Mutual Interest Fall 2014 - Arkansas Mutual Medical Professional

Fall 2014
In This Issue
Fall is in the air...
A message from your Chief Executive Officer
Milligan Named AFMC
Medical Director
Fall is in the air...
Sarah Franklin named the first
recipient of the Arkansas Mutual
Medical Student Award
The Internet and Physician
Misconduct
Risk Management and Patient
Safety Web Site News
Arkansas MGMA Providing
Support To Practice Managers
Across the State
Employee Profile:
Dr. Tom Robinson, Director
of Physician Relations
Arkansas Mutual
strives to insure
the best physicians
in the state
Board of Directors
Gary E. Allen, MD
Scott A. Bailey, MD
Bradley C. Diner, MD
Allan W. “Dick” Horne
Thomas Kovaleski, MD
Timothy Langford, MD
M. Corey Little
Jason Lofton, MD
Randy G. McComb, MD
J. Michael Pickens
Lawrence S. Powell, PhD
By Corey Little, CEO Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company
This is one of my favorite times of the
year. Football, the fall colors, the cool air, all
combine to make Arkansas a truly remarkable place to live and work. At AMIC we
take pride in our state and all that it offers.
We are extremely proud that we have been
able to build a successful medical professional liability company for Arkansas doctors that exclusively serves the Natural State.
We are making great strides at Arkansas
Mutual in becoming the company that we
envisioned 7 years ago. We are the fastest
growing medmal carrier in state. We are
growing while our competitors are either
flat, or losing ground. Our message and our
mission to build a better Arkansas for Arkansas physicians is resonating in the medical
community. We are writing some of the
largest groups in the state and now insure
over 700 of the best doctors in the state.
As we mature as a company, we are
bringing valuable resources and critical
services to our policyholders. With the
addition of Rebecca Tutton, RN, JD as our
Director of Risk Management, we are now
delivering world-class risk management
services to our policyholders. Our online
Risk Management Resources have grown
substantially and will continue to grow
as we fulfill our commitment to assist our
physicians and practice managers with
As we mature as a
company, we are
bringing valuable
resources and
critical services to
our policyholders.
improving their patient satisfaction, fulfilling their compliance requirements and
minimizing risk.
We are also working on providing personal support to the physicians who find
themselves with a liability claim. It is a
very stressful event for a physician and we
are researching and developing a program
continued on next page
Administration
Corey Little
Chief Executive Officer
Trey Tyler
Director of Underwriting
Joyce Wilson, CIC
Director of Customer Service
Brent L. Walker, MD
Medical Director
Thomas F. Robinson, MD
Director of Physician Relations
Rebecca Tutton, RN, JD
Director of Risk Management
Building A Better Arkansas…For Arkansas Physicians
11300 N. Rodney Parham Road, Suite 220 • Little Rock, AR 72212
501.716.9190 phone • 501.716.9193 fax
www.arkansasmutual.com
Mutual Interest • Page 2
separate from the legal process that will help the physician
weather the stressful times of claims litigation.
In the near future we will also be offering online CME
courses for our physicians making it easier for them to
maintain the required CME credits during the course of
the year.
As you can see, AMIC is maturing as a company and
working toward being the premier medmal carrier in the
state. This is a story that you can be proud to be a part of.
In closing, I want to extend an invitation to you as a
Fall 2014
policyholder and owner, to join us for our Annual Meeting on October 4, 2014. Keith Jackson, the former NFL star
and community activist, will be our featured speaker. We
are also joining UAMS on this date to offer two free CME
courses.There is more information in this newsletter about
the details of the meeting. I hope that you can find the
time to join us at the important meeting.
Thanks for being a part of our success and continuing to support the vision of Arkansas Mutual Insurance
Company.
Arkansas Mutual
Congratulates Beth
Milligan, MD, New
AFMS Medical Director
The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC)
has named Arkansas Mutual policyholder Lynda Beth Milligan, MD, FAAFP, CPE, CHCQM, vice president and medical director. Milligan replaces
retiring medical director Michael
Moody, MD. Milligan was previously associate medical director
for reviews for AFMC.
Milligan received her medical degree from the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences,
where she also completed a family medicine internship and residency. She is board certified by
the American Academy of Family
Physicians and the American
Board of Quality Assurance and
Utilization Review Physicians,
Beth Milligan, MD
Health Care Quality and ManageAFMC Medical Director
ment. In addition to her work at
AFMC, Milligan is a family practice physician at Saline MedPeds clinic in Benton and volunteers her services at Esperanza
Hope, a clinic that services the area’s Hispanic community.
Moody, of Salem, Ark., has served as AFMC medical director
since 1996. He plans to continue his medical practice in Salem
and will also serve as a consultant for AFMC.
R i s k M ana g e m e n t A l e r t
CMS Launches
Road to 10
Webcast Series
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) has released a new webcast
introducing the “Road to 10” tool.
Accessible through the “Road to 10” link on
the CMS website. The webcast covers the
history of the International Classification of
Diseases (ICD) and the benefits of ICD-10.
This is the first in the new “Road to 10”
webcast series. Five more webcasts will
follow—all aimed at helping small practices
get ready for ICD-10 by the October 1,
2015, compliance date.
Also available now is a brief video introduction to the “Road to 10” tool. Developed in collaboration with physicians, the
“Road to 10” tool offers:
• Clinical documentation tips
• Coding concepts
• Clinical scenarios
• Training calendar
Go to the CMS ICD-10 website at
http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/
ICD10/ProviderResources.html to get
started on the “Road to 10” today.
Mutual Interest • Page 3
Fall 2014
Sarah Franklin named the first recipient of
the Arkansas Mutual Medical Student Award
Sarah Franklin of Gurdon, Ark., has been named the
first recipient of the Arkansas Mutual Medical Student
Award, a scholarship for third-year medical students at the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) who
want to practice primary care in rural Arkansas.
The $10,000 scholarship was funded by Arkansas
Mutual Insurance Co. in partnership with UAMS College
of Medicine to encourage more medical students to enter
primary care fields such as family practice and general
internal medicine and to practice in rural Arkansas where
access to physicians is limited.
Portions or all of 52 of Arkansas’ 75 counties have been
designated as federal Primary Care Health Professional
Shortage Areas. Approximately 44 percent of Arkansans
live in rural areas. Primary care physician shortages are
projected to increase substantially in the years ahead, as
the state’s population continues to age, and as more newly
insured Arkansans seek primary care services.
“All Arkansans deserve access to high-quality primary
care,” said G. Richard Smith, M.D., dean of the UAMS College
of Medicine. “We want our students to understand the difference that they can make by choosing to practice primary
care in a smaller community, and we are thankful that Arkansas Mutual shares our commitment to rural Arkansans.”
“Arkansas Mutual was very pleased to make this scholarship possible,” said Corey Little, CEO of the only medical liability insurance provider headquartered in Arkansas.
“The scholarship’s focus on rural health care is especially
important today and reflects our company’s mission not
only to protect and serve the physicians of the state, but
also to contribute to a healthier Arkansas.”
“We congratulate Ms. Franklin and are thrilled that the
scholarship is going to such an outstanding student who
is clearly committed to practicing primary care in rural
Arkansas,” Little said.
Franklin is active in the UAMS Family Medicine Interest
Group and currently serves as the student organization’s
secretary. As co-president of the campus Rural Medicine
Student Leadership Association for the 2013-2014 academic year, she helped to organize a health screening clinic in
Arkadelphia, where she eventually hopes to practice.
Franklin grew up in Benton and attended Brigham
Young University in Provo, Utah, prior to medical school.
She and her husband have lived in his hometown of Gurdon, southwest of Arkadelphia in Clark County, for the
Sarah Franklin
past several years when not in Little Rock for school. They
have a two-year-old son and five-month-old daughter.
“Gurdon is home, and we plan to raise our children
there,” said Franklin. “I want to serve in a small town
where I am most needed and can do the most good.”
Franklin has “shadowed” several physicians on clinical
internships in Arkadelphia including John Elkins, M.D., who
delivered both of her children. “I want to practice family
medicine and have additional training in obstetrics so that I
can deliver a full spectrum of care to my patients,” she said.
The College of Medicine has worked with partners such
as Arkansas Mutual to increase scholarships for medical
students. The high cost of medical school and the burden of
educational debt can be factors in choosing higher-paying
specialties instead of primary care. The average medical
school debt of the 2014 UAMS graduates was $160,244.
“The prospect of paying back large loans is daunting for
medical students, especially if they want to practice primary care in a small town,” said Franklin. “This scholarship
lets me worry less about paying back loans and reinforces
going into medicine for the reasons I wanted in the first
place. I am very thankful.”
Mutual Interest • Page 4
Fall 2014
by Rebecca Tutton, RN, JD
The Internet and Physician Misconduct
instance in which no actions was taken. Altogether, 56% of the boards said physician
misconduct online led to serious disciplinary outcomes – a doctor’s license to practice
was either restricted, suspended or revoked.
The actual number of violations reported
to the boards is very small, given that the
boards represent about 850,000 physicians. As social media continues to grow,
the number of violations – both HIPAA and
professional misconduct – will increase.
Intent may not be malicious when placing
information on social media, but the outcome of a HIPAA violation or professional
misconduct can be the same. Ignorance is
Rebecca Tutton, RN, JD
not a defense – considering the HIPAA and
Director Of Risk Management
media spotlight on social media hazards.
This study had limitations: the violations are not currently tracked in the Federation of State Medical Boards database;
• Inappropriate online patient communication, e.g., sexual
individual violations were not matched with specific discimisconduct;
plinary actions or outcomes, and yearly incidents or trends
• Use of the Internet for inappropriate practice, e.g., Interover time were not described.
net prescribing without an established clinical relationProfessionalism is a core competency required for mainship, and
tenance of licensure and specialty recertification. Online
• Online misrepresentation of credentials. communication is fraught with danger! Once something
Most medical boards indicated that incidents had been
is put on social media, it is permanent.
reported to them by patients or their families although
The AMA outlines a series of considerations when mainreport by other physicians was common as well.
taining a presence online. The last consideration states, “Physicians must recognize that actions online and content posted
Frequency of violations
may negatively affect their reputations among patients and
1-3
colleagues, may have consequences for their medical careers
>3
Unknown
and can undermine public trust in the medical profession.”
Violations
Physicians who post information about their medical
Discriminatory language or practices online
cases
on social media risk a HIPAA privacy violation (a fine
Online depiction of intoxication
Online derogatory patient remarks
that is not covered by malpractice insurance), a report to the
Failure to reveal conflicts of interest online
state medical board, reprimands and possible loss of a job.
Online violations of patient confidentiality
The final message of this article: You may not realUse of internet for inappropriate practice
ize
the use of social media and other forms of electronic
Online misrepresentations of credentials
communication may pose a professional risk, but it does.
Inappropriate patient communication online
≥1 Violation in at least 1 of above
“Physicians should be cognizant of standards of patient
privacy and confidentiality that must be maintained in all
10102030405060708090100
State Medical Boards
environments, including online, and must refrain from
Reporting Violations, %
posting identifiable patient information online.”
When we look at the dangers of using the internet to communicate with or
about patients, we might think of HIPAA
and how putting any Protected Health
Information onto social media is a HIPAA
privacy violation. However, some doctors
are sliding down an even slippier slop in
their online lives, committing professional
violations and risking their careers.
A survey of medical boards across the
United States looked at inappropriate
online professional behaviors and the
repercussions of such actions. The findings were published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (AMA),
March 21, 2012, Vol 307, No. 11.
The findings indicate the most common
violations reported to medical boards were:
When the medical boards were asked how they handled
the above violations, 71% held disciplinary proceedings, including formal disciplinary hearings, 40% of medical boards
issued informal warnings, and 25% reported at least one
References:
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1105088
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion9124.page?
Mutual Interest • Page 5
Arkansas Mutual
Risk Management
and Patient Safety
Web Site News
www.arkansasmutual.com
Arkansas Mutual’s Risk Management
section on the website is currently
being updated and the results will be
amazing. Currently, we have a very
thorough HIPAA Survival Guide, but
by the end of the year, we will have
so much more! Risk management is
a preventative practice of identifying
and correcting system weaknesses
that lead to poor patient outcomes,
adverse events and claims. Our new
website will offer self-assessments,
checklists, resources, tools and
courses to minimize your risks and
improve patient experience. Some
of the sections we will be offering
will be:
(1)Claims and Litigation where
you can learn about the
litigation process, litigation
stress syndrome and how to
cope with this stress;
(2)Related Links, a site that will
have federal and state links to
regulatory agencies and laws for
quick access;
(3)Risk and Patient Safety,
a section with office risk and
patient safety assessments, action
plans and a risk handbook;
(4)Learning Resources with
training courses and malpractice
guidelines.
New sections will be added as we
continue to grow. An announcement
will be sent when the updated Risk
Management section is completed. It
is our mission to offer you a thorough
risk management
and patient safety program.
Fall 2014
Arkansas MGMA...
Providing Support
To Practice Managers
Across the State
Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company is proud to be a sponsor of the
Arkansas MGMA. In today’s changing healthcare environment, managing a productive medical practice is a complex task. A medical practice manager is unique
in that the manager’s duties often involve many areas of responsibility such as
accounting, personnel, billing and collections, facility management, purchasing,
acting as the physician liaison, marketing director and resident managed care
expert. The Arkansas Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) serves to
help practice managers face these
challenges.
One of the ways MGMA serves
the membership is through educational opportunities, specifically
the Annual Conference. The 2014
annual conference, Going the
Extra Mile, featured topics including ICD 10, HIPPA Ominbus Rule, Value Based
Purchasing, and Outrageous Service. One of the biggest values of the conference is
the networking opportunities that allow members to sit down with other practice
managers and discuss issues and challenges that are common to all.
The goals of the Arkansas MGMA include:
• Improving business and health care management skills among the
members.
• Sharing information on legislative issues pertaining to all phases of health
care management and administration.
• Providing activities involving health care professionals and membership.
• Promoting member education through conferences, lectures and various
communication models.
• MGMA helps members develop and execute the necessary plans to be a
successful manager in medicine.
MGMA provides an influential source for health care management to network
with peers through the education meetings during the year. The leadership continues to meet today’s challenges for the association, the managers and the physician
groups in this rapidly changing environment of health care administration.
If you are interested in joining the organization, please contact
Jessica Frazier, Executive Director, Arkansas MGMA at 501-747-4328
or email at arkansasmgma@gmail.com.
Mutual Interest • Page 6
Fall 2014
• E m p lo yee Pr o fil e •
Dr. Tom Robinson
Director of Physician Relations
It doesn’t take long to get a few good stories from
Dr. Tom Robinson after 30 years of Emergency Medicine;
unfortunately a lot of them are not for publication. From
foreign objects lodged in the body, to a drunk lover dragging her beloved under a car, to the inadvertent dumping
of a bed pan on a nurse while she is performing CPR on a
cardiac patient, to a wife driving off in her car not knowing that her husband working on the roof had tied his
“safety rope” to her car. You get the idea…and this was
not a television show.
Tom Robinson, MD in Greece
Dr. Robinson is our Director of Physician Relations
at Arkansas Mutual. He has been very involved in the
growth of AMIC since his retirement from medicine in
2008. He is responsible for our relations with our appointed agencies around the state and is a valuable resource for
our physician policyholders.
Dr. Robinson was born in Russellville, AR and raised
in the metropolitan city of Ola and then later Conway
where he went to high school, was a star basketball player
and also ran track. Upon graduation from high school,
Dr. Robinson attended UCA where he
received a BS in Mathematics.
Then it was off to medical school at
UAMS and a residency at St. Johns in
Tulsa, OK. After his residency, he practiced family medicine in Conway for two
years then he moved to Augusta, GA to
work in the Emergency Department at
the University Hospital. From Augusta,
he went to the Presbyterian Hospital in
Charlotte, NC where he helped found
the Emergency Medicine department.
He eventually returned home to
Arkansas and practiced emergency
medicine at the North Little Rock Baptist Hospital for 27 years, where he was
the Director of Emergency Medicine for
19 years.
Dr. Robinson still lives in Little Rock
and is married to Mary Ann Robinson,
a classically trained singer and musician. He has three children, two sons
and one daughter and three grandchildren. He is an avid outdoorsman and
tennis player and also enjoys mountain
biking and travel.
When you get to know Dr. Robinson, it will not be long before he is
regaling you with a joke or a story and
flashing that great smile of his.
Mutual Interest • Page 7
“Save
the
Date
”
for
Fall 2014
Arkansas
Mutual’s
Annual
Meeting!
Join Us
On Saturday,
October 4, 2014
at UAMS
Featured Speaker...
Keith Jackson
Don’t Miss It!
You Are Invited To Arkansas Mutual
Insurance Company’s Annual Meeting
We would like for you and your associates to join us for our annual meeting on Saturday,
October 4, 2014 from 9:30am till 11:30am at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about your company. Former All American and All
Pro NFL football player and community activist Keith Jackson will be our keynote speaker.
Also on this date, prior to the Annual meeting, AMIC is offering free CMEs
(7:00 am) titled “Risk Management for Primary Care” in conjunction with UAMS’s
18th Annual Family Medicine Update. You can get more information and
register at http://familymedicine.uams.edu/cme/events/fmu/ We hope that you will put this date on your calendar
and join us in Little Rock on October 4th. E
E
R
F dits
e
r
C
E
M
C 7:00 am
y
on-polic
n
o
t
e
l
Availab ers as well
hold
Corey Little, CEO
11300 N. Rodney Parham Road, Suite 220, Little Rock, AR 72212 • 501.716.9190 phone • 501.716.9193 fax • www.arkansasmutual.com
11300 N. Rodney Parham Road, Suite 220
Little Rock, AR 72212
501.716.9190 phone • 501.716.9193 fax
www.arkansasmutual.com
HOG-A-LOO-YA
It’s tailgating time!
Mark Your Calendar
and Be Our Guest
Sep. 6 Sep.20 Oct. 11
Oct. 18
Oct. 25
Nov. 15
Nov. 22
Nichols State
Northern Illinois
Alabama
Georgia
University of Alabama Birmingham
LSU
Ole Miss
Fayetteville
Fayetteville
Fayetteville
Little Rock
Fayetteville
Fayetteville
Fayetteville
Join us at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock
or Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville or both.
Little Rock
Fayetteville
Markham St.
Maple St.
ir p
Fa
ark
d.
Blv
“PIT”
N
Stadium Drive
Park
in
Lots to Eat!
Parking
Razorback Road
Parking
Administration
Building
Tailgate
Party Here
SIDEWALK
RAZORBACK
STADIUM
Big Screen TV
Lots to
Drink!
Monroe St.
WAR
MEMORIAL
STADIUM
g
Victory Village East
Tailgate Party Here
N
Parking Deck