Latest News From MAPRS
Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., FACS, will speak on efficacy of emerging trends in Plastic Surgery at the MAPRS annual meeting on Saturday, March 27 in St. Louis at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel
The annual meeting is on Saturday, March 27 in St. Louis at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. We will be honored with Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., FACS, who will speak to us on efficacy of emerging trends in aesthetic surgery and gathering of scientific data as to the outcomes of aesthetic surgical procedures. Membership benefits you in attending this meeting as you will acquire 6 CME credits applied towards the Patient Safety CME requirements of ASPS.As members of the Missouri Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons it is our responsibility to advance the profession of plastic surgery through continued education of our members and the public we serve. The Missouri Association is our conduit to serve as the advocate for our profession. Your membership and active participation is critical in achieving the goals of the organization. It is time for the annual membership drive and dues payment. Solicit your colleagues to either renew or join the association. Membership dues for MAPRS are increased from $40 to $45 annually. This is the first increase in dues in years. Please remit your dues for 2010 to the Missouri Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, so that we can budget our funds for the annual meeting.
We hope you can join us.
Sincerely, Jerome Lamb, M.D., Treasurer MAPRSJerome Lamb, M.D., P.C.4820 S. Arrowhead Drive
MAPRS annual meeting is on Saturday, April 4 in Kansas City at the Westin Crowne Plaza
CME Credits for MAPRS Meeting
Please note to all attendants of our Annual Meeting; to obtain your CME Credits for the meeting you must be an MSMA member. The alternative is to pay $50 per credit hour.
You may pay your dues at the registration desk.
MAPRS Annual Meeting at MSMA
Our annual meeting is held on April 19 in St. Louis in conjunction with the MSMA meeting. Dr Jeffry Kenkel is our featured guest speaker. Dr Kenkel is speaking about body countouring after massive weight loss. He chairs the ASPS/ASAPS Post-bariatric task force. Dr. Kenkel is an expert and leading authority in ultrasound-assisted liposuction. He is an author of several notable texts.
Dr. Kenkel will speak in the morning sesion on Body Contouring and the afternoon he will concentrate on Non-surgical Rejuvenation with Fillers and Lasers.
Medicare Payment Cuts
Medicare Payment Cuts
Dear Colleagues:
As you know, unless Congress intervenes, Medicare physician payments will be slashed by 10.6 percent on July 1, and by another 5 percent on January 1 of next year.
It is imperative that we hound our delegation in Congress to correct this problem now. The AMA lobbyists in the Washington trenches are calling on us to make contact with Missouri Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill right away. And so we are calling on you for help.
Please take a moment to write a letter or place a telephone call to Senators Bond and McCaskill, urging their cooperation. Talking points are below, as are the phone numbers and addresses. This is a very serious matter, and we appreciate your assistance.
Honorable Kit Bond
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5721
Senator Claire McCaskill
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-6154
Medicare Payment Talking Points
Unless Congress acts, Medicare physician payment rates will be reduced 10.6 percent on July 1, and by an additional 5 percent on January 1, 2009. Legislation must be passed to protect seniors’ access to physicians and to replace the cuts with payment updates that cover practice cost increases.
Senior citizens and people with disabilities who rely on the Medicare program for their health care needs are counting on Congress to act in time to prevent a crisis:
§ In an AMA survey of almost 9,000 physicians, more than half said they could not meet their current payroll with a 10 percent Medicare pay cut and would be forced to reduce their staff.
§ Even more – 60 percent – said they would have to limit the number of new Medicare patients they treat if the pay cuts are not stopped.
§ The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reports that 30 percent of Medicare patients looking for a new primary care physician already have trouble finding one.
§ Two-thirds of physicians say the steep cuts will also prevent them from investing in health information technology that can be used to improve the quality of care.
Today’s Medicare physician payment rates (before the July 2008 cut) are on average the same as in 2001, while practice costs have risen 20 percent since then. The widening gap between payment rates and the cost of care will make it extremely difficult for physicians to stay involved with the Medicare program … just as millions of baby boomers are about to become eligible for Medicare.
More specific to Missouri, it is estimated that the proposed payment cuts will slash some $240 million in Medicare payments for services provided by physicians here. That is untenable.
Congress has promised America’s current and future seniors health care benefits through Medicare. Lawmakers must keep their promises by acting soon to enact legislation that will:
- Stop the pay cuts for 18 months;
- Extend the positive 2008 update through the rest of the year;
- Provide a positive 2009 update that covers the increase in the cost of care, and;
- Begin to pave the way for permanent replacement of the physician update formula.
