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the largest voice of organized medicine in Springfield and Sangamon County
Physicians Say "NO" to Misguided Medicaid Proposals
The Illinois General Assembly has heard physicians' responses to proposals to slash benefits to Medicaid enrollees and reimbursements to physicians, other health care professionals and institutions.
An ISMS position paper has been sent to every member of the Illinois General Assembly, detailing the insufficiency of current Medicaid reimbursement levels to cover physicians' costs and emphasizing the dire threat further cuts would pose to patient access to care.
The paper also outlines many of the principles for Medicaid reform that were formulated and voted upon by ISMS members, provides lawmakers innovative approaches to address the challenges faced by our Medicaid system, and offers policy guidance that could improve patient care while also realizing significant savings. In addition, ISMS expresses strong support for a proposed $1-per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax to help offset anticipated Medicaid cuts and to supplement current appropriations.
Lawmakers: Are you listening?
Slashing Medicaid benefits will hurt Illinois' most vulnerable residents, and forcing more financial woes on the backs of physicians could mean the collapse of an already precarious and underfunded program.
The time to hear and consider the voices of those on the front lines — physicians and patients — is now.
ISMS House of Delegates April 20-22;
Meeting Held in Oakbrook, Illinois Top left photo: SIU School of Medicine Student Members to the Sangamon County Medical Society Amanda Becker (left)
Shalini Bhattacharya (right) Josiah Zubairu (back); top right photo: Dr. Stephen Stone reading the Oath of Hippocrates at the
2012 House of Delegates; bottom left photo: Dr. Donald Graham, Speaker of the 2012 ISMS House of Delegates.
Please ask your local Delegates for an update on what took place at this year's House of Delegates.
Howard Chodash, MD
Dareen Siri, MD
Dennis McManus, MD
Sumanta Mitra, MD
Dora Ramos, MD
Laura Shea, MD
Stephen Stone, MD
Shalini Bhattacharya
Amanda Becker
Josiah Zubairu
Glenn Pittman, MD Donald Graham, M.D. Re-elected Speaker of the
Illinois State Medical Society House of Delegates
Donald R. Graham, M.D., Springfield, was re-elected as Speaker of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) House of Delegates during the recent 2012 annual meeting.
Practicing at the Springfield Clinic, where he is chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Graham is a board-certified internist, specializing in infectious diseases. He is an active medical staff member at Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital. Dr. Graham graduated from the Washington University School of Medicine and served his residency at the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He returned to Washington University to complete a fellowship in Infectious Diseases. Dr. Graham also completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he served as an epidemic intelligence service officer in the Hospital Infections Branch.
Dr. Graham has been an ISMS Trustee for ten years, and currently serves on the Committee on Drugs and Therapeutics. He previously served on the Council on Economics. He has held the post of President of the Sangamon County Medical Society, and was chair of the SCMS Community Health committee. A Special Thank You
A "Special Thank You" to presenter Dr. Tim McDonald, Supporters and attendees who helped make the "Seven Pillars" Approach: Improving Patient Safety and Decreasing Liability through Transparency a successful event.
SIU School of Medicine
St. John's Hospital
Springfield Clinic
Medicine Shoppe
Vono Medical Supplies Thanks to Our Members!
Thank you to the Sangamon County Medical Society Members that participated in our "Spring Cleaning Day" on March 31st. Affordable Shred and Habitat For Humanity helped make our "Spring Cleaning Day" a success. Thank you!
Physician Response to Governor Quinn's Budget Address
Reaction to the Governor's Budget Address from
Illinois State Medical Society President Wayne V. Polek, MD
Chicago, IL — Physicians at the Illinois State Medical Society are deeply disappointed that the Governor's budget address ignored the huge financial burden medical offices are being forced to carry. As employers in Illinois, medical practices support 155,000 local jobs, represent 6.8 percent of our state's GDP, and generate nearly $28 billion in wages and benefits. Far from providing stability, Illinois' budget "planning" is driving some of Illinois' most important employers out of business.
Thanks for Joining Us!
The Sangamon County Medical Society would like to thank the members who joined us at the Hoogland Center for the Arts on January 28th for a wonderful dinner and show "Ain't Misbehavin".
This event was supported through Dr. Gayle Woodson at the SIU Voice Clinic along with Illinois National Bank.
The evening was very relaxing and just a nice way to get out and enjoy each other's company
We hope that you will be able to join us again for future events.
Thank you, Carol Harms, Executive Director
President's Message By Laura K. Shea, M.D., SCMS President
We have an incredibly vibrant community of physicians and physicians in training here in Sangamon County. I believe the Sangamon County Medical
Society represents us like no other society or affiliation can.
My Goals as president in 2012 include:
• Encouraging other physicians to get involved.
• Supporting our new director, her staff, the CATCH Program and the Alliance.
• Promoting programs and policies that help our physicians practice good medicine.
We are always open to new members and anyone can get more involved, either with our local board or as a delegate to the ISMS. This allows you to meet physicians from all over the state and contribute to the recommendations we make to legislative entities.
I became an Alternate Delegate to the ISMS about six years ago because Dr. Leonard Giannone asked me. I may have initially and hesitantly said yes
because he is a friendly and persuasive individual, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to meet nice people, eat good food and have stimulating conversations about things that could make a difference in our community.
Thank you for electing me. I will do my best! Please feel free to contact me or our Director, Carol Harms at 217-726-5106 or carol@scmsdocs.org if you have any questions or ideas.
Continuous Membership Is Now Available!
Great News! Continuous Membership is now available! Sign up or renew your membership
today and never receive a renewal billing again. Your regular ISMS and Sangamon County
Medical Society membership dues of $71.25 will be billed to your bank account or your credit
card in monthly payments, whichever is most convenient to you. Your ISMS membership will
roll from one month to the next without any need to renew your membership or risk a lapse in
membership benefits.
Of course there are always two options for payment:
• Option 1 - Pay one lump-sum payment and your membership is completely paid for the entire 2011 calendar year.
• Option 2 - Elect Continuous Membership and your renewal begins with a debit payment on January 10, 2011. New members will begin
with a debit on the 10th day in their first month.
Participants in the Group Membership Program are also eligible to take advantage of
Continuous Membership. Group program participants can make payments on an annual,
monthly or quarterly basis.
Let us know if you would prefer we debit the payment from your bank account or credit card
each month. And that's it! There are no fees to participate.
If you have any questions or would like help signing up, call 1-800-782-4767, ext. 1900,
or e-mail membership@isms.org.
Get On The SCMS
Or SCMS Alliance Group Email Lists!
If you have an email address, and would like to receive updates and action alerts from either the Sangamon County Medical Society or our Alliance, please let us know. More and more of our communications in the near future will be sent electronically. You can get newsletters faster and eliminate paper clutter on your desk. Don't worry, we won't inundate your inbox!
Your email address is safe with us. We do not share, sell or distribute email addresses to anyone. SCMS also sends periodic news by email to office managers of our members.
Send us your information to join either of our group email lists. Include your full name, which organization's email list you are joining, your email address, mailing address, phone number, office manager, and manager's email. Note: SCMS will promptly forward Alliance information to them upon receipt.
Donald R. Graham, M.D., Springfield, was re-elected as Speaker of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) House of Delegates during the recent 2012 annual meeting.
Great News! Continuous Membership is now available! Sign up or renew your membership
today and never receive a renewal billing again. Your regular ISMS and Sangamon County
Medical Society membership dues of $71.25 will be billed to your bank account or your credit
card in monthly payments, whichever is most convenient to you. Your ISMS membership will
roll from one month to the next without any need to renew your membership or risk a lapse in
membership benefits.
