-ingdales, the physicians enjoyed wine and hors d’ouerves while learning how to dress for their profession and how to transition day-time professional clothing to evening events, like Medi-cal Society meetings, meetings with practice partners, or PTA meetings. Dr. Helen Barold, co-chair of the MCMS Women in Medicine committee, “modeling” a lovely set of scrubs, welcomed everyone and made introductions. Then seven MCMS members modeled outfits on the “runway.” The models included doctors Kathy Huang, Lynne Diggs, Joy Chen, Carolyn O’Conor, Irfana Ali, and Natasha Herz. Each physician modeled two outfits. Everyone noted that they were particularly happy to spend time having a bit of “out-of-the-box” fun after a long day at work.

Once the networking and style show ended, physicians had time to shop for clothing. During that evening, $300 (10 per-cent of the cost of purchases by the physicians) was donated by Bloomingdales to The Tree House Child Assessment Center of Montgomery County, Maryland.

MCMS has worked with the Tree House during the holiday season collecting stuffed animals to be given to children during the year when they first come in for their assessment in-take. Tree House representative, Pamela Hendershot, was so grate-ful for the donation from Bloomingdales and the decision by MCMS physicians to direct to toward such a wonderful cause.

The next MCMS Women in Medicine event, the annual Sunday brunch, will be held at the home of Dr. Helene Rodbard on Sun-day, October 2nd. (See flyer on page 8) To RSVP call MCMS at 301.921.4300 or go to www.montgomerymedicine.org. MCMS is planning one more event in November for female physician mem-bers. Check the website for details.

MCMS Female Physicians Learn to Dress for Their Profession

As chair of the Nominating Committee for 2011, Dr. Robert Karp will announce the Nominating Commit-tee’s slate at the September General Membership Meeting as per the bylaws.

The following officers would serve with Dr. Duane Taylor, who will become President in 2012.

Brent Faulkner, M.D., President-ElectShannon Pryor, M.D., Vice PresidentLynn Diggs, M.D., SecretaryAli Hendi, M.D., Treasurer

Nominations may be made from the floor of persons at-tending the membership meeting. Elections will be held at the January General Membership Meeting.

Nominating Committee Slate Presented for 2011-12

MedChi's annual meeting and House of Delegates will be Saturday and Sunday, September 24 & 25 in Frederick, Mary-land. Twenty-five MCMS members will represent you at this policymaking meeting. A number of resolutions have been submitted by MCMS. These resolutions will be considered first by reference committees and then by the full House of Delegates on Friday. If passed, they become policy of MedChi and, if they call for legislative action, they will be directives to MedChi's Legislative Committee and lobbyists for the legislative session beginning in January. The resolutions which have been submitted are on topics including prior authorization, truth in advertis-ing of health care professionals' credentials, EHR vendor lock, establishing an employed physicians committee, and tracking of compliance with the newly-implemented Assignment of Benefits law. Also, MCMS submitted a memorial resolution to honor Dr. Maria Benzinger, an active MCMS and Alliance member who passed away last spring.

MedChi House of Delegates September 24-25 in Frederick

September 2011 15

The MCMS Community Outreach Committee, chaired by Dr. Michael Dempsey, is continuing its work with the Montgomery County Obesity Prevention Strategy Committee on assisting physicians working with patients, particularly pediatric patients, who are considered overweight or obese. Currently one of the nation’s biggest health problems, MCMS members will find short suggestions and ideas in upcoming MCMS e/fax newsletters that can be used when discussing this issue with patients.

Dr. Dempsey now represents MCMS on Healthy Montgom-ery, the Community Health Improvement Process for Montgom-ery County, MD.

Several MCMS physicians offered to assist taking blood pressure at the MCPS Back to School Fair on August 27th. Due to Hurricane Irene, the event was cancelled. It will be resched-uled for August 2012. If you would like to get more involved in community projects through MCMS contact Susan Raskin at 301.291.4300 or sraskin@montgomerymedicine.org.

Community Outreach Committee Focuses on Childhood ObesityMCMS Female Physicians

Annual Brunch Event on Sunday, October 2

MCMS female physicians will be able to network,

enjoy delicious fare, and spend a few hours

relaxing at our annual MCMS Women in Medicine

Fall Networking Brunch. For the fourth year,

women physician members will be invited to a

member’s lovely home for this annual event. This

year, Helena Rodbard, M.D., an endocrinologist,

will host the event at her residence in Potomac.

The brunch will be held on Sunday, October 2nd

from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. If you wish to attend

please contact Anu at 301.921.4300, asetlur@

montgomerymedicine.org or RSVP online at http://

www.montgomerymedicine.org/rsvp.html. This

will be a lovely way to welcome autumn, and to

enjoy meeting your women physician colleagues.

More than fifty MCMS members gathered on Thursday, August 11th, at The Bottle Shop in Potomac in a collegial atmosphere to learn more about Maryland and Virginia wines. Members brought brochures about their new prac-tice locations, and discussed what was unique about their own specialties in this laid back setting. Two new members joined and were welcomed by their colleagues.

Members Gather for Summer Networking Wine Tasting Event

Montgomery County Medical Society15855 Crabbs Branch WayRockville, MD 20855Address service requested