Healthcare Reform is a hot issue for anesthesiologists and all of medicine. On Thursday, August 13, 2009, our colleagues at Oregon Anesthesiology Group will be hosting a session with Congressman Earl Blumenauer. It is important that members of Congress are fully informed of the significant issues impacting our specialty with a number of initiatives being considered in Washington, DC. Please come and share your thoughts and concerns with Congressman Blumenauer.

Meeting Details:

Thursday, August 13th 5:00 ? 7:00 p.m.
Futures Professional Building, 1849 NW Kearney, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97209

Light refreshments will be served.

No, the title of this story is not a mistake! The government agency responsible for the Medicare program recently announced that they were considering a substantial increase to the Medicare anesthesia conversion factor. This so-called "proposed rule" is now open to public comment. The ASA is asking EVERY anesthesiologist to let Medicare know how crucial this change is for anesthesiologists caring for our elderly and disabled. To see how you can help make this happen, please visit this page at the ASA website. It has instructions for electronic submission of comments, a sample letter for your use, and several background articles for those who want to understand this issue in greater depth.

Also, the Oregon Society's Secretary, Norm Cohen, serves as the Chair of ASA's Committee on Economics. He has been very involved in this battle for improved Medicare payments for many years. If you have further questions, you may contact Dr. Cohen via the contact information found on the OSA Leadership page.

OSA Immediate Past-President Angela Kendrick has quietly but effectively represented our specialty on the Oregon Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee. Read on to learn about the happenings at the most recent meeting of this group.

Due to concerns that some health care professionals may be misrepresenting themselves to the public and as part of our commitment to patient safety, the Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists was successful in having legislation signed into law to require healthcare workers providing direct patient care in licensed healthcare facilities to wear identification badges. These badges must include the name and professional title of the healthcare worker.

The American Medical Association is asking for our help in fighting Medicare payment cuts. The following information is from this week's OMA Update.

AMA MEDICARE PAY CUT SURVEY

Medicare’s trustees forecast that physician payment rates will be cut by 31 percent from 2006-2013; beginning with a 5.2 percent cut that will take effect January 1, 2006. The AMA wants to prevent these cuts and replace the current Medicare payment formula with a new system that appropriately reflects increases in practice costs.

To collect this valuable information, the AMA is conducting a survey to find out how physicians would likely respond to a five percent cut in Medicare rates for 2006 and a long-term cut of 31 percent. To receive a survey, go to: http://www.surveysolutions.com/ama/medpayrg.htm.

It is critical that the AMA get a good response rate for the survey. Encourage your colleagues to complete and return the survey. Physicians who are not AMA are also encouraged to fill out the survey. If enough responses are collected from your specialty or state, the AMA will develop a report showing the survey results specifically for physicians in your specialty or state.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists is offering a one-year Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. The individual chosen will have the opportunity to work closely with ASA's Washington Office on healthcare issues. Read the letter from ASA President Eugene Sinclair to learn more.

Only a few days remain for Oregon voters to cast their ballots. If you have recently seen dramatic increases in your liability insurance premiums or have considered changing your practice in either scope or location due to the threat of lawsuits, consider voting YES on Measure 35. For more information, click HERE