Spring 2014

Mission Statement

The mission of the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians is to promote quality health care for all Texans by strengthening the practice of internal medicine.

President's Message

Roger Khetan, MD, FACP, FHM
TXACP President

To my fellow colleagues of the Texas Chapter of the ACP

We are all faced with many challenges in the last few years and last decade of medicine. We may see some change on the SGR in the near future, and all of us are hoping this will bring a good change to us as practicing physicians. We are anticipating MOC (maintenance of certification) changes this year as well as seeing ICD 10 on the horizon. With seemingly endless amounts of paperwork and many hours of clinical duties, we wonder how we do it every day managing our personal and professional lives.

Over the last few months, I have heard from many of you giving me your stories of frustration with the new MOC, SGR repeal and ICD 10 issues. In addition, I have heard questions and concerns for our profession and future workforce issues that are coming at us with an increasing aging population and budget cuts that threaten our residency programs and medical education almost every two years.  Because of this, I ask that we all support legislative actions to bring these issues to the forefront of the discussion. As physicians, we need to maintain the leadership our role in health care gives us. We need to show the value of physicians in healthcare, in transitions, in our care by maintaining our profession with honor, dignity and integrity. Being a physician is not just a job, and I ask that all of us keep that in mind on a daily basis. It is difficult when faced with all the above issues and on top of this, are asked to take a lead in advocacy; but I have a story of one of my patients this week that I would like to share.

Mrs. N is a 60+ year old active nurse at the hospital I work at and is my patient. We see each other on rounds and in the office when she gets ill. Unfortunately, she has had several issues come up this year that we have had to tend to. We were having a conversation last week, and she was telling me how important she feels it is for medical doctors to be seen as the lead in healthcare teams, not the nurse practitioner, not the pharmacist, not the nurse, but the medical doctor. As she said this to me, she asked me not to think badly of her for saying it should not be a nurse, but a medical doctor, because she fears for the public that the term “Doctor” is getting gray. Her uncertainties are that the medical doctor is fearful of the changes and allowing health care to be delegated to others for decisions. She understands the concepts of population health and team management and asks me to ensure that I fight for a medical doctor to lead these teams with other disciplines.

Her worry stems from the fact that when she was ill, she called me on my cell on a weekend evening. She was very apologetic and worried she may have offended me. She did not. She had been ill for about 24 hours and unfortunately, had a very significant upper respiratory infection that required I admit her to the hospital that evening followed by a several week recovery time. She stopped me last week to thank me because it was the first time she felt comfortable with a doctor because my team (nurse, medical asst and health coach) all had called her and checked on her every 2-3 days while she was recovering at home to ensure she understood my instructions, took her meds, and knew the alarm signs for coming to see me sooner. She had to call me twice during this time because of issues, and we were able to take care of it at home. This concept of a physician-led team in practice for her made a very big impression and she could not stop thanking me. But, the biggest point she told me was that the physicians are the key to success in health care for all patients and as a nurse who is a patient, she wanted me to pass that message on to others and to thank us (collectively all physicians) for the job we do and to ask us to continue to do that job.

I am not a concierge physician at this time, but it does not matter what type of physician you are, the point is that we are the critical element in the care of our patients. From a hospital based physician, to an outpatient physician to a traditional internist/subspecialist; we make a difference every day and I want to thank each and every one of you for the unending hours that you put in for your patients, for your profession at meetings, and for your advocacy on behalf of the patients and healthcare.

Some of you will have time to attend Internal Medicine 2014 in Orlando as well as the Texas Club of Internists meeting in the upcoming weeks. When you participate in these meetings and our chapter’s annual meeting in November, I encourage you to stay up-to-date on the latest advances, as well as coding issues, and advocacy, but also take the time to meet a new colleague and to be appreciative of his/her role in healthcare. I ask you all to also be a preceptor and a mentor to our young medical students because they need us to lead with integrity and honor so that when we are the patients and they are the team leads in our care, we will be as thankful for their care as my patient was for mine. It is not often that we get the thanks that we all deserve, but when you hear it, it sticks with you and keeps you going.

Till next time, keep up the great work, and I look forward to meeting you soon.

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Governor’s Message

Sue S. Bornstein, MD, FACP
Governor, TX Northern Region

Greetings from your Governor for Northern Texas.

2014 started with big news: the American Board of Internal Medicine changed the rules for Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Beginning this year, in addition to reporting board certification, ABIM has begun reporting whether or not all ABIM Board Certified physicians are "Meeting MOC Requirements" (i.e., continuously engaging in MOC activities). Please see the ABIM website for further information: http://www.abim.org.

Just when you thought that you had heard all the acronyms you’d be dealing with this year (EHR, ICD-10, MU, PQRS, SGR) along comes MOC.

Why has the American Board of Internal Medicine made this change? The following is from the ABIM website:

“There is growing recognition and agreement from the public, consumer groups and medical organizations that assessing knowledge and performance every 10 years is not sufficient.1 Greater frequency of engagement in MOC recognizes the changing face of medicine and the fact that maintaining certification once every 10 years is not enough. These changes to the MOC requirements will also increase the relevancy of the credential by aligning with other regular reporting requirements you need to meet. The new MOC program requirements apply to all ABIM Board Certified physicians, regardless of when they were initially certified.”

Please note that the MOC process was created by the ABIM - not the ACP. The ACP does not review, edit, comment or vote on certification requirements put forth by the ABIM. However, ACP has developed a broad array of educational programs to help members meet MOC requirements. ACP senior leadership meets with their counterparts at the ABIM every month to convey concerns and represent the viewpoints of its members.

This change has generated significant concern and frustration among physicians. Many question the usefulness of the MOC process as it is currently designed. The ACP leadership has heard these concerns and has made helping its members navigate the MOC process its primary focus for this year.

Please visit the website to find further information about the changes in the MOC process: https://www.acponline.org/education_recertification/recertification

Dr. Jackson and I welcome your comments about how this process will affect you. We will share your thoughts with leadership who will in turn relay them to the ABIM.

On another note, I hope you will join your colleagues at the second Texas Health Home Summit to be held May 8-9 at the Westin at the Domain in Austin. We have developed an excellent agenda covering many aspects of the health/medical home. CME is offered. The conference website is: www.texashealthhomesummit.org.

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Who INSPIRES YOU? Nominate Your Colleagues for an ACP National Award &/or Mastership

Honor those individuals that have INSPIRED you, and they may join the prestigious group of 17 individuals from Texas who have been recognized in the past with a National Award, or perhaps, as part of the class of 45 Texas Physicians who have been awarded the highest honor of being recognized as Masters of the College.

One of the goals of the American College of Physicians is to “recognize excellence and distinguished contributions to internal medicine.” As a way of achieving this goal, the College offers 20 national awards and a number of Masterships each year.

The Nominator supplies five letters of support (his or her nomination letter and four additional supporting letters) as well as the nominee’s curriculum vitae with complete bibliography via the online submission form. The Awards Committee reviews all nominees at their yearly meeting and scores each individually. The nominees with the highest scores are recommended as candidates for awards and Masterships to the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents reviews the candidates and, if found to represent the highest standards of the College, approves the candidates. Approved candidates are informed by their Governors and formally presented their awards and Masterships at the annual Internal Medicine meeting approximately six months later.

Key Dates

Responsibilities of the Nominator
Nomination Form
Advocates for Internal Medicine Network: Richard Neubauer Award Nomination Form
Nomination Process
Guide to Nomination & Supporting Letters
Awards & Mastership FAQs
Awards & Mastership Booklet

To view the list of your fellow TXACP Physicians recognized for excellance and distinguished contributions to internal medicine through the past years, please click here.

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ACP Announces New Masters and Awardees for 2014

The Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the Board of Regents has approved the following individuals and institutions to receive College awards and Masterships at Internal Medicine 2014.

Please join us in congratulating the awardees and new Masters.

John Phillips Memorial Award for Outstanding Work in Clinical Medicine
Antonio M. Gotto Jr., MD, FACP
Houston, Texas

Masterships

Antonio M. Gotto Jr., MD, FACP
Houston, Texas

Clark R. Gregg, MD, FACP
Fort Worth, Texas

If you would like to personally congratulate any of the new awardees or Masters, please contact Meghann Williams, Administrator, Awards Program, by e-mail at mewilliams@acponline.org, 800-523-1546, ext. 2714 or 215-351-2714.

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Residents' Day Events 2014 Schedule

All across the state of Texas, internal medicine Residents are hard at work learning, practicing, and teaching medicine. The Texas Chapter of the ACP has the honor of allowing these new physicians to showcase their hard work locally at one of our five Residents regional competitions.

SE Region
Host: UTMB Health
Date: Saturday, March, 22 2014
Time: 11am - 6pm
Location: The Research Building 6

NW Region
Host: Texas Tech HSC-Internal Medicine Lubbock Campus
Date: Wednesday, April, 16 2014
Time: 6pm
Location: Academic Classroom Building, Room 240

NE Region
Host: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014
Time: 5 - 9pm
Location: UT Southwestern Medical Center
               T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building

SW Region
Host: UTHSCSA
Date: Friday May, 16 2014
Time: 10am - 4pm
Location: Fort Sam Golf Club
                1050 Harry Wurzbach

FNW Region
Host: Texas Tech HSC- PLFSOM
Date: Friday May, 16 2014
Time: 11:30pm - 1:30pm
Location: Texas Tech HSC-PLFSOM
                 4800 Alberta Ave
 

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On Being a Doctor

Meghana Kashyap, Medical Student from the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas
Second place winner of the 2013 On Being a Doctor essay competition 

My Dilemma

It's suicide
It's not all right
What you're doing
You can't deny
You're giving up
You're letting go
What the medicine could do
We'll never know

You don't feel my pain
Living is more of a strain
I want to enjoy my life
I want to be happy
I don't want your medicine
I don't want to feel crappy

But what if I save you
What if I could
I took an oath
To do only good
I can't watch you die
I can't watch you leave
I can't sit around
I need you to believe

What will that extra time add to my life
If I only exist, doing things I don't like
You think of yourself and how you will feel
Walk in my shoes, I'll show you what's real

What of your family and friends who care
Do you not worry that your loss will bring them despair
It's not just for me, that I want you to live
That extra time, for your loved ones, you can give.

You speak as if there is a guarantee
That you are omnipotent, the all-knowing
How many lives have been lost today
There's an order to this universe, you and I cannot change
Grant me my dignity, my freedom of choice
I want to die peacefully, poised

I am utterly confused
I don't know what to do
I'm fighting two feelings
Help me or help you
I have to remain hopeful that death won't prevail
Or I'll succumb to being jaded, and ultimately fail
My career depends on your belief in me
That my medicine will work, satisfactorily

I believe in you and the effort you've made
But I've weighed my options, and I will not cave
These are the dilemmas that you must endure
To be a fine doctor, you needn't any cures
Care about your patients, about their quality of life
Listen to the loved ones, the husbands, the wivesBut just as we need our autonomy
Relieve yourself of the guilt, you have done plenty

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Meet Your Match: Speed Dating with Internal Medicine Subspecialists

Daniel Barela, IMIG President, TTUHSC Paul L. Foster SOM

The Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine held its second annual Internal Medicine Subspecialty Fair on February 4th, 2014. “Meet Your Match: Speed Dating with Internal Medicine Subspecialists” gave students an opportunity to delve a little deeper into the field of Internal Medicine. Physicians from various internal medicine specialties throughout El Paso were in attendance – Dr. Diego De La Mora, MD (General Internal Medicine), Dr. Claudia Didia, MD (General Internal Medicine), Dr. German Hernandez, MD (Nephrology), Dr. Debabrata Mukherjee, MD (Cardiology), Dr. Kanchan Pema, MD (Rheumatology), and Dr. Zinnia San Juan, MD (Endocrinology).

The first half of the event acted as a virtual speed dating session between students and physicians. Students divided into groups and rotated among the physicians, spending several minutes with each to hear what each specialty has to offer. Topics discussed included length of fellowship, work hours per week, and specific details about what the specialist does on a day-to-day basis.

The second half of the fair was a cardiopulmonary workshop led by Dr. Gordon Woods, MD (General Internal Medicine) and Dr. Maureen Francis, MD (General Internal Medicine). The workshop consisted of an evaluation of clinical cases of abnormal heart sounds and EKG readings, followed by cases of pulmonary findings and chest X-rays. This half of the fair provided an introduction to the interpretation of these diagnostic tools for first year students, and was especially helpful for second year students as a review of these essential medical techniques.

The event was successful with a considerable turnout of first and second year students, and of course, local physicians. Although the fair is young, IMIG expects it to continue increasing in size and popularity in the years to come.

IMIG would like to take a moment to thank Kiran Sidhu, our First Year Student Representative, for writing this summary of the “Meet Your Match: Speed Dating with Internal Medicine Subspecialists” Subspecialty Fair.

To view photos of  the Meet Your Match: Speed Dating with Internal Medicine, please visit our Facebook Page

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For Pete’s Sake

By Dr. Young

For Pete’s sake…Some of my colleagues keep telling me to get a mentor. I’m not academic and I feel like I know what I want to do right now and don’t really know what a mentor will offer me at this point in my career.  Any thoughts? 

- Directed in Dallas

I want to start out with pointing out that mentors aren’t just for academics.  Many physicians have mentors in the private setting and some private hospitals/organizations will encourage mentorship because it helps promote physician retention.  There are more “formal” mentorships where you’re assigned a mentor and the more casual relationships where you get advice.  In the private setting a mentor can help you learn the ropes and navigate the rapids.  If you’re having trouble figuring out how to appropriately counsel a staff member or give constructive feedback, someone with a little more experience might help you with the appropriate wording. 

A mentor could also help you in organizations, such as ACP, to learn how to advance to fellowship or become involved in a leadership role. 

In the academic setting if you’re thinking of advancement or tenure, your mentor could help you fine tune your CV or advise you on what type of things you need to keep track of to make advancement easier.

My overall point is, even if you know where you are and where you’re going, what’s wrong with trying to seek someone out with more experience to help you along the way.

If you have questions for the next “For Pete’s Sake…” please email them to ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Becca Lawson at the TXACP Business office at rebecca.lawson@texmed.org.

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Medical Students and Residents Accepted to Present at Internal Medicine 2014

Congratulations to all the Medical Students and Residents presenting at this year's Internal Medicine, April 10-12, in Orlando, Florida. We are wishing them all the best of luck with their presentations. Please check our Facebook page prior to the meeting to find the competition locations so you may show them TXACP's support by cheering them on!

Medical Students
Anish A. Patel, BCh, Baylor College of Medicine
Erica Fidone, TAMHSC
Sheba John, Texas A&M Health Science Center,
Manoj Reddy, Texas A&M Health Science Center
Angie Hamouie, UTMB
Johanna McLendon, UTHSCSA
Neelima Navulur, UTHSCSA

Residents
David A Rubio, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Bhavika Kaul, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Shira A Sachs, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Srividya Bhadriraju, MD MBA, Baylor College of Medicine
Gautam Ranjan Patankar, MD, Baylor University Medical Center
Rosalyn Adigun,MD, Methodist Hospital-Houston
Kongkiat Chaikriangkrai, MD, Methodist Hospital-Houston
Haritha Karuparti, MD, Methodist Hospital-Houston
Patricia Mejia Osuna, MD, Methodist Hospital-Houston
CAPT Lauren Lee, SAUSHEC
Charles Calais, MD, SAUSHEC
Sadia Rashid, MD, Scott & White Hospital
Heather Wainstein, MD, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
David Thomas Kidwell, MD, MBA, Scott & White Hospital
Molly J Horstman, MD, University of Michigan Program
Giovanni E Davogustto, MD, UT Houston
Mehul R Bhalja, MBBS, UT Houston
Yezaz A Ghouri, MBBS, UT Houston
Almotasembellah M Aljaafareh, MD, UTMB
Habeeb M Salameh, MBBS, UTMB
Karthik D Mekala, MD, UT Southwestern
CPT Tianyi Li, MC USA, UT Southwestern

Doctor's Dilemma Team
David Lindholm, MD, SAUSHEC
Paul Hiles, MD, SAUSHEC
David Anderson, MD, SAUSHEC   
 

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Register Now for Internal Medicine 2014

April 10-12
Orlando, FL


There is still time to join ACP and thousands of your colleagues in Orlando, Florida, and transform the way you practice medicine. Internal Medicine 2014 is the only meeting of its kind—combining clinical skills workshops with over 200 scientific sessions to update your knowledge in all facets of internal medicine and the subspecialties.

Refresh your internal medicine knowledge, sharpen your practice management skills, and network with the best and brightest physicians from around the globe. All of this plus a variety of special events including a reception for International attendees make this a meeting not to be missed.

Register today!

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Invitation to Complete ACP-MGMA Cost Survey

Respond by: Friday, April 18, 2014

As leaders in ACP and in your respective practices, we would like to invite you to participate in an exciting opportunity. ACP and MGMA have once again collaborated to provide physicians the opportunity to participate in a new streamlined MGMA 2014 Cost Survey, which gathers financial and other data that can help with managing costs, comparing physician and staff compensation, optimizing clinician and office staffing and managing practice finances. Participants will receive a free report comparing their own practice to benchmarks of their peers. Please encourage your chapter members to participate.

Your participation in this influential survey will make a difference to your ACP peers and the industry. Historically, internal medicine and smaller practices have been under-represented, and your participation can help to ensure that reliable benchmarks can be provided. The survey deadline is April 18. We have made access to the survey easier this year, but registration is still required to ensure continuity of input and security of your data.

To participate, you or your office manager can go online to http://www.acponline.org/running_practice/practice_management/mgma_cost_survey.htm. If it helps, there is a checklist that can be used to help put together the information needed to expedite the data input process.

You and your administrator may also be interested in a page of shared resources that we have put together - http://www.mgma.com/industry-data/participate/acp-mgma-resources.

If you have questions about the collaboration or general questions about the survey or the shared resources, you may contact Margo Williams at mwilliams@acponline.org or 800-338-2746, x4565.

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2014 Texas Health Home Summit

May 8-9, 2014

The Westin Austin at the Domain
11301 Domain Drive, Austin, TX 78758


The 2014 Texas Health/Medical Home Summit will be the second annual statewide conference focused specifically on expanding access to medical home for individuals and families in Texas. This summit will offer stakeholders the opportunity to learn about medical home models and best practices, and to interact with program experts at various stages of implementation. This year's summit will include a greater focus on integration of behavioral health into the heath home as well as more content on health homes for children and adolescents.

For more information on this event please read more here.

In the meantime, please contact Stephanie Ondrias at sondrias@texashealthinstitute.org if you have any questions.

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Leadership Day on Capitol Hill 2014

May 21-22, 2014

Westin Washington DC City Center
1400 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

ACP Services Inc. holds an annual advocacy day on Capitol Hill. This event provides an opportunity for ACP and our members to increase our presence in Washington and bring visibility to issues of common concern. Participants receive a comprehensive orientation and briefing on ACP's top legislative priorities and then have an opportunity to meet with legislators and the staff on Capitol Hill.

A limited number of travel stipends are available for first-time attending physician, Medical Student and/or Resident/Fellow members. To learn more and apply for a travel stipend, the application will open on March 28th. For more information and to apply for a travel stipend on this date, please click here.

Register Now!
Make your Hotel Reservations
Tentative Program Agenda Outline
Find your elected officals

For more information, contact Shuan Tomlinson at stomlinson@acponline.org or (800) 338-2746 ext. 4547

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ACP Announces New Leadership Academy

The ACP Leadership Academy is ACP's new leadership development program designed to provide early-career internists with the skills and knowledge necessary to become leaders in medicine.

The program's first offerings will be live and online courses offered in partnership with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), the nation's largest health care organization for physician leaders. These courses are eligible for CME credit through the ACPE and were selected to provide episodic leadership training for members wanting to brush up on a specific content area. Participants can put these courses toward earning a nationally recognized leadership certificate from the ACPE and can also roll course credits into advanced degree programs from accredited universities. ACP members will receive a 15% discount on approved courses.

In addition to these courses, in coming months, the ACP Leadership Academy will begin offering additional, informal leadership development opportunities via other College-wide vehicles to enhance the formal coursework. Register now for the Art of Leadership pre-course at Internal Medicine 2014, which focuses on leadership within internal medicine.

The new ACP Leadership Academy replaces ACP's Leadership Enhancement and Development (LEAD) program. More information, including a list of courses and LEAD transition information, is online and members with questions about the ACP Leadership Academy may email ACP at LEAD@acponline.org.

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Congratulations to Our New Fellows

Fellowship recognizes personal integrity, superior competence in internal medicine, professional accomplishment, and demonstrated scholarship.

Muhammad A. Arian, MD FACP, Friendswood
Ruth E. Berggren, MD, FACP, San Antonio
Laura C. De Moya, MD, FACP, Dallas
Son T. Do, MD, FACP, Plano
Hiyas D. Fonte, MD, FACP, Southlake
Steve Fordan, MD, FACP, Dallas
Gilberto Garza Lozano, MD, FACP, Laredo
Lisa J. Graves-Austin, MD, FACP, Flint
Ayub Hussain, MBBS, FACP, Houston
Gilberto Jimenez-Justiniano, MD, FACP, Lewisville
Marcia F. Katz, MD, FACP, Houston
Robert T. Keller, MD, FACP, Fort Worth
Yolanda Marcos, MD, FACP, San Antonio
Juan A. Marmol-Velez, MD, FACP, San Antonio
G. Duncan McCarroll, MD, FACP, San Antonio
Niraj M. Mehta, DO, FACP, Fort Worth
George A. Osuchukwu, MD, FACP, Victoria
Debra Patterson, MD, FACP, Dallas
Deepika S. Reddy, MD, FACP, Temple
Jayesh B. Shah, MD, FACP, San Antonio
George E. Taffet, MD, FACP, Houston
Jenifer H. Welsh, MD,FACP, Coppell

Advancement to Fellowship applications are available:
•    At the ACP Web site
•    From the ACP Customer Service Department at (800) 523-1546, ext. 2600
•    By e-mail

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Welcome New Members

We are proud to welcome the following new members who have joined the Chapter during the last four months.

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Member Kudos

Gregory K. Moore, MD, FACP listed to Texas Monthly’s annual list of the state’s ‘Super Doctors.’

Suresh Prasad, MBBS, FACP Honored by Board of Obesity Medicine as a Diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine for his knowledge and background in the area of obesity.

Roger Unger, MD, MACP professor of internal medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, recieved the 2014 Rolf Luft Award for his outstanding contributions to endocrinology and diabetes reseearch.

 

Send news of your accomplishments, or that of a colleague, to: Becca Lawson, TXACP Staff, 401 W. 15th St., Austin, TX 78701; fax to (512) 370-1635; or e-mail.

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