Issue 103 Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, 40 Washington Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481 Phone: 781-237-8100 Fax: 781-237-7625 APRIL 2010 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Health Care Reform…. At Last! Theo Manschreck, M.D. President March 21, 2010 was a day of significant history in the Marie H. Hobart, M.D. fight for fundamental American fairness and for the right President-Elect rather than the privilege to experience decent health Donald B. Condie, M.D. care in this wonderful often exasperating country. The US Secretary House of Representatives that date passed the Senate Mark J. Hauser, M.D. Treasurer health reform bill and now it has been signed into law by Todd F. Holzman, M.D. President Obama. Even the reconciliation bill to resolve Immediate Past President differences between the two (Senate and House) pieces Robert L. Pyles, M.D. of legislation has passed. Some have described this APA Representative 2007-2010 quest as a contemporary version of the civil rights strug- APA REPRESENTATIVES gles of the 1960s. Martin Luther King was keenly aware Daniel J. Carlat, M.D. of such an important connection and saw health care APA Representative 2008-2011 reform as a critical part of the agenda for achieving true Anthony J. Rothschild, M.D. Theo C. Manschreck, MD APA Representative 2008-2011 equality for all the people. He was not and is not alone in Debra A. Pinals, M.D. this view. APA Representative 2009-2010 Visit the MPS Website MPS COUNCILORS There is then a significant moral underpinning in this www.psychiatry-mps.org S. Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., MPH effort to reform health care. Thankfully we as a Society, 2009-2012 and as part of the broader profession of physicians, have Janet E. Osterman, M.D. joined this debate on the side of our patients and future Inside this issue: 2009-2012 (currently uninsured) patients to support this imperfect MIT Corner Page 4 Sara M. Bolton, M.D. 2008—2011 but critical legislation. Amy C. Lisser, M.D. Executive Director’s Report Page 5 2008-2011 It is imperfect, because it has not dealt with the cumber- Rebecca W. Brendel M.D. New MPS Members Page 5 2007-2010 some Medicare SGR (sustainable growth rate) formula David F. Gitlin, M.D. which has deferred $230 billion in cuts for physicians for 2007-2010 Why Become an APA Page 6 years. This needs to be repealed. At the same time, Fellow? Member In Training Representative while there are cost containment provisions in this legis- Katherine Hobbs Knutson, M.D. lation, there are concerns about how they will operate. APA Annual Meeting Page 7 2009-2011 Speakers for Convocation These include the Independent Payment Advisory Board and Conversations SOUTHEASTERN MASS. CHAPTER Marc A. Whaley, M.D., President and the Value Index Modifier—both of which are vaguely MPS Classifieds Pages 8-11 defined, potentially arbitrary, mechanisms to cut costs. WESTERN MASS. CHAPTER MPS Calendar Page 12 Stephen G. Kessler, M.D., President And there is no public option so competition to bring down costs is less likely. Deals for hospitals and phar- MPS STAFF Beverly Sheehan maceutical firms also have troubled many physicians and Executive Director laypersons. Indeed the legislation has many blemishes, Mayuri Patel but its fundamental reforms about ending preexisting Executive Office and Membership condition exclusions, banning rescission of coverage, Administrator extending insurability to 94% of the uninsured across the Julie Kealey nation, ending lifetime caps on coverage, promoting Continuing Medical Education Coordinator (Continued on page 2) Page 2 MPS Bulletin—April 2010 (Manschreck—Continued from page 1) Harry Truman, and Bill Clinton tried but were unable to succeed at bringing about the key reforms necessary to prevention and wellness services, increasing funding for match this accomplishment (now emulated with local those with the least means to pay for insurance, ending the touches in much of the rest of the modern world), it may just donut hole in Medicare D prescription costs, and requiring now have come to pass in the US. hikes in insurance premiums and other costs to be justified, Finally we have arrived. No doubt it is really just a beginning, among many other positive and critical provisions, promise but what a beginning nonetheless. a new face to health care in the future. ……………………………………………………………………………………… Parting Comments We are witnessing a major change in how health care will be This has been an eventful year with many challenges and provided in the coming years. All of us know the basic num- continuing uncertainties about how all that is going on in bers, such as how much of our economy is based on health, Washington and on Beacon Hill will play out. Over the year the large numbers of uninsured, the role of profit and the many accomplishments were achieved. We learned about lack of cost containment which jointly have helped make health care reform through several health forum meetings this transformation such a challenge. Some have proposed with MMS and APA experts and lobbyists as well as our own that universal coverage itself may be an avenue to reduced members educating us about the intricacies of health care health costs by instituting the means to seek care earlier and its reforms. The Ethics committee expanded its and not to avoid care as many of the uninsured do currently. membership and scope of activity and plans to bring us No doubt this is part of the reason our health care costs trainings and consultative input. We have formed a nascent outstrip those of the rest of the developed world. committee on veteran affairs and renewed a group focused on college mental health. MPS went through a detailed Though some specialty organizations in medicine have review from Massachusetts Medical Society to obtain CME opposed this legislation, the American Medical Association program accreditation --the first such program In Massachu- and of course our own Massachusetts Medical Society and setts to be evaluated under new national guidelines by the American Psychiatric Association have endorsed many MMS. This 4 year accreditation has expanded opportunities of this bill’s features and generally favored its passage. for some of our committees to offer CME credits and These positions partially reflect both a sober appraisal of the ensures that there will be added value for member participa- future of health care as a growing economic disaster and tion in this Society. For example, the health forum meetings arguably also the influence of moral concern for our fellow mentioned above generated credits for attendees. We have citizens. been privileged to attend a number of outstanding trainings in risk management, psychotherapy and psychopharmacol- Otto von Bismarck established the first national health care ogy. We also started offering CME Credits for presentations system in Germany in 1883, a groundbreaking and remark- at committee meetings. The women’s Committee, Alcohol able policy change (with mandatory medical insurance to and the Addictions and the Geriatrics committees have all boot) that has survived more than 125 years of terrible take advantage of these free CME credits. We survived a history and momentous changes in that nation. As TR Reid modest increase in our dues and the financial lines have in The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, grown somewhat blacker since. We initiated the formation Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care (Penguin Press, 2009) of a revitalized (New) Members Committee whose purpose pointed out, there are many concerns about the contempo- will be to connect newcomers to the Society through the rary German system on the part of its physicians and other efforts of existing members. caregivers as well as among patients in the population. But for Americans, the system in place there has many attractive On the legislative agenda we have opposed efforts to features and is associated with a world class level of health expand the practice of midwifery by high school graduates care quality as well. It is expensive at 11% (yet considerably with little formal training, advocated for sensible legislation less expensive than our own) of the national economy but regarding safe driving and assessment of driving skills to provides health care from cradle through nursing home. maintain licensure. Bills focusing on other areas of concern After many of our Presidents including Teddy Roosevelt, (Continued on page 3) Massachusetts Psychiatric Society ♦ 40 Washington Street, Suite 201 ♦ Wellesley, MA 02481-1802 Phone: (781) 237-8100 ♦ Fax: (781) 237-7625 ♦ Email: Psychiatry-MPS.org MPS Bulletin—April 2010 Page 3 (Continued from page 2) And as this is my last column, I wish to welcome my friend such as funding and a safety net for DMH, the expansion of and colleague, Marie Hobart, as President of MPS beginning E&M codes, scope of practice issues with the ophthalmolo- in May, 2010. I will remain as Immediate Past President and gists, and global payments. We have strengthened our will do my best to represent you and support MPS in its alliance with the Massachusetts Medical Society through many endeavors. meetings and interactions with experts from MMS staff, representation in district societies, and a voice at the table Thanks to all of you and the staff of MPS for many of decision and policy interests – the Interspecialty Commit- expressions of support and continued participation. tee of the MMS and through collaboration with the lobbying efforts of this large organization. We have also collaborated Please join us at the MPS Annual Meeting where I will with David Matteodo and his group the Massachusetts introduce US Representative Barney Frank who undoubtedly Behavioral health Systems Association regarding adverse will have the last word. determination. There has also been a fair amount of politick- ing to deal with the budgetary process in the Common- wealth.