SFMS Symphony Night Returns this February!

The San Francisco Medical Society is pleased to announce a night at the San Francisco Symphony on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011.  Come see world-renowned conductor Ton Koopman bring his Bach and Schubert program to San Francisco!  The show starts at 8:00 p.m., and there will be a reception in the Green Room for SFMS members beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Food and drinks will be provided and members will have access to the room until just before showtime. Guests are welcome.  If you would like to attend, please contact Jonathan Kyle at (415) 561-0850, extension 240 or at jkyle@sfms.org. We hope to see you there!

Modernizing Medicare and Medicaid: How to Upgrade America’s Health Care

December 14, 2010

• Donald Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Sarah Varney, KQED Health Reporter, “The California Report” and “Health Dialogues” – Moderator

Berwick leads a department with a larger budget than the Pentagon and oversees the programs that provide health care to nearly one in three Americans, yet he has made few public appearances since President Obama made him CMS administrator in a recess appointment last summer. A recipient of numerous medical awards and honors, Berwick has a long history of involvement with public policy on health care and was given an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth in 2005 for his work. Come hear him share his thoughts about how the recent reform bill passed by Congress will affect the longevity and viability of our nation’s medical system and his goals of improving patient care while reducing waste.

Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6:00 p.m. program
Cost: FREE
Reserve your seat now at http://tickets.commonwealthclub.orgAlso know: Underwritten by the California HealthCare Foundation

Clinical Research Report: Cannabis and Cancer

Cannabis and Cancer:  Targeting Metastasis Through Inhibition of Id-1
Presented by Sean McAllister, Ph.D. from the California Pacific Medical Center

http://www.cpmc.org/professionals/research/programs/science/sean.html
Date: Saturday, December 11th, 2010
Time: 2 p.m. in San Francisco at the home of Richard Wolfe
Where: Address and directions will be sent to you in response to your RSVP email.
Space is limited. If you intend to come, please rsvp to SCC Secretary Stacey Kerr, MD, at drkerr@the-doctors-inn.com

 

Red Flags Bill Passed by Senate

The Senate unanimously passed S. 3987, the “Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010,” legislation that limits the type of “creditor” that must comply with the Red Flags Rule.

The Red Flags Rule requires creditors to develop identity theft prevention and detection programs, and was originally scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2008.  According to the FTC, physicians who do not accept payment from their patients at the time of service are creditors and must comply with the Rule by developing and implementing written identity theft prevention and detection programs in their practices.

The AMA, CMA, and SFMS are adamantly opposed the FTC’s broad application of the rule to physicians. Efforts are under way to secure House consideration and passage prior the adjournment of the 111th Congress. Check back for updates.