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Association of American Physicians & Surgeons
The Voice for Private Physicians Since 1943
MAY “AAPS News” & “Report from Washington” online NOW!
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1. Members-only section: May “AAPS News” & “Report from Washington” available online NOW.
2. Preview of stories – Miranda warning for patients, Texas HIPAA bill, list of Medicare sanctions, treating the poor.
3. Annual meeting news, plus win free tickets or dues!
4. Another “Thrive, Not Just Survive” Workshop – Seattle on May 31.
4. Not signed up yet? Login to or register for members-only section of website.
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MAY “AAPS NEWS” NOW ONLINE FOR IN MEMBERS-ONLY SECTION
The new issue of “AAPS News” and the “Report from Washington” are now available to AAPS members on the members-only section of the AAPS website. Your mailed copy should have arrived or will be there soon. Sign up for your free password – it takes less than a minute.
The rest of you will have to wait until it is posted in the general area of the website next month.
A SAMPLE OF WHAT YOU’LL READ
Stories this month focus on the April 14 enforcement deadline for the HIPAA privacy rules, including members’ strategies for compliance or non-compliance, an update on government data mining efforts and editor Dr. Jane Orient’s Page One story, “Miranda Warning for Patients.” Here’s an excerpt:
“As AAPS will inform patients in a national advertising campaign, HIPAA-covered entities should be handing patients a Miranda warning come April 14. That's the real meaning buried in the lengthy privacy notification, which will resemble the Gramm- Leach-Bliley non-privacy notices that you get from your bank and probably throw away.
“The Miranda warning, of course, applies to persons arrested as criminal suspects. And anyone with a medical record could be a criminal suspect, with evidence from that record readily accessible to a vast dragnet no warrant required.
“For example, a prescription for an opiate might be considered a reason for "oversight." The physician might have demanded a urine screen for marijuana and other controlled substances as a condition for prescribing pain relief. Such specimens should be handled with a "chain of custody" appropriate for crime-scene evidence, advised pain management expert David Greenberg, M.D., at a March 22 seminar sponsored by the Pima County (Tucson, AZ) Medical Society. Could a positive screen found by overseers be used as evidence to prosecute a patient? Or as an incentive to get a patient to testify against a doctor as part of a plea bargain? …”
Other stories include a breakdown of Medicare sanctions, news about the Texas version of the HIPAA bill, and the legal tip of the month – how to use slander laws in your favor.
If you accept Medicaid cases, be sure to read the update on the case of Dr. and Mrs. Mitrione, the outcome of which could affect doctors’ willingness to continue serving the poor. (A reminder – a $75.25 billing dispute resulted in a 23-month jail sentence.)
As usual, there is lively commentary in the letters section, including a doctor’s report on his hourly wages. And of course, veteran policy-analyst Robert Moffit’s “Report from Washington,” this month explaining the myths behind the Medicare Trustees Annual Report.
SPECIAL EVENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS
News about the AAPS 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in September includes details about the special early bird rate. Learn how to save $150 on your annual meeting registration, and how you can qualify for free meeting tickets or free membership dues – worth up to $1,120.
And see the announcement about our third in a series of our popular workshop, “Thrive, Not JUST Survive” practice management workshops. The next will be held in Seattle on May 31.
SIGN UP FOR MEMBERS-ONLY WEB OR JOIN AAPS TODAY
Advance release of AAPS news and reports is just another benefit of your AAPS membership. You’ll also receive free videos, the AAPS peer-reviewed journal, reduced meeting fees, and access to free limited legal consultation. SAVE UP TO $150 ON THE ANNUAL MEETING FEES!
Staff members, podiatrists, chiropractors, dentists, and other health care professional are welcome to join as ASSOCIATE MEMBERS, as is the general public.
Join your colleagues in the best organization in medicine!
Find out more about joining AAPS
Sign up/log in members-only section of the website
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
1601 N. Tucson Blvd. Suite 9
Tucson, AZ 85716
(800) 635-1196
(520) 325-4230 Fax
www.aapsonline.org
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
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COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.