The Litchfield County Medical Association
President's Report
Since the beginning of the New Year, CSMS has been busy representing the interests of physicians in Connecticut. As LCMA president, I attend and vote at both council and legislative committee meetings. Both committees are composed of physicians from specialties and primary care. Opinions are varied and there is agreement and dissent on most issues brought before us. At the council meeting on January 14th, we approved the proposed agenda of the legislative committee. This is a “short session” for the state legislature and, although budget issues will be the most pressing matter at hand, CSMS has been addressing issues related to fairness in contracting, professional liability insurance, scope of practice and proper use of medical professionals, physician workforce issues, and criminal background checks as a condition of medical licensure.
Insurance company issues are a continual concern with CSMS. CSMS opposes the acquisition of Healthnet by UnitedHealth group for several reasons and has elicited the help of the state attorney general and US Department of Health and Human Services with investigating patient privacy issues.
Recently, many physicians received facsimile communications requesting chart reviews for their Healthnet, Evercare, and Secure Horizons patients. The nature of these requests and the manner in which they were to be carried out came under direct fire from CSMS. As a result, the companies involved have agreed to comply with the requests of CSMS and change their procedures.
The magnitude of need for Haitian earthquake relief is enormous and CSMS approved a $10,000 donation to Americares from its charitable trust. Funding for the CSMS Charitable Trust comes from voluntary contributions from CSMS member physicians who wish to alleviate hunger, poverty and homelessness. In times of great need, or when member physicians are engaged in medical mission work, the Trust contributes to special efforts outside Connecticut.
Recent notable events:
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A Legislative Breakfast at the Legislative Office Building on March 25th. Legislators were invited to meet with physicians from across the state in an informal setting to discuss issues related to our practices and patients. I had informative discussions with the Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Galvin, as well as other members of the General Assembly and Senate.
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AMA National Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC, March 1st through 3rd. Along with a twelve member delegation from Connecticut, LCMA joined hundreds of doctors from across the country for three days of speaker forums and meetings with our U.S. Senators and Congressmen. We met with representatives from Senators Dodd and Lieberman as well as Congressman Larson. Congressman Murphy met with us personally. High on the agenda was the SGR issue involving Medicare reimbursement and issues related to the practice of medicine in Litchfield county were discussed.
More information and updates on the above matters can be found at https://www.csms.org/
Douglas Gerard, MD
Litchfield County Medical Association - P. O. Box 416 - Torrington, CT 06790
Tel: 860.482.3310