RFS-YPS Winter Conference Meeting to Address Influence
“Influence Without Authority: Getting Things Done When You’re Not The Boss,” will be the topic Heather McKissick, chief executive officer of Leadership Austin, will discuss during a joint meeting of the Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) and Young Physician Section at 2013 TMA Winter Conference at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin.
The meeting will be from 12:30 to 1:45 pm Saturday, Feb. 2, in Room 102 of the AT&T Center.
The RFS also will hold a business meeting from noon to 12:30 pm Saturday in Room 101 of the AT&T Center.
Medicaid’s future and the changing face of Texas highlight the main agenda for the conference. Health and Human Services Commissioner Kyle Janek, MD, and a panel of physicians and legislators will discuss the Medicaid program in Texas and the progress TMA’s Physician Medicaid Congress is making in suggesting ways to improve the program. Former state demographer Steve Murdock, PhD, will make a presentation on changes in the state’s demographics and what it means for medicine.
Book your hotel reservation by Jan. 11 to get the discounted rate.
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Come to First Tuesday
Plan on coming to Austin on Tuesday, April 2, for First Tuesdays at the Capitol. It’s your chance to personally lobby state legislators on issues that are important to patients and physicians. The day’s events will be tailored especially for residents and students.
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McNew Award Nomminees Sought
Jan. 20 is the deadline to nominate a deserving physician to receive the RFS J.T. “Lamar” McNew Award.
The award honors a physician who has provided exceptional guidance and support to the section or to residents and fellows in general. The winner will be recognized at TexMed 2013 in San Antonio in May.
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What You Need to Know About Employment
One of the biggest decisions a young physician has to face when starting his or her career is whether to work for someone else or open a solo practice. TMA has a new publication, A Comprehensive Guide for Physician Employment, that will help you make that decision.
It will help you decide if employment is the right path for you, take the guesswork out of negotiating and accepting an employment relationship, and leave you confident in your direction as you move forward with your career.
This publication is a must-read for all residents and fellows so you can learn the challenges and advantages associated with the business side of medicine and make an educated decision for your career path. It is also an invaluable resource for any physician who is starting a practice, selling a practice, or thinking about making a career move toward employment.
This guide covers in detail:
- The risks, benefits, and other considerations of an employment decision;
- Traditional employment relationships versus newly invented relationships with institutional employers;
- The pros and cons of employment by hospital-sponsored entities;
- Compensation models, restrictive covenants, handling of medical records, and health and liability insurance; and
- The sale of a medical practice to an institutional employer, including such aspects as valuation, deliverables, and liability.
As you consider your options and before you sign an employment agreement, be sure to read this information-packed guide so that you can have the upper hand!
Residents and fellows can purchase the guide get a discounted rate of $25. Discount codes are: TMAEMPLOY for hard copy or TMAEMPLOYPDF for the PDF copy.
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The Resident's Guide to Moonlighting
By William Malamon
If you are a resident dealing with student loans, bills, rent, and dozens of other expenses, you’ve probably thought about ways to make more money. Many young physicians make ends meet by moonlighting.
As a resident, moonlighting means you are working as a physician outside of your training program. While many physicians moonlight, not all programs allow it. (You should check with your supervisor before you commit to a moonlighting job.)
Why moonlight?
- The money can be really good and can help ease the burden of student loans and expenses.
- It’s good experience. As said by Joshua S. Coren, DO, “Your interest might be fueled by the opportunity to refine your procedural skills such as placing central lines, intubation, or performing arterial blood gases. Or perhaps your goal is to develop contacts for future employment opportunities.”
Liability insurance for moonlighters
You may not have professional liability coverage under an employer for whom you’re moonlighting. Be sure to ask, because if a patient has an adverse event, he or she can sue you.
If you decide that moonlighting is still for you, learn more about how to protect yourself against medical malpractice claims. Below are some definitions on the basics of insurance (or email the Texas Medical Liability Trust [TMLT]).
- Medical liability insurance protects physicians from lawsuits that arise from an alleged negligence that led to harm of a patient under the physician’s care. The harm could be caused by an act or omission of an act by the physician. A plaintiff must show that there was a breach that resulted in damages.
- Claims-made policy: protects you during the active policy period, usually one year. If you don’t renew your claims-made policy when it expires, you no longer have coverage for any claims that arise in the future.
- Tail coverage, also called a reporting endorsement, is available for purchase when your claims-made policy is cancelled or nonrenewed. Tail coverage continues insurance protection under your claims-made policy for claims reported in the future but arising from incidents that occurred while your policy was in force. (Please note that moonlighting policies are claims-made. If you purchase a moonlighting policy with TMLT, you can convert to a standard physician policy and TMLT will waive the tail cost).
(William Malamon is the communications and advertising supervisor for the Texas Medical Liability Trust. To learn more about TMLT’s moonlighting program, check out the TMLT website.)
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Your Chance to Serve
Positions on TMA association boards, councils, and committees are available for RFS representatives. To apply, submit an application. Representatives and alternate representatives are appointed to serve one-year terms.
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Need a New White Coat?
TMA has partnered with SmartScrubs to offer TMA members a custom online uniform store and exclusive offers on S.C.R.U.B.S. brand apparel.
Order your white coat online and get free TMA logo embroidery through March 1. To get started, simply visit www.smartscrubs.com/tma. Once inside the uniform store, navigate the links to choose your coats, tops, pants, and hats.
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How to Start a Practice
Starting a new medical practice with the right people, processes, and structure is the key to the success of any new practice. In response to requests from resident physicians and residency programs, TMA Practice Consulting has created a program to help residents make critical decisions about getting started in medical practice.
"A Resident's Guide to Starting a Medical Practice" is a two-hour seminar conducted at your facility by TMA's practice consulting staff. All costs for program development, on-site consultant time, and printing and mailing are supported by educational grants from the companies that have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with TMA over the past few years.
Contact TMA Practice Consulting at (800) 523-8776, or email practice.consulting@texmed.org to schedule a date.
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Stay Connected
Stays informed about issues affecting medicine today and connect with colleagues via the RFS Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TexasResidents.
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