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1. Physicians Must Complete Pain CME by End of Year; Next Presentation
of CMA’s Pain Management Conference Is Sept. 8-9 in San Francisco
California law (AB 487) requires physicians to complete 12 hours of continuing medical education (CME) in pain management and the care of terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians have until December 31 to satisfy this requirement. Doctors licensed in California after 2002 (when the law was enacted) have four years from the date of licensure to complete the CME requirement.
One way to fulfill this requirement is by attending CMA’s pain management conference, “Pain, Palliation, & Politics: Pain Management and End-of-Life Care in California’s Regulatory Environment.” This practical two-day CME program will be offtered September 8-9 at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel and again December 1-2 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. CMA tailored this program to meet the needs of physicians who do not specialize in pain medicine. Offering 14 hours of Category I CME, this program completely fulfills California’s AB 487 mandate.
CMA members pay $335 (nonmembers $600). Register early and get $40 off the registration fee.
Click here for more information.
Contact: CMA’s pain management seminar hotline, 415/882-3330 or kdefabrique@cmanet.org.
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2. CMA Endorses Free Online Training for
Physicians Treating Victims of Domestic Violence
CMA has endorsed an innovative online education program to help California doctors better fulfill their important role in treating victims of domestic violence. The free CME program is now available at
http://www.respondtodv.org.
The award-winning web-based education program fulfills two vital goals. It provides physicians with the tools they need to help patients who may be victims of domestic violence, while at the same time allowing doctors to meet state requirements for continuing education.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) is investing $355,000 to make the training available to all physicians at no charge for two years. The BSCF grant has also enabled the program’s authors to add important information on California laws and domestic violence resources. California-licensed physicians who use the program can receive up to 16 continuing medical education (CME) credits—also at no charge—for completing the course.
“This updated program directly responds to California doctors’ concerns about the difficulties they face in treating and caring for abused patients and in complying with California domestic violence reporting laws,” says Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation. “More and better training for physicians treating domestic violence victims is crucial in providing the best care possible in what is often a time of crisis.”
The state-of-the-art online CME program includes text-based simulations, multimedia tutorials, video presentations by domestic violence experts, downloadable practice tools, and links to scientific journal abstracts. It was developed under a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to Medical Directions, Inc. (MDI) of Tucson, Arizona.
Click here for more information.
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3. Division of Workers’ Comp Studying Injured Workers’ Access to Care;
Selected Physicians Urged to Participate in Survey
The California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is sponsoring a scientific study about access to medical care for injured workers. The study is being conducted by the highly regarded Center for Health Policy Research, an independent research center at UCLA.
Up to 1,200 physicians will be sampled and surveyed for their opinions about and experiences with providing workers’ compensation care in California. The study includes medical doctors, osteopaths, podiatrists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and psychologists.
CMA urges selected physicians to participate in this important study. Your responses will help DWC understand the challenges of treating injured workers in California so the agency can make the system more effective for both patients and their health care providers.
The ten-minute survey can be completed on the phone, by mail, or on a secure website. You will be asked about the scope of your workers’ compensation practice, reasons for any changes in that practice, and experiences providing care in the workers’ compensation system. Participants will also be asked to suggest ways to encourage providers to continue to treat work-related injuries and illnesses.
Providers randomly selected for the survey should have received a letter requesting their participation. Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential and responses will be reported in the aggregate only.
Click here for more information.
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4. CMA Partners with Professionals’ Retirement Strategy to Provide
New Retirement Option for California Physicians
CMA has partnered with Professionals’ Retirement Strategy (PRS) to offer California physicians an innovative retirement income strategy that combines business financing and life insurance.
“We are excited to offer a new and creative option for physicians to consider for their retirement,” says CMA CEO Jack Lewin, M.D. “This new design is not intended to be a physician’s sole or exclusive retirement strategy, but we want to assist our members in planning for retirement and present them with this option. This also serves as a reminder to physicians that it is never too late or too early to create a comprehensive plan for retirement.”
CMA members will receive a free retirement planning analysis. “An important feature in this program is the flexibility to modify or terminate it with little risk if a physician wants to alter his or her retirement strategy in the future,” notes Dr. Lewin.
The California Professionals’ Retirement Strategy (CPRS) product design enables physicians to secure competitive loan financing based upon the value of their practice. The loan proceeds can provide supplemental retirement income.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Sam Roth, 916/551-2031 or sroth@cmanet.org.
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5. CMA to Hold 150th Anniversary Exhibit at State Fair in August
As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, CMA will have a major exhibit at the State Fair at Cal Expo in Sacramento later this summer.
The historical exhibit, “CMA – Helping Doctors Help Patients for 150 Years,” runs August 11 to September 4 and will feature medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, scientific theories, and famous CMA physicians from 1850s through today. The 800-square-foot exhibit will be in the main hall of the counties building.
The bulk of materials comes from the Sierra Sacramento Valley Museum of Medical History. The 1 million fairgoers will also get the opportunity to see one of the few remaining iron lungs—once used to treat polio victims. UC Davis School of Medicine will offer demonstrations on how medical students today use sophisticated simulators of humans to test everything from surgery to pharmaceutical dosage. CMA Foundation will offer information on antibiotic resistance, obesity, and diabetes prevention.
CMA staff will work at the fair during peak hours. Physicians living in or near Sacramento, or planning to visit, and who wish to volunteer to answer questions and greet visitors should contact Susan Bassett at 916/444-5532 or sbassett@cmanet.org.
Discount tickets, hours of operation, and other details for those wishing to attend the fair can be found at
http://www.bigfun.org.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Susan Bassett, 916/444-5532 or sbassett@cmanet.org.
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6. CMA Member Benefit of the Week: Epocrates Clinical Reference Guides
CMA members receive substantial discounts on Epocrates clinical reference guides. Epocrates provides physicians with point-of-care access (via PDA, desktop computer, or the Internet) to up-to-date information on drugs, diseases, and diagnostics.
CMA members receive 30 percent off one-year subscriptions and 35 percent off two-year subscriptions to any Epocrates product. Students and residents receive 50 percent off all Epocrates products.
Click here for more information.
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7. 150th Anniversary Trivia: Did You Know?
Did you know that in 1871, AMA delegates met in San Francisco (the first AMA meeting in the West) and recommended a standard four-year curriculum for all medical schools, a recommendation that Harvard and University of Pennsylvania soon adopted? California’s Toland Medical College and and Cooper Medical College also changed to a standard four-year program, but added a one-year apprenticeship. By 1909 Cooper Medical College had become Stanford School of Medicine, and it required a high school diploma as prerequisite to entrance.
CMA is celebrating its 150th birthday! Visit http://www.cmanet.org/150 for other interesting information about CMA history.
Contact: Karen Nikos, 916/444-5532 or knikos@cmanet.org.
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No. 2058 
