Alberta Doctors' Digest May-June 2013

May-June 2013 | Volume 38 | Number 3

Many Hands™ make a better world.

Alberta doctors volunteer their time to good causes both

here and abroad.

DIGEST

What’s new online?Many Hands™, interactive

AMA advocacy timeline and what's new in social media.

Alberta Doctors'

Experience the compelling story of

the Alberta Medical Association’s roots.

Patients First®

AMA MISSIoN STATEMENT

The AMA stands as an advocate for its physician members, providing leadership and support for their role in the provision of quality health care.

CoVEr PHoTo: Edmonton ophthalmologist Dr. Karim F. Damji is leading the fight against glaucoma in east Africa in collaboration with local and international doctors such as Dr. Abeba Giorgis, pictured. ( provided by Dr. Karim F. Damji)

6 Many Hands™ make a better world Alberta doctors volunteer their time to good causes both here and abroad. The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is celebrating how these simple actions can lead to big changes.

10 Experience the compelling story of the Alberta Medical Association’s roots Dr. J. Robert Lampard tells the story of the first president of the AMA in this first installment of a new series of medical history articles.

25 What’s new online? Many Hands™, interactive AMA advocacy timeline and what's new in social media.

Patients First® is a registered trademark of the Alberta Medical Association.

Alberta Doctors’ Digest is published six times annually by the Alberta Medical Association for its members.

Editor: Dennis W. Jirsch, MD, PhD

Co-Editor: Alexander H.G. Paterson, MB ChB, MD, FRCP, FACP

Editor-in-Chief: Marvin Polis

President: R. Michael Giuffre, MD, MBA, FRCP, FRCPC, FACC, FAAC

President-Elect: Allan S. Garbutt, PhD, MD, CCFP

Immediate Past President: Linda M. Slocombe, MDCM, CCFP

Alberta Medical Association 12230 106 Ave NW Edmonton AB T5N 3Z1 T 780.482.2626 TF 1.800.272.9680 F 780.482.5445 [email protected] www.albertadoctors.org

July/August issue deadline: June 14

The opinions expressed in Alberta Doctors’ Digest are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the Alberta Medical Association or its Board of Directors. The association reserves the right to edit all letters to the editor.

The Alberta Medical Association assumes no responsibility or liability for damages arising from any error or omission or from the use of any information or advice contained in Alberta Doctors’ Digest. Advertisements included in Alberta Doctors’ Digest are not necessarily endorsed by the Alberta Medical Association.

© 2013 by the Alberta Medical Association

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CoNTENTS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

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4 From the Editor

8 Health Law Update

14 Mind Your Own Business

16 Insurance Insights

18 Residents’ Page

20 Web-footed MD

22 PFSP Perspectives

26 In a Different Vein

30 Classified Advertisements

May-June 2013

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AMA - AlbertA Doctors’ Digest

The mound of Alberta Doctors’ Digest issues that I keep in

a drawer beside my desk has grown to overflowing and I will have to find another space. Rereading several dozen of my

articles, however briefly, is a mixed blessing. There is the small joy of recognizing favorite themes but I am piqued, as usual, at my output, which I regard as too terse, too constrained and which I would prefer to flow more easily.

Regarding recurring themes, I find my pre-medical background in biology is evident. I’m obviously impressed that we must not forget our place in the animal kingdom and note the maladies that affect us often have analogues in other living creatures. On the political front I’ve spent a fair bit of ink decrying the arbitrary and ill-founded decisions made with respect to health care in the province and have had special animus for the self-serving leaders whose pay packets ultimately revealed their grotesque egotism. I’ve taken on some sacred cows too, distraught at the tiresome search for cost savings after yet another political or administrative fiat has turned things upside down again. Impetuous change means systemic disruption, of course, as new functionaries go through the latest version of musical chairs to acquaint themselves with revamped jobs, impossible spans of control and new masters.

I like to think I’ve learned a few things over the course of half a dozen years. Firstly, I can’t predict what subject matter will prove contentious or inflammatory. Some years ago I wrote about the loss of professionalism, the diminishing status of docs and the general tendency to drop the honorific “Doctor” in communication with physicians. I didn’t expect the response I got and it’s clear that many docs are comfortable without the title that was once perhaps more dearly held. My surprise may relate to my years or perhaps new customs represent social or evolutionary change, akin to the way male docs now forego neckties and starched shirts.

Spring cleaning

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I’ve learned too that the “KISS” principle still holds: Keep-It-Simple-Stupid. No matter how inclined I am to use the latest $10 polysyllabic word, I have to admit it’s usually a mistake and an irritant and I realize that straightforward repetition of one’s point is best. In writing for an audience, that other old saw pertains: Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. And finally, tell them what you’ve told them.

FRoM THE EDiToR4

Dennis W. Jirsch, MD, PhD | EDITOR

Health care in particular has become replete with half-thoughts, slogans and catch-phrases. I regard these persistent notions as memes, superficially attractive but often with little content.

I’d like to say I’ve learned self-discipline, but it wouldn’t be true. Too often I’m ambushed by a looming deadline with no real topic at hand and nothing promising in my noggin. This is not to say that colleagues have been reluctant with their own suggestions. Au contraire. But it’s hard to write to other people’s concerns ¬ much better when one's subject matter is truly owned, when there’s fire in the belly. I find that I agree with song-meister Leonard Cohen who has said that with the passing years he no longer feels the need to have an opinion on absolutely everything. Hurrah, Leonard.

Writing is an ordeal and putting one’s bum on a chair is hard slogging. My physiology requires the spur of an imminent deadline and the adrenaline involved. The discipline ¬ if there is any ¬ requires eventual but complete surrender of the final product. Early on I found I would agonize over commas, prepositions and clumsy arguments and would think dark thoughts at an editor’s omission of a word or two that had wormholed its way into my head. Grudgingly, I must admit that editorial

May-June 2013

changes are usually improvements and, even if not, are generally small things that will go unnoticed.

I have developed an admiration for some of the writers in our newspapers: Andrew Coyne, Graham Thomson, even the bumptious Conrad Black. Farther afield, I wish I could write a smidgen as well as essayists Mark Slouka, Edward Hoagland and Annie Dillard, whose prose is unerringly clear and graceful. I have read that Stephen J. Gould, prolific author of The Panda’s Thumb1 wrote just one draft and that from a detailed outline ¬ a sensible notion that I’ve tried to no avail. I’ve found, however, that the scrawl of a rough draft and the more burnished ones that follow are the only way I have of making sense of things, of determining how I really feel. The recursive link between scribble and thought may be backward but it’s necessary for me, and the size of the hand in the cerebral homunculus is no surprise.

> waiting, cross-town or cross-country travel and care that is too often peremptory or unnecessarily difficult. This all may be the price we pay for Medicare, I know, but to trumpet that it is “patient-focused” is galling.

So there are memes aplenty. I’m troubled by contagious calls to “break down the silos” in health care, and the blather that promises “evidence-informed decision-making.” The more outrageous memes will likely make for good discussion. On the other hand it may be too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel.

I’ll take the chance.

References

1. Gould, Stephen Jay, The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History, Norton & Co., 1992.

2. Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene, New York, Oxford University Press, 1976.

3. Brodie, Richard, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Mind, Seattle, Integral Press, 1996.

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The most irritating meme in health care has to be the continuing drivel promising “patient-focused care.”

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For future submissions, I’ve recently become interested in “memes.” Readers may recall that Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins has argued that discrete units of information he called “memes” compete for air-time and survival in our lives as modes of cultural transmission.2 As Richard Brodie explains, “Your thoughts are not always your original ideas. You catch thoughts ¬ you get infected with them, both directly from other people and indirectly from viruses of the mind.”3 Health care in particular has become replete with half-thoughts, slogans and catch-phrases. I regard these persistent notions as memes, superficially attractive but often with little content.

“Your call is important to us,” is a meme in my opinion, a tedious lie that survives in spite of its evident nonsense to callers waiting on the phone. “Developing efficiencies” in health care is a meme as well. Just as the endless search for profit holds sway in our economic endeavors, the search for efficiencies and cost-cutting in the health care enterprise prevails and has usurped reasoned discussion. How efficient is sufficient? What is the efficiency end game? At what cost to patients, professions and our social fabric?

The most irritating meme in health care has to be the continuing drivel promising “patient-focused care.” The term has survived some decades now and with each rejigging of the system we’re promised care that is patient-centered. Best we remember here that “patienthood” awaits us all ¬ we will all cross over to “the other side” and will know soon enough about queues and


6 CovER FEATURE

Many HandsTM make a better world

The streets are overcrowded, dirty and noisy. There is no access to clean water. Large families share small living quarters and most of the family income

pays for food. Medical care is a luxury few can afford. Addressing all these issues may seem overwhelming, but as Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Countless physicians are creating ripples that benefit those around them. From providing much needed medical care in third-world countries to making donations to a local food bank, Alberta’s doctors volunteer their time in many ways. To celebrate the charitable work physicians do, the AMA launched the Many Hands™ initiative in April.

The idea for the initiative came from AMA’s Immediate Past President Dr. Linda M. Slocombe’s valedictory speech last fall. During her speech she mentioned the importance of physicians giving back to their communities through more than just the health care services they provide.

Dr. Slocombe’s term as president gave her the opportunity to meet many doctors from across the province, many of whom shared with her stories about the volunteer work they undertake.

“I was amazed by the number of physicians I met who were involved in charitable work in their communities, the province and even internationally,” said Dr. Slocombe. “I felt it was important to showcase the amazing work being done and to encourage others to do the same.”

The AMA’s Many Hands™ initiative will share stories of the charitable work of Alberta’s physicians and will also list volunteer opportunities for those who want to get involved.

For more information, to view a video interview with Dr. Slocombe and for volunteer opportunities, visit www.albertadoctors.org/advocating/many-hands.

Alberta doctors making a difference

Here are some projects in which Alberta doctors are involved and some images those physicians wanted to share.

Battling blindness: Edmonton ophthalmologist Dr. Karim F. Damji leads the fight against glaucoma in east Africa. Through Grand Challenges Canada, a program that encourages innovation to improve global health conditions, Dr. Damji is working to increase awareness of the importance of regular eye exams, expand early detection and treatment training. >

Alberta doctors volunteer their time to good causes both here and abroad. The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is celebrating how even simple actions can lead to big changes.

Fighting glaucoma means a smile for this African patient. ( provided by Dr. Karim F. Damji)

https://www.albertadoctors.org/advocating/many-hands

May-June 2013

7off the beaten path: Edmonton physician and dentist Dr. Kevin W. Lobay is inspired by the patients he meets as he travels the world. Dr. Lobay volunteers with Kindness in Action, a non-partisan Alberta group with a primary focus on oral health.

The Zamboanga project: Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson shares his medical expertise with the Ateneo de Zamboanga Medical School on the Philippines Island of Mindanao. This project is one of several sponsored by the University of Calgary (U of C) Faculty of Medicine.

Eye of the Storm: A Calgary orthopedic surgeon brings expertise and compassion to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Dr. Paul Duffy put together a team from Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre to travel as part of Team Broken Earth, a Newfoundland-based non-profit.

Global medicine: Dr. Kim Solez, a University of Alberta (U of A) professor in laboratory medicine and pathology, was inspired to help meet the need for rural physicians in Nepal. He is the founding member of the U of A Patan Academy of Health Sciences Nepal Global Health Group, one of the largest global health initiatives on campus.

Food for thought: Dr. Allan S. Garbutt was looking to help address hunger in his hometown of Crowsnest Pass and he knew the local food bank could always use beef. Working with Back Country Butchering, Dr. Garbutt and his colleagues donated just over 315 kilograms of hamburger ¬ enough to feed food bank clients for approximately five months.

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Team Broken Earth brings surgical expertise to Haiti. ( provided by Dr. Paul Duffy)

Building healthy communities in Nepal. ( provided by Dr. Kim Solez)

Fighting local hunger in Crowsnest Pass. ( provided by Joni MacFarlane)

Kindness in Action provides oral health support. ( provided by Dr. Kevin W. Lobay)

Training future physicians in the Philippines. ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)

Share your story

The AMA is looking for more stories to share about members’ volunteer work. To share your story, small or large, please email Alexis D. Caddy, Communications Consultant, AMA, at [email protected].


In the last edition of Alberta Doctors’ Digest, in the context of the

(then) ongoing inquiry into Improper Preferential Access to Publicly Funded Services, I posed the question: “Why is there a

queue?” Since then, the inquiry has concluded, pending the issuance of a final report by the commissioner.

By way of background, the terms of reference for the inquiry were to consider:

a. Whether improper preferential access to publicly funded health services is occurring; and

b. If there is evidence of improper preferential access to publicly funded health services occurring, make recommendations to prevent improper access in the future.

The hearings commenced on December 3, 2012, in Edmonton and continued for seven days. The hearings continued in Calgary in January, ultimately concluding on February 28. In total, 69 witnesses were called by commission counsel: 61 “evidence” witnesses to speak to alleged instances of preferential access to publicly funded health services; and eight “expert” witnesses, two of whom spoke to the background of Canada’s and Alberta’s publicly funded health system, and six of whom provided opinion evidence on improper preferential access and recommendations regarding policies and procedures to prevent future occurrences. Additional testimony was submitted by way of sworn statements.

At the conclusion of the hearings, the commissioner invited commission counsel and parties with standing to prepare written submissions summarizing the evidence and their respective positions on the issues addressed during the inquiry.

In its submission, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA)1 took the position that the terms of reference gave rise to a number of key issues to be addressed:

a. What is the “queue?” (And why is there a queue?)

b. What is “preferential access?”

c. What are “publicly funded health services?”

d. What does “is occurring” mean (i.e., what are the temporal limits of the inquiry)?

e. Is there evidence that preferential access to publicly funded health services is occurring?

f. If so, is there evidence that such preferential access is “improper?”

g. If there is evidence improper preferential access is occurring, what (if anything) can or should be done to prevent such improper access in the future?

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Jonathan P. rossall, QC, LLM | PARTNER, MCLENNAN ROSS LLP

The focus of the AMA was to resist interference with the integrity of the traditional doctor/patient relationship.

HEAlTH lAW UPDATE

Preferential access: Part Two

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It was the AMA’s position that the answer to the first question, “What is the queue?” was critical. In other words, this inquiry was about “preferential access” to what? The AMA’s perspective was that the “queue” which should be of concern to the commissioner is the

“queue” forming when the patient is seeking to access the Alberta Health Services (AHS) system ¬ the hospital (for surgery); the diagnostic clinic (for pathology, or imaging such as radiographs or MRI); or the colonoscopy clinic (for routine screening). It is submitted that whatever processes or means the patient endured or utilized to get to that queue were beyond the scope of the inquiry. This position that the “queue” starts at the AHS door is completely consistent with how wait times are measured

May-June 2013

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The Canada Health Act does not guarantee patients “equal” or even “equitable” access to health services.

and documented in the Alberta Provincial Waitlist Registry, as well as how wait times are measured across Canada.

The focus of the AMA was to resist interference with the integrity of the traditional doctor/patient relationship and, specifically, to minimize further regulation or interference with the practice of “professional courtesy” amongst physicians, families and friends. Although many of these services were “publicly funded,” the AMA felt that the means by which patients gain access to AHS services should remain the purview of physicians.

> the primary objective of Canadian health care policy is to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.2

“Reasonable” does not necessarily equate to “equal.”

In the result, the AMA submitted that those incidents revealed in the inquiry that actually related to present activity (preferential access that “is” occurring) were isolated and exceptional, and already subject to existing policies and procedures designed to prevent such access. While continuing education and reminders were useful, no further regulation or policy was required.

The one exception was to urge the commissioner to consider recommending the expansion of the scope of Alberta’s Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act3 to apply to persons other than

“employees” and, specifically, health care professionals such as physicians. This was in light of the evidence regarding the reluctance of some individuals to investigate or file complaints, given the stature of the persons allegedly involved.

The commissioner’s final report is expected at, or before, the end of August.

References

1. The submissions of all the parties, including the AMA's complete submission, are available on the commission’s website, www.healthaccessinquiry.com.

2. Canada Health Act, RSC 1985, c C-6, s.3.

3. S.A. 2012, c. P39.5.

Aside from defining exactly what the “queue” is, the AMA submitted that the other critical issue was the question of what kinds of preferential access were, in fact, “improper.” Almost all access to publicly funded health services was, to some extent, preferential even if only because someone got to a facility faster than someone else. However, answering the question of whether that preferential access was improper triggered the second part of the mandate of the inquiry:

“If there is evidence of improper preferential access to publicly funded health services occurring, (the commissioner may) make recommendations to prevent improper access in the future.”

The issue of “improper” preferential access was discussed at length among the expert panels. Central to any discussion of improper access was the question of harm. If someone is given access to a service because of a favor, or because they are a “squeaky wheel,” is there harm to others? If someone is seen after hours with no one’s position being usurped, is there a detrimental effect?

Some experts would argue that yes, there is harm in that the integrity of the system is brought into question. But it should be recalled, the Canada Health Act does not guarantee patients “equal” or even “equitable” access to health services. The Canada Health Act provides that

Did you know that you can now download a podcast of Alberta Doctors’ Digest from iTunes? If you don’t have time to read the whole issue, listen to the professionally produced interviews and stories while you commute to your office or do other things at work or at home. You’ll find each issue at http://bit.ly/Wg7YpO.

AlbertA Doctors’ Digest NoW oN iTUNES!


In his short life of 55 years (1858-1913), he accomplished much and left even more for future generations. Born in Sir William Osler’s home of Dundas, Ontario, and nine years younger than Dr. Osler, he graduated from the University of Toronto in 1878 ¬ too young to legally write a prescription. So he signed a four-year contract as the fourth North West Mounted Police surgeon and headed up the Missouri that fall like Mark Twain, the year after Sitting Bull and 2,900 Sioux had crossed into Canada, and one year before the buffalo disappeared.

Arriving in Fort Macleod, his nearest colleague was Dr. John Kittson, 425 kilometers away in Fort Walsh. After 1882, Dr. Leverett G. deVeber was his closest colleague ¬ in Calgary. In 1883, he took the first train east from Calgary to get married. (Back then, trains sometimes determined when you could get married.) He provided care to the Lethbridge miners until Dr. Frank H. Mewburn arrived in 1886, the same year Dr. Osler toured southern Alberta. They talked about tuberculosis (TB).

10 FEATURE

Experience the compelling story of the Alberta Medical Association’s roots

Our beginning is small but it reflects credit on us that we have been able to make a beginning at all. – Dr. George A. Kennedy speaking on the origins of the AMA.

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In the May/June 2012 Alberta Doctors’ Digest,

I encouraged all readers and Alberta Medical Association (AMA) members to give serious thought to writing a memoir about the significant personal or medical events in their lives. I hope this idea has been given some consideration, particularly by members with the perspective of a lifetime.

In researching Alberta’s medical history over the years, I occasionally stumbled on a document or autobiographical essay squirreled away in a file or archive. Usually it was in the first person. These were always exciting finds, giving first-hand reflections on life events that were important to the authors. They were treasures to say the least.

I am grateful that the AMA has offered to print a series of condensations of them, which I will narrow to medical topics and issues at the time. They will highlight the influence and impact physicians have had on medicine in Alberta and Canada. These physicians went well beyond pioneering and providing care under limited and challenging circumstances.

The first essay focuses on Dr. George A. Kennedy and the origins of the AMA. Visitors to the AMA office in Edmonton may have seen a photo of him outside the boardroom, leading the long line of AMA presidential photographs. Dr. Kennedy greeted the first group of organized physicians in Western Canada, in 1890, and read them his charge.

J. robert Lampard, MD

At the first Canadian Medical Association meeting west of Toronto (Banff in 1889), he presented the only paper at the meeting by a prairie physician, on “A Climate of Southern Alberta,” and its relation to disease.

Immediately after the meeting he was elected president of the Northwest Territories Medical Association (NWTMA) for 1889-90. He continued on the Northwest Territories (NWT) Medical Council established by the

Dr. George A. Kennedy. ( provided by Glenbow Museum, Calgary AB)

May-June 2013

1888 Ordinance, becoming the president from 1901-06. It was superseded by the Alberta and Saskatchewan medical associations and colleges. He would become the second president of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta.

At the second meeting of the NWTMA in Medicine Hat in September 1890, Dr. Kennedy charged the assembled members, and all future ones, with a set of expectations and predictions that are worth repeating. Although 123 years have passed, his foresight and insight into the life of the AMA and its members is worth recalling for the inspiration it provides.

“It is almost impossible to overestimate the importance of what we have before us. From smallest acorns, giant oaks do grow. Our beginning is small but it reflects credit on us that we have been able to make a beginning at all. When we reflect that Manitoba, with its metropolitan city, its medical college, its population, dense as compared to ours, and its easy means of communication between all parts of a province infinitely smaller than our territory, was able, only this last spring, to form an association, we have, I say, every reason for self-glorification in having justly earned the title of the premier medical association of Western Canada.

“Our beginning is small, I repeat, but who will say that we cannot look forward with confidence to the time when the NWTMA will be the parent organization of numerous city, country, and provincial associations, all formed and carried on for the same purpose ¬ the intercommunication of ideas, the scientific discussion of medical and surgical subjects, and the elevation generally, of our noble profession. The association has a long, useful and honorable career before it. Difficulties there may be, but difficulties were made to be overcome. Disappointments will crop up, and there will doubtless be times of trial, times when things look gloomy, when the spirit will be weary, and we may be inclined to say, Cui Bono, and throw up the sponge. These times come in the lives of associations, as they do in the lives of individuals. But we are most of us young, and I have an idea that we are not formed of the stuff of which failures are made. A little sustained enthusiasm, a little self sacrifice at times, a little of a feeling towards the Association, kindred to that which we cherish towards our alma mater, and the future can bring us nothing that we need fear.

“To that end, and looking towards the future, I trust that the constitution of the association which it will be your duty to approve has been framed in the broadest and most liberal spirit. To rear a superstructure, both solid and enduring, the foundation must be both broad and deep. There must be no room for dissensions, for future envy or sectional jealousy. Nothing is more blighting in its effects, nothing is more dangerous than internal dissensions, and nothing is more productive of them than a badly framed constitution. The democratic principle can hardly be carried too far. Let the work be thoroughly done.

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I have an idea that we are not formed

of the stuff of which failures are made.

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“A matter ultimately connected with this and naturally following it is the adoption of a tariff of fees, which, having received the sanction of the association, will serve as a guide to each one of us and be recognized by the courts. I think I may leave this to you in the full confidence that the duty will be efficiently performed.

“There is a subject to which I hope to refer during our proceedings, which requires, not so much discussion, as action, at our hands. It is the care of the insane in the NWT. As the law at present stands, lunatics may be kept confined in the common jails, or more frequently in the mounted police guardrooms, for periods varying from a week to two or three months, while evidence is being taken, and the Lieutenant Governor deciding as to what course he shall take. If the evidence appears to him to warrant such action he directs the lunatic to be forwarded to Manitoba. He or she, as the case may be, is then taken not to an asylum, but to the penitentiary at Stoney Mountain, where some 70 from the territories are now confined, in a wing, which is given up entirely to them. Although confined in a penitentiary they are as well treated as possible, under the circumstance, still, it is not right that such a state of affairs should be allowed to continue. They cannot of necessity have that care and attention and those surroundings, which gives them the best chance of recovery, if curable, or lighten their dark lot, if reason is gone forever. I am personally averse to making many representations to government, entailing the expenditure of public monies, but I certainly think we should be recreant to our trust, if we did not direct attention to the existing state of affairs, and urge upon the government our conviction that an asylum for the territories is a great and pressing public necessity.

“Another matter which calls for action on our part, if we find that any action we can take will be productive of good, is the sanitation of the small towns and villages that are everywhere beginning to dot our prairies. We must not forget that while our lives are devoted to the alleviation of suffering and the cure of disease, our highest duty is to prevent disease, to act as guardians of the public health, to keep the enemy always on the outside. There is not a doubt but that the defective sanitation of our small towns and villages is mainly responsible for many cases of preventable typhoid and other fevers. There is, on the statute book, an ordinance, excellent in its way and specially framed to prevent the evils of which I speak, but, like too many of our laws and ordinances, it is almost a dead letter, for there is no one to enforce it.”

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Dr. George E. Learmonth described Dr. Kennedy as “of medium height, of handsome features and of military bearing.” He was much attracted “by his genial personality and keen intelligence.” His competence extended to polo, hunting and golfing. He helped establish the only golf course between Winnipeg and Vancouver. In his memory, the Kennedy trophy was presented for medal play at the 1937 Alberta medical golf tournament.

Sadly, Dr. Kennedy developed an ulcer on his tongue which was cancerous. Visits to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg followed. He died after surgery in Winnipeg, ending his plans to visit medical centers in England to study TB, once his son Alan had joined him in practice. Fort Macleod lost its most notable pioneer and one of the finest physicians medicine could provide.

Want to know more about Dr. George A. Kennedy? Find out how Dr. Kennedy saved the life of a prominent Alberta lawyer who had been shot in the chest ¬ a big achievement given the medical resources available in the 1880s. This is just one of the many stories about pioneering Alberta

doctors in the AMA website series “Patients First® for over 100 years.” Scan the QR code or go to bit.ly/10qnuuI to visit this part of the website.

Dr. Kennedy’s eloquence and attention were not limited to these concerns. He would advocate to secure physician coverage for the Blood Indians wherever it was absent. He researched and wrote of the last great Indian battle under the Lethbridge Bridge between the Crees and Blackfoot in 1870. He sent a team to the Frank Slide in 1903, and vigorously pursued the establishment of a Dominion Medical Council and a national portable examination.

We must not forget that while our lives are devoted to the alleviation of suffering and the cure of disease, our highest duty is to prevent disease, to act as guardians of the public health, to keep the enemy always on the outside.

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May-June 2013

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Almost everyone has a busy professional life and there never

seems to be enough time in the day to get things done. We try to prioritize, but there always seems to be those few things that never get completed.

Part of effective time management is identifying what tasks are critical for you to complete and those that can be assigned to others.

Delegation of tasks and duties is a simple way to provide better management of items that require completion, but do not necessarily require your attention on an ongoing basis.

Some of the benefits of delegation are:

• Productivity: You will free up your valuable time to focus on other higher priority activities ¬ these are the things that you "want to do."

• Employee development: Adding new duties and responsibilities to an employee’s role will challenge them to grow professionally and expand their skill set. This will also aid in employee retention.

• Business effectiveness: By allowing more individuals to contribute, you will drive out new innovative solutions to existing problems and potentially define solutions to problems you never even knew existed.

• identify business need: Delegation of duties can occasionally lead to the identification of new business needs that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, e.g., new (or redundant) positions or the development/refining of existing processes, procedures or policies.

PMP Staff

• Succession planning: By giving new and more complex duties to staff, you will be able to assess their ability to take on more complex tasks and roles within your clinic or organization. In one sense, delegation is a trial to test an individual’s potential to advance.

How to delegate without having to ask: “Why didn’t they do that right?”

MiND YoUR oWN BUSiNESS14

Part of effective time management is identifying what tasks are critical for you to complete and those that can be assigned to others.

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You have no doubt used delegation in the past and have likely met with varying degrees of success. Delegation is not easy ¬ it is not on-the-spot and it requires a commitment on your part to ensure it is done correctly. More often than not, if the result is not what you expected, it is likely due to poor planning or delegation at the onset.

Once you decide which duties or tasks need to be taken off your personal list, you will want to ensure your success in the delegation by considering the following:

1. Determine who is best for the task: This first step is paramount for the success of the delegation as you need to ensure that the chosen individual:

a. Has the time and availability: There is no sense delegating a duty to someone who is already overburdened with other work.

May-June 2013

15b. Has the experience and knowledge: If the task is technical or requires experience, ensure that the person either possesses the knowledge or has access to someone who does.

c. Has the authority: If there is the potential that the person may need to enlist others to assist in the completion, ensure that he/she has the authority to do this.

d. Has the equipment: Do not undermine your employee in the completion of the task by not allowing access to specialized equipment to complete the task.

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Delegation is not easy – it is not on-the-spot and it requires a commitment on your part to ensure it is done correctly.

4. Provide a time line: You need to be clear on when you need the task completed, if there are certain items required by a certain date and what the consequences are if the deadline is missed. The person needs to understand the impact of failure on the clinic or organization.

5. Communicate to others: Once all the above steps have been completed, tell others in the office that you have delegated or assigned the task. This step is critical so that everyone knows you have delegated an item, and that you expect everyone will cooperate to ensure success.

6. Follow up: While all the above steps are important to the successful completion of the task, you must check-in with the person regularly, or book an appointment, so you can assess and validate all is moving forward according to your expectations. At these meetings, be prepared to alter the plan if it is off course and always reflect on “why” it went off course. Also ensure at these meetings you provide positive feedback to the person so he/she is aware of their success.

7. Review the final product: Once the task has been completed, take the time to review the results to determine:

a. What went well? Findings here will provide you with insight on how to reproduce the success in the future.

b. What did not go well? Findings here will allow you to reflect on how to ensure the problems are not encountered again in the future.

Releasing the control and delegating the task will be uncomfortable at first. However, with time, practice and good results, it should become a regular routine that benefits all involved on both a personal and professional level.

2. Share your vision: The individual you want to complete this task must understand what you want, so share with him/her how you envision the final product to look. Be descriptive, explain why it is important to you and what the impact will be if it is not done correctly. If appropriate, also explain the negative impacts if the task is done incorrectly.

3. Share all information: Ensure that you provide the person with all the information you have available. Do not waste time by investigating items you already have answers to or exploring options you already know do not work.

DiD YoU kNoW THAT YoU CAN CoMMENT oN THE PresiDent's Letter? You can now post comments and discuss issues raised in the President’s Letter with other Alberta Medical Association (AMA) members.

CoMMENTiNG iS EASY:

• Go to the latest President’s Letter.

• Sign in to the AMA website at www.albertadoctors.org. (That way, we know you’re a member.) You’ll see the gold Member Sign-in box at the top right of every website page.

• After you sign in, you’re right in the President’s Letter commenting section and ready to post your first comment.

Take a look at our commenting policy for some common-sense advice on keeping the conversation productive. And, of course, you will still be able to contact the president directly by email.


Opening a medical clinic can be extremely time

consuming with a seemingly endless list of items to manage and check before finally opening the doors to

patients. One area often overlooked is the terms of the premises lease, and in particular the insurance requirements found in the lease. These requirements are often buried several pages into the lease agreement and deal with various types of insurance requests from landlords including the type and amount coverage to be purchased, insurance covering leasehold improvements, clauses which require the landlord to be added to the policy and special clauses which require the landlord to be given extra notice if the policy is cancelled.

Phil Cunningham, BA (Hons), CIP | VICE PRESIDENT, MARDON GROUP INSURANCE

lease contract typically makes the lessor responsible for the cost of the renovations during the term of the lease, should anything happen such as a fire or water damage. When choosing a limit for contents and equipment, it is important to also include the cost of any renovations to the leased premises in this figure. Most leases require this inclusion; it is important to ensure adequate insurance limits in the event of a loss.

Commercial general liability

Commercial general liability provides protection against legal liability which arises out of the operation of a medical office. This does not include medical malpractice liability, which is a separate coverage provided by the Canadian Medical Protective Association. Commercial general liability coverage is needed, for example, where a member of the public is injured by a slip and fall in the medical office as a result of a wet floor or fraying carpet and brings an action against the medical office for injuries suffered. Landlords require all tenants to maintain commercial general liability coverage. Since there are various limits of commercial general liability available, the lease should be checked to determine the minimum level of liability coverage required. Typically insurance policies will offer $1 million of coverage as the standard option whereas many leases call for higher limits, such as $3 million or $5 million. Higher limits of commercial general liability are available from most insurance companies.

landlord added as an additional insured

Landlords, as a standard part of the premises lease, will require lessors to maintain insurance coverage. In addition to this requirement, some leases go one step further and require that the landlord be added to the insurance policy belonging to the lessor. This allows the landlord to have the benefit of the lessor’s insurance in the event of a loss and also reduces the possibility of

16

Protect your practice: Here’s how to get your lease and insurance in sync

iNSURANCE iNSiGHTS

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Landlords, as a standard part of the premises lease, will require lessors to maintain insurance coverage.

leasehold improvements

When leasing space for a medical office in a commercial building, renovations are often needed to make the space suit the needs of the practice. As an inducement, landlords may offer to pay for the cost of these renovations in return for the lessor signing a longer lease term. Sometimes the lessor may have to pay for the cost of the renovations himself/herself. In either case, the

May-June 2013

> the landlord’s policy being used. Clearly a clause such as this is favored by the landlord but it is becoming commonplace in leases and something which needs to be checked in order to comply with the lease contract.

17

It is advisable to have your insurance representative review the insurance section of your lease before you sign it.

30 days’ notice of cancellation to the landlord

This is another clause found in many leases. It requires that the insurance company provide the landlord with at least 30 days’ notice if the insurance policy belonging to the lessor is cancelled, even if the insurer does not give the lessor 30 days’ notice. As with the previous clause, lease terms such as these are all designed to give additional protection to the landlord.

Waiver of subrogation clause in favor of the landlord

Subrogation is the substitution of one person or group by another with reference to a lawful claim, demand or right.

When an insurer pays a claim on behalf of an insured, the insurance policy automatically transfers the right of subrogation from the insured to the insurer. Essentially, if an insurer pays a loss under the policy, it can seek reimbursement from the at-fault third party. Where a lease contract requires a waiver of subrogation in favor of the landlord, it is stating that the lessor’s insurer cannot seek reimbursement from the landlord for any damages the landlord may have caused, even if the lessor’s insurer has already paid to repair the damage. This type of clause is somewhat onerous, both on the lessor and on the lessor’s insurer. Not surprisingly many insurers are reluctant to agree to add this coverage to the insurance policy but it may be available for an additional premium from some insurers.

Your insurance representative wants to help

When opening a new medical office or transferring from one location to another, it is advisable to have your insurance representative review the insurance section of your lease before you sign it. That way you can make sure any policy purchased complies with the requirements of the lease.

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The Post Graduate Medical Education’s (PGME’s) Future

of Medical Education in Canada ¬ Postgraduate Project (FMEC-PG) created 10 recommendations for change to ensure

an improved collective vision for the training of future physicians. One of these recommendations is to create positive and supportive learning and work environments centered on our patients. This recommendation focuses on transforming our working environments into ones that foster respect among physicians and other care providers; it is reflective of an interprofessional and intraprofessional, collaborative, patient-centered approach to care. One key component of supportive workplaces that the FMEC project also addresses is the prioritization of care provider health and well-being. Together these aspects of the medical environment are key to encouraging supportive learning and work environments.

One of the most effective means of ensuring supportive workplaces is by effectively tending to the emotional challenges faced by our physician colleagues and ourselves. The frequency of mental health issues in our profession is finally beginning to be recognized within the medical community. We now know, based on substantial research, that physicians, residents and medical students have disproportionately higher rates of clinical depression, anxiety disorders, severe burnout, substance abuse and suicide compared to the general population. In fact, about one-in-10 medical professionals experience suicidal ideation within any given year. This trend is startling when you consider the much lower prevalence of suicidal ideation in the general population.

Dr. Brian J. Nadler | INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENT PHYSICIAN

With this evidence in mind, it is important that medical students and resident physicians who are learning how to practice medicine also learn that it is perfectly normal for us to have periods throughout our careers where our well-being is at risk and we require help. It is essential that our medical community is open and receptive to dialogue around physician mental health issues in order to foster a culture where these kinds of issues can be addressed in an accepting and supportive way. Resident physicians should feel safe accessing the ever-growing mental health resources available before a crisis ever forces the issue. This dialogue, acceptance and safety will help create confidence in the resources available to physicians in need, thus reducing the barriers to treatment.

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Do you want to create a supportive work environment? Here are some recommendations for change

RESiDENTS’ PAGE

We now know, based on substantial research, that physicians, residents and medical students have disproportionately higher rates of clinical depression, anxiety disorders, severe burnout, substance abuse and suicide compared to the general population.

It is also clear that our medical programs have a role to play in developing policies to enhance and ensure the well-being of our community. Peer support groups and awareness campaigns are valuable tools for encouraging

May-June 2013

19> dialogue around physician mental health and creating space where sharing wellness challenges is encouraged and accepted. Furthermore, exploration of physician mental health screening tools can also be used to help normalize well-being concerns and to help those in need. After all, the earlier in our education this awareness is introduced, the sooner these common struggles can be normalized, understood and addressed and that perceived stigma surrounding physician mental health can be lessened. This type of education has the added benefit of encouraging mindful self-awareness and improving our personal insight into both ourselves and others, thus supporting physician resilience.

Resident physicians should feel safe accessing the ever-growing mental health resources available before a crisis ever forces the issue.

As mental health advocate Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphane Grenier insists, it is imperative that we “understand the importance of balancing clinical and non-clinical interventions.” Certainly, as the FMEC-PG indicates, there is a place for physicians, at every level, to foster a positive work environment by encouraging a focus on

their own and their colleagues’ wellness. Training on and sensitization to physician mental health issues and the programs that are available to refer those in need can only help create this focus.

As I transition from a junior to a senior resident position, I have begun applying what I have learned about physician well-being from personal experiences, committee meetings and physician health conferences. With every team I join, I establish that one of my primary goals is to ensure the well-being of the junior residents and medical students. I encourage them to come to me if they are having any wellness challenges that they feel comfortable sharing, so that I can help ensure that they have the support, resources, time and space to enhance their wellness. I also ensure that there is an opportunity for debriefing unexpected events that may have caused distress and set up regular check-ins with each member of the team to discuss any concerns.

The FMEC project provides us with some initial steps in the prioritizing of physician wellness. On an organizational level, policies and procedures need to be put in place to ensure that physicians’ mental health is supported. On an interpersonal level, physician leaders must encourage a culture where physician health can be addressed in an accepting way. The role of each of us as physicians is to create a culture where open discussions of mental health issues are encouraged and normalized. Most importantly, we must remember to start with ourselves. Often, the best way to achieve a supportive learning and work environment is to ensure that our own well-being is being recognized and addressed, making it clear to the team that wellness is a priority.

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In the last issue, we looked at an overview of the new Windows 8

operating system for PC computers. In this issue, we’ll take a closer look at the new Windows 8 “Start Screen” which replaces the “Start Button” and

“Start Menu” in older versions of Windows.

Start Screen

The Start Screen now fills the entire display screen and is filled with square “tiles.” When the computer is connected to the Internet, some tiles display constantly updated information, such as news or local weather. Others provide links to applications/programs (apps). This new format is most useful on newer computers that have touch screens.

Start key

The Start Screen is displayed after you use your password to log into your computer. You can return to it at any time by pressing the Start key on the keyboard ¬ the one with the Windows symbol (four squares). If you hold down this key and press the “C” key, the “Charms Bar” will be displayed (see later). If you hold it and press the “D” key, the Windows Desktop is displayed.

Navigation

The Start Screen is wider than most display screens. You can use the left and right arrow keys to scroll the display. An alternative is to use the scroll wheel on your mouse (if available).

Personalization

You can personalize the Start Screen by clicking and dragging an application tile to a new location. This allows you to place frequently used applications in a convenient spot.

J. Barrie McCombs, MD, FCFP

Finding apps

The default Start Screen displays only a few of the many available apps. To see a complete list, right-click on a blank area of the Start Screen, then click on the “All Apps” icon in the lower right corner of the display. To add a new app to the Start Screen, right click on its icon in the All Apps list and then select “Pin to Start” from the options in the lower left of the display.

Unwanted apps

Some apps on the Start Screen may be of no immediate use to you. You can remove these by right-clicking on the app’s tile and then selecting the Unpin from Start option from the menu on the lower left of the display. The app will still be available in the “All Apps” list if you wish to use it later.

Using apps

Some apps take up the entire display and do not contain the usual “X” icon to close them. They remain open even after you return to the Start Screen. Having a large number of open apps could slow down computer performance, so you should periodically close those that are not needed. You can scroll through all open apps by holding down the Start key and pressing the Tab key at the same time.

Currently open apps

If you move your mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the display, a Start Screen icon will appear. Click on it to return to the Start Screen, or move the pointer upwards about one inch to display a list of all currently open apps. You can close an app in this list by right-clicking and then selecting the “Close” option.

Desktop

The Desktop is displayed by clicking on its tile on the Start Screen, and is similar to the one in older versions of Windows. It displays icons for your major applications.

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Windows 8 The Start Screen will get you ... started

WEB-FooTED MD

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May-June 2013

The Task Bar at the bottom of the display includes an icon for the full version of Internet Explorer. This differs from the simple version of Internet Explorer available from the tile on the Start Screen.

Charms Bar

The Charms Bar is a toolbar which provides access to the computer’s basic settings. The easiest way to open it is to hold down the Start button and then press the “C” key. It can also be displayed by moving the mouse pointer to the upper or lower right corner of the display. To turn your computer off, open the Charms Bar, select “Settings,” then “Power,” then “Shut Down.” The Settings toolbar also provides access to the Windows Help files.

The bottom line

Using the Windows 8 Start Screen is a totally new experience. You will need to invest some time and effort into learning how to use it effectively.

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Dr. Ian Bennett died in Lethbridge on February 13 after

a nine-month encounter with cancer. Last summer he took a medical leave from his Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP) duties and returned in October for what turned out to be his final team meeting. Ian was 73.

The death of a friend and colleague is hard to bear and hard in a few ways.

Death spells loss: the end of a relationship; the loss of a valued team member; a familiar and friendly face disappears.

The death of someone close to us is a memento mori. The poet, John Donne, describes the loss which is also a ringing reminder of our mortality:

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main ... Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne (c. 1572-1631), British divine, metaphysical poet. Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation 17 (1624).

The death of a colleague pierces the belief in our own indestructibility. As physicians we acquire special knowledge of disease and death; we assume this holy grail is self-protective. We witness the death and dying of our patients, while we continue to believe we can escape their fate. Like patients who, impatient and indignant, complain they are just too busy to get sick, we physicians are too busy to die. Our work is too important ¬ at least

Vincent M. Hanlon, MD | ASSESSMENT PHYSICIAN, PFSP

until someone hands you a yellow gown and tells you laconically that it opens at the back.

Ian’s work was important ¬ to his patients, to colleagues and to himself. When he retired from 36 years of full-service family practice in Fort Macleod he wasn’t ready to retire completely. Ian, along with his wife, Arline, moved to Lethbridge where he continued to work part-time with PFSP. It’s not easy to simply turn off a deep commitment to assisting colleagues in distress.

Ian brought to the PFSP team the experience gained from his decades of work as a family doctor. According to Dr. R. Sebastian David, his long-time colleague in Fort Macleod’s Walker Clinic, Ian was “an excellent physician and dedicated member of our community.” He brought that excellence and dedication to his PFSP work.

Learning integrity and compassion from Dr. Ian Bennett

22 PFSP PERSPECTivES

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Ian just began to talk. And it was like he was family. He didn’t work there, and had never been there before. But everyone just listened. Because they knew he belonged. He was there with them. He understood.

In a tribute to Ian that Dr. David wrote in The Macleod Gazette, he notes Ian’s strengths as a physician, colleague and teacher, and a member of his community. He honors Ian as "knowledgeable and caring ¬ though some might experience that caring as ‘tough love.'" He remembers Ian as a generous colleague, an interested teacher, a leader in continuing education for rural doctors, and an active and committed member of his community.

May-June 2013

23> Lee Hogan, the director of Criterion Group Inc., the service provider for PFSP, told me she especially misses Ian’s wisdom, his candor and spontaneity. He could and often did speak the language of the politically incorrect. He was witty in a self-deprecating way. PFSP assessment physicians, Dr. Wolfgang E. Schneider and Dr. Marc A. Chernwichan, remember Ian as a generous and humble mentor to them after they joined PFSP. He was tireless in his work, although Ms Hogan recalls that on occasion she realized she’d woken him up to pass on a call from the helpline. Ian was someone who enjoyed the pleasure of a nap ¬ ”just resting my eyes for a moment,” he would tell her over the phone.

A few days before Ian’s death in February, I attended Cabin Fever, an annual retreat for rural family doctors who preceptor residents. Over the years Ian was a frequent participant and presenter at Cabin Fever. My presentation this year was on teaching residents how to be more mindful in their personal and professional lives: To what extent do we teachers model mindfulness in our own lives?

Given my topic and recurring thoughts about Ian’s deteriorating condition, I wondered in what ways are we able to be present to a colleague afflicted with a serious illness? What can we teach residents about appropriate and necessary ways to recognize the good work of colleagues as we work side by side? How do we engage with the ill individual rather than defaulting to a discussion of their illness? After a colleague dies, do we take time to grieve our loss?

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Dr. Ian Bennett was known as

knowledgeable and caring – though some might

have experienced that caring as tough love.

Dr. Chernwichan also remembers traveling with Ian to a rural centre where PFSP was invited to speak to a group of doctors about dysfunctional behavior in the hospital workplace. You may be familiar with this place. Dr. Cherniwchan refers to it as “Everywhere, Alberta.” Dr. Cherniwchan opened their session with some of his trademark, dazzling photographs as a way to ease into a difficult discussion

... and then Ian took over and just began to talk. And it was like he was family there. He didn’t work there, and (to my knowledge) had never been there before. But everyone there just listened. Because they knew ... he belonged. He was there with them. He understood.

Ian was familiar with this territory. He worked with PFSP since its inception in 1998. Prior to that he’d spent a dozen years on the Physician Assistance Committee (PAC), the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta/AMA committee that preceded PFSP. PAC was tasked with the thorny issue of alcohol abuse by some physicians. Ian was there when that committee was formed too, in the days before the term “physician health” was invented. I can imagine him sitting around a meeting table with his PAC colleagues telling them impatiently, “Docs have other health problems apart from alcohol abuse.” Out of that broader and more inclusive understanding of physician health, PFSP was born.

In 2008 the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) recognized Ian’s long history of service to his colleagues. They awarded Ian and Dr. Marnie Hinton, his good friend and long-standing PFSP teammate, honorary membership in our national organization. Each of them exemplifies integritate et misericordia (integrity and compassion) ¬ words inscribed on the CMA coat of arms.

... his life and his legacy ... are Ian’s invitation "to reach a little further"

in our work, in our lives.

The last few weeks of Ian’s life unfolded at St. Michael’s Palliative Care Unit in Lethbridge. Living in Lethbridge myself, I visited Ian intermittently, bringing greetings to him from the PFSP team members and providing email updates to them. Even as a physician acquainted with death, I felt a little uncertain about how to walk this particular path. After being admitted to hospital, Ian surprised us. He rallied, and lived weeks longer

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Dr. Ian Bennett lived longer than expected in palliative care. ( provided by Dr. Vincent M. Hanlon)


In these weeks after Ian’s death, I feel an emptiness when I look around our meeting table. I’m slowly absorbing the reality of his absence. PFSP is less without Ian. At the same time, his life and his legacy are, in the words of another friend, Ian’s invitation “to reach a little further” in our work, in our lives.

than anyone anticipated. During one of our brief conversations, Ian offered a mock apology for “taking so long to die.”

During those visits with Ian and Arline, I was introduced to their children and grandchildren. The suspended unreality of those days was countered by the glorious late afternoon sunshine and the colorful drawings and messages adorning the walls from the kids for their granddad. The Bennett family’s friendly hospitality made me feel like an honorary member of the clan. I think of that experience as one more gift from this good mentor and his loving family.

Near the end of his life I asked Ian if he had any messages he would have me pass along to the team. “Keep up the good work,” he said simply. Coming from Ian I take that to mean ¬ honor the good work of all those who have gone before us. Celebrate the excellent work of our colleagues ¬ daily. Nurture while we can, and then have faith in the good work of those who carry on, after we leave the scene.

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Dr. Ian Bennett ( provided by the Bennett family)

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New in social media

The AMA has had a Twitter account since last August (https://twitter.com/Albertadoctors). We now have over 1,000 followers.

Their retweets mean that our news reaches a new and much broader audience ¬ one that includes our members, primary care networks, government, media and public.

We’ve also noticed over the past few months that a tremendous amount of traffic to our website is coming from Facebook accounts.

This is one of the reasons that we’ve decided to launch a new AMA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AlbertaMedicalAssociation).

Visit the page for AMA news, photos and videos as well as information about events and publications.

Connect with us through your own Facebook account. Simply “Like” our page to add us to your daily Facebook homepage news feed.

Many Hands™

What started as a gleam in Alberta Medical Association's (AMA's) Immediate Past President, Dr. Linda M. Slocombe's eye has

blossomed into a new area on the AMA website. The Many Hands™ web pages use stories, videos and photos to celebrate Alberta physicians whose volunteer work is changing communities both here and abroad (http://bit.ly/ZRetuc).

Dr. Slocombe suggested the idea of a day of service for physicians in her valedictory address last fall. In a video on the site, Dr. Slocombe talks about what this initiative means to her and how she hopes that it will grow.

Visit the site to see our first set of stories. We plan to regularly refresh the site with new stories. If you’re a physician who’s volunteering (whether for large or small projects), let us know by clicking the “Share your story” link on http://bit.ly/ZRetuc. Your story could encourage others to volunteer.

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What’s new online?

interactive AMA Advocacy timeline

Many Alberta Medical Association (AMA) members will remember being involved in the AMA’s public health and other advocacy

campaigns over the past decades.

A new interactive timeline showcases how the AMA has consistently influenced health policy to better meet Albertans’ health care needs (http://bit.ly/163SN4U).

Below is a sample of the some of the many AMA campaigns covered in the timeline:

• Improving playground safety.

• Preventing childhood obesity.

• Promoting seatbelt use.

• Preventing falls among seniors.

• Advocating for helmet use in alpine sports.

• Preventing ATV injuries.

• Regulating tanning booths.

FEATURE

Many HandsTM at work. The Innovative Canadians for Change team has spearheaded development projects on three continents. ( provided by Innovative Canadians for Change)


Yes, it was crazy to go to the Galapagos for just four days

and to fly from Calgary via Cancun, Panama City and Quito.

“Hello goodbye press red button,” said the smart-ass Mexican customs official. Alberta holiday-makers flowed from the Cancun airport baggage area like shoals of fish. Those moving slowly on the outside were being picked off by sharks selling hotels, rental cars and food. Although I felt sorry for them, I shrugged my shoulders. It was all about survival of the fittest. We kept to the center of the shoal, made it outside and then to the COPA Airlines counter at a different terminal, paid the $46 departure tax (“Cancun cash grab,” said an exasperated woman), fought our way through what in Scotland is called a “rammie” and connected on to Quito.

Travel tip #1: Never connect through Cancun on your way to the Galapagos. In fact never go near Cancun. Ever.

My friend Wally had said Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle was a bit dry so my pre-trip preparation was the movie Master and Commander, scenes 18-22 ¬ the bit where Dr. Maturin and Russell Crowe as Captain Aubrey have the furious argument over whether the doctor can go ashore on Bartolome Island to collect specimens or whether the Surprise had to chase the French ship, Acheron, without delay. Captain Aubrey won and Dr. Maturin had to be happy with dissecting a flying bug that landed on his hand.

Exhausted but excited, we reached Isla Balta and were met by Enrique, our land guide ¬ 30 years old. We felt like checking in to the upscale Safari Lodge for a bath and a rest, but Enrique had his own agenda. So after a lecture on the severe punishment for feeding or killing wildlife we submitted to the afternoon land tour.

Travel tip #2: However much you might want to, do not smuggle out an iguana in your suitcase. It will mess up your gear and you will go to jail. A recent visitor did this and is now serving four years in a nasty Ecuadorian jail.

Alexander H.G. Paterson, MB, ChB, MD, FRCP, FACP | CO-EDITOR

Bustled into a car in the comfortable temperature (due to the south east trade winds blowing over the cold Humboldt current), we were taken to look down two huge sink-holes in the ground (“Los Gamellos”) ¬ the result of lava flow from volcanic eruptions. Scalesia trees and cat’s-claw bushes surrounded their sheer sides.

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Surviving the GalapagosiN A DiFFERENT vEiN

For those who find cancer clinical trials a waste of time (e.g., Alberta Health Services) get in on the ground floor here and make some cash.

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“Cat’s-claw is good medicine,” said Enrique. “My father ’as taken for prostate cancer. ’E is ecured three times.”

“Aah yes,” I said.

“At first we were skeptical thinking but ’e is now still alive. It is called BIRM or dulcamara. He drinks as tea.”

Travel tip #3: Do not waste time contradicting any guide. They get upset and may expect a bigger tip at the end. I later looked up this stuff on the net. It may be the next laetrile. For those who find cancer clinical trials a waste of time (e.g., Alberta Health Services) get in on the ground floor here and make some cash.

After screaming to a halt in the car to allow a giant tortoise to cross the road, we tramped around the mud-flats of the Giant Tortoise Park on the east side of Isla Santa Cruz. Most tortoises were minding their own business munching grass and leaves.

“Ooof… ooof.” We heard a noise ¬ much like the sound I make cycling up a steep hill.

“I know what that sound is,” said Enrique.

May-June 2013

People were gathered round a couple of copulating giant tortoises that were seemingly oblivious to the interest they were causing. Many photographs were taken of the starring couple by giggling women and smiling men. It was the Galapagos equivalent of those shows in Bangkok you hear about.

“It is sex,” said Enrique.

“Yes, I thought so,” I said.

“They are having the sex,” he said, with the air of having delivered a very satisfactory Galapagian event.

Darwin saw this event as well: “During the breeding season, when the male and female are together, the male utters a hoarse roar or bellowing, which, it is said, can be heard at the distance of more than a 100 yards.”1 For accuracy, I would argue with Darwin that the sound is more like a gasp than a roar or bellow.

Then we were taken to a kilometer-long dark, dank lava tunnel formed by the outer layer of lava hardening and the inner layers still flowing out to sea. A large rat hopped down the steps after us and disappeared.

“Not indigenous rat,” said Enrique. “They brought by pirates.”

At last we were allowed to check in to the hotel, an up-market safari-style job with canvas tents, showers, electricity and toilets along the lines of a South African Safari camp, the owner in fact coming from Botswana.

Two blue-footed boobies and a land iguana waited above the dock on Isla Seymour for our group of 15 to step ashore: Timi, Vikram (Wall Street financiers) and their two well-behaved kids; Melvyn and wife, also from New York; a really old pasty-looking guy, bald and sweating in the heat, with his young wife from Louisiana; an amiable middle-aged man, his wife and their slim next-door neighbor, Marsha, from Denver; a Japanese man in huge walking shoes and shorts below his knees ¬ and ourselves. Mario, our sea-guide was in a good mood ¬ Ecuador had beaten Paraguay four to one in the World Cup Soccer play-offs.

“We are now second in South America. But next game we play Argentina. Whoo…” and he waggled his hand.

We padded along the island footpath among courting frigate birds, the males perched on bushes, their throats swollen up like red balloons; they were waiting for female attention. “The ladies do the work,” Mario observed.

“Aargh… aargh…”

That would be the Galapagos mocking thrush described by Darwin, I thought. But it was only the lady from New York who had slipped on a rock.

“The female birds ’ave serial mating. Do you know what that mean?” said Mario.

Silence.

“It mean they ’ave different partners every year,” said Mario.

“So they’re sluts,” said the wife from Denver. Shrill laughter from the women.

A chick frigate bird tried to displace a red ballooned male from his perch in the bush but was fought off.

“That is the chick’s perch,” said Mario. "Is mama ’as gone to the supermercado for feesh. She knows where she left ’im.”

But the male was having none of it. The chick pulled at the red throat balloon and a pecking fight began. Then mama returned, found her chick, pushed some fish into the chick; a juvenile frigate bird swooped down stealing most of it.

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Unique species survive in the Galapagos Islands thanks to their isolation. ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)

Dr. Paterson has been known to race turtles and actually win. Survival of the fittest. ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)


28

> “Soorvival of feetest,” said Mario with satisfaction.

A blue-footed boobie did a little dance lifting one foot then the other in front of a female boobie.

“That is blue-foot boobie boogie,” said Mario. “The lady boobies, they love to watch.”

It was strange and wonderful to be able to approach these birds within a few feet, even when a mother was with a chick or hatching an egg. I nearly tripped over a boobie that had nested on the footpath; she guarded one egg.

“Two eggs, not enough food, one dies. Soorvival of feetest,” said Mario.

Darwin observed: “All of them are approached sufficiently near that they may be killed by a switch or, as I myself tried, with a cap or a hat. A gun here is almost superfluous; for with the muzzle I pushed a hawk off the branch of a tree.”1 Marsha, the next door neighbor from Denver was a rehab counselor for veterans from Afghanistan. “Everyone should come here,” she said. “It might calm the world down.”

“Shark here! Shark here!” Soto shouted, waving for us to come over. This was the first time anywhere that I’ve received a call to get closer to carnivores that are better swimmers than me.

An eight-foot hammerhead shark lay under the boat of snorkelers off the rocks by Isla South Piazza. I have been conditioned since birth to fear sharks. R.M. Ballantyne’s Coral Island and news reports from Florida and Australia make that a sensible caution, right? They enjoy an arm or a leg, don’t they?

“Shark? No problem in Galapagos,” said Soto, the dive master. Oh yeah? I have also been conditioned since birth to react skeptically to glib promises. This has stood me in good stead over the years although I’ve missed out on a few get-rich-quick schemes. But Soto’s confidence and the group’s acceptance of this was infectious. If he wasn’t worried why should we be? We flopped in and the hammerhead slunk off.

I prefer scuba to snorkel. With scuba you get used to turning your head left and right to look around. With a snorkel this results in an oro- and naso-pharynx full of salty sea. Our group coughed and spluttered in the choppy sea.

“Shark here! Shark here!” Soto shouted, waving for us to come over.

This was the first time anywhere that I’ve received a call to get closer to carnivores that are better swimmers than me. A four-foot white-tipped shark slunk off toward the deep ocean. We kept close to the rocks. Soto poked his stick between the rocks and two, four-foot reef sharks shot out and swam away.

Visibility was a bit murky and as I swam further along the rocks, a sea lion loomed in front of me and brushed past. A sting ray lurked along the sea bottom. Returning to the boat, the hammerhead was back again underneath. Now quite blasé about sharks we gazed down.

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Survival is a prerequisite to reproduction. And vice versa. ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)

Charles Darwin first used "survival of the fittest" as a synonym for "natural selection" in the fifth edition of On the Origin of Species. ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)

May-June 2013

29“Sharks eat sea lions not humans,” said Soto. “Humans are too bony. They like soft sea lion.”

The beaches of the Galapagos were lovely: soft white sand. In the paddling waves there were areas with one-to-two foot long baby sharks. The kids loved splashing around with them. But there’s always something to mar perfection. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom always has the seventh pillar broken: Horseflies. Lots of them. They went for salty Gringo legs and I got four vicious bites before I knew what was happening. Sharks? No problem. Horseflies? Let’s get outa here….

“I never dreamed that islands, about 90 or 100 kilometers apart, and most of them in sight of each other, formed of precisely the same rocks, placed under quite a similar climate, rising to a nearly equal height, would have been differently tenanted … several of the islands possess their own species of tortoise, mocking-thrush, finches and numerous plants. These species having the same general habits, occupying analogous situations and filling the same place in the natural economy of this archipelago, strikes me with wonder.”1

In Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle there are hints of the thinking going into his theory of Natural Selection. He spent five years on the Beagle and the voyage was the incubator for his classic work, On the Origin of Species.

At Isla Balta airport after four days of being at one with the animal kingdom, Enrique said: “This airport is an eco-airport. No air conditioning. Eco means cheap.”'

“Not in Ontario,” I said, handing him a $50 tip.

Galapagos ¬ yes, a paradise. Getting there? Survival of the fittest….

Reference

1. Darwin, Charles, Voyage of the Beagle.

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SHoRT AND TWEET!

Get the latest AMA news in 140 letters or lessTwitter is a great way for you to get the latest AMA: • News, events and announcements.• President’s Letter and other publications.• Important information from other medical associations.

HoW CAN YoU FiND US?

• Already have a Twitter account? Follow us at http://twitter.com/Albertadoctors.

Scan to go directly to the AMA's new Twitter account, or visit us at http://twitter.com/Albertadoctors.

• Don’t have a Twitter account? Signing up for Twitter is fast, easy and free. Just go to https://twitter.com/. You can open an account in under a minute.

Check in regularly at http://twitter.com/Albertadoctors or see the most recent tweets on the AMA website, e.g., the Twitter box on www.albertadoctors.org/media.

We’ll be tweeting new items almost every day. Join us!

What can we learn from species who are masters at adapting to their environments? ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)

Bony humans above. Carnivorous sharks below. What could possibly go wrong? ( provided by Dr. Alexander H.G. Paterson)


our website for more information, including how to apply for this position.

Contact: www.albertaplp.ca/careers

CAlGARY AB

Med+Stop Medical Clinics Ltd. has immediate openings for part-time physicians in our four Calgary locations. Our family practice medical centers offer pleasant working conditions in well-equipped modern facilities, high income, low overhead, no investment, no administrative burdens and a quality of lifestyle not available in most medical practices.

Contact: Marion Barrett Med+Stop Medical Clinics Ltd. 290-5255 Richmond Rd SW Calgary AB T3E 7C4 T 403.240.1752 F 403.249.3120 [email protected]

attractive overhead, great support staff and flexible hours to fit your lifestyle.

Contact: Emmanuel Aladi T 403.862.7770 [email protected]

CAlGARY AB

The Physician Learning Program (PLP), an initiative funded through the Alberta Medical Association physician benefit stream, requires a new medical director for the Calgary site. This physician will preferably be a faculty member who would spend 0.4 to 0.5 full-time equivalent to develop the program. The physician will be responsible to the associate dean for the overall conduct of the PLP work at the Calgary site. If you are a physician and ready to develop, implement and disseminate cutting-edge scholarly work and create a unique and innovative program that will impact the health of Albertans, view the posting on

PHYSiCiAN WANTED

CAlGARY AB

MCI The Doctor’s Office™ has family practice options available in Calgary. With more than 27 years of experience managing primary care clinics and eight locations, we can offer you flexibility with regard to hours and location. We provide nursing support and electronic medical records. We’ll move your practice or help you build a practice. Walk-in shifts are also an option. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

Contact: Margaret Gillies TF 1.866.624.8222, ext. 133 [email protected]

CAlGARY AB

Health Watch Medical Clinic is a walk-in/family practice clinic in the vibrant southeast community of McKenzie Lake. The clinic needs two family physicians and we offer >

ClASSiFiED ADvERTiSEMENTS30

Are you looking to lease or purchase a new or pre-owned vehicle?

– Top price paid for your trade. – No shopping dealership to dealership.– Delivery available to your hometown.

– No hassles.– Factory incentive programs.– All makes offered.

“Let my 40 years of Auto Experience and Fleet Connections work for you. I will save you time and provide a no pressure quote on any vehicle.”

David Baker spouse of Dr. Karen Bailey knows first hand that a physician’s time is valuable. He has helped many physicians

in Alberta obtain their vehicle of choice without any hassle.

Call: 1.888.311.3832 or 403.262.2222Email: [email protected]: www.southdeerfootsuzuki.comMANY REfERENCEs AVAilABlE

May-June 2013

31New graduates welcome; negotiable terms.

Contact: [email protected]

EDMoNToN AB

Specialist is looking for a physician to share a large, fully equipped office in a prime location office building in south-central Edmonton.

Contact: T 780.938.2581

EDMoNToN AB

Care Plus Medical Clinic is a turn-key facility that is fully equipped and fully staffed. We have on-site two medical office assistants, a licensed practical nurse and office manager. We are currently using Healthquest electronic medical records and are associated with the Edmonton West Primary Care Network. We are currently offering very low overhead to new physicians.

Contact: Audreyann R. Conant Clinic Manager Care Plus Medical Clinic 102 Lansdowne Shopping Centre 5124 122 St NW Edmonton AB T6H 3S3 T 780.437.8818 F 780.439.5557 [email protected]

and experienced family doctors. Join our team of physicians at various Calgary locations which feature a pleasant working environment, outstanding contemporary design, easy access to food courts, shopping, parking, connecting buildings (for downtown locations) and excellent remuneration (75/25 split). Having been established for over 25 years, we will work with you to find the right solution.

Contact: Kim T 403.402.0364 [email protected]

CAlGARY AB

Physician or group of physicians wanted to join a multidisciplinary, collaborative health centre established for 12 years in Calgary’s northwest Arbour Lake. Beautiful, clinical facility with options for spacious clinical rooms/suites. Independent practice. Barrier-free access and excellent parking. Available on rental basis with full administrative services provided.


EDMoNToN AB

Established dermatological practice in Edmonton welcomes dermatological associates.

CAlGARY AB

Medical Express is a state-of-the-art clinic in downtown Calgary and is looking for physicians to join our team. We have high-support staffing levels on site, including registered nurses and pharmacists. Attractive overhead and great medical team. If you are interested in receiving more information, contact.

Contact: Aamir Chaudhary T 403.930.1007 aamir.chaudhary@ medicalexpress.ca

CAlGARY AB

Dr. Neville Reddy is recruiting family physicians and specialists to his new medical facility Innovations Health Clinic, within seven minutes of the new South Health Campus. Innovations Health Clinic is positioned to provide medical service to the Douglasdale and surrounding communities (projected growth of 100,000 people). Competitive expenses offered.


CAlGARY AB

Busy medical clinics are seeking family physicians. We have part- and full-time positions available for new

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Improving the quality of professional life for family physicians in northwest Calgary and Cochrane

new graduate program• • explore special interests such as low-risk maternity• physician mentor and administrative support provided

Contact Sue Cavanagh at [email protected] or 403-604-2071 for more information.

rural practice, urban advantage• choose from full-time, part-time or locum• access to multidisciplinary team support• supportive practice environments equipped with EMRs

northwest Calgary opportunities• choose from a variety of practice styles and settings•

visit www.cfpcn.ca


32 EDMoNToN AB

Millbourne Mall Medical Centre (MMMC) is a work-of-art busy family practice and walk-in. MMMC serves a large community and wide spectrum age group (birth to geriatric). No evening or weekend calls and no hospital on-call coverage required. Full electronic medical records, dedicated staff for billing, referrals and taking vitals as well as on-site clinic manager. MMMC is a member of the Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network which allows patients to have access to an on-site dietician and mental/psychology health services. DynaLIFE Dx Diagnostic Laboratory Services and two pharmacies are located in the mall. Overhead is negotiable, working hours are flexible and clinic is open seven days a week.

Contact: T 587.521.2022 [email protected]

EDMoNToN AB

Windermere Medical Clinic (WMC) has openings for physicians in our new medical clinic at the Currents of Windermere. WMC is a multidisciplinary clinic with group family practice, psychology centre and travel clinic with neighboring dentist, optometrist and pharmacies.

Excellent working environment and staff support, electronic medical records and part of the Edmonton

West Primary Care Network. Sole medical clinic with high income potential in new and rapidly growing communities. New graduates and international medical graduates are welcome.

Contact: Dr. Noordin Virani T 780.784.3333 [email protected]

EDMoNToN AND SToNY PlAiN AB

Royal Medical Center is recruiting part- and full-time physicians. Four positions are available at the Royal Medical Center in west Edmonton, across the road from Meadowlark Health Centre. Essential medical supports and specialists are within walking distance from the clinic. Misericordia Community Hospital is a few blocks away from Royal Medical Center.

Four positions are available in the small town of Stony Plain, only 20 minutes west of Edmonton. Hospital privileges if desired; obstetrics are optional. The two practices are managed by an excellent team of professionals, physicians and supportive staff. Billing support, Med Access electronic medical records, nursing and pharmacy back up. Primary care network membership is available. Royal Medical Center is attached to the University of Alberta as a teaching center. Fee split is 75/25.

Contact: T 780.221.3386 [email protected]

lACoMBE AB

Well-established family practice has an immediate opening for a physician. Walk-in clinic, emergency rotation and long-term care at the local hospital is shared with 16 physicians. Interest in labor and delivery or anesthesiology an asset. Computerized office. Close to Red Deer with all amenities.

Contact: mainstreetmedicalservices@ shaw.ca

SHERWooD PARk AB

Synergy Medical Clinic, Women’s Wellness Centre and Medical Plus are looking to recruit part- and full-time general practitioners and specialists to join our state-of-the-art medical practice. The physicians are members of the Sherwood Park-Strathcona County Primary Care Network. We are part of the Synergy Wellness Centre in Sherwood Park which is home to 19 health-related clinics with on-site services including radiology, laboratory, physiotherapy, dermatology, psychology, dentistry, sleep laboratory, audiology and cardio-pulmonary clinic. We offer a competitive fee split, fantastic staff, full electronic medical records and flexible hours. If continuous and

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Locums needed. Short-term & weekends. Family physicians & specialists.

Experience:

• Flexibility – Practice to fit your lifestyle.

• Variety – Experience different Alberta practice styles.

• Provide relief – Support rural colleagues and rural Albertans.

• Travel costs, honoraria, accommodation and income guarantee provided.

AMA Physician Locum Services®

ContaCt:

Barry Brayshaw, Director

AMA Physician Locum Services®

[email protected]

T 780.732.3366

TF 1.800.272.9680, ext. 366

www.albertadoctors.org/services/

physicians/practice-help/pls

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https://www.albertadoctors.org/services/physicians/practice-help/pls

May-June 2013

33comprehensive care services at the point of care are of interest to you, contact us.

Contact: Mel [email protected] www.synergymedical.ca

STRATHMoRE AB

Excellent practice opportunity in a rural setting only 50 kilometers from Calgary. Invest in yourself and your family. Join five happy physicians in a true family practice and have a life as well. Strathmore is a town of 12,000 people situated on the prairies, but close to all the amenities of the Rocky Mountains and a big city.

Our hospital has a 23-bed acute-care ward, long-term care and an exciting ER (more than 30,000 visits per year). Earning potential is limitless. Expenses are only 30% of office billings. We are part of the Calgary Rural South Primary Care Network with an array of enhanced services. Our group provides great mentorship for a young physician who wants to practice full-service medicine.

Contact: Dr. Ward Fanning T 403.934.4444 (office) T 403.934.3934 (home)

SASkATooN Sk

Lakeside Medical Clinic (LMC) in Saskatoon has immediate openings for two full-time associate family

physicians. In business since 1981, LMC is a 21-physician clinic providing primary care and walk-in services seven days per week with shared on-call, standard overhead split and an exempt earnings policy.

LMC has operated in an electronic medical record environment for over 27 years, promotes a supportive professional environment and a family friendly work/life balance.

Contact: Warner Kabatoff, General Manager T 306.374.4603, ext. 300 [email protected] www.lakeside.ca

PHYSiCiAN AND/oR loCUM WANTED

CAlGARY AND EDMoNToN AB

Is your practice flexible enough to fit your lifestyle? Medicentres is a no-appointment family practice with clinics throughout Calgary and Edmonton. We are searching for superior physicians with whom to partner on a part-time, full-time and locum basis. No investment and no administrative responsibilities. Pursue the lifestyle you deserve.

Contact: Cecily Hidson Physician Recruiter T 780.483.7115 [email protected]

CAlGARY AND EDMoNToN AB

Imagine Health Centres (IHC) Ltd. is currently looking for family physicians to come and join our dynamic team in part-time, full-time and locum positions in Calgary and Edmonton. Limited walk-in shifts may be available. Physicians will enjoy no hospital on-call, paperless electronic medical records, friendly staff and industry-leading fee splits.

Imagine Health Centres are multidisciplinary family medicine clinics with a focus on health prevention and wellness. Come and be a part of our team which includes physicians, physiotherapists, massage therapists, fitness trainers, nutritionists and pharmacists.

IHC prides itself in providing the very best support for family physicians and their families in and out of the clinic. Health benefit plans and full financial/tax/accounting advisory services are available to all IHC physicians. There is also an optional and limited-time opportunity to participate in ownership of our innovative clinics.

If you are interested in learning more about our exceptional clinics, contact us. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.

Contact: Ray Yue T 780.995.8188 (direct) TF 1.855.550.5999 [email protected]

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34 CoRoNATioN AB

Coronation Hospital and Care Centre, and the Coronation Medical Clinic are recruiting a permanent physician or long-term locum to start July 2. Accommodations are available for a long-term locum ¬ a new fully furnished two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium with air-conditioning, heated underground parking, fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, satellite TV, ensuite washer/dryer and Internet.

Contact: Dr. Lynne M. McKenzie [email protected] www.coronationrecruit.com

EDMoNToN AB

Capilano Medical Clinic, 7905 106 Avenue is currently looking for family physicians to work part-time, full-time or on a locum basis. Capilano Medical Clinic offers a friendly environment coupled with a user-friendly electronic medical records and a flexible on-call telephone schedule. Capilano Medical Clinic is part of the Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network.

Contact: Dr. George Loewen T 780.932.9420 [email protected] or Ryan Lawrence, Manager T 780.860.3823

RED DEER AND SYlvAN lAkE AB

Horizon Family Medicine is a dynamic new family medical practice with one location in downtown Red Deer’s Superstore and second clinic located in a high-traffic retail location in Sylvan Lake, one of Alberta’s primary resort areas. Horizon currently has 12 family physicians, experienced and well-trained staff and has implemented a fully

integrated, ASP model electronic medical records. This includes digital lab and medical imaging results as well as Netcare. Lifestyle and family/medical career balance are core elements of the foundation for the operation of Horizon Family Medicine. In addition, Horizon is part of Red Deer Primary Care Network (PCN) and regularly rotates a number of PCN nurses through each clinic. Clinic is professionally managed with excellent physician remuneration based on exceptional lease terms and low overhead. Both locations have easy pharmacy access with free clinic patient parking. Hospital patient care and obstetrics optional.

Contact: Martin Penninga, Business Manager Horizon Family Medicine T 403.396.5791 [email protected] www.horizonmedicine.ca

SPACE AvAilABlE

CAlGARY AB

Full-time medical office space available. Office space shared with pediatric respirologist in northwest Calgary. Radiology and laboratory services available on site.

Contact: Mark Montgomery T 403.284.1333 [email protected]

CoURSES

CME CRUiSES WiTH SEA CoURSES CRUiSES • Accredited for family physicians

and specialists • Unbiased and pharma-free • Provider of CMEatSEA® since 1995• Companion cruises FREE

AlASkA GlACiERS July 12-19 Focus: Emergency and internal medicine Ship: Celebrity Solstice

August 18-25 Focus: Renaissance in primary care Ship: Celebrity Century

BlACk SEA July 22-August 4 Focus: Neurology, cardiology and chronic pain Ship: Regent Seven Seas Mariner

MEDiTERRANEAN August 4-11 Focus: Respirology and obesity Ship: Navigator of the Seas

iCElAND AND NoRWAY September 1-13 Focus: Rheumatology and sport medicine CME: With the Ontario Medical Association Ship: Adventure of the Seas

vATiCAN AND HolY lAND october 8-19 Focus: Internal medicine and surgery plus practice management by MD Physician Services (Canadian Medical Association). Ship: Azamara Journey

SPAiN To BRAZil November 20-December 8 Focus: Cardiology and rheumatology Ship: Regent Seven Seas Mariner

MEkoNG RivER November 26-December 11 Focus: Clinical medicine update Eight-day land tour and seven-day river cruise

CARiBBEAN December 28-January 4, 2014 Focus: Rheumatology and dermatology Ship: Celebrity Reflection (new ship) >

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May-June 2013

35AUSTRAliA AND NEW ZEAlAND January 20-February 3, 2014 Focus: Endocrinology, women’s health CME: With the Ontario Medical Association Ship: Celebrity Solstice

EXoTiC WESTERN CARiBBEAN February 9-16, 2014 Focus: Men’s health Ship: Navigator of the Seas

TAHiTi AND Cook iSlANDS March 1-12, 2014 Focus: Primary care refresher CME: With the British Columbia Medical Journal Ship: Paul Gauguin

EASTERN CARiBBEAN March 14-24, 2014 Focus: Clinical medicine and physician health Ship: Celebrity Equinox

CHiNA AND TiBET May 10-26, 2014 Focus: Endocrinology and respirology 17-day tour including Yangtze River cruise

Contact: Sea Courses Cruises TF 1.888.647.7327 [email protected] www.seacourses.com

SERviCES

ACCoUNTiNG AND CoNSUlTiNG SERviCES

Independent consultant, specializing in managing medical and dental professional accounts, to incorporating PCs, full accounting, including payroll and taxes, using own computer and software. Pick up and drop off for Edmonton and areas, other convenient options for rest of Alberta.

Contact: N. Ali Amiri, MBA Financial and Management Consultant Seek Value Inc. T 780.909.0900 F 780.439.0909 [email protected] www.seekvalue.ca

ACTivE ACCoUNTiNG iNC.

Spending valuable time on your accounts when you could be doing what you spent years at school training for? We have over 20 years experience specializing in the medical industry. Let us look after your books so you can focus your time on driving your practice forward.

Contact: Linda Dent T 403.262.4794 [email protected] www.activeaccounting.net

Play in the best doctors’ golf tournament of the yearRegister now and join the fun on July 22!

Register to play at www.albertadoctors.org

This year’s tournament takes place on Monday, July 22 at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club.

Your $250 entry fee includes 18 holes of golf, power cart, buffet breakfast, BBQ steak lunch, use of the driving range and practice facility, fantastic souvenir and opportunities to win great prizes.

You’re invited to play in Alberta’s longest-running golf event. The 86th Annual North/South Doctors’ Golf Tournament brings together physicians, health care leaders, and medical students and residents for a day of competition, networking and fun.

The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta and the Alberta Medical Association co-host the tournament, to raise funds for medical studentbursaries.

DoCUDAviT MEDiCAl SolUTioNS

Retiring, moving or closing your family or general practice, physician’s estate? DOCUdavit Medical Solutions provides free storage for your paper or electronic patient records with no hidden costs. We also provide great rates for closing specialists.

Contact: Sid Soil DOCUdavit Solutions TF 1.888.781.9083, ext. 105 [email protected]

To PlACE oR RENEW, CoNTACT:

Daphne C. Andrychuk

Communications Assistant, Public Affairs

Alberta Medical Association

T 780.482.2626, ext. 275

TF 1.800.272.9680, ext. 275

F 780.482.5445

daphne.andrychuk@ albertadoctors.org

DiSPlAY oR ClASSiFiED ADS

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mailto:[email protected]

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Alberta Doctors' Digest May-June 2013

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Transcript of Alberta Doctors' Digest May-June 2013