Who We Are... - IPA of Nassau/Suffolk Countries

The three hospitals making up the East End Health
Alliance (EEHA)­­––Peconic Bay Medical Center (PBMC
Health), Southampton, and Eastern Long Island Hospital
(ELIH)––are in “the process of breaking” up, reports
Joseph Pinciaro in The Suffolk Times.
Originally created “to give the community hospitals more bargaining power as a
single entity,” the EEHA will now split so the hospitals can create new alliances.
Southampton and Stony Brook Medical Medicine will “officially merge,” as will
North Shore-LIJ and PBMC Health. ELIH will “partner with a larger health system.”
The break up will “take six to eight months.”
For more information visit: www.suffolktimes.timesreview.com Actual article link: http://suffolktimes
timesreview.com/2015/04/57352/east-end-health-alliance-votes-to-begin-process-of-dissolving/
Independent Physicians To Collectively Negotiate?
As more and more independent physicians sell
their practices or get bought out by large hospital
groups, the independents that remain are left with
difficulties that threaten their independence, reports
Anthony Figliola with The Huffington Post. The biggest
difficulty is the inability to “[negotiate] with insurance
companies,” which results in independent physicians
taking up their patients’ time with “trying to get an insurer to cover a visit than…
caring for…patients.”
Because the physicians’ focus should be on quality of care, a legislative solution to
this problem would be welcome, and has been introduced in the state legislature.
Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and NYS Senator Kemp Hannon have proposed
legislation to authorize independent physicians to “collectively negotiate with
private insurers on contractual issues including rates.” This proposal would “assist
doctors and their patients in reaching a level playing field with the insurance
companies.” This legislation would assist physicians in remaining independent,
and would preserve the patients’ ability to choose the right physician, instead of
having their healthcare decisions forced on them by a higher power.
For more information visit, www.huffingtonpost.com
Actual article link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-figliola/unnamed_1_b_7028142.html
Aging with Dignity: Starting the Dialogue with Five Wishes
End-of-life decisions are always difficult to contemplate,
and it is even more challenging to start the dialogue.
Introduced in 1997, Five Wishes has become America’s
most popular living will, with more than 23 million copies
in circulation, distributed by 40,000 organizations, and
available in 28 languages. Five Wishes meets the legal
standard for wills in 42 of the 50 states, and is useful for
end-of-life care in all 50 states. Developed by the not-forprofit organization Aging with Dignity, Five Wishes has
succeeded in starting the conversation about making the
end-of-life process as simple as possible.
Five Wishes lets your family and doctors know: who you want to make health care
decisions for you when you can’t make them; the kind of medical treatment you
want or don’t want; how comfortable you want to be; how you want people to treat
you; and what you want your loved ones to know. According to Aging with Dignity,
“[Physicians] use Five Wishes in their offices, particularly with those patients who
are uncomfortable thinking about a serious illness or death. Five Wishes is written
in everyday language and speaks to the things that matter most to patients, so
it’s completed by patients at a much higher rate than other advance directives.”
May 2015
IPA Board of Director Members
One Alliance Ends, and Another Begins
John L. Franco, MD
President & Medical Director
Mohammed R. Azaz, MD
Family Practice
Edward J. Lipinsky, MD
Otolaryngology
Robert M. Lazar, MD
Gastroenterology
Paolo T. Coppola, MD
Emergency Medicine
Charles Rothberg, MD
Ophthalmology
Steven S. Parry, DO
Family Practice
John Muratori, MD
Family Practice
Richard A. Schoor, MD
Urology
Michael H. Shanik, MD
Endocrinology
Marc R. Salzberg, MD
Emergency Medicine
Steven Q. Tuzinkiewicz, MD
Radiology
IPA Executive Administration
Michael A. Guarino
Marissa T. Wolfe, MBA
Executive Director
Director of Acquisitions and Member Relations
John L. Franco, MD
Eric P. Schein, RPA-C
President/Medical Director
Associate Clinical Coordinator
Francis J. DiMotta, MSM
Joseph A. Lazar, JD
Chief Operations Officer
Senior Associate for Legal Affairs
Jo Ann Marino, RN
Steven P. Heisler, MBA
Director of Clinical Integration/Physician Liaison
Physician Membership Administrator
Quality Care Committee Members
John L. Franco, MD
Michael H. Shanik, MD
President & Medical Director
Endocrinology
Horia L. Vlase, MD
Anthony J. Spadaro, MD
Mohammed R. Azaz, MD
Nephrology
Pulmonology
Family Practice
Who We Are...
Lending a Helping Hand to Those in Need
Michelle Lazar, the daughter of Smithtown Gastroenterologist and IPANS board
member Dr. Robert Lazar, has been an inspiration to many people throughout
her life. At the age of six, Michelle had a Traumatic Brain Injury, which left her
paralyzed on the left side of her body. After many years of rehabilitation resulted
in a full recovery, Michelle discovered that she had a AVM in her brain, which
required additional surgery. When she woke from a medically induced coma,
Michelle was once again completely paralyzed on her left side. With hard work
and determination (and the help of Cricket, her trusty service dog), she returned to college at Indiana
University. Currently participating in her clinicals for her master’s program in Occupational Therapy at
Stony Brook University, Michelle has dedicated herself to helping others enhance their quality of life.
Michelle has recently invented an adapted bottle feeder that enables individuals who have decreased
range of motion to bottle-feed an infant. This April, Michelle entered into the 41st Annual Maddak
Awards in Nashville, Tennessee to display her adapted bottle feeder to the American Occupational
Therapy Association (AOTA). This was a great opportunity to network among occupational therapists,
present the bottle feeder to a panel of judges, and learn about other projects that are being completed.
Michelle plans on entering a new idea for next year’s conference in Chicago, Illinois.
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of Nassau/Suffolk Counties
The Independent Physicians Association of Nassau/Suffolk Counties
is “uniting” physicians to keep them independent, utilizing
“clinical integration” while its members receive fair compensation.
President’s Message...
End of Year Check......
Each December for the past 35 years I dutifully, angrily, occasionally resentfully, sent my check to The Suffolk County Medical
Society for my annual membership.
This annual check I delayed sending until the last minute. It was
never sent happily or gratefully. What have they ever done for me? No collective
bargaining. No enhanced contracts. An annual magazine - Really!
IPANS’ recent affiliation with The Suffolk County Medical Society was done because
The Society still has the credibility of being an organization built around solid
principles of patient and physician advocacy. Not so much as to how much porridge
they are ladling in our bowls.
I have attended many meetings at The Society’s office. I’ve been to Albany on
Physician’s Lobbying Day in March. Most recently I was a delegate of The Suffolk
County Medical Society to The Annual House of Delegates of The STATE of New York
Medical Society. Three days of resolutions, testimony, and votes. These resolutions
(those that were passed) become the policy of MSSNY and the raison d’etre.
Many of the resolutions were of preventive nature such as non support of a single
payor, non support of multiple physician mandates and the like. The policies then
go to our PAC groups that deal with our legislators both state and federal to prevent
untoward legislation that would have a direct adverse effect on the lives and practices
of independent physicians and most importantly their patients.
Membership in The Medical Society has declined as the large systems take over
practices and terminate relationships with The Society. The unfairness is that 100%
of NY State physicians benefit from the dues paying 20%. Not to mention the hours
and hours of unpaid work by the leadership and governing structure of the society.
I strongly urge all of our members to join the Suffolk County Medical Society and if
already members to continue to do so by writing that check with “gratitude” for all
they have done by preventing the payors and government from ladling swill into our
porridge bowl.
You don’t have to wait until December...
John L. Franco, MD
President
BE SMART! BE THERE! Time is running out...
To own your own management service organization
If you are a member of the Nassau/Suffolk IPA, or the office manager of a physician
who is a member, you are cordially invited to join us once again at The Watermill on
Tuesday, May 19th from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.
of Nassau/Suffolk Counties
761 Middle Country Road, Selden, New York 11784
P: 631-698-1900 • F: 631-698-2100 • E: [email protected]
Practice Management of America
Care · Right Place · Right Time
Come and learn about Practice Management of America (PMA),
a newly formed management services organization (MSO) that offers an
exciting opportunity for members of the IPA of Nassau/Suffolk Counties.
Right
To learn more, visit https://www.agingwithdignity.org/five-wishes.php
To submit articles for consideration for future review, please send to Frank at
[email protected]
®
In the News...
Integrated Medical Professionals (IMP) joins the
IPA of Nassau/Suffolk Counties
Hyperbaric Medical Solutions joins
the IPA of Nassau/Suffolk Counties
The Independent Physician Association of Nassau/Suffolk Counties, “IPANS” is
proud to announce its formal affiliation with Hyperbaric Medical Solutions.
Hyperbaric Medical Solutions provides state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy
(“HBOT”) in a comfortable, private office environment. Hyperbaric Medical
Solutions is the premier free-standing HBOT provider in the New York Metro area
that prides itself on maintaining hospital-level quality of care standards, but at a
fraction of the cost of hospital HBOT centers. HBOT is a safe, noninvasive medical
treatment where patients breathe pure oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure
to dramatically expedite wound healing, Conditions treated with HBOT include,
but are not limited to: Diabetic lower extremity wounds, Soft Tissue Radiation
injuries, Compromised skin grafts and flaps, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
HBOT is an emerging field with an increasing amount of research, both in the
United States and abroad, and its wide use by many countries around the world
support its use for many other conditions and disease processes. Some of the
most areas are for traumatic brain injury, stroke, and Lyme Disease.
To learn more, visit www.hyperbaricmedicalsolutions.com
IPA of Nassau/Suffolk Counties welcomes our new members:
Advanced Orthopedics
Orthopaedics, Patchogue
Barry Kleeman, MD
Richard Ritter, MD
Alexander Finger, MD
Itchak Schwarzbard, MD
Eric Manoff, MD
Asim Merchant, MD
Brian Kincaid, MD
Ronald Aloism PA-C
Nancy Cacciatore, PA
John, Dalton, PA-C
Steven Esposito, PA
Brookhaven
Gastroenterology Associates
Gastroenterology
Ravi Singh, MD
Howard Pastrich, MD
Richard Berman, MD
Steven Zucker, MD
Kevin Sano, MD
Rahul Bajaj, MD
Delia Calo, MD
Diane Gay, NP
Livingston Foot Care Specialists
Podiatry, North Bellmore
Douglas Livingston, DPM
Leon Livingston, DPM
Brandon Naing, DPM
Alison Graziano, DPM
Fangqin Li, MD
Family Medicine, Stony Brook
North Coast Anesthesia
Anesthesiology, Selden
Edward Yost, MD
Eric Posner, MD
Barry Glanzman, MD
Gastroenterology, Huntington
Charese LaPorta, DO
Family Medicine, Patchogue
Orthopedic & Sports
Associates of L.I.
Orthopaedics, Woodbury
Jeffrey Guttman, MD
John Leppard, MD
Salvatore Corso, MD
Lee Kupersmith, MD
Jonathan Mallen, MD
Anthony Jackalone, MD
Podiatry, Bethpage
Pollner, Teplitz & Associates MD’s
Anesthesiology, Selden
Marc Pollner, MD
Steven Teplitz, MD
Said Sultan, MD
Scott Mayerberger, MD
Anthony Finuoli, DO
Orthopaedics, Smithtown
Mark Gennaro, MD
Vascular Surgery, Greenlawn
Deepak Kapoor, MD
Urology, Melville
Edward C. Kormylo, DPM
Podiatry, East Patchogue
Edward J. Kormylo, DPM
Podiatry, East Patchogue
Rajmani Krishnan, MD
Pain Management, Smithtown
Michael Nicolosi, DO
Pain Management, Hicksville
Mitul Patel, MD
Internal Medicine, East Patchogue
Cohen, Bergman
& Klepper MD’s PC
Cardiology, Huntington
James Klepper, MD
Mark Bergman, MD
Paval Romano, MD
Joshua Klein, MD
Alyce Vendetti, PA
Donna Zack, NP
NEW INDEPENDENT
PHYSICIANS:
Hyperbaric Medical Solutions
Hyperbaric (ancillary)
Woodbury and Medford
Chidambaranathan Chandrasekaran, MD
Ferdousi Shilpee, MD
Family Medicine, East Patchogue
Internal Medicine, Patchogue
Alfred Cossari, MD
Anthony Tomasso, DO
Ophthalmology, Port Jefferson
Family Medicine, Shirley
Troy Fabregas, MD
Family Medicine, N. Massapequa
Dominick Basile, MD
Internal Medicine, Centereach
Sunil Butani, MD
Pain Management, Mineola
Marc Cimmino, DO
Sports Medicine, Bay Shore
Kami Quinn-Barry, MD
Family Medicine, Medford
Annette Racaniello, MD
Family Medicine, Brookhaven
Charles Ruotolo, MD
Orthopaedics, Massapequa
David Schlessinger, MD
Ophthalmology, Woodbury
The IPA of Nassau / Suffolk Counties is proud to welcome Integrated
Medical Professionals (IMP) as members.
“IMP” is a multi-specialty physician group operating in the greater New York
Metropolitan area. IMP’s model is to forward integrate surgical specialists at the
point of patient contact with physicians that provide diagnostic and therapeutic
services. IMP’s vision is to provide our patients with the highest level of care
available as measured by both clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
IMP was formed in 2006 and has grown to 91 physicians seeing patients at
nearly 54 sites in the New York metro area. IMP has been recognized as one of
the premier groups of its type, and has been used as a model for other group
practices. It is their fundamental belief that this model of practice integration
represents the future of clinical medicine, and their physicians, staff and support
team are committed to the pursuit of excellence. Penalties Coming for Not Using
Electronic Health Records
Doctors who fail to use electronic health records (EHRs)
are going to be penalized by the government, reports
Laura Ungar and Jayne O’Donnell with USA Today.
In an attempt to move away from paper documentation and to go with
technological advances, doctors are urged to make the switch to EHRs, but EHRs
“are the leading cause of physician dissatisfaction,” due to being “cumbersome,
[decreasing] efficiency, and…[presenting] safety problems.”
One EHR problem is due to simple computer errors such as not double-checking
“self-populating computer fields” and accidentally selecting the wrong tab for a
“medication or lab order.”
Doctors are also finding that EHRs take “time from patient care,” because they’re
more focused on imputing data and information than “providing care.”
The costs to implement EHRs are “presenting financial burdens for doctors.”
Dr. John Weeter, a plastic surgeon, finds that paying the penalty could be cheaper
than switching to EHRs.
There’s still hope for EHRs to improve, but critics believe “it’s unfair to levy
penalties…while the technology is still so flawed.”
Ensuring Physician Reimbursement
As health companies move away from the fee-for-service payment model and
towards the “value” of the care, more physicians are concerned about their
“reimbursement levels,” reports PRNewswire.
A survey done by Physicians Practice found that “44 percent of medical practices…
[are] ‘not sure’ of the effect” the move from fee-for-service has had on their practice.
To ensure that physicians “capitalize on the changes in reimbursements,” they
should follow these guidelines: Physicians should conduct “an annual review [to
check] the accuracy of payments,” as well as be educated with “health insurance
exchange plans” so their practice isn’t “negatively [impacted]” and they should
find “new negotiation strategies…to boost leverage.”
Malpractice Protection Coming for Doctors
Doctors around the nation are celebrating a U.S. Senate
“vote of 92-8” to pass a bill that gives them protection from
malpractice suits, reports Mark Crane with Medscape Business of Medicine.
With this new bill, doctors will have more in their favor as to what a patient must
experience in order to file for malpractice. American Medical Association C.E.O.
James L. Madara, M.D. said that with this new law, “‘if a doctor missed earning an
incentive, that fact alone cannot be used as the sole basis for a medical liability.’”
Doctors are also pleased with the fact “‘that Congress explicitly recognized
[that]…quality measures…should not determine the standard of care in a medical
liability case.’” For more information visit, www.medscape.com
Beacon Sells 50%
Catholic Health Services (CHS) disclosed its $6.9 million investment to acquire a
50% stake in Beacon Health Partners, a Westbury, Long Island-based independent
physician association that participates in the Medicare Shared Savings Program
as an ACO. CHS contributed $519,000 in capital to Beacon. It later sold, for an
undisclosed sum, a 4.5% stake in Beacon to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far
Rockaway, Queens, while retaining a 45.5% share.
Creating Effective Communication with the Apple Watch
As the healthcare industry becomes more technologically savvy,
new advancements could be on the way with the release of the
Apple Watch, reports Michael DeFranco with Forbes.
The Apple Watch –– like the pager, but better –– can be an effective
communication tool for doctors. It’s been found “that inefficient
communication triples admission time, doubles emergency response time…and
costs a hospital…$1.7 million per year.” With the Apple Watch right on a doctor’s
wrist, communication can be more efficient, accurate, and can improve “bedside
experiences.”
The fallbacks to the watch include “interference with important equipment,”
especially within the ICUs and operating rooms, the hygiene of it –– doctors
constantly wash their hands and forearms “directly over the area where one wears
a watch” –– and its battery life.
For more information visit, www.forbes.com Actual article link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/
michaeldefranco/2015/04/15/could-the-apple-watch-be-as-indispensable-as-a-stethoscope-howhealthcare-will-feel-apples-impact/
Independent Physicians, Down but Not Out
As the government puts more pressure on physicians
to incorporate “a new system of coding diseases…. [As
well as] install and use electronic health records,” and
perform other time consuming tasks or face a penalty,
Richard Gunderman, M.D. with The Health Care Blog
looks to see if independent physicians have a future.
Hospitals face the same regulations and challenges, but
they can “afford to hire [people] to meet these challenges.” They have the money
the independents don’t have, so they can “snap up small physician practices.”
This is evident in the spike in employees in hospitals increasing “from 38 percent
to 53 percent.”
A group of physicians in Nebraska are rebelling against hospital buyouts by
coming together to form “OneHealth Nebraska…to lower [the] costs of operating
a medical practice by pooling resources.” OneHealth has “300 Nebraska
physicians” enrolled with more coming.
For more information visit: www.thehealthcareblog.com Actual article link: http://thehealthcareblog
com/blog/2015/04/01/will-independent-physicians-go-extinct/
Physicians Regain Independence
After the swarm of hospitals buying out independent
physician practices to lower costs and increase efficiency,
it now appears as though the practices will gain their
independence back due to the inability for the hospitals
to “‘afford to own all the practices,’” reports Carrie Ghose
with Columbus Business First.
The Medical Group Management Association conducted a survey regarding
hospital’s finances after acquiring independent practices and found out that
“health systems lost on average $188,000 on each employed physician in 2013.”
While physician practices regain their independence, they are also solidifying
their practices by “forming larger 30-plus doctor groups.” Those in “smaller
independent practices are consolidating” to ensure strength against any future
hospital purchasings.