 |
Fourth Quarter 2009 |
| Industry and Company News | Subscribe | Download PDF |
New Board Member Appointed
We are pleased to announce that Mary Ann Thode, JD, MPH, has been appointed to our Board of Governors.
As former president and CEO of the Northern California Region of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Ms. Thode directed the largest Kaiser service region. Prior to her 10 years with Kaiser, she served as a senior vice president of Operations for the Catholic Healthcare West System (CHW). Before moving to the CHW system office, she was the president and CEO of St. Mary’s Medical Center, San Francisco, a division of CHW.
“Mary Ann Thode is a recognized leader in the field of hospital and health systems management,” said Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company. “Her considerable and unique experience at all levels of the health care continuum, including leadership of the largest and most complex integrated system in the U.S., will further our company’s goal of advancing and protecting the practice of good medicine.”
“I am proud to join the board of the largest and most respected physician-owned medical liability company in the nation,” added Ms. Thode. “I look forward to using this opportunity to continue the work of transforming the health care system for the benefit of physicians and patients in the name of quality care.”
A Milestone for The Doctors Company
For the first time in our company history, The Doctors Company’s member surplus has exceeded $1 billion.
This important milestone is a testament to the enduring financial strength and security we provide to our members, even in the most challenging times. It is an achievement that will allow us to embrace more opportunities to recognize and reward our members as we continue to share our success with you.
New Online Tribute® Plan Calculator
Our new online Tribute Plan Calculator makes it easy to estimate your personal payout at retirement. Just click on the Tribute Plan link at www.thedoctors.com. From there, you can also download our new iTribute Plan Calculator for your iPhone.
As highlighted by our 2009 Member Experience Survey, an overwhelming majority of members say they are satisfied with the Tribute Plan and our efforts to reward them. To date, we’ve distributed career rewards to 517 qualifying members.
FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Intravenous Antiviral Peramivir for 2009 H1N1 Influenza
On October 23, 2009, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the unapproved drug Peramivir IV to treat certain hospitalized adult and pediatric patients with suspected or laboratory confirmed 2009 H1N1 infection or infection due to nonsubtypable influenza A virus suspected to be 2009 H1N1 based on community epidemiology.
For complete information regarding the drug and the specific conditions of authorization for health care providers, please visit the FDA Peramivir Information page at www.thedoctors.com/peramivir.
Your policy with The Doctors Company will respond to claims related to the use of Peramivir IV to treat H1N1 influenza when used in accordance with the FDA’s emergency authorization. No special endorsement or changes are necessary for you to receive these benefits. It is imperative that you become familiar with the FDA requirements and adhere to them strictly.
Our Recent Ohio Physician Advisory Board Meetings
As we’ve grown in Ohio, we’ve increased our local physician representation and participation to encompass two separate Ohio Physician Advisory Boards. Recently, our boards met in Cleveland and Columbus.
Participants at both meetings received updates from Sal Bianco, director of Government Relations, who discussed our legislative activities in Ohio and provided details on our nationwide lobbying efforts. He also discussed federal health care reform activities and updated participants on our political action committees (DOCPACs).
The cases selected for the meetings all involved multiple specialties. The wide range of cases reviewed included obstetrics, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, and podiatry.
Following the case presentations, Susan Shepard, our Patient Safety education director, provided a patient safety review of each claim. She addressed issues such as the need for system review, system interventions to mitigate the potential impact of cognitive errors, breakdowns in the diagnosis process, how to improve communication between health care providers, and the need for physicians to be proactive in communicating effectively.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published by The Doctors Company to advise and inform its members about loss prevention and insurance issues.
The guidelines suggested in this newsletter are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. They attempt to define principles of practice for providing appropriate care. The principles are not inclusive of all proper methods of care nor exclusive of other methods reasonably directed at obtaining the same results.
The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each health care provider in light of all circumstances prevailing in the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published quarterly by Corporate Communications, The Doctors Company. Letters and articles, to be edited and published at the editor’s discretion, are welcome. The views expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official policy of The Doctors Company. Please sign your letters, and address them to the editor.