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DJP Update 7-20-2011 Speech tour ended; Some tweets to powerful videos; a petition re IPAB; & a stop at the beach to reflect & write

DJP Update 7-20-2011 Speech tour ended; Some tweets to powerful videos; a petition re IPAB; & a stop at the beach to reflect & write

Had an interesting speech tour to Washington, DC last week where I had the opportunity to give remarks to staffers of folks in Congress followed by a breakfast speech and Q & A to Representatives regarding IPAB and PPACA.  Heritage Foundation made the arrangements.  I also did a video at Heritage on PPACA and IPAB.

Then flew home from DC and drove from New Orleans to give a speech at The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia using the opportunity to break-in the “Coyote” 5.0 liter (302 cubic inch) engine in the 2012 Mustang GT.  Outstanding handling and overall performance.   At the beautiful resort, The Cloister, I spoke to the Georgia Medical Eye PAC on leadership and health system reform.  Nice people!  Also got to see 2 of our grandsons as Donald Jr, EVP of MAG, was giving a speech to the group on Accountable Care Organizations and Diego and Pablo accompanied him.  Much fun.

En route back to New Orleans, Robin and I stopped for a few days  at a beautiful beach home loaned to us by a dear doctor friend.  It is right on the beach and is a great place for tranquillity, reflection, and writing.

Meanwhile, the battles continue in Washington, DC on the budget and aspects of PPACA.  IPAB is now being recognized by over 270 organizations, including AMA, as a board that must be repealed.  Meanwhile, PCORI had a hearing in Washington, DC and offered the opportunity for the public to give comments but the time available was a total of 30 minutes on Monday and 30 minutes on Tuesday.  That time is a true total, not per person.  Dr. Peter Lavine of Washington, DC attended and gave excellent comments.  Thanks, Peter!

By the way, PCORI is the PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES RESEARCH INSTITUTE

We have to be careful that PCORI  does not become the partner with IPAB and then become  the equivalent of NICE in Great Britain.  NICE is the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that uses a formula of cost and  “quality-adjusted life-year” to determine if a procedure or treatment is covered.  Their method of rationing.

If you follow my tweets at DJPNEWS, you knew about this hearing and I hope you or your organization sent in comments.  Here is the alert from DJPNEWS and the PCORI Website link:

www.twitter.com/DJPNEWS

#PCORI of #PPACA meeting & public comment July 18-19 in DC. Concerns? Send in comments &/or attend;  details www.PCORI.org

Here is the tweet about Dr. Lavine:

unknown.png DJPNEWS

Thanks! Orthopedist Dr Peter Lavine gave testimony at #PCORI hearing today! Gov needs info from doctors who treat patients. #hcr

7/18/11 4:35 PM

——

Now is the time to make the push to get rid of IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board.  We need more than talk; we need action.  Call your senators and representatives.

More on IPAB at:  http://protectpatientsrights.org/newsroom

Also, if time permits, sign the Coalition to Protect Patients Rights petition opposing IPAB at:  http://protectpatientsrights.org/cppr-petition

As you know, I am the spokesperson for CPPR.

A few tweets with links to speeches:

Listen to Ronald Reagan before he became President of USA as he speaks about government control of Medicine.  He is a true warrior against government control of Medicine, just as one of my heroes was, the late AMA President Dr. Ed Annis.

Ronald Reagan speaking:

http://tinyurl.com/37ur5u

 

unknown.png DJPNEWS

Congress & all in USA: listen to wisdom of Ronald Reagan re gov takeover of Medicine; crisis! http://tinyurl.com/37ur5u #tcot #hcr

7/20/11 10:59 AM

If you get the opportunity to hear Dr. Annis’ famous speech in Madison Square Garden, please listen!  Go to:

Dr. Annis starts speaking about 40 seconds into the video.  He truly was a man of courage and wisdom.  He predicts the future in this speech. I miss him.

——

And if you want to see how bad it is when government spends more than it takes in, watch this outstanding presentation by Representative Ryan.  Powerful graphs!

http://bit.ly/mUyHzh

unknown.png DJPNEWS

Make video viral “Leadership deficit” #tcot RT @RepPaulRyan: House passed #CutCapBalance tonight: http://bit.ly/mUyHzh

7/19/11 8:55 PM

——-

Stay well.

Donald

P.S. Stop by http://twitter.com/DJPNEWS and sign up for DJPNEWS to get tweet alerts that may not make it into DJP Updates.  Twitter is free and takes minutes to join.  Put email in and pick password.  Great source of breaking news and you don’t flood your email with it.  You can get free app for BlackBerry or IPhone etc and you check on tweets when you want.  With newer operating systems, such as SNOW LEOPARD on Mac, you can put Twitter apps on your notebook or desktop.

Go to:  http://www.youtube.com/user/IntrepidResources

Leave a comment and encourage others to visit!

Also, recent selected DJP Updates can be found at: http://donaldpalmisano.com/djp_update/

Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD

Intrepid Resources® / The Medical Risk Manager Company

5000 West Esplanade Ave., #432

Metairie, LA 70006

USA

504-455-5895 office

504-455-9392 fax

DJP@donaldpalmisano.com

www.donaldpalmisano.com

www.onleadership.us

DJP Updates:  http://donaldpalmisano.com/djp_update/

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/DJPNEWS

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/IntrepidResources

 

This DJP Update goes to 2321 leaders in Medicine representing all of the State Medical Associations and over 100 Specialty Societies plus some other friends.

You can share it with your members and it has the potential to reach 800,000 physicians.

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DJP Update 7-11-2011 IPAB alert in Washington, DC – Lots happening; stop by or tune in

DJP Update 7-11-2011 IPAB alert in Washington, DC – Lots happening; stop by or tune in

Much activity this week in Washington, DC in Congress and elsewhere regarding the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) of the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act of 2010.  At 30,000 feet in commercial jet as I write this update.  House committees take place on Tuesday & Wednesday plus other meetings.  Momentum is moving against IPAB.  Over 270 organizations oppose it as does AMA policy.  AMA policy is to oppose it and work to repeal it.

Those are the facts without opinion.

Now a tad of opinion. Both of these items are misnomers.  The IPAB should be called the unaccountable price-fixing scheme guaranteed to decrease access to medical care (UDAC or Unaccountable Decrease Access to Care).  The PPACA gives America a nationwide experiment of central control,  enhanced bureaucracy, and price-fixing that without a doubt will not decrease spending in the healthcare system nor will it improve quality or access.  How any scientist could support this recreation of schemes that are a failure in Great Britain, Canada, and Sweden remain a mystery to me.  Will not go into the violation of liberty with the individual mandate.  Various names come to mind for this law.

If you thought the SGR price-fixing was a disaster, wait until you see (experience) IPAB.  It consists of fifteen individuals appointed by the president and they will reduce money for Medicare if projections of per capita spending are exceeded.  Congress only can give an alternative that decreases the same amount of money or in a short period of time, or try to override with a 2/3 vote.  Otherwise the cuts go into effect.  The duration of IPAB appears to be eternal.  AND there is no judicial or administrative appeal!  In America?  Wow!  One more thing:  The vote in IPAB can take place with a quorum and only a majority is needed.  Thus it is possible that 5 people will be making these decisions if the quorum or 8 occurs.  Now IPAB is not allowed to ration care by the wording in PPACA.  But keep in mind if the funding is gone, the care is unlikely to occur.  More Humpty Dumpty legislative wording.  And do not forget, PPACA does not allow balance-billing or contract with the patient just as Medicare does not.  Remember Section 1801 of Medicare:  No Federal interference with practice of medicine.  NOT TRUE.

But I repeat what I have said in other DJP Updates and some will instruct me to remove them from these mailings because they strongly disagree with my opinion of PPACA.  I understand most of the time why they depart.  Why two people wanted to be removed when I reported immediately that President Obama informed us that dramatic Sunday night that Osama Bin Laden was killed by the heroic Seal Team 6 will remain a mystery.  I thought that was good news that would be welcomed by all Americans.

The joy of being in America and having the U.S. Constitution.  The joy of being able to voice opinion and marshall the facts.  Those without the facts sometimes attack and do demagoguery.  That is sad.  In time the facts will demonstrate the failure of PPACA unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional first as I believe it will.

Back to the facts.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I will join Mr. Avik Roy at the Heritage Foundation event in the Longworth Congressional office building to discuss IPAB and an alternative free market approach to healthcare financing.  Read an article by Mr. Roy’s at:  http://onforb.es/nfGTES

DJPNEWS tweet:

Thx. RT @aviksaroy: Mr. Roy Goes to Washington (to testify before Congress): http://onforb.es/nfGTES @Forbes @Heritage @DJPNews #IPAB #hcr

It is a box lunch event and is open to the public.

Location & Time:   1310 Longworth, from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

RSVP to Landon Zinda at 202-608-6205

Moderator:  Nina Owcharenko, Director, Health Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation.

TITLE:  IPAB & Rationing or Competition & Choice

In the afternoon, i will be recorded in a video at the Heritage Foundation for online use.

On Wednesday morning I will give a breakfast presentation to staffers and folks in Congress about IPAB.

Meanwhile, there is a big hearing on IPAB in the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Finance Committee.

Here are the participants.  See who is there and who is not.  You may be able to follow on C-Span or record it for later viewing.  Not certain it it will be on C-Span but it is likely.

On July 13, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, the

Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing entitled “IPAB: The Controversial Consequences

for Medicare and Seniors.”

The hearing will consist of four panels. The first panel will be composed of Members of

Congress. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will testify on the second

panel. The third panel will be composed of researchers from the Congressional Research Service

and various policy analysts. The fourth panel will consist of stakeholders.

I. Witnesses:

First panel

The Honorable John Cornyn, Senator (TX)

The Honorable Allyson Schwartz (PA-13)

The Honorable David P. Roe (TN-01)

The Honorable George Miller (CA-07)

Second Panel

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary

Department of Health and Human Services

Third Panel

Chris Davis, Legislative Analyst, Congressional Research Service

David Newman, Financial Analyst, Congressional Research Service

Diane Cohen, Senior Attorney, Goldwater Institute

Judy Feder, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Avik Roy, Healthcare Analyst, Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co.

Stuart Guterman, Senior Program Director, The Commonwealth Fund

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Fourth Panel

Dr. Alex Valadka, Chief Executive Officer, Seton Brain and Spine Institute

Mary Grealey, President, Healthcare Leadership Council

Theresa Morrow, Founder, Women Against Prostate Cancer

Dr. Jack Lewin, Chief Executive Officer, American College of Cardiology

———

Meanwhile,  a hearing in the  HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE:

House

Tuesday, July 12

10:00 a.m. – House Budget Committee

The Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Medicare’s Future: An Examination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board.” Witnesses scheduled include:

  • Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum
  • Grace-Marie Turner, President, Galen Institute
  • Judith Feder, Fellow, The Urban Institute, and Professor and former Dean, Georgetown Public Policy Institute

——–

More from the talented Grace-Marie Turner on PPACA at:  http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c80eb2149ef4fa70ce2c72ef1&id=2f565c7d20&e=07a084ce60

——–

One more item.  Two tweets at DJPNEWS:

Sad #Congress didn’t study what happens with gov control healthcare before jamming #PPACA into law: Sweden http://tinyurl.com/dn3auu #hcr

———-

Yes, people die on wait lists for medical care; having gov insurance card no guarantee timely medical care. http://tinyurl.com/dn3auu #hcr

———

Stay well.

Donald

P.S. Stop by http://twitter.com/DJPNEWS and sign up for DJPNEWS to get tweet alerts that may not make it into DJP Updates.  Twitter is free and takes minutes to join.  Put email in and pick password.  Great source of breaking news and you don’t flood your email with it.  You can get free app for BlackBerry or IPhone etc and you check on tweets when you want.  With newer operating systems, such as SNOW LEOPARD on Mac, you can put Twitter apps on your notebook or desktop.

Go to:  http://www.youtube.com/user/IntrepidResources

Leave a comment and encourage others to visit!

 

Also, recent selected DJP Updates can be found at: http://donaldpalmisano.com/djp_update/

Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD

Intrepid Resources® / The Medical Risk Manager Company

5000 West Esplanade Ave., #432

Metairie, LA 70006

USA

504-455-5895 office

504-455-9392 fax

DJP@donaldpalmisano.com

www.donaldpalmisano.com

www.onleadership.us

 

DJP Updates:  http://donaldpalmisano.com/djp_update/

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/DJPNEWS

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/IntrepidResources

 

This DJP Update goes to 2334 leaders in Medicine representing all of the State Medical Associations and over 100 Specialty Societies plus some other friends.

You can share it with your members and it has the potential to reach 800,000 physicians.

To join the list, send me an  email stating “Join DJP Update”

To get off the list, state ” Remove DJP Update” in subject line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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