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Malpractice reform needs to be implemented nationally, say 78 percent of readers responding.
 

A word from President Michael Blaiss, M.D.

It’s health care, stupid!

As we go into the election year, there are many issues that concern the public, such as the economy, homeland security and Iraq. But there is one issue that continues to grow in the minds of the public, and that’s health care. In a recent article in the February 23 issue of Fortune, Geoffrey Colvin wrote “Only 5 percent of Americans named [health care] as a top concern two years ago; then, last year, the number more than doubled to 11 percent, and this year, it almost doubled again to 19 percent.”

I think we all can list reasons that health care is a major concern in 2004. These include the aging population; increased health insurance costs; higher co-pays, deductibles and medications; and concerns about the new Medicare bill. In addition, more and more Americans don’t have any health care coverage, as small businesses often cannot afford it for their workers.

I think it is important for the allergy community to be acutely aware of this issue, because the result of the 2004 election may have a major effect on how medicine is practiced and compensated over the next decade.

As I write this column, Sen. John Kerry from Massachusetts has clinched the Democratic nomination to run against President George W. Bush in November. I thought it would be interesting to see how these two candidates stand on health care, especially its impact on the physician. In this report, I will cover Sen. Kerry and, in the future, President Bush. I visited the Kerry Web site to find where he stood on health care. There, I found a link to his position paper on health care: www.johnkerry.com/pdf/kerry_health_plan.pdf. It is a well-detailed report entitled “John Kerry’s Plan to Make Healthcare Affordable for All Americans.” I suggest that you read it for yourself, but I thought I would cover some of the items important to us. He describes a five-point approach to health care:

First, Sen. Kerry talks about a premium rebate pool to compensate for catastrophic costs greater than $50,000 for workers with health insurance. In this proposal to help lower insurance costs, he mentions the need to encourage the use of disease state management programs and specifically lists asthma as one of the diseases for which this program is needed.

Second, he discusses the need to make pharmaceuticals more affordable. He proposes that incentives to PBMs (Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers) be disclosed to help bring down costs, to close legal loopholes in getting generics to market, and to negotiate bulk purchasing of medications for individuals without pharmaceutical benefits.

Third is the issue that I addressed two weeks ago: malpractice insurance reform. Sen. Kerry “Strongly opposes capping damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.” His plan would:
1. Prohibit individuals from bringing a medical malpractice liability action unless a qualified specialist determines that a reasonable claim exists.
2. Support mandatory sanctions for claims and defenses that are presented for improper purposes or that are not warranted by existing law or by an argument without merit for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law or the establishment of new law.
3. Provide additional incentives for reducing the number of lawsuits that can and should be filed. To that end, Sen. Kerry would require states to make available non-binding mediation in all cases before permitting plaintiffs to proceed to trial on any medical liability claim.
4. Oppose the award of punitive damages in medical liability cases except upon proof of intentional misconduct, gross negligence or reckless indifference to life.

His fourth proposal calls for improving quality of care and reducing costs with a “quality bonus.” He talks about financial incentives to improve quality and prevent errors, computerize medical records and prescriptions, and develop ways to prevent medical errors.

Finally, he describes cutting administrative costs in half by administering a “technology bonus” with universal electronic medical records by 2008 and modernization of insurance health care transactions.

The remainder of his position paper talks about health care coverage for all Americans. He talks about allowing all Americans to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Sen. Kerry’s position paper states that his reforms would cost an average of $72 billion annually for the first five years and would provide health care coverage to nearly 27 million Americans who were previously uninsured while making health care more affordable for millions of others. He does not call for a single-payer system. It is not clear to me how he plans to pay for all of his health care proposals, though there is talk about rolling back the Bush tax cuts.

The election is still months away, and anything could happen. I believe the health care issue will weigh heavy for a substantial part of the population when deciding upon a candidate. We need to take an active role in the debate and know where each candidate stands, not just for us, but, more importantly, for our patients.

Michael S. Blaiss, M.D.

Abstract online submission opens April 16
Online submission of clinical and research findings for consideration by the ACAAI Annual Meeting Abstract Review Committee opens April 16 at www.acaai.org.

Authors should follow all directions carefully as they proceed through the system’s step-by-step process. The assigned abstract ID number will allow authors to resume or edit a previous submission.

The deadline for online abstract submission is July 16.

Who’s moving and shaking in allergy-immunology?
The Executive Committee nominated Raymond Slavin, M.D., (John Oppenheimer, M.D., alternate) to fill the open position on the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters replacing ACAAI Vice President William Dolen, M.D.

Other notable member news includes:
• Laila W. Alidina, M.D., Ph.D., was voted for the 3rd year in a row as the Top Doctor in the Orlando Area.

• Interviews with Marianne Frieri, M.D., Ph.D., East Meadow, N.Y., and Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., New York, about food allergies were published in the March issue of Hers magazine.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced five appointments to the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council, the principal advisory body of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health within HHS. The new council members are:

• Stanley W. Chapman, M.D., professor of medicine and microbiology and associate vice chancellor for research integrity at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson

• Ruth M. Ruprecht, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine in the Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston

• Nathan M. Thielman, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

• Gail Williams Wertz, Ph.D., professor of microbiology at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham

Please submit e-mail notices about key national appointments and notable member achievements for ACAAI eNews to joannfaber@acaai.org.


Allergy Practice Tip 5: Be an e-reader
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice

Do you spend thousands of dollars on subscriptions to medical journals and books? Instead, download the information from the Web as you need it. One practice reported saving $5,000 last year with this approach.

These tips are drawn from site visits in practices nationwide, conducted as part of The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice, a CME Series in Practice Management, supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Aventis Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Did you miss our last audioconference, “How to Make your Allergy Practice an Employer of Choice – an Eight-Step Approach”? Call 800-251-4920 or e-mail info@physicianspractice.com for information on accessing the archived version.

Krakow conference offers state-of-the art science and multi-ethnic culture

The ACAAI is partnering with the Polish Society of Allergology in a jointly sponsored conference, Return to Ancestral Lands: Allergy Update in Poland, July 31 to Aug. 3, 2004, in Krakow, Poland.

This extraordinary program offers a broad array of scientific sessions presented by top faculty throughout the United States and Europe, and the opportunity to visit one of the most culturally diverse and beautiful cities in Europe.

Program chairs are William E. Berger, M.D., MBA, immediate past president of ACAAI, and Marek L. Kowalski, M.D., Ph.D., president of the Polish Society of Allergology. The Scientific Committee includes Michael S. Blaiss, M.D., Pawel Gorski, M.D., Bobby Q. Lanier, M.D., Ryszard Kurzawa, M.D., Andrzej Szceklik, M.D. and Myron J. Zitt, M.D.

Complete programs were mailed to all members. The Deadline for early registration is May 15, 2004.