January 2011

“ P h y s i c i a n s U n i t e d F o r a h e a l t h y s a n d i e g o ”

January 2011

o F F i c i a l P U b l i c a t i o n o F t h e s a n d i e g o c o U n t y m e d i c a l s o c i e t y

2011CMA Goals

for

Working Together With SDCMS, We Are Indeed Stronger

reaching

8,500 Physicians

every month

B SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG january 2011

Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, FACSBoard of Governors, The Doctors CompanyPast President, American Medical Association

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january 2011 SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG 1 CHMB delivers tHe HigHest level of serviCe and expertise to ensure a swift, sMootH and suCCessful eHr CoMpletion.

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2 SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG january 2011

thismonthVolume 98, number 1

departments 4 sdcms seminars, Webinars, and events for 2011 Mark Your Calendars!

6 community healthcare calendar

8 briefly noted SDCMS Medical Office Manager Bulletin Board, and More …

10 sdcms Foundation Scholarship Awardee: Embodying the Spirit of Service

12 health information technology Transitioned to an EHR System Yet? If Not, CalHIPSO Is Here to Help!

14 sdcms membership Thank You to These SDCMS-CMA Members for Your 40+ Years of Membership

18 sdcms benefits 20 Ways to Make SDCMS.org Work for You!

34 Physician marketplace Classifieds

36 a dinosaur’s story A Few Words From an Old Doc

MANAGING EDItOr Kyle LewisEDItOrIAl BOArD Van L. Cheng, MD, Adam F. Dorin, MD, Kimberly M. Lovett, MD, Theodore M. Mazer, MD, Robert E. Peters, PhD, MD, David M. Priver, MD, Roderick C. Rapier, MDMArkEtING & PrODuCtION MANAGEr Jennifer RohrSAlES DIrECtOr Dari PebdaniPrOjECt DESIGNEr Lisa WilliamsCOPY EDItOr Adam Elder

sdcms board oF directorsoFFicersPrESIDENt Susan Kaweski, MDPASt PrESIDENt Lisa S. Miller, MDPrESIDENt-ElECt Robert E. Wailes, MDtrEASurEr Sherry L. Franklin, MDSECrEtArY Robert E. Peters, MD, PhD

geograPhic and geograPhic alternate directorsEASt COuNtY William T. Tseng, MD, Heywood “Woody” Zeidman, MD (A: Venu Prabaker, MD)HIllCrESt Niren Angle, MD, Steven A. Ornish, MD kEArNY MESA John G. Lane, MD (A: Jason P. Lujan, MD)lA jOllA J. Steven Poceta, MD, Wynnshang “Wayne” Sun, MD (A: Matt H. Hom, MD)NOrtH COuNtY James H. Schultz, MD, Doug Fenton, MD (A: Steven A. Green, MD)SOutH BAY Vimal I. Nanavati, MD, Mike H. Verdolin, MD (A: Andres Smith, MD)

at-large and at-large alternate directorsJeffrey O. Leach, MD, Bing S. Pao, MD, Kosala Samarasinghe, MD, David E.J. Bazzo, MD, Mark W. Sornson, MD, Mihir Y. Parikh, MD (A: Carol L. Young, MD, Thomas V. McAfee, MD, Ben Medina, MD, James E. Bush, MD, Alan A. Schoengold, MD)

other board members

COMMuNICAtIONS CHAIr Theodore M. Mazer, MDYOuNG PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Van L. Cheng, MDAltErNAtE YOuNG PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Kimberly M. Lovett, MDrESIDENt PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Katherine M. Whipple, MDAltErNAtE rESIDENt PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Steve H. Koh, MDrEtIrED PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Rosemarie M. Johnson, MDAltErNAtE rEtIrED PHYSICIAN DIrECtOr Mitsuo Tomita, MDMEDICAl StuDENt DIrECtOr Adi J. PriceCMA PrESIDENt-ElECt James T. Hay, MDCMA VICE SPEAkEr OF tHE HOuSE Theodore M. Mazer, MD

ex-oFFicio, nonvoting board members CMA PASt PrESIDENtS Robert E. Hertzka, MD (LEGISLATIVE

COMMITTEE CHAIR), Ralph R. Ocampo, MDCMA DIStrICt I truStEES Albert Ray, MD, Robert E. Wailes, MD, Sherry L. Franklin, MDCMA truStEE (OtHEr) Catherine D. Moore, MD, CMA SOlO AND SMAll-GrOuP PrACtICE FOruM DElEGAtES Michael T. Couris, MD, James W. Ochi, MDAltErNAtE CMA SOlO AND SMAll-GrOuP PrACtICE

FOruM DElEGAtE Dan I. Giurgiu, MDAMA DElEGAtES James T. Hay, MD, Robert E. Hertzka, MDAltErNAtE AMA DElEGAtES Lisa S. Miller, MD, Albert Ray, MD

OpiniOns expressed by authors are their own and not necessar-ily those of San Diego Physician or SDCMS. San Diego Physician reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length as well as to reject any material submitted. Not responsible for unso-licited manuscripts. Advertising rates and information sent upon request. Acceptance of advertising in San Diego Physician in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by SDCMS of products or services advertised. San Diego Physician and SDCMS reserve the right to reject any advertising. Address all editorial communications to [email protected]. All advertising inquiries can be sent to [email protected]. San Diego Physician is published monthly on the first of the month. Subscription rates are $35.00 per year. For sub-scriptions, email [email protected]. [san DiegO COunty MeDiCal sOCiety (sDCMs) printeD in the u.s.a.]

featurescma goals for 2011 24 Working together With sdcms, We are indeed stronger by James T. Hay, MD

28 calPac: Physicians Fighting for Physicians by Susan Kaweski, MD

24

12

18

january 2011 SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG 3

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sdcmsbenefits

sdcmsseminars / webinars / events for 2011For further information or to register for any of the following SDCMS seminars, webinars, or events,

visit SDCMS.org or contact Sonia Gonzales at (858) 300-2782 or at [email protected].

date day time toPic Presenter s W e

13 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Collection Procedures TSC Accounts Receivable Solutions x x

20 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Palmetto GBA/Medicare • Provider Enrollment Palmetto GBA x x

22 Saturday 8:00AM –1:00PM Advocacy Training SDCMS x

26 Wednesday 6:30PM –7:30PM Simple Approaches to Informed Consent and Informed Refusal The Doctors Company x

27 Thursday 11:30AM –12:30PM Simple Approaches to Informed Consent and Informed Refusal The Doctors Company x

30 Sunday 4:00PM –7:00PM Membership Social SDCMS x

JAnuAry


3 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Treating Patients Right Practice Performance Group x x

4, 11, 18, 25 Fridays 8:00AM –4:00PM Certified Medical Insurance Specialist Practice Management Institute x

10 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Contract Negotiations Coastal Healthcare Consulting Group x x

24 Thursday 11:30AM –12:30PM Identity Theft Detective Jim Troussel (SDPD) x x

FeBruAry


3 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Legalities of Hiring (TBD) x x

12 Saturday 8:00AM –12:00PM Media Training SDCMS x

17 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Medicare Updates CMA x x

26 Saturday 8:00PM –11:30AM Outlook for Busy Docs SDCMS x

MArCh


(TBD) (TBD) 8:00AM –4:00PM Preparing to Practice Multiple Presenters x

7 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Anticipating Retirement Practice Performance Group x x

14 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Disciplinary Actions/Employee Terminations Koumas Law Group x x

27 Wednesday 6:00PM –7:30PM Disclosure Doing the Right Thing in the Right Way The Doctors Company x x

28 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Disclosure Doing the Right Thing in the Right Way” The Doctors Company x x

April

S=Seminar • W=Webinar • e=event

http://www.sdcms.org/event



5 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Best Practices in Revenue Cycle CHMB Solutions x x

12 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Medi-Cal Updates Medi-Cal Training x x

19 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM IT Update and Overview SOUNDOFF Computing x x

20, 21 Friday –Saturday

8:00AM –4:00PM Leader’s Toolbox SDCMS x

26 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Coding Specifics: ICD-10 CHMB Solutions x x

MAy


2 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Legal Issues for Physicians CMA x x

9 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Focus on Payer Contracts Coastal Healthcare Consulting Group x x

June


6 Wednesday 6:30PM –7:30PM Risky Business: Avoiding Common Medical Malpractice Concerns in a Busy Office The Doctors Company x

7 Thursday 11:30AM –12:30PM Risky Business: Avoiding Common Medical Malpractice Concerns in a Busy Office The Doctors Company x

July


4 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM HIPAA And HiTech Act Updates PrivaPlan x x

11 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM OSHA Updates (TBD) x x

20 Saturday 8:30AM –11:30AM Microsoft Outlook for Busy Docs SDCMS x

auguSt


1 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Changes to Medicare Regulations CMA x x

8 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM Deposition Seminar for Doctors Alexander & Alexander x x

15 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM The How-to’s of Appeals (TBD — possibly MedClaims) x x

SePtember


7, 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4 Fridays 8:00AM –4:00PM Certified Medical Coder Practice Management Institute x

13 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM 10 Strategies for Economic Survival AKT CPA x x

27 Thursday 11:30AM –1:00PM How to Oversee Your Biller(s) MedClaims x x

OCtOber


16 Wednesday 6:30PM –7:30PM Litigation Traps for Surgical Practices The Doctors Company x

17 Thursday 11:30AM –12:30PM Litigation Traps for Surgical Practices The Doctors Company x

nOvember

S=Seminar • W=Webinar • e=event

http://www.sdcms.org/event


calendar

30th annual advanced nephrology: nephrology for the consultantJan. 27–29 • Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa • AMA PRA Category 1 Credit • http://cme.ucsd.edu/nephrology

Perioperative care of the older Patient symposiumJan. 28 • 7:30am–4:00pm • Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, Irvine • http://www.som.uci.edu/Geriatrics/PDF/perioperative_symposium1-28-11.pdf

West coast geriatric Psychiatry conferenceFeb. 16–19 • Catamaran Resort Hotel, San Diego • http://cme.ucsd.edu

cell society — First annual clinical meetingFeb. 18–19 • Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa • https://xmedicacme.com/cell_society • http://www.cellsociety.com

cross-cultural considerations in end-of-life careUntil Feb. 28 • http://cme.ucsd.edu/crosscultural

topics and advances in internal medicineMarch 7–13 • San Diego Marriott, La Jolla • http://cme.ucsd.edu

emerging molecular and cellular insights into heart Failure and arrhythmias — the 13th la Jolla-international cardiovascular research conferenceMarch 11–13 • Hilton Torrey Pines Hotel, La Jolla • AMA PRA Category 1 Credit • http://cme.ucsd.edu

topics and advances in Pulmonary and critical care medicineMarch 13–14 • San Diego Marriott, La Jolla • http://cme.ucsd.edu

annual san diego science Festival, to encourage Kids to better Understand science and consider careers in scienceMarch 19–26 • PetCo Park • Email Mitsuo Tomita, MD, at [email protected] • http://www.sdsciencefestival.com/host-an-event.html

12th annual Uc san diego stroke conferenceMay 14 • AMA PRA Category 1 Credit • http://cme.ucsd.edu/stroke

community Healthcare Calendar

To submit a physician-focused, San Diego County healthcare event for possible publication,

email [email protected].

http://sdcms.org/event/category/community-events


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SDCMS Medical Off ice Manager

By Sonia Gonzales, Your Off ice Manager Advocate

brieflynoted

Question: Can you please provide me with ICD-10

information and let me know what we need to be doing

now?

Answer: It is important to prepare now for the ICD-

10 and Version 5010 transition. The following are steps

you can take to get started:

•Providers: Develop an implementation strategy

that includes an assessment of the impact on your

organization, a detailed timeline, and a budget.

Check with your billing service, clearinghouse, or

practice management software vendor about their

compliance plans. Providers who handle billing and

software development internally should plan for

medical records/coding, clinical, IT, and finance staff

to coordinate on ICD-10 and Version 5010 transition

efforts.•Payers: Review payment policies since the transition

to ICD-10 will involve new coding rules. Ask your

software vendors about their readiness plans and

timelines for product development, testing, avail-

ability, and training for Version 5010 and ICD-10. You

should have an implementation plan and transition

budget in place.

Save the Dates

FOr tHESE, tHE BESt MEDICAl OFFICE MANAGEr SEMINArS AND EVENtS!

✓ Jan 20: Palmetto GBA/Medicare “Provider Enrollment”✓ Jan 26/27: “Simple Approaches to Informed Consent and Informed Refusal”✓ Feb 3: “Treating Patients Right”✓ Feb 4/11/18/25 (Four Fridays): Certified Medical Insurance Specialist Course✓ Feb 10: “Contract Negotiations”✓ mar 3: “Legalities of Hiring”

Ask Your office MAnAger AdvocAte!

•SoftwareVendors,Clearinghouses,andThird-partyBillingServices: You should have products and services in development that will allow payers and providers to fully implement Version 5010 on Jan. 1, 2012, and ICD-10 on Oct. 1, 2013. Begin talk-ing to your customers now about preparing for the transition. Your products and services will be obso-lete if you do not take steps now to get ready.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website — www.cms.gov/ICD10 — has official CMS resources to help you prepare for Version 5010 and ICD-10. CMS will continue to add new tools and informa-tion to the site throughout the course of the transition, so check the site frequently for updated resources.ICD-10 diagnosis codes must be used for all health-care services provided in the United States on or after Oct. 1, 2013. ICD-10 procedure codes must be used for all hospital inpatient procedures performed on or after Oct. 1, 2013. Claims with ICD-9 codes for services pro-vided on or after Oct. 1, 2013, cannot be paid.


Win an iPod Touch!sdcms office managers: Here’s your chance to win an iPod Touch! Please send your questions, comments, pictures, ideas — anything that you would like to see on your SDCMS Medical Office Manager Bulletin Board — to me, Sonia, at [email protected] or call me at (858) 300-2782. The first five ideas received will be entered into a drawing to receive an iPod Touch. The winner will be announced in our February issue.

sPeciAL focus: beCOme a CertiFieD meDiCaL

inSuranCe SPeCiaLiSt in FebruarY 2011

Key Course Objectives*:

• Compliance• Basics of Health Insurance

• Managed Care Plans

• Medicare• Medicaid and Other State Programs

• Workers’ Compensation

*For a detailed description of key course objectives, visit the August

issue of San Diego Physician at SDCMS.org/publications.

------- limit: 30 registrants — sign UP early! -------

Register now for the CMIS course presented by Practice Management

Institute (PMI) (www.pmimd.com):

• Four Fridays in February: 4, 11, 18, 25

• 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

• Held at the SDCMS Meeting Room, 5575 Ruffin Rd., Ste. 250,

San Diego, CA 92123

• Cost for SDCMS Members and Their Staff: $499 (includes

breaks, lunch, and instructional materials)

• Cost for Nonmembers/Staff: $999

QueStiOnS Or tO regiSter:

Contact Sonia Gonzales, your SDCMS office manager advocate,

at (858) 300-2782 or at [email protected].

CODing COrnerBy MiChelle penA, CpC, CHmb (CaHeaLtH.COm)

Question: I heard that in 2011 Medicare will cover beneficiaries’ annual exams with no coinsurance. Is this true?Answer: Yes. As health reform continues to get under way, there have been some preventive care benefit changes for employer-based health plans and Medicare for 2011. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates that group coverage plans provide coverage for preven-tive services without cost sharing (deductibles, copayments, etc.). It further instructs Medicare to provide “annual wellness visits resulting in a per-sonalized prevention plan.” For Medicare benefi-ciaries, there will be two types of wellness exams covered with no deductible or coinsurance. The first is the “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam. This exam is covered within the first 12 months of the patient’s Part B effective date, and HCPCS code G0402 is used to identify this service. The second exam effective Jan. 1, 2011, is the “Annual Wellness Visit.” This exam is covered annually to develop or update a personalized prevention plan based on the patient’s health and risk factors. There is some speculation about the HCPCS code assigned, but, to date, nothing has been officially published by Medicare, so be on the lookout for Medlearns.

References:Medicare.gov: www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10050.pdfThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act-as-passed.pdfCMS Manual System Transmittal 2093: www.cms.gov/transmittals/downloads/R2093CP.pdf


Jessica Cruz knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. As the youngest of six children to

immigrant parents, she took responsibil-ity for helping her parents manage their chronic health conditions. Raised in southeast San Diego, a community strug-gling with issues of drugs, gang violence, ethnic strife, and underemployment, Jessica was one of only four Latino stu-dents in her class to attend a University of California school. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007 with a B.S. in physiology science.

While applying to medical schools, Jes-

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sica worked with HIV-positive patients as a case manager at Charles Drew Univer-sity. She also has extensive experience volunteering to support students and vulnerable populations.

In 2010, Jessica was accepted to her first choice of medical schools, the Uni-versity of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Jessica is interested in pur-suing a career where she can focus on vulnerable patients. Regarding the schol-arship, Jessica says, “Even more than the monetary assistance, I am grateful for the vote of confidence from the SDCMS Foundation. I am looking forward to a long medical career in San Diego.”

Dr. Ellen Beck, chair of the Student Scholarship Committee, says, “The se-lection committee was very impressed with the quality and depth of the ap-plicants. Several finalists, including Jes-

sica, have overcome obstacles, served the community with dedication and com-mitment, and have dreams of service to the underserved.”

The SDCMS Foundation is proud to support Jessica’s medical career through a $1,000 per year scholarship. For more information about the SDCMS Founda-tion Scholarship Program, or to support the Scholarship Program through a gift, please contact Kitty Bailey at [email protected] or at (858) 300-2780.

About the Author: Ms. Bailey is the executive director of the SDCMS Foun-dation.

“Even more than the monetary assistance, I am grateful for the vote of confidence from the SDCMS Foundation. I am looking forward to a long medical career in San Diego.”

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CalHIPSO, the California Health Informa-tion Partnership and Services Organization, is a nonprofit, vendor-neutral organization founded by clinical providers1 to make avail-able technical assistance, guidance, and information on best practices that support and accelerate providers’ efforts to become meaningful users of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. CalHIP-SO’s extensive products and services are de-signed to help physicians navigate the com-plex world of EHR adoption.

CalHIPSO is primarily supported through stimulus funding to provide services to “priority primary care providers” (PPCP) to adopt EHRs by 2014. A PPCP is defined as a licensed clinician with a primary care prac-tice and prescriptive privileges (MD, DO, NP, PA) who works in one of the following prac-tice care settings:

1. private physician practice of 10 or fewer2. nonprofit primary care clinics, includ-

ing community health centers and ru-ral health clinics

3. the ambulatory care clinics associated with public, rural, and critical access hospitals.

Beginning in 2011, Medicare and Me-di-Cal will make payments of between $44,000 and $63,750 to providers who can demonstrate that they are “meaningfully using” EHRs. The sooner you can demon-strate “meaningful use,” the more funding you will receive, since EHR incentive pay-ments will end in 2014.

As a PPCP member of CalHIPSO, you will have access to subsidized services including:

•access to group purchasing discounts•assistance locating qualified EHR vendors•project management services•access to extensive training and education

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•assistance with demonstrating mean-ingful use in order to begin receiving the federal incentive payments

Non-PPCPs are also eligible to join Cal-HIPSO, but they must pay membership fees at the time of enrollment if they are not practicing in a predominantly primary care setting. Non-PPCPs are not eligible for sub-sidized CalHIPSO services but can purchase services on a fee-for-service basis (fees to be determined).

CalHIPSO is working with 10 Local Exten-sion Centers (LECs) around the state to bring

health information technology to local com-munities. In San Diego and Imperial coun-ties, the San Diego County Medical Society Foundation and the Community Clinics Health Network are providing technical ser-vices. If you are interested in learning more about CalHIPSO or in signing up, please visit the CalHIPSO website at www.calhipso.org or contact Kitty Bailey at the San Diego County Medical Society Foundation at [email protected] or at (858) 300-2780.

1) The California Medical Association, the California Primary Care Association, and the California Association of Public Hospi-tals and Health Systems.

About the Author: Ms. Bailey is executive director of the SDCMS Foundation.

If you are interested in learning more about CalHIPSO or in signing up, please visit the CalHIPSO website at www.calhipso.org or contact Kitty Bailey at the San Diego County Medical Society Foundation at [email protected] or at (858) 300-2780.

San Diego Physician magazine would like to thank our advertising partners for their continued support.

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Joseph De Luca, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1948

Stanley J. Lloyd, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1951

Lino P. Trombetta, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1959

Milan L. Brandon, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1961

John C. Carson, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1961

Marjorie A. Crews, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1961

Charles T. Fitch, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1961

John E. Milner, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1962

Edward J. Sheldon, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1963

Ernest E. Pund, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1964

Richard M. Braun, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1967

Garry E. Goldfarb, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1967

Michael A. Zirpolo, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1967

Margaret E. Branscom, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1968

Richard N. Learn, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1968

sdcms-cmamembership

SDCmS Would Like to thank the Following Physicians

for their 40+ Years of SDCmS-Cma membership

Your Long-term Dedication to the Health and Wellbeing of Your Patients and of San Diego’s Physician Community Is to Be Applauded!


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Louis Lurie, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1969

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Harold J. Simon, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1969

John A. Berger, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Duane Blickenstaff, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Richard O. Butcher, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

James C. Esch, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Frank B. Flint, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

George W. Kaplan, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Miguel A. Losada, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

William L. Nyhan, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Donald J. Ritt, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1970

Leonard S. Bernstein, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1971

Sidney H. Levine, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1971

Raymond M. Peterson, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1971

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Robert Penner, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1968

George N. Riffle, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1968

Robert A. Bullock, MD SDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1969

Sanford M. Izner, MDSDCMS-CMA MEMBEr SINCE 1969

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thank you for your continued membership!


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20 Ways to Make SDCMS.org Work for You!

Last fall the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) launched version three of our website — SDCMS.org — with a number of usability improvements and functionality enhancements. Take a look at the following, and if you have any questions, please contact Kyle Lewis at [email protected] or at (858) 300-2784.

Supporting You, Your Staff, Your Patients, and Your Practice

JOin OnLine in unDer Five minuteS! If you’re not yet an SDCMS-CMA member, joining is as easy as answering eight simple yes/no questions

to determine your membership type (new, rejoining, young physician, military, government-employed, resident, medi-cal student, etc.), after which the system calculates your dues rate, you enter your payment information, and you’re a member — it’s as simple as that!

1

Access Valuable Members-only Content!

Signing in to access members-only content is as easy as clicking on “Sign In” at the top left of the screen and entering your email address or username and your password. If you have any trouble at all signing in, contact Kyle Lewis at SDCMS at (858) 300-2784 or at [email protected] and he’ll get you signed in. Some of the content available to members and their staff includes valuable toolkits, access to previously recorded seminars, ac-cess to our FAQ database, and more!

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3manage Your account, Your Private messages, your profile, and your Classified Ads

After you sign in, you’ll notice “Welcome, Dr. X” appears at the top of the homepage, which hyperlinks directly to your profile. If you hover your cursor over “Your Account” in the upper left, a dropdown menu will appear that will give you direct access to your account (where you can edit your username, password, email address, etc.), your private messages (see #7), your profile, and your classified ads.

renew your Membership With Just a Few Clicks!

If you have trouble signing in in order to renew your SDCMS-CMA membership, contact Kyle Lewis at SDCMS at (858) 300-2784 or at [email protected], and he’ll fix the problem.

5

tell Your Patients to register With SDCmS.org today!

If you would like to communicate with your patients in a HIPAA-com-pliant environment, tell them to reg-ister at SDCMS.org. Once registered, they will be able to send you HIPAA-compliant messages, to which you can respond within the same HIPAA-compliant environment. When a patient (or other SDCMS member physician) sends you a message, you receive a notification email in your regular email account to let you know that you have a message waiting for you at SDCMS.org.

6

Communicate With Physicians and patients in a hipAA-compli-

ant environment! As an SDCMS-CMA member physi-cian, you can send HIPAA-compliant messages to other physicians and to your patients at SDCMS.org. In order to send a message to another

member physician, log in and go to that physician’s profile. Each physi-cian profile has a “Send This Physi-cian a Message” button at the top that, when clicked, will bring up a messaging tool. Patients who have registered with SDCMS.org and are logged in (see #6) can do the same as well. When a message is sent to you at SDCMS.org, an email is sent to your regular email account notify-ing you that you have a message waiting for you at SDCMS.org.

7CliCk here

ensure your public profile is Accurate and Complete!

All current SDCMS-CMA member physicians have a public profile at SDCMS.org, which you can edit when logged in. Update your training infor-mation, your board-certified specialties, your self-designated interests, the health insurances you ac-cept, the programs (Medicare, Medi-Cal, etc.) you accept, the languages you speak, your affiliations, your practice location(s), and any information you would like to provide about your practice, includ-ing a basic description of your practice, what your new patients need to know, information for your current patients, your practice hours, and more. The more information you provide in your profile, the easier patients and physicians can find you when doing a physician search.

4

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sdcms-cmabenefits

Find information on all Other SDCmS-Cma Member physicians!

We designed our Find a Doctor tool to be user-friendly and powerful by allowing patients to cast their net wide at the beginning of their search and filter down from there. Searchers can type in a keyword to get an initial list, which they can then filter down by choosing board-certified special-ties, special interest areas, programs ac-cepted, and more. Phy-sician profiles that are accurate, up-to-date, and complete are more likely to appear at the top of search results.

10Quickly Find What You need With Our Filtering Search Function!

Searching for content at SDCMS.org is as simple as entering a keyword and filtering down from there. If you enter “Medicare,” for example, more than 1,500 pieces of content will show up in your search results. From there you can filter down by checking (and unchecking) “Physician Profile,” “Article,” “FAQ,” “Event,” “Classified,” etc. You can also filter by using multiple keywords.

11

Hyperlink to the California Medical association (Cma) Website

To access CMA’s ON-CALL documents, valuable toolkits, and other members-only content at cmanet.org, click on CMA’s logo in the upper right. If you’ve never logged in to CMA’s website, you’ll need your CMA ID, which Marisol Gonzalez, your SDCMS physician advocate, can help you with. Contact Marisol at (858) 300-2783 or at [email protected].

8

your Office Staff Can Access Members-only Content too!

office staff of current sdcMs-cMA member physicians can contact sonia gonzales, their sdcMs office manager advocate, to be assigned a unique username and password that will allow them to access all of the valuable con-tent available to members at sdcMs.org. contact sonia at (858) 300-2782 or at [email protected].

9CliCk here

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http://sdcms.org


Affect and effect Legislation Critical to your practice and to your patients

Our advocacy tool allows physicians to quickly and easily affect and effect legislation and regulations important to you, your patients, and the practice of medicine. SDCMS’ and CMA’s advocacy efforts run the gamut from protecting MICRA and maintaining the corporate bar, to fighting unfunded mandates, holding the line on practice intrusions, seeking regulatory relief, protecting physician reimbursement, and ensuring fair and equitable physician contracts. With our advocacy tool you can sign petitions, send letters to newspaper editors, and contact politicians with just a few clicks.

12

post your Own Classified ads Free of Charge and Search SDCmS’ Physician marketplace

As a member physician, you can log in to SDCMS.org and post classified ads in a number of different categories — Physician Positions Available, Clinical Trials, Office Space, Medical Equipment, Services Offered, and much more — all free of charge. Let SDCMS’ online marketplace be your first stop when looking to buy and sell goods and services with oth-ers in San Diego County’s physician community.

13

Search Our FaQ Database to Find the Answers you need When You need them!

We have uploaded the answers to hundreds of questions already asked of our physician advocate and office manager advocate, ranging from economic advocacy and employ-ment questions, to legal advocacy, medical licensure, member benefits, and more. If you don’t find the answer to your question, simply give Marisol (your physician advocate) or Sonia (your office manager advocate) a quick call, and they’ll find the answer for you!

14

read San Diego Physician Online Every month we post a complete copy of that month’s issue of San Diego Physician online in order to ensure the broad-

est possible distribution of SDCMS’ official publication and to make accessing previous issues easy and enjoyable.

15

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view all of SDCmS’ Past Seminars and Webinars When You Have the time!

SDCMS’ seminars and webinars are all made available for viewing online by members and their staff within 24 hours of recording. For those busy physicians and office staff who can’t tear themselves away from the office to attend in person, you can always go to SDCMS.org within a day of the seminar/webinar, log in, and view it in its entirety.

16

never miss an SDCmS Seminar, Webinar, event, or meeting

A complete list of all currently scheduled SDCMS seminars, webinars, events, and meetings is avail-able at SDCMS.org/event. If you have any sugges-tions for future seminars or webinars, don’t hesitate to let us know!

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18

Meet your leadership and Support teams

You have a dedicated team of physician leaders and staff at SDCMS who are here to support you, your staff, your practice, and your patients. Get to know us, and let us know how we can serve you better!

19learn More About your

SDCmS Foundation Founded and directed by physi-cians, the SDCMS Foundation manages a host of programs that help physicians, patients, and our

community. Together, your Foundation solves unmet healthcare needs by offering efficient and meaningful access to care, pre-ventative health education, resource information, and support for local medical students. The SDCMS Foundation is actively recruiting board-certified physicians in all medical and surgical specialties — physicians willing to see at least one uninsured patient. Contact the Foundation today to learn more!

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By Dorothy CroCkett, MA, M/Div

bY JameS t. HaY, mD

CMA Goals for 2011Working Together With SDCMS, We Are Indeed Stronger


yOur GOAlSSo what do you expect your CMA to do for you and your patients in 2011? I’m pretty sure you want maintenance and improvement of the physician-patient re-lationship, fair compensation for services rendered, and removal of the barriers to providing the care your patients need. At the annual session of CMA’s House of Delegates (HOD) in October 2010, the highest priorities assigned to actions were for fixing the problems of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and helping physicians address the Accountable Care Organiza-tions (ACOs) it enabled. CMA’s member survey conducted last summer also told us that you believe the “uninsured/un-derinsured” to be the greatest challenge for our future, followed by “reimburse-ment,” “limited access,” and “funding/solvency.”

My GOAlI am delighted that the CMA HOD has chosen me to become CMA’s president-elect, but no one person creates the agenda, nor does any one person achieve its goals. I believe in building con-sensus, in building the team, and, by doing so, in creating the internal gov-ernance that makes real accomplishment possible. Therefore, my goal for this year and the next is to work with President Hinsdale and the entire CMA Executive Committee (EC), Board of Trustees (BOT), and all the CMA components to have CMA become what the AMA motto says we should be: “Together, we are stronger.”

Our GOAlSThe CMA EC has recommended focus-ing on a few very important issues for the coming year, and I’ll discuss them individually. They are 1) helping mem-bers address the coming ACOs; 2) help-ing members implement the health re-form law while working to reform the reform by revising its harmful pieces; 3) defeating the MICRA challenge cer-tain to be awaiting us this year; 4) cre-ating an entirely new communications system within CMA, including a user-friendly and compelling website; and 5)

promoting membership by paying better attention to component and subsidiary relationships.

aCCOuntabLe Care OrganizatiOnSCommonly referred to as “unicorns” (be-cause no one has seen one yet), ACOs are an attempt to tie together the parts of the care delivery system for improvement in quality and economy. By aligning the incentives of systems created of physicians, hospitals, ancillary care, and others in models that deliver total care to at least 3,000 Medicare patients over at least three years, 80 percent of any savings achieved relative to the cost of traditional care can be returned to the ACOs. Beyond that basic premise, the rest of who, how, and how it will be measured or regu-lated is as yet unknown. CMA’s job will be to educate physicians about the opportunities and threats this provides. First and foremost, physicians must be in control of all clinical decision-making in any new systems cre-ated, and certainly must be wary of ceding

governance control to any nonphysician entity in or-der to create an ACO. Hos-pitals cannot be an ACO without physicians, but physicians can be an ACO without a hospital. Of course, the best design will include both. The CMA HOD adopted “The Physi-cian-Hospital Alignment TAC Report” in October,

which established 12 principles that should guide us as we enter into this effort, the first of which is the key guiding principle: “to increase access to care, improve the quality of care, and ensure the efficient delivery of care.” The second states that “ACOs must be physician-led.” Members can access the full report and its recommendations on CMA’s website at www.cmanet.org.

The September issue of San Diego Physi-cian was devoted entirely to this subject (see http://sdcms.org/san-diego-physician-mag-azine), but it bears reminding ourselves of the sea change that this is likely to create in the way we deliver care. CMA and its leader-ship are aware of this and will advocate vig-orously to protect your interests and those of your patients. Solo practice is not dead, and the corporatization of medicine has not happened … yet. We will find innovative ways to connect privately practicing physi-

I believe in building consensus, in building

the team, and, by doing so, in creating the

internal governance that makes real accomplishment

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cians into virtual or more tightly integrated entities, to achieve relief from the antitrust laws that prevent such alignment, and to ensure that attempts to be more “efficient” do not aggravate the financial stresses physi-cians now face or diminish the quality of or access to care for our patients.

imPLementing anD reFOrMinG reFOrMThere are many excellent parts of the ACA that physicians welcome, including the reduction in the number of uninsured pa-tients, the insurance reforms that will make health insurers better perform what they are chartered to do, the emphasis on increasing access to primary care, and the experiments with ways to get better data about what care is most effective, what liability reform efforts might be tested by the states, and how we can connect with each other for the sharing of patient information. CMA will continue to educate members about how to prepare for the increased volume of patients in an already stretched delivery system, how to adapt to the electronic world (EHRs and HIEs, for example), and how to participate

in the financial rewards the ACA created for doing so. We will advocate for state laws and regulations that will implement the federal mandates in a positive way.

Meanwhile, however, we will be traveling to Washington, DC, as often and as long as it takes to correct the flaws in the new law. SGR and GPCI must be fixed. The IPAB (In-dependent Practice Advisory Board) must be killed or at least made accountable to some-one open to hearing reasonable arguments before it can make its mandated cuts to funding in order to balance federal health-care budgets. We must continue to fight to convince Congress that “private contract-ing” isn’t a way to gouge seniors, but a way to replace the funding of medical care with OPM (other people’s money) and actually therefore reduce federal spending, while also enabling seniors the liberty of choosing how they want to receive their care. Boosts in reimbursements for Medicare and Med-icaid should be for all specialties and reflec-tive of what the costs of delivering that care actually are. “Value modifiers” as proposed by those in the Midwest must be defeated. No way should a region that has one third

the rental costs and one half the labor costs be rewarded because they deliver care more cheaply. And the ridiculous mandate to cre-ate 1099 reports for everyone we pay for ser-vice must be defeated as well.

MiCrA ChAllenGeIt is clear that the trial lawyers will test the new governor’s position on MICRA in this legislative session. We were protected for many years by governors who were certain to veto any attempt to modify the 1975 law that is the envy of the nation in liability reform. Consequently, few attempts were made to do so, but there is rising sentiment among some legislators and many in the media that the cap on non-economic dam-ages should be indexed to some inflation or cost-of-living standard. A doubling or tri-pling of the $250,000 cap, as has been pro-posed, would have a significant effect on the premiums we physicians pay to our liability carriers and also harm the clinics, the hospi-tals, and the universities already struggling to stay afloat. Access to care, not a concern of the trial bar apparently, will seriously suffer. We will need every one of you to help fight

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this attack, and we are already beginning plans for fund-raising to mount that fight.

COmmuniCatiOnSEvery focus group and every survey CMA does reinforces the understanding that phy-sicians, members and nonmembers, rarely know what CMA does and what CMA stands for. This year you will see the rollout of a new website and an entirely new way of commu-nicating with members and nonmembers, not just to “tell” you what we do, but to be able to “ask” you what you want and need. CMA’s new vice president of communica-tions, Rosanna Westmoreland, has already transformed what is happening internally. You will soon recognize the difference and see the benefit, including better public awareness of our advocacy.

management anD gOvernanCe CHangeSIt isn’t your father’s CMA, and this isn’t Kan-sas, Toto. CEO Dustin Corcoran has changed the culture at CMA’s office and revitalized an already powerful team. Now it is up to the physician leadership to follow his lead and

re-create the relationships among the parts of organized medicine. The county medi-cal societies need to be more tightly aligned with CMA and with each other. The special-ty societies need to work with CMA and each other to avoid conflicting messages to the public and the legislature. The subsidiaries of CMA are already more closely tying their missions to CMA’s. All components need to better promote leadership development to enable the “Team” of the future. We will lose to the corporate and governmental forces if they can divide us. We must not be divided. Disagreements and conflicts in needs must be hammered out within the walls of the house of medicine, not in the media or in the halls of Congress. CMA’s strategic plan, adopted by the BOT, and the focused priori-ties of the EC both consider this goal to be es-sential to the accomplishment of all others; hence both have unity of purpose as one of the top five priorities for this year.

COnCluSiOnFocus does not mean other issues will be ig-nored. I personally will continue to lead the effort to re-create a viable and effective Physi-

cian Health Program for California to replace the Diversion Program ended by action of the Medical Board in 2007. I will continue to work to see that liability coverage becomes available to physicians who volunteer their efforts for the uninsured. And I will continue, while no longer the speaker, to assist Speaker Luther Cobb and Vice Speaker Ted Mazer in assuring that the HOD remains the force it is in establishing the policies you want that will guide our actions in the future.

I am available to you at any time. Please let me know what your goals and priorities are. SDCMS remains the most vibrant and effec-tive county medical society in the state, and your leadership and staff make it so. CMA is one of the most influential and effective state associations in the country. With SDCMS working together with CMA, we are indeed stronger.

About the Author: Dr. Hay, SDCMS-CMA member since 1985, is a full-time fam-ily physician in Encinitas. He was president of SDCMS in 2001, is currently president-elect of the California Medical Association, and an AMA delegate.

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CAlpAC


Physicians Fighting For PhysiciansbY SuSan KaWeSKi, mD

http://www.calpac.org

In these trying times, physicians ask why we should contribute to CALPAC, the Cali-fornia Medical Association Political Action Committee. The most important reason is, who knows better than physicians about healthcare issues and medical decisions? Yet it seems that only nonphysicians seem to leg-islate and regulate healthcare for us and our patients.

Some of you contribute to candidates who represent your views. So why should you also contribute to CALPAC?

In order for legislative advocacy to be suc-cessful, lobbying and grassroots activities have to be integrated. CALPAC is all about physicians fighting for physicians.

Before we support specific legislators, we question them concerning their views regarding certain key topics in healthcare. Chief among these issues is MICRA, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975, the bill that reformed the medical mal-practice insurance system in California and has allowed us to practice medicine with af-fordable medical malpractice insurance. This measure is keeping the cap on non-econom-ic damages at $250,000, while providing for unlimited actual economic damages and a sliding scale of attorney fees.

CALPAC also protects California’s patients by defending the ban on corporations prac-ticing medicine. The “corporate bar” ensures that those who make decisions affecting the provision of medical services understand the quality of care implications of that medical service, have a professional ethical obliga-tion to place the patient's interest first, and are subject to oversight of the Medical Board of California.

California has the largest number of unin-sured in the nation — almost 7 million. Many of us care for these individuals on a daily ba-sis, whether it is in our community clinics,

offices, or hospitals. CMA supports expan-sion of employer-based insurance through state-operated insurance pools, mandated catastrophic and preventive insurance, and expanded healthy families programs.

Many of us are deeply concerned about the abuses of the for-profit health insurance plans, with their take-it-or-leave-it contracts, fear of retaliation from HMO administrators, continued undermining of the physician-patient relationship, and decreased quality of care.

Scope-of-practice issues will continually plague our profession. We will continue to advocate that proper training and education is necessary to treat patients safely, with the physician as the definitive decision maker.

Finally, the California budget always finds a way to cut healthcare to the medically indi-gent and working poor because it is the only thing that they can cut —with education and prison guards being relatively protected. What the legislators cannot understand is that this costs taxpayers more in the long term, with the development of significant public health problems.

Collectively, we are much more effective. Just last November, thanks to CALPAC’s abil-ity to spend $250,000, we were able to elect a pediatrician who understands MICRA and who supports what we at CMA believe, as op-posed to a candidate whom the trial lawyers wanted to see win. Please join us in support of our political action committee. Any dollar amount will help preserve our vision for the future of healthcare in our state. Remember, “Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice.”

About the Author: Dr. Kaweski, SDCMS-CMA member since 1991, is president of the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) and sits on the board of CALPAC.

For further information and to support CALPAC, please visit www.CALPAC.org.


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To SubMiT a CLaSSifieD aD, email Kyle Lewis at [email protected]. SDCMS members place classified ads free of charge (excepting “Services offered” ads). Nonmembers pay $150 (100-word limit) per ad per month of insertion.

classifiedsOffiCe spaCe

DOWntOWn OffiCe spaCe aVailaBle: Fam-ily practice physician in downtown San Diego has office space available. Preferably a primary care physician, but open to any healthcare provider. If interested, please call (858) 270-7633. [735]

MeDiCal OffiCe spaCe aVailaBle part tiMe tO share in sOlana BeaCh: Excel-lent location off I-5 by coast. Space includes three fully equipped exam rooms, waiting room, lunchroom, two bathrooms. Available all day Thursdays and other half days — flexible sched-ule. Great opportunity for a start-up practice that can’t fill a full-time schedule. Affordable rent and flexible arrangements. Call (858) 259-9708 or email [email protected] for more information. [878]

el CaJOn OffiCe spaCe: 1685 E. Main St, El Cajon suite is first floor with exposure on East Main Street. Currently occupied by a Quest Diag-nostics, and is suitable for medical offices or oth-er retail. Other tenants are Planned Parenthood, pharmacy, and law office Two tenants are gen-eral office. Numerous medical offices in neigh-borhood. Great freeway access. Total of 1,200 square feet, which includes two exam rooms, waiting area, reception booth, and break room. Rate negotiable. Occupancy available February 1, 2011. Contact John Williamson, Broker (LIC# 01709354), JD Bols & Associates, at telephone (619) 300-0689 or fax (619) 342-9816. [877]

aVailaBle COnsultatiOn rOOM On the CaMpus Of sCripps enCinitas: Close to 5 freeway. Private entry to wheelchair accessible unit with soundproof walls. Spacious waiting room shared with one doctor. Bathroom with shower. Reserved parking. Flexible sublease terms. To view the property (avail January 1, 2011), please contact Beverly at (760) 944-9263 or email [email protected]. [876]

hillCrest OffiCe spaCe aVailaBle: Of-fice space available at the corner of 8th Avenue and Washington St in Hillcrest. Approximately 3,000ft2. Surgical center building. Ample parking

and freeway access. Proximity to Scripps Mercy Hospital. Contact Laura Hurshman at (619) 299-5000 or at [email protected]. [874]

pOWay gateWay BuilDing OffiCe tO share/suBlease: Beautiful, newly renovat-ed, ground floor, 1,467ft2, close to main entrance, spacious office in a class A medical office build-ing. Close to Pomerado Hospital. Large windows, ample room, must see furnished office. Ample parking. Labs and radiology onsite in building. Negotiable rent. Looking to occupy with another subspecialist who needs a satellite location for 1–2 days a week. Contact Maryam at (760) 518-8767 or email [email protected]. [873]

OffiCe spaCe la Mesa: Office space adjacent to Grossmont Hospital. Up to 3,000ft2 for short-term sublease. Two consultation rooms, six exam rooms . Space can be sublet in whole or partially. Attractive rates. Inquiries to [email protected]. [871]

aVailaBle COnsultatiOn rOOM On the CaMpus Of sCripps enCinitas, ClOse tO 5 freeWay: Private entry to wheelchair acces-sible unit with soundproof walls, spacious waiting room shared with one doctor, BR with shower, re-served parking. Flexible sublease terms. To view the property (available January 1, 2011), please contact Beverly at (760) 944-9263 or email [email protected]. [868]

share OffiCe spaCe in la Mesa Just Off Of la Mesa BlVD: 2 exam rooms and one minor OR room with potential to share other exam rooms in building. Medicare certified am-bulatory surgery center next door. Minutes from Sharp Grossmont Hospital. Very reasonable rent. Please email [email protected] for more infor-mation. [867]

prOfessiOnal OffiCe spaCe tO share Or lease: Part time, full time, flexible terms and incentives. Up to 1,400ft2 in a medical complex. Near Alvarado Hospital, SDSU college area. Am-ple parking. High visibility street location. Ideal for any specialty or allied medical professionals. Call (858) 243-2425. [733]

OffiCe spaCe in utC: Full-time office in 8th floor suite with established psychologists, mar-riage and family therapist, and psychiatrist in Class A office building. Features include private entrance, staff room with kitchen facilities, active professional collegiality and informal consulta-tion, private restroom, spacious penthouse exer-cise gym, storage closet with private lock in each office, soundproofing, common waiting room, and abundant parking. Contact Christine Saroian, MD, at (619) 682-6912. [862]

MeDiCal OffiCe OWner/user OppOr-tunity — aDJaCent tO sCripps MerCy hOspital: Two-story medical building for sale, located on the corner of Lewis St. and 3rd Ave. at 233 Lewis Street, adjacent to Scripps Mercy Hos-pital. Property has tremendous foot traffic, a flex-ible floor plan, 10 off-street parking spaces, and is

elevator-served. Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to own on-campus via SBA Financing (with as little as 10% down) for effectively less than renting in Hillcrest’s dense medical office submarket. For more information or to schedule a property tour, contact Nic Lyon or Evan Kovac at (858) 373-3100 or email [email protected]. [859]

neW spaCe tO share in Kearny Mesa: Located directly across from Sharp Memorial Hospital in a Class A medical office building. The 2400ft2 space is perfect for a part-time or full-time, shared office arrangement. The reception area was designed to comfortably accommodate those with disabilities. Dual windows facilitate easy check-in. There are ample, built-in staff work stations. Staff also enjoy a private lounge. A furnished office and dedicated exam room are available for the physician. The office suite also includes a leaded room for minor procedures. Terms negotiable. Please contact [email protected] for more information. [857]

MeDiCal OffiCe spaCe fOr rent in enCinitas:Convenient location five minutes from Scripps Encinitas Hospital. Close to 5 free-way. The 800ft2 space includes two spacious exam rooms, private consultation/doctor’s office, private bathroom, lunchroom, and a spacious waiting room shared with one other doctor. Very affordable rent. Office located at the corner of Encinitas Blvd. and Manchester Ave. Call (760) 519-0102 or email [email protected] for more information. [855]

sCripps ranCh OffiCe spaCe tO share: Located at 10672 Wexford St. in San Diego with easy access to I-15. 4,000ft2 office with nine exam rooms (four available) and digital X-ray suite in a class A medical building. Office is currently occu-pied by an orthopedic surgeon looking to share space. Options available for space sublease or cost sharing of staff, X-rays, and office equipment. Practice currently uses CCHIT certified eClincal-Works EMR with e-prescribing. For more infor-mation, please contact Ian at (858) 536-9500 or email at [email protected]. [852]

sCripps enCinitas COnsultatiOn rOOM/eXaM rOOMs: Available consultation room with two examination rooms on the campus of Scripps Encinitas. Will be available a total of 10 half days per week. Located next to the Surgery Center. Receptionist help provided if needed. Contact Stephanie at (760) 753-8413. [703]

OffiCe spaCe tO share: Currently occupied by orthopaedic surgeon. Great location close to Scripps/Mercy and UCSD Hospital. Looking to share with part-time or full time physician. Fully furnished, fully equipped with fluoro machine and 4 exam rooms and staff. (NEGOTIABLE) Please contact Rowena at (619) 299-3950. [804]

real estate

surgiCal Center fOr sale Or lease: Conveniently located in the El Cajon area off

neW MeDiCal BuilDing alOng i-15: Pinnacle Medical Plaza is a new 80,000 SF building recently completed off Scripps Poway Parkway. The location is per-fect for serving patients along the I-15 from Mira Mesa to Rancho Bernardo and reaches west with easy access to Highway 56. Suites are available from 1,000—11,000 SF and will be improved to meet exact requirements. FREE RENT INCENTIVES and a generous improvement allowance is provided.

For information, contact Ed Muna at 619-702-5655, [email protected]

www.pinnaclemedicalplaza.com

http://www.pinnaclemedicalplaza.com



highway 125. Medicare- and AAAASF-certified, reception area, physician’s lounge, two operating rooms with C-arm, three recovery beds, medical gases, emergency back-up power. Ample park-ing and surveillance cameras on site, 2,400ft2. Please call (619) 203-9831or email [email protected] for details. [870]

physiCian pOsitiOns aVailaBle

CalifOrnia-liCenseD MD fOr COnsulta-tiVe WOrK:Alternative care/medical marijuana clinic in Carlsbad Village looking for California-licensed MD for consultative work. Part time with excellent compensation. Contact James Gould (760) 703-3767. [880]

seeKing BOarD-CertifieD peDiatriCian fOr perManent fOur-Days-per-WeeK pOsitiOn: Private practice in La Mesa seeks pediatrician four days per week on partnership track. Modern office setting with a reputation for outstanding patient satisfaction and retention for over 15 years. A dedicated triage and education nurse takes routine patient calls off your hands, and team of eight staff provides attentive sup-port allowing you to focus on direct, quality pa-tient care. Clinic is 24–28 patients per eight-hour day, 1-in-3 call is minimal, rounding on newborns, and occasional admission, NO delivery standby or rushing out in the night. Benefits include tail-cov-ered liability insurance, paid holidays/vacation/sick time, professional dues, health and dental insurance, uniforms, CME, budgets, disability and life insurance. Please contact Venk at (619) 504-5830 or at [email protected]. Salary $ 102–108,000 annually (equal to $130–135,000 full-time). [778]

great fp OppOrtunity in raMOna: Imme-diate opening for CA-licensed physician in thriv-ing family practice with small-town, rural atmo-sphere. We are flexible and friendly with excellent working conditions, loyal staff, and wonderful patients. No hospital work, easy call, attractive compensation package. Email [email protected]. [807]

priMary Care JOB OppOrtunity: Home Physicians (www.thehousecalldocs.com) is a fast-growing group of house-call doctors. Great pay ($140–$200+K), flexible hours, choose your own days (full or part time). No ER call or inpatient du-ties required. Transportation and personal assis-tant provided. Call Chris Hunt, MD, at (858) 279-1212 or email CV to [email protected]. [801]

seeKing a full-tiMe faMily praCtiCe physiCian fOr aMBulatOry CliniC: South-ern Indian Health Council is made up of board-cer-tified physicians who are experts in primary care and health management. Working closely with a well-trained support staff, our medical providers have established a solid reputation of deliver-ing quality outpatient care and a broad scope of services to individuals of all ages. We are seeking a full-time, board-certified family practice physi-cian, Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:30pm. Must have current CA and DEA licenses; computer skills. Mal-practice coverage provided. Forward resume to [email protected] or fax to (619) 445-7976 or visit our website at www.sihc.org. Contact [email protected] or HR phone at (619) 445-1188, ext. 291, or HR fax at (619) 445-7976. [866]

internal MeDiCine, part-tiMe pOsi-tiOn, priVate praCtiCe, WOnDerful JOB OppOrtunity! Outstanding opportunity to work part time or more in a mature, premiere private practice setting in North San Diego County, outpa-tient only. This unique position blends the rewards of private practice and traditional continuity of care with scheduling flexibility. Perfect for any physi-cian who wants to transition from the demands of a full-time position, or who wants to maximize job satisfaction in an extremely high quality work envi-ronment while still working part time. Contact (619) 248-2324 for more information. [861]

internal MeDiCine physiCian: Internal medicine physician to join a well-established turn-key practice located near Alvarado Hospital. New physician will take over existing practice, week-end call one in five weekends. Full laboratory, dexa machine, 2D echos, and vascular studies done in the office. Traditional in- and out-patient practice. Benefits and salary leading to partner-ship. Interested candidates should contact Lydia Gormish at (619) 229-5055 and submit curricu-lum vitae to [email protected]. [853]

prOfil institute fOr CliniCal researCh seeKing COntraCt physiCian: At Profil, we combine the careful and critical attitude of aca-demic science with the professionalism of the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Located in Chula Vista, Profil Institute for Clinical Research is currently accepting applications for a highly qualified con-tract physician. Reports to medical director. Main purpose of job: Ensure the safety and wellbeing of human subjects; ensure integrity of study data; provide medical leadership and supervision for hu-man clinical trials within PICR. Work side by side with a highly committed team proud of its contri-bution to diabetes and obesity research. Profil of-fers a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and career opportunities in a dynamic, quality-focused environment. For further information, visit SD-CMS.org/classifieds/physician-positions-available. Forward resumes to [email protected]. No faxes or phone calls, please. [851]

praCtiCe fOr sale

CarDiOlOgy MeDiCal praCtiCe: In prac-tice since 1982. Very successful practice with 100% private pay PPO and Medicare population. La Mesa area. No managed care. Practice demo-graphics are middle to upper income. Practice includes equipment, including stress testing, echo, and nuclear camera. Both echo and nucle-ar programs are certified by ICAEL and ICANL

(this is a requirement for being reimbursed by Medicare starting January 2012). Reason for sale is retirement. Will stay to introduce. Terms available. Inquiries to [email protected] or to (619) 501-6858. Excellent opportunity. [872]

nOnphysiCian pOsitiOns aVailaBle

prOViDer praCtiCe Manager: About Us: San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Pallia-tive Medicine (SDHIPM) is one of the 10 largest community-owned, not-for-profit hospice pro-grams in the nation, caring for the 1,000 pa-tients daily in their homes or other facilities in San Diego County. Our mission is to prevent and relieve suffering and to promote quality of life, at every state of life, through patient and family care, education, research, and advocacy. Posi-tion Description: The provider practice manager oversees all medical staff support, including administration, planning, budgeting, financial management, provider scheduling, and creden-tialing. Working in conjunction with the practice director, the provider practice manager ensures full and effective administrative and compliance support for the provider practice group. Works with IT, finance, and health information on docu-mentation, billing, electronic medical record activities, and other activities of, and supports for, the provider practice group. Participates as appropriate in strategic and planning discus-sions related to provider and patient care ser-vices operating models and supports integration of direction. Education: Requires a bachelor’s degree, preferably in health administration or business administration. Experience: Must have at least three years of experience in managing the operations a physician practice group. Prior experience in a home health or hospice setting is preferred. Experience with electronic health records ideal. Must demonstrate ability to not only use computer systems effectively but also to employ them to improve processes. Famil-iarity with hospital and/or hospice regulations required. Position is full time, Monday through Friday. Shift is 8:00am to 5:00pm. sdhospice.org/careers [858]

MeDiCal eQuipMent

Chart raCKs fOr sale: Three free-standing metal chart racks for sale in very good condition. Each rack has nine shelves with four metal divid-ers per shelf. Dimensions are 36” wide by 92” tall by 13” deep. Each chart rack can hold approxi-mately 575–625 charts, depending on size. These chart racks cost over $600 each brand new. Ask-ing $375 or best offer. [879]

ReaCh 8,500 DoCtoRS by aDveRtiSing in San Diego

PhySiCian Magazine.

Contact Dari Pebdani today! 858-231-1231 or [email protected]



adinosaur’sstoryBy F. Bruce Kimball, MD

As an orthopedic surgeon now in my nineties who has not practiced for 25 years, I am a card-carrying dinosaur. This is the first of a series of short anecdotes about one man’s practice 50 years ago.

“First a doctor, second an orthopedist.” With these words, Dr. Badgley, chief of the department at Michigan, welcomed me into the program.

When I completed my residency, I opened a practice in a small town in Michigan. In 1949 there was a poliomyelitis epidemic, and we had many cases. I became the local polio expert by default.

Sister Kenny was an Australian nurse who encountered many cases of polio in the Aus-tralian outback. She found that applying squares of hot wet wool relieved the pain. She also claimed that the treatment cured

a Few Words From an Old Doc1949 in Michigan … a Polio Epidemic

the disease. She was a very charismatic wom-an who brooked no criticism. Her methods were put into practice around the world, in-cluding my little town in Michigan.

The social gathering place of town was the Elks Club. I was inducted into the club one night. It proved to be a very solemn cer-emony. I was blindfolded and marched from place to place, receiving instructions and many handshakes. In the middle of the cer-emony a voice said, “There is an emergency call for Dr. Kimball.” The caller was frantic about his wife because she was paralyzed and in great pain. I was quickly made an Elk and drove off to meet the caller.

He waited for me at the end of a dirt road, waving a lantern. From there we walked to a trailer, lit only by a kerosene lamp. It was so dark I could hardly see the patient lying on the bed. In the background I could hear

the coughing of little children. I could not properly examine her, but, obviously, this had to be polio. When you hear hoof beats, think horses.

An ambulance took her to the hospital where I could begin treatment. She had severe pain in the left leg, and it was “para-lyzed.” However, a physical examination re-vealed a painful infected Bartholin cyst. No wonder she couldn’t move her leg!

What about the abscess? It needed drain-ing, so I incised it.

First a doctor, and then an orthopedist.

About the Author: Dr. Kimball, who first joined SDCMS-CMA in 1957, is now both a retired member and a retired orthopedic surgeon. San Diego Physician is happy to pub-lish a series of articles by Dr. Kimball under the rubric “A Dinosaur’s Story.”


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38 SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG january 201138 SAN DIEGO PHYSICIAN.OrG AUGUST 2010 Colliers International | Accelerating success. | www.colliers.com

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January 2011

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