• 2009 TOA/TOF Annual Meeting Highlights
• Private Insurers Paying At Or Below Medicare Rates
• This Week In Texas: Mignon McGarry Memos
• 13th Annual Texas Safety Summit For Employers May 13-14 In Austin
• "Red Flags" Rule Compliance Date Pushed To August 1

 
2009 TOA/TOF Annual Meeting Highlights
  

By John Early, MD President, Texas Orthopaedic Association The 2009 Texas Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting was held April 23-25 in Austin at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. This was one of the best meetings in TOA history in terms of attendance as well as the quality of speakers at the meeting. We thank 2009 Program Chair, Dr. Seade and

his program committee for doing such a great job. TOA received numerous compliments from members and exhibitors on the program and the event planning. We appreciate TOA staff members for their hard work behind the scenes.

A large distance was traveled by The TSSM Keynote Speaker to participate in this year's meeting as Dr. Pedro Guillen Garcia of Madrid, Spain was contacted and hosted by Dr. James Bocell, TSSM's President. Dr. Guillen Garcia's presentation was entitled "The MACI Procedure: Development, Benefits, Technique and Results" and TOA provided simultaneous translation so audience members could listen to the English interpretation of Dr. Guillen's presentation.

We would also like to thank TOA's Keynote Speaker Dr. Thomas Clanton of Houston whose presentation was "Ligamentous Athletic Injuries of the Foot and Ankle." Dr. Clanton collaborated with TOF's Keynote Speaker Dr. Robert Anderson from Charlotte, NC whose presentation "Stress Injuries of the Foot and Ankle in the Athlete" complimented and covered complex foot and ankle problems in athletes.

All the presentations were excellent and to see the complete program click here. We appreciate the participation of all our speakers and their contribution as it made the 2009 Annual Meeting a stellar event. We hope to offer some of the presentations to TOA members through the website as online CME in the next month.

After a great year as President of the Texas Orthopaedic Association, Dr. Tim Beck passed me the baton during the Annual Business Luncheon. TOA thanks Dr. Beck for his generous service to the TOA.

Dr. James Bocell announced that Dr. Jack Henry had been selected to be the 2009-2010 President of the Texas Society of Sports Medicine.

Other meeting highlights include the 7th Annual Resident Quiz Bowl win for UTMB Galveston students: Dr. David Merriman, MD and Kyle Stuart, MD. This is the 3rd Quiz Bowl win for UTMB Galveston. UTMB's Residency Coordinator, Kathy Flesher, was in attendance at the meeting and she must be proud of her school's 3rd win of this competition. The Best Resident Paper award was given to Hilton P. Gottschalk, MD, Irving for his paper "Defining the Incidence and Pattern of Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in Hand Infections Over a Four Year Period." Congratulations to Dr.'s Merriman, Stuart and Gottschalk!

Please mark your calendar for next year's 2010 TOA/TOF/TSSM Annual Meeting April, 22nd – 24th. Next year's meeting will be at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX, which is just outside Dallas, and this conference resort features indoor and outdoor water park activities. It will be another great Annual Meeting so please bring your families as there will be many fun activities for everyone at the Great Wolf Lodge! We look forward to seeing you there!

TOA wants to thank our generous sponsors of the 2009 TOA/TOF Annual Meeting as your support is much appreciated.

Private Insurers Paying At Or Below Medicare Rates
    

The AMA Practice Management Center would like to thank those of you who responded to our inquiry about instances when physicians received payment for services from private insurers that are below Medicare rates. We learned of instances in the following states: California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas,

and Virginia. The AMA is committed to ensuring fair and accurate payment for physician services. Your responses have helped as we track potential private health insurer trends. [top] [back to e-card archive page]

This Week In Texas: Mignon McGarry Memos

13th Annual Texas Safety Summit For Employers May 13-14 In Austin
      

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (TDI-DWC) will host the 13th Annual Workplace Safety and Health Conference, the Texas Safety Summit, on May 13-14, 2009 in Austin at the Doubletree Hotel, 6505 IH 35 North.   In recognition of the Texas Safety Summit, Governor Rick Perry has issued a proclamation naming May 2009 Occupational Safety and Health

Month. The Texas Safety Summit is a learning opportunity for all types of employers, whether or not they subscribe to workers' compensation insurance. The advance registration fee for the conference is $250 per person if paid by April 30th, and regular registration is $275 per person. Discounted rates are available for groups or employers that send five or more participants. Conference rates for hotel reservations are available at the Doubletree Hotel before April 30. The rates are $85 for single occupancy and $135 for double occupancy. Contact the hotel at 1-800-222-TREE or 512-454-3737 and reference the "Texas Safety Summit" to make reservations. General Sessions include: Emergency Evacuation-Real Life Incidents, Sammy Hunnicutt, Power Resources, Ltd. and Charles Schultz, Eastham Forge, Inc.; Safety and Aging Population, Katherine Muhlenbruch, Alliance Work Partners, WAP; Multigenerational, Cath Polito, University of Texas at Austin; and How to Say No, When You Can't Say Yes, J. Mark Warren, Texas Association of Counties. Over 20 breakout session topics are planned. Most of the sessions were selected based on Bureau of Labor Statistics information on the highest injury and illness incidence rates throughout Texas, and are designed to address pertinent issues facing Texas employers. Topics include: Accident Prevention Services for Policyholders; Back Injury Prevention; Crane Safety; Electrical Safety; Fall Protection; First Responder Safety; Fork Lift Inspection Completing the Circle of Safety; Now It's Personal; Material Safety Data Sheet Requirements; Machine Guarding; Life Safety Code; Traffic Safety; and Safety for Custodial Workers. Texas State Technical College in Waco will provide Continuing Education Credits (CEUs). Attendees will be eligible to receive .1 hours CEU per hour of attendance on May 13 and 14. A pre-conference session, Workers' Compensation 101 and Return to Work, will take place on May 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 pm, and insurance adjuster CEUs will be offered for this session only. For additional conference information, visit the TDI website by clicking here or by calling 512-804-4610. [top] [back to e-card archive page]

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