Medical liability insurer cuts rates 18 percent

The Doctors Company, a national physician-owned medical malpractice insurance provider, has announced that its premiums for new and renewing policyholders in Texas will drop by an average of 18 percent beginning April 1, 2006 for new policyholders and July 1, 2006 for those renewing their coverage. The company hopes to encourage more Texas physicians to join its 25,000-membership base with this effort.

This reduction provides further evidence that Texas tort reform, passed during the 78th Legislature in 2003, is paying off for both physicians and patients. During the crucial debate, TAFP played an instrumental role in garnering support for Proposition 12.

“Texas physicians will welcome lower premiums, and this is the latest proof that the reforms passed by voters and the Legislature are working,” Howard Marcus, M.D., of the Texas Alliance for Patient Access said in a press release. “Medical liability reform has resulted in a broader scope of insurance options for doctors. Texas has seen a statewide gain of 81 obstetricians, 93 orthopedic surgeons and 263 emergency medicine specialists since Proposition 12 passed two years ago.”

The landmark tort reform law capped non-economic damages in medical liability cases and has helped stabilize the state’s medical liability marketplace.

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Family medicine shows slight increase in match

For practicing family physicians, March 16, 2006 may have come and gone like any other Thursday. For medical students, the day commonly referred to as “Match Day,” when the National Resident Matching Program announces residency placement, held much more significance. Family medicine as a whole saw mixed results.

Of the 2,727 positions in family medicine offered, 2,318, or 85 percent, were filled, marking a slight increase from last year’s 82.4 percent. By the numbers, 26 more medical students matched into family medicine this year although 55 fewer spots were offered than in 2005. The same number of U.S. seniors chose family medicine as last year.

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AAFP’s TransforMed to test New Model of family medicine

On April 3, a panel of health care experts announced the launch of an $8-million national practice redesign initiative that aims to restructure and improve the quality of U.S. health care, starting with family medicine. TransforMED, an initiative of AAFP, uses a patient-centered model of care to support a strong medical home. Staff will work with a diverse group of 36 practices, 18 facilitated practices and 18 self-directed practices, for a 30-month period starting June 2006.

One Texas clinic — Trinity Clinic Whitehouse in Whitehouse, Texas — was selected for the project. The clinic staff and practicing physicians, including TAFP members Melissa Gerdes, M.D., Amy Mullins, M.D., and Janet Hurley, M.D., have already implemented several TransforMED concepts such as open-access scheduling, an electronic health record system, electronic prescribing, Web-based information sharing with patients, and use of clinical practice guidelines and decision support software.

To qualify for the program, participants had to have a commitment to practice transformation, the evaluation and dissemination processes and to working collaboratively with TransforMED. They form a real-life learning lab that strives to combine traditional family medicine values with new technology. Each practice staff, from receptionists to physicians, will go through a comprehensive evaluation and participate in the evolution of the model of care. Then, TransforMED will develop products and services to assist other family medicine practices in bridging the gap between past practices and a 21st-century patient-delivery system to meet current needs.

The partnership with TransforMED comes after years of groundwork laid by the Future of Family Medicine project, which set aggressive goals for health care improvement. The mission of TransforMED is to lead and empower family physicians in implementing the New Model of care, as discussed in the Future of Family Medicine project.

AAFP past president Jim Martin, M.D., of San Antonio compared the AAFP’s struggle to improve health care to the “fairy tale” of the hen and the grains of wheat. The hen went through all the steps to cultivate, harvest and process the wheat, asking for help from all of the barnyard animals. They refused each time, saying that they were too busy, so the hen did the entire task herself and took the final product — a loaf of bread — back home to her family. “The American Academy of Family Physicians took very much the same road,” Martin told the National Press Club. “They asked for help, and when it didn’t come they said, ‘we will do this ourselves.’ The difference is the loaf of bread that we will get from this project will be for all Americans.”

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Experts expect heavier obesity burden, call for action

By 2010, more than half of children living in North and South America will be overweight, a recent report says. These numbers shatter previous estimates that projected that one-third of children in this area would be affected by the end of the decade. In “Worldwide trend in childhood overweight and obesity,” published in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, researchers analyzed various medical reports on obesity from 1980 to 2005 and World Health Organization data.

Often thought to be the problem of the Western hemisphere, the findings paint a similarly grim picture for the rest of the world. The European Union may see gains in the percentage of overweight children from 25 to 38 percent, the study says. Other significant increases will occur in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as well as Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Egypt, populations that were previously thought to be isolated from the marketing influence of the Western world’s food industries.

If these trends continue, obesity experts predict a growing wave of health problems, including heart disease and stroke, that will swamp the health care industry.

“This is going to be the first generation that’s going to have a lower life expectancy than their parents,” Phillip Thomas, a surgeon from Manchester, England, told The Associated Press. “It’s like the plague is in town and no one is interested.”

Some scientists are calling for the government to step in and protect consumers. Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force told the AP that there needs to be a ban on all forms of junk food marketing, saying that all of the world’s children are being bombarded to eat all the wrong foods.

Other suggestions to curb obesity come from studies on empty-calorie beverages. These researchers advise placing a “fat tax” on unhealthy foods and beverages, restrictions on how and where the items are sold and warning labels on soda cans similar to warnings on packs of cigarettes.

Critics from the beverage industry question the direct comparisons that tie soda to obesity in a way similar to linking tobacco with certain cancers, but more research suggests parallel trends that draw distinct connections between the obesity epidemic and sugar-based drinks.

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Physician involvement can help prevent youth
sports injury

Young athletes’ inherent risk of injury has escalated over the years due to prolonged sports seasons, improper technique, underdeveloped muscles and ignored prevention measures, a study says. “Childhood and Adolescent Sports-Related Overuse Injuries,” published by physicians in the Methodist Health System of Dallas, cites the most common problem areas to be the shoulder, elbow, back, knee and heel.

“Little leaguer’s elbow,” a common overuse injury characterized by an irritation in tissue of the elbow, is common among little league baseball pitchers who subject their joints to repeated strain.

“Overuse injuries are becoming more of a problem these days because kids are participating at a higher level than in the past and doing a specific sport year round,” David Ross, M.D., said in a press release. Ross is the director of Methodist’s Sport Medicine Clinic and Fellowship Program that provides treatments and therapies designed specifically for athletes of all skill levels from high school to professional. “Doing year-round sport does not allow the body to rest.”

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one-half of all sports injuries are preventable with the use of proper education and protective equipment, these injuries remain the leading cause of injury in adolescents. Identifying a possible injury is key, as strict adherence to treatment consisting of rest, rehabilitation and gradual reintroduction into the sport will usually yield a full recovery. In addition to short-term benefits that can keep athletes in the game, early prevention methods may lessen the risk for long-term chronic health issues.

The authors encourage parents, coaches and physicians to educate young athletes on proper use of equipment, risks and prevention methods for sports injuries and to communicate to adults whenever any pain starts.

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Protect local youth from head injury with TAFP and TMA

TAFP invites you to participate in the 2006 Hard Hats for Little Heads program, a program dedicated to the prevention of head injuries due to bicycle accidents. Hard Hats is sponsored in conjunction with the Texas Medical Association and funded by the TMA Foundation.

TAFP will help program volunteers find out how to coordinate bicycle helmet giveaways at local clinics, offices, schools, hospitals or town festivals to promote bicycle safety during National Safety Month in June. At each Hard Hats event, the volunteer physician will distribute between 40 and 100 helmets, half of which TAFP will buy. The TMA Foundation pays for the other half. TAFP will help participants coordinate their events and contact local media in hopes that the events will be covered in the news.

A host of resources are available on www.tafp.org that will make getting involved even easier. Reference the volunteer memo, model press release, printable posters or event-planning timeline, so that you can stay on track and make sure your event goes off without a hitch.

Head injury is the most common cause of serious disability or death in bicycle crashes, and wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of injury by as much as 85 percent. Your youngest patients need you to provide this preventative care measure to help them stay safe while enjoying their bicycles.

Promote bicycle safety and family medicine in your community by volunteering to host an event. For more information or to volunteer for Hard Hats for Little Heads, contact Kate McCann at kmccann@tafp.org or (512) 329-8666 ext. 16.