Competition Opens for Young Physicians Patient Safety Award Medical Students and Residents Encouraged to Submit Essays for $5,000 Awards Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Young Physicians Patient Safety Award, The Doctors Company Foundation has announced. Medical students and residents are eligible to compete for six $5,000 awards. Winners will also receive travel to the Association of American Medical College’s Integrating Quality meeting in Chicago June 12–13, 2014, where the awards will be presented. Entrants must be third- or fourth-year medical students or first-year residents who were in a hospital setting as of June 2013. Entrants must ... November 25, 2013 Medical Students, Resident Physicians, Risk Management Patient Safety, Risk Management, Young Physicians 0 0 Comment Read More »
Tick-borne Disease in San Diego County November 25, 2013 This alert describes a recently recognized human pathogen detected in ticks in San Diego County, Rickettsia philipii (formerly known as Rickettsia 364D), and provides an update on other tick-borne diseases in the region. An eschar-associated illness caused by Spotted Fever group (SFG) Rickettsia, R. philipii was first recognized in a Northern California resident in 2008. Cases have since been reported in both adults and children. A bite from the Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis) can transmit the infection. The most prominent clinical feature of R. philipii infection is development ... November 25, 2013 Public Health Ticks 0 0 Comment Read More »
National Physician Payment Transparency Program FAQs The following are frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the National Physician Payment Transparency Program (Open Payments) — initiated by the Physicians Payments Transparency Act (PPSA): These FAQs are based on the guidance that is publicly available as of August 23, 2013. This is a new reporting program, and many of the questions are still being clarified. Medical societies may take different positions on some of these questions. Readers of this document are encouraged to consult their attorneys, funding organizations, and CMS for interpretations of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PPSA) and the regulations operationalizing it. The information ... November 20, 2013 Regulations Sunshine Law 0 0 Comment Read More »
November Is National COPD Awareness Month In recognition of national COPD awareness month, the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation is encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about simple measures they can take to improve their lung function. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a serious lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. Also known as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, it recently surpassed stroke as the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million people are diagnosed with COPD, and an additional 12 million are likely to have the disease ... November 20, 2013 Public Health COPD 0 0 Comment Read More »
Get Smart About Antibiotics With the cold and flu season underway, now is a good time to review appropriate antibiotic use. The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation's Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education (AWARE) project has teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and others to slow the rise of antibiotic resistance by: Promoting adherence to prescribing guidelines among providers, Decreasing demand for antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections among healthy adults and parents of young children, and Increasing adherence to prescribed ... November 19, 2013 Public Health Antibiotics 0 0 Comment Read More »
New Medi-Cal Survival Toolkit Now Available Over the past year, there have been a number of changes for Medi-Cal patients and for the physicians who treat them. There will be more changes in 2014 as well. To help physicians understand the impact these changes will have on their practices, CMA has published a member-exclusive Medi-Cal Survival Toolkit. The toolkit contains a summary of many of the changes, important dates, options for physicians, and links to important resources. The toolkit will be updated as we learn of changes within the areas discussed. SDCMS Members: For assistance in logging ... November 6, 2013 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Campaign to Lift the MICRA Cap Is Underway To: Patients & Providers to Protect Access and Contain Health Costs From: Jim DeBoo, Campaign Manager RE: The Campaign to Lift the MICRA Cap is Underway November 4, 2013 The campaign to lift the MICRA cap is underway. Last week, the Consumer Attorneys of California kicked in hundreds of thousands of dollars to bankroll the initiative. In turn, expect to see signature gatherers at your local grocery stores. From the early stages of this campaign, we've witnessed the Consumer Attorneys intent to mislead the voters. They already have attempted to make this initiative about ... November 5, 2013 MICRA MICRA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Member Physicians: Send Us Your Photo SDCMS Member Physicians: If you would like your photo to appear with your online profile and your pictorial membership directory, please email it to Membership@SDCMS.org. Your photo should be high-resolution and in JPG format. Contact Kyle Lewis at SDCMS at (858) 300-2784 or at KLewis@SDCMS.org with any questions. Thank you for your membership with SDCMS-CMA! October 29, 2013 Member Benefits Membership 0 0 Comment Read More »
Pertussis Cases Increasing in San Diego County October 25, 2013 The San Diego County health department has confirmed 202 local cases of pertussis so far in 2013, compared to 127 cases reported at this time last year. One local high school site has had thirteen reported cases: all were students 14–16 years old up-to-date on vaccinations with symptom onset dates between August 14 and September 27. When cases occur in schools or daycares, staff and families are routinely notified and urged to seek care promptly for early symptoms or for contact prophylaxis. Clinicians who evaluate patients with ... October 28, 2013 Public Health Pertussis, Public Health, Vaccinations, Whooping Cough 0 0 Comment Read More »
Acute Hepatitis and Liver Failure Following the Use of a Dietary Supplement If any physician has an acute liver failure case that might be associated with any nutritional supplement, he or she should notify the San Diego County Epidemiology Branch at (619) 692-8499 or by using a confidential morbidity report form. Many physicians do not routinely ask about nutritional supplement use, but surveys have shown that the majority of patients use a supplement of some type on at least a weekly basis. The supplement specifically identified in this alert, OxiELITE Pro, is more likely to be used by young adults, athletes, ... October 21, 2013 Public Health Dietary Supplements, Hepatitis, Liver Failure 0 0 Comment Read More »