Sarasota County Nurse Practitioners

SCNP Newsletter April 8, 2013

Posted almost 11 years ago by ENP Admin

Sarasota County Nurse Practitioners Newsletter

Newsletter includes information on:
  • 2013/2014 SCNP Board Members
  • Next Meeting
  • Announcements
  • Local Educational Opportunities
  • American Association of Nurse Practitioners
  • Information
Executive Board
  • President: Mary Healy
  • Vice President: David Fawks
  • Recording Secretary: Ellie Harrison
  • Treasurer: Kay Stump
  • Education: Sheryl Wilson
  • Newsletter and Corresponding Secretary Cindy Drew
  • Website: Position open
  • Legislation: Kimberly Lewis, Cindy Drew
  • Membership: Sherri Davidson

Announcements:

Next meeting tomorrow. See attached flyer (sent out last week – just a reminder). We need a volunteer to pick up Jackie Hutchinson – she does not drive due to visual problems. She lives in the Lakes – off Mcintosh – south of Bahia Oaks). (Her phone number is 941-378-3222). We also need a volunteer to take minutes since Elsie will be out of town.

From Sue Lee ARNP
  • Please check out the new SCNP Website
  • See attached information on list of accomplishments of the FLANP organization
  • See attached flyer on meeting tomorrow
  • Educational Opportunity
From: Leah Bishop ARNP

“Dr. Leggett is putting on a seminar for nurse practitioners on May 9, 10, and 11. Dr. Leggett has a great vision for teaching nurse practitioners. It's wonderful that I can learn from her and be a part of her practice and share her vision”.

Leah asked me to send out information on Dr. Leggett’s upcoming seminar. It sounds extremely interesting. I urge all NPs to check out the website and Information on this seminar is found on her website.

See below for a short excerpt from Dr. Leggett’s website.

Attention: Heart-centered nurse practitioners whose female patients experience persistent health problems “unresponsive” to traditional medical advice

Learn How to Become a Midlife Women’s Health Expert and a Distinguished, Highly-Paid, Sought-After Practitioner While Helping 1000s of Women.

Latest update from AANP

MedPAC Examines Barriers to NP Services in Medicare
  • In a wide-ranging initial discussion on April 5th, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an independent 15-member panel, questioned policies that discount payments to NPs for the same Medicare services provided by physicians and that create uneven rules for certification and documentation of care. The commission also expressed concern that “incident-to” billing of services provided by NPs under physicians’ provider numbers makes it difficult to track NP services. AANP and other NP groups raised similar concerns in a February meeting with MedPAC staff.
     
  • This preliminary discussion will guide MedPAC’s staff in analyzing current policies and possibly drafting recommendations to Congress. The commission could consider policy changes as soon as next fall. Although its proposals often guide decisions on future Medicare policies, legislators are not bound to consider or adopt the commission’s recommendations.
President's Budget Renews 2014 Deficit Reduction Debate
  • This week President Barack Obama will submit his fiscal year 2014 budget to Capitol Hill. The President’s plan is expected to kick off negotiations on spending, tax, and entitlement changes that could ultimately include raising the federal debt limit, which will be reached this summer.
     
  • Upon official release on April 10th, the President’s budget is expected to propose cutting the deficit by $1.8 trillion over 10 years by reducing spending, trimming entitlement programs, and raising revenue. Nurse practitioners would be affected by the roughly $400 billion in health care cuts specified in last year’s deficit reduction offer. This included Medicaid drug rebates to low-income Part D enrollees, cutting Medicare bad debt payments, and capping Medicaid durable medical equipment payments at Medicare competitive bidding rates. The 2014 budget may propose even deeper Medicare cuts since the White House has said that savings from Medicaid are off the table as it tries to encourage states to expand Medicaid eligibility.
House Committees Expand Medicare Payment Proposal
  • Last week two key House committees released an expanded second draft of their strategy for repealing the Medicare “sustainable growth rate” formula, shifting fee-for-service payments to quality based measures and creating incentives for alternative payment structures. The outline circulated on April 3rd by Republican staff for the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees also raises the possibility of separating non-physician providers into an alternative incentive program if the one developed for physicians does not apply. In essence, the committee’s intention is to stabilize fee-for-service payments while developing performance measures on which a portion of payments will be based. Questions remain about how the quality and performance measures will be designed and financed.

AANP will provide comments to the committees and continue to engage in a dialogue with them as they prepare to craft legislation that will hopefully be voted on this summer.

Minutes for Sarasota County Nurse Practitioner

The following SCNP minutes will be read at the meeting on April 9th, 2013 and corrections can be made at that time.

Subject: Minutes for Sarasota County Nurse Practitioner meeting 3-12-13; please amend/correct as needed

There were 21 in attendance for the meeting held in the Waldemere Medical Plaza.

6:00 p.m. Meeting called to order. Business portion of meeting to follow our featured presentor, David Fawks, regarding "Mental Issues in Primary Care"

[Mary Healy]

Our member and vice president David Fawks gave an excellent and informative presentation on presentation, diagnoses, treatment of bipolar disorder. The wide spectrum of presentation and treatment issues was comprehensively reviewed. A lively question and answer session followed. Thank you David for your time and expertise and your offer to serve as a resource to your peers. Your professionalism sets an fine example to all of us.

Business Meeting:

Called to order by President, Mary Healy.
[Mary Healy] Previous minutes were read, 2 corrections made, and approved.

Yesterdays Sarasota Herald Tribune had an article regarding our [Mary Healy] newly elected officers.

[Mary Healy] Membership Report:
  • We have 180 potential members (on email list), and 125 have paid dues in the past 3 years; 68 paid last year and 43 paid this year. Our listserv will need an accurate count. An email will be sent out regarding remaining on email list by paying yearly dues.[Mary Healy] Discussion by group regarding limiting emails/newsletter eventually to dues paying members.
  • At future meetings, we will have name tags for everyone.
[Mary Healy] Legislative Report:
  • Bill 612 regarding use of "doctor" by a Ph.D. nurse practitioner was explained that the punishment of a felony had been removed from the bill. It was expected to pass.
  • [Mary Healy] Cindy Drew brought us up to date on national and state issues. She has been nominated as a state representative from Florida to the AANP group. An assessment of the number of FNA members was taken.
  • FANP dues are $15.00 a month. Cindy gave us an overview of political action organizations we could consider making a contribution to as an organization. David Fawks made a motion to send FANP a contribution from our group funds of $800.00; the motion was seconded by Michele Lipman and there were no objections and many "ayes."
[Mary Healy] Treasurers Report:
  • Kay Stump, treasurer, reported to the group, deposits of dues $60, interest on CD and a new checking account fee of $8.00/mo. The name change of our group is official: Sarasota County Nurse Practitioners.
[Mary Healy] Education Report:
  • Sheri Wilson, Education Board Member reported that Debbie Friedrick would like to do a round table meeting on lipids. April's meeting is on [Mary Healy] pulmonary hypertension and will be a[Mary Healy] t Michael On East Wine Cellar. In June, our own president Mary Healy will bring us up to date on heart disease.
[Mary Healy] Unfinished Business:
  • Amending the bylaws continues to be a work in progress, hopefully, when the snowbirds fly north, the committee will be able to accomplish the task. No one has volunteered to take over the website responsibilities. Sue Lee has graciously stayed on to cover this until we find a solution. Mary Healy will talk to Website managers for ideas on cost, to contract out this job.
[Mary Healy] New Business:
  • [Mary Healy] AANP is offering to allow two members in leadership of SCNP to go to the conference in Las Vegas with free registration, Kim Lewis (Legislative Board Member) will be taking advantage of this from our group.
  • There were no jobs noted.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Mary Healy

Dear Sarasota NPS:

We are counting on you to:
  • Volunteer for the positions listed above.
     
  • Check out the SCNP Website
     
  • Check out Dr. Leggett’s website
     
  • Check out attached information on FLANP
     
  • Continue to be KIND while I (Cindy Drew) get experience putting the newsletter together and e-mailing to everyone I should. If you hear about someone not getting this newsletter please let me know ASAP (by email). drewstn@aol.com
     
  • Come to the next meeting and pay dues – so you can continue to receive meeting invitations. We need dues paid by all. Kay Stump the treasurer has sent me a financial report. This will be reviewed at the meeting tomorrow.

THANK YOU!!!

Cindy Drew ARNP
Corresponding secretary for SCNPs

Copyright 2013. Sarasota County Nurse Practitioners. All rights reserved.