Latest News From MAPRS
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.
A Letter from our MAPRS President
March 14, 2007
Dear Colleague members of the Missouri Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons:
We look forward to the upcoming annual meeting in Kansas City on April 14th at the Westin Crown Center, where we will be hosting Tolbert Wilkinson, M.D. for his presentation to our group about a variety of topics about which he has written and spoken.
At the meeting we are also going to entertain a vote on proposed new bylaws that were kindly provided by our immediate past president, Herluf Lund, M.D., who has appropriately identified our need for a modern set of bylaws. These are being distributed herein for you review in both e-mail and standard mail formats. Please give this document your consideration and bring any comments, corrections or new ideas to the meeting.
Thank you in advance for your time and energy directed toward the adoption of new bylaws. We are looking forward to a great meeting and a day of collegial interaction.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey G. Copeland, M.D., F.A.C.S.
President, Missouri Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
(from your WebMaster: Members - Please log in to review the proposed By-laws as the following News entry)
