CHRISTMAS CHARITY

Lake Sumter Medical Society has “adopted” a needy family through Boys & Girls Club of Lake County.

We are seeking donations to provide toys and food for this very large family with children ages 2 months to 18 years old. Santa needs to know if your office will be able to help as soon as possible. We’ll be delivering our gifts on the 21st.

Thanks to M & I Bank, who is joining us in this Christmas charity. If you’d like to give cash, make checks payable to M & I Bank. Call the LSMS office and we’ll pick up your gifts!

Merry Christmas
& Thank You!

FMA asks for meaningful, financially responsible health care reform

This week Dr. Ernesto Zavaleta, Board President,
and Carol Millwater, Exec. Director, participated in
a state-wide phone conference to bring the local, grassroots county societies up to speed on the current efforts of the FMA who is asking for meaningful, financially responsible health care reform. Their opinion is that HR 3590, currently being debated in the United States Senate, represents an unwarranted government takeover of medicine while failing to fix the SGR system or enact meaningful tort reform. They unveiled their new website that lists specific concerns regarding HR 3590, and invite members to please visit: www.dontrushreform.com.

Please contact Florida's two U.S. Senators today by clicking on the link below to let them know your concerns on the bill.  It is important they hear from Florida physicians on this issue.  Please let Senator Nelson and Senator LeMieux know that HR 3590 is not the right approach to meaningful reform and ask them to start over with a bill that truly addresses the concerns with the current system.  Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/fma38466720.aspx

2010 Dues "due" now!

2010 DUES INVOICES are going out now! Be sure to send your check to the Medical Society, P. O. Box 1578, Mt. Dora., 32756. Annual dues ( just $275) gives you benefits that only a local membership organization can!
Where else can you call and get personal attention for your practice management problems, get free CME’s and receive great opportunities for saving money? Membership is a bargain at just $275 a year!
Send your check today!

LSMS spotlighted on Hometown Health TV

The 2009 EXPO is being highlighted on the award-winning Hometown Health TV and can be seen every Saturday morning at 11am on Lake Front TV. LFTV is carried throughout Lake County and The Villages on Comcast channel 22, Brighthouse channel 199 and
Florida Cable channel 4.

Hometown Health TV is also shown in more than 20 medical offices, is available on-line at HometownHealthTV.com and enjoys multimedia partnerships with Healthy Living Magazine and Heartbeat Radio for Women (1401AM).

Check out our video segment being aired in December featuring highlights of the Expo and interviews with Carol Millwater, Dr. Ernesto Zavaleta and Dr. Jason Boardman! Go to:
http://hometownhealthtv.com/main/index.php/golfclassic-dec09.
Be watching for the January edition when they will spotlight We Care of Lake County featuring a great interview with Dr. Shelley Glover.

We Care of Lake County

WE CARE of Lake County is grateful to the wonderful volunteer physicians who make an incredible difference as they provide specialty services to people in need in Lake County.
Can YOU help?
We Care offers sovereign immunity, case management and flexibility. See one patient or many, it is completely at the physician’s discretion.
You CAN help!
Call the We Care office at 352-742-6595 to learn more!

EXPO 2009 a SUCCESS!

"What a GREAT Expo! I just wanted to tell you “thank you” and let you know how much we appreciate the opportunity to be the media sponsor! We had a great time and met some wonderful people!"
Kendra Akers, owner/publisher,
VLife Magazine
Health Living Magazine

"I am so thrilled!  I met Fred Nendza last night from XcInt Design.  He is cleaning up our website and making it HIPAA compliant. Once he's finished, I'll let you know."
Cindy
Dr. Scott Rodger, Family Practice

"Just wanted you to know I have heard from three of your vendors who reported that the EXPO was phenomenal! Next year I need to be a vendor!"
Rick Rojas
A Plus Printing

DOOR PRIZES went to 36 attendees ranging from a full page ad in Healthy Living Magazine won by Dr. Shelley Glover to a FREE LUNCH FOR THE STAFF won by Dr. Denise Olliverri! There were chess sets, wine and fruit baskets, gift certificates, computer cases and even CASH! We had 51 vendors and we estimate 150 guests. Generous sponsors and vendors really put their best foot forward, sharing their knowledge and expertise and giving guests personalized attention for their business needs.
Did you miss it? Next year’s event will be THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010!

Lake-Sumter Medical Society & Lake Sumter Community College

proudly present the final session of the

Practice Management Series

Evaluations & Management Documentation Requirements & Coding
“Appropriate coding to minimize your risk of being audited and optimize reimbursement to which the practice is legally and ethically entitled.”

When - Tuesday, October 13, 2009 * 8:30am registration & 9:00am - 12:00 Class
Continental breakfast compliments of Cornerstone Hospice

Where - Lake Sumter Community College * Leesburg Campus, Hwy 441 * 1st floor computer lab, Health/Sciences Building

Who - Physicians and Practice Managers

Cost - $50 per class/per person - LSMS Members * $100 per class/per person - Non LSMS Members

How - Call 352-483-4748 or email frontdesk@lakesumter.org or register online at www.lakesumter.org

This class is filling up quickly. Call now!

EXPO UPDATE! NEW VENDORS!

ELSEVIER, the world’s leading publisher of science and health information, serving more than 30 million scientists, students, and health and information professionals world-wide. Their representative is coming with a valuable array of medical books to give away(!) to physicians who must be present to win!

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA School of Medicine will also be giving us a great look at the facility, their mission and how UCF School of Medicine will influence Central Florida.

Representatives from LIFE STREAMS BEHAVIORAL CENTER, along with their Medical Director, Thomas Valente, MD, will be on hand to introduce visitors to the many innovative services they provide to patients in 5 counties.

EXPO is a perfect opportunity to recruit new members! Invite your colleagues! MARK YOUR CALENDARS for November 4, 2009, Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora!

H1N1

The Lake County Health Department will be conducting a series of conferences for hospital clinicians as well as for community physicians, to be held at the three major hospitals in the county throughout the month of September. The LCHD is your source for current national and local information concerning the H1N1 virus.

-Florida Hospital Waterman at Tavares on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00am at conference room B, located on the ground floor across from the Cafeteria.
-South Lake Hospital at 1099 Citrus Tower Blvd. in Clermont, FL, on Wednesday, September 30, from 7:30-8:30am-Breakfast with Community Physicians.
-LRMC at Leesburg is having a meeting on Sept. 23, at 6:00pm, but it is for their staff and by invitation only.

In a previous TGIF the State of Florida Flu Emergency Hotline was incorrect. 1-800-352-3581 is the correct number. Patients can also visit www.myflusafety.com.

Emerging Trends...Misuse of Non-Medical Rx & OTC Drugs

At a recent meeting of the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council, Mark Vargo, PhD, discussed emerging trends in the misuse of pharmaceuticals. The misuse of non-medical Rx & OTC drugs is at an epidemic level, especially by adolescents and young adults. The most eye opening information Dr. Vargo revealed was that there are 10 counties in the entire United States that are the top dispensers of Oxycodone. ALL are in Florida. And LAKE COUNTY is one of them!
The FMA endorsed the Prescription Drug Monitoring Bill, SB 462, which establishes criteria for creation of a basic prescription drug monitoring system and calls for the registration of pain clinics. Governor Crist signed the bill in June.

License Review & Update

Avoid Problems with Your License By Reviewing & Updating Your Board of Medicine Practitioner ProfileWhen was the last time you sat down and reviewed your Department of Health Practitioner Profile? Click here to read an article from the Board of Medicine's ongoing series regarding the Top 10 Tips to Avoid Problems with Your License. This article will look at the requirements related to Practitioner Profiles, point to where you can go for more information and much more.

Lake-Sumter Medical Society Welcomes Our Newest Members!

Thanks to an active recruitment effort and an attractive health insurance trust program, our membership roster is growing! Please welcome these new members, who have joined since April!

Santiago Calderon, MD, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Leesburg
Steven Nerad, MD, Cardiology, Leesburg
Ahmad Jalloul, MD, Pulmonary/Critical Care, Tavares
Elias Mavrofrides MD, Ophthalmology, Mount Dora, Leesburg
Kalpana Desai MD, Family Medicine, The Villages
Jose Diaz, MD, Pulmonary/Critical Care, Leesburg
Juan Almeyda-Gomez MD, Pediatrics, LCHD Umatilla Clinic
Imad El-Jassous MD, Hematology/Oncology, Lady Lake
Robert Kraut MD, Ophthalmology, Leesburg
Pablo Reyes MD, Oncology/Hematology, Leesburg
Karlene Sinclair MD, General Surgery, Davenport
Shirkanth Upadya MD, Cardiology, The Villages
Margarita Correa-Perez MD, Physical Medicine & Rehab, The Villages
Cedric Tankson MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, Leesburg
Jeffrey Kerina MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, Leesburg
Isaac Mitchell MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, Leesburg
Michael Joyner MD, Hand Surgery, Leesburg

FMA responds to President Obama

During the recently completed meeting of the FMA House of Delegates, a motion was made and passed for the FMA to write a letter to President Obama expressing the FMA’s dissatisfaction with the comment he made during his July 22, 2009 press conference in which he alleged that physicians make medical decisions based on financial gain. Medical societies throughout Florida (including LSMS) signed on to the letter, which follows.

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

As a practicing physician and the President of the Florida Medical Association, I would like to express my deep disappointment over the comment you made during your July 22, 2009 press conference in which you stated:
Right now doctors a lot of times are forced to make decisions based on the fee payment schedule that's out there.
So if they're looking -- and you come in and you've got a bad sore throat, or your child has a bad sore throat or has repeated sore throats, the doctor may look at the reimbursement system and say to himself, you know what, I make a lot more money if I take this kid's tonsils out. Now that may be the right thing to do, but I'd rather have that doctor making those decisions just based on whether you really need your kid's tonsils out or whether it might make more sense just to change -- maybe they have allergies, maybe they have something else that would make a difference.
I find your implication that physicians make medical decisions based on the approach that provides the most reimbursement insulting to the approximately 35,000 practicing physicians in the State of Florida that provide high quality health care based only on the best interests of the patient. Physicians of all specialties provide millions of dollars of uncompensated care each year in Florida through charitable networks and other organizations. In addition, most physicians provide care to patients whose particular health insurance does not cover the full costs of providing that care and this trend is even more notable for physicians who provide care via Medicaid to those in our state who are in the greatest need. For these physicians it is the patient’s needs that drive their decision making, not the fee schedule.
At the July 2009 meeting of the House of Delegates of the Florida Medical Association, physicians from all over Florida resoundingly expressed their offense over your disrespectful remarks. The medical societies listed below join in this letter to assure you that for the physicians in Florida, patient’s come first. As stated in the American Medical Association’s Principles of Medical Ethics, “A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount.” This is a principle that we in Florida will continue to adhere to, your unfortunate remarks notwithstanding.

Our patients in Florida and across the nation deserve an accurate and far more sensitive depiction of their caring physicians by the President of the United States, whose statements impact the opinions and impressions of millions of Americans and the future of our health care system.
We still look forward to working with you and our Florida Congressional Delegation to develop and implement effective health system reform that adheres to the principles of the Florida Medical Association and the patients our physician members serve with respect and integrity.
Sincerely,
James B. Dolan, MD
President, Florida Medical Association

The National Institute on Drug Abuse

(NIDA) has launched a new Web site (http://www.nida.nih.gov/medstaff.html) to provide physicians and other health professionals with the latest science on drug abuse and addiction. Drug abuse affects the course and treatment of many medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and lung disease. NIDA’s new Web site shares the latest on:
Relevant research
Clinical practice
Materials for patients (including youth)
Trends in drug abuse and addiction
Clinical trials
NIDA, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is committed to timely dissemination of promising research findings for real-world application. The new Web site for physicians and other health professionals is part of NIDA’s continuing efforts to raise awareness about drug abuse and addiction.

Leadership Exchange Completed at June Membership Meeting

At last week’s Membership Meeting, and with a full house looking on, Dr. Steven West officiated the induction of Ernesto Zavaleta, MD, FHM, newly appointed president of the Lake-Sumter Medical Society. Past President, Dr. Shelley Coleman Glover, was recognized for her achievements as president, including the implementation of the Health Insurance Trust Plan. Dr. Glover graciously accepted a plaque and roses, as mementos of her years of service. She will remain on the Board of Governors, providing guidance and assistance as the new president begins his term.

Newly inducted president, Dr. Ernesto Zavaleta, spoke of his plan to create goals for the coming year that will increase membership and make the Lake-Sumter Medical Society the first and obvious choice for physicians across the two counties.

Dr. Zavaleta, who hails from Peru, is well known at South Lake Hospital where he serves as a Hospitalist specializing in internal medicine. If you would like to speak with Dr. Zavaleta, or if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the LSMS office either at 352-483-4748 or frontdesk@lakesumter.org.

Ernesto Zavaleta, M.D., F.H.M. New President of Lake-Sumter Medical Society

Dr. Ernesto Zavaleta will assume the leadership position of the Lake-Sumter Medical Society after Thursday night’s installation dinner-meeting at Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora. With an anticipated full house, Dr. Steven West, FMA President, will oversee the induction and transfer of leadership.

Our thanks to Dr. Shelley Coleman Glover who has had a long and successful Presidency, and leaves a legacy of many accomplishments and programs that have benefited the membership of Lake-Sumter Medical Society. As Past-President, she will maintain a presence on the board and will continue to be a strong influence.

Dr. Zavaleta is already looking at ways to revitalize the organization. Be watching for a Membership Survey to assess member’s expectations and suggestions as we continue to look for ways to improve and grow our Society.

Dr. Jason Boardman was also inducted as Vice President of the Lake-Sumter Medical Society. He will join Dr. Zavaleta in a combined effort to bring in more members, become effective in supporting the political landscape, and provide greater opportunities for members.

Lake Sumter Community College has Quality Students for Your Job Openings

Does your office need billing assistance? The Lake Sumter Community College offers a certificate in Medical Office Management in which students do 150 hours of co-operative education internships in a medical office. They earn 3 credits toward the certificate and although some practices pay them minimum wage, it isn’t required. Students must be exposed to every aspect of the receptionist and billing specialist jobs during their office time. This program also has an option for students to specialize in transcription.

LSCC tries to assist all of their students to secure jobs. If your office is looking for qualified employees, contact Brandy Ziesemer at the college, 435-6414 or email at ziesemerb@lscc.edu.

FMA Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Florida Medical Association is quickly approaching.

The 2009 annual meeting will be held at the Boca Raton Resort & Club from July 24-26. The FMA has worked hard to pack as much into these 3 days as they can, including participation in the House of Delegates; Reference Committees; continuing medical education courses; a “Best Practices Symposium” panel of experts; opportunities for networking; banquets and a top-notch Expo. Through all of this, the FMA’s theme encourages involvement in the House of Medicine, the legislative and political arm of the Florida Medical Association. Fast paced and exciting, it provides attendees an opportunity to understand the importance of being informed and involved.

FIVE DELEGATE positions are available to the Lake Sumter Medical Society, of which three are taken. Please contact us so you can join our other confirmed representatives: Dr. Shelley Coleman Glover, Dr. Jason Boardman, & Dr. Ernesto Zavaleta.

Interested? Call us at 352-483-4748 or email us at frontdesk@lakesumter.org. All delegate expenses are covered by the Medical Society.

Docs CARE Golf Tournament a great success!

Thanks to our wonderful and generous sponsors,
a terrific field of 60 golfers, and the hard work of the Lake Sumter Medical Society and We Care of Lake County staff and board members, we are pleased to report a successful event!

Tournament results:
Team Winner with a score of 57(!)…………..Team Montverde Academy
Closest to the Pin……………….Jason Roets, Team Montverde Academy
Putting Contest………………….John Moore, Team South Lake Hospital
Longest Drive………………..John Hopman, Team Montverde Academy
Hole-in-One…….according to the “hole judge” there were several “near
misses”, but unfortunately, there were no hole-in-one winners!

Receipts and checks are still coming in, but the anticipated net profit from this first time fundraiser will be MORE THAN $10,000 with the proceeds divided between LSMS and We Care of Lake County. The Board of Directors for both organizations is extremely pleased with the outcome and look forward to next year’s event! Participants will receive a brief questionnaire for suggestions and ideas.

We are grateful to our generous Tournament Sponsors!


Silver - K Hovnanian Builders
Luncheon - Barrett, Liner & Company
Hole in One - South Lake Hospitalists
Closest to the Pin - Clermont Surgical Assoc.
Longest Drive - Women’s Care of Clermont
Putting Contest - Lake Medical Imaging
Eagle Sponsors - South Lake Hospital
- Florida Hospital Waterman
- Central Florida Health Alliance
- FPIC
Hole Sponsors - Ameriprise Financial
- Brookdale Senior Living
- Montverde Academy
- Bosshardt & Marzek Plastic Surgery
- GloStream & ConnectU
- Cardiovascular Associates of Lake County

On the Book Shelf — Health Care Reform: The Truth

Julio Gonzalez, M.D., author and orthopedic surgeon practicing in Venice, FL, expresses his concern about a "reform plan that relies on flawed assumptions and misinterpretation of fact and data in order to defend its ideals."
This must-read explores everything from Medicare and Medicaid to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the military health system. He looks at the health care work force, physician payment model, medical malpractice, and defines the true nature and magnitude of the uninsured population.
According to FMA President Dr. Steven West, Dr. Gonzalez "explores health care reform from the physicians perspective with great clarity and depth, supporting his points with thorough references and factual citations. For anyone interested in the health care debate, I could not recommend this book more."
To order your book ($29.95) go to www.aragonpublishers.com where they will ship your book the same day.