ACPE news.

Final Board Elections Set for April at La Costa

The final round of balloting in the election of new board members to govern the College is set to take place at ACPE's Spring Courses in San Diego this April.

February saw the first round of ballots go out to College members by mail. Those ballots listed the full field of nine candidates and asked members to return their votes for six of the nine.

At the Annual Meeting of the members of the College --Sunday, April 14 at San Diego's luxurious La Costa Resort and Spa -- final voting will take place.

The six remaining candidates will briefly speak about their visions for the College's future before the last ballot is distributed. Members will then make their choices, electing three of the candidates to serve three-year terms as board members.

The Annual Meeting and board election offer every ACPE member hands-on opportunities to influence the growth and direction of the College by shaping its leadership. Don't miss this once-a-year gathering and the chance to make your voice heard!

Members Choose ACPE for Life

ACPE's new Life Membership category is proving a popular choice with members. By early February, more than 400 members had taken advantage of the convenience and added value that the Life Membership offers.

"Life Membership is a good deal for our members," says ACPE executive vice president Roger Schenke. "And the new category is helpful to the College as it faces the challenge of getting through this difficult economic time."

Along with the convenience of making one "once-and-for-all" dues payment, ACPE Life Members receive savings of 15 percent on College programs and products. The amount of a member's one-time dues payment varies based on length of membership in the College.

Get more information on the ACPE Life Membership at www.acpe.org or call the College at 800/562-8088.

Praise for ACPE's CareerLink

Job bank a popular choice for physician executive positions

CareerLink, ACPE's online job search service, has earned industry distinction through its membership in the HealtheCAREERS Network.

HealtheCAREERS is a collection of health care associations, colleges, societies and academies that pool their resources to offer their members integrated career development and recruitment services like CareerLink.

In its just-released 2002 edition of The Directory to Job, Resume and Career Management Sites on the Web, the independent review organization CAREERXROADS named HealtheCAREERS one of its "50 Best of the Best" Web sites in the online employment industry.

CAREERXROADS reviewers base their choices on a number of factors including:

* Service to unique market niches

* Business acumen

* Commitment to customers

* Marketing skill

* Ability to connect to a target audience

The 2002 Best of the Best is the seventh annual list compiled by CAREERXROADS.

CareerLink, a free online service of ACPE, enables physicians to conduct nationwide job searches by location or by employer. Candidates also can post resumes online, create cover letters and respond to employers' ads. Access CareerLink through the ACPE Web site at www.acpe.org.

Clean New Look for InterAct Courses

This year, ACPE's InterAct CD/Web Education courses sport a cleaner look and new, easier-to-use features that are garnering rave reviews from physicians enrolled in the online classes and from the faculty members who teach them.

Each InterAct course now has its own Web site, where course participants can access a variety of features and resources. The course syllabus is posted to provide a clear guide to every course's goals and content. Students can also access biographical information on their faculty, along with contact data, enabling them to stay in touch throughout the course.

The InterAct sites' new design also features a list of all class participants with links for e-mailing, making both course interaction and professional networking a snap. Discussion areas are neatly divided by week, so the course timeline is readily apparent and easy to follow.

A reference section provides students with direct links to case studies, recommended articles, Web sites and other informational resources. And when coursework is complete, physicians can access documents and quiz materials to claim their GME credit.

If you haven't taken an InterAct class recently, treat yourself to the new, improved version. You'll find the InterAct course lineup and registration information at www.acpe.org/interact. Or call ACPE at 800/562-8088.

ACPE Members Help Guide Regulatory Reform

ACPE members Douglas Wood, MD, and Kristin Crosby, MD, were both recently appointed to serve on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's new Secretary's Advisory committee on Regulatory Reform.

The new, 27-member panel includes consumers, doctors and other health care professionals who will help guide HHS' efforts to streamline unnecessarily burdensome, inefficient regulations that interfere with the quality of health care for Americans. "When we flood doctors and hospitals with excessive paperwork, patients suffer the consequences," Thompson said.

"This new panel will help us restore common sense to the regulatory process so that Americans can receive higher-quality health care without creating needless hassles for doctors and other health care professionals and businesses. It is important that doctors spend more time with patients and less on paperwork."

The new committee will provide advice and make recommendations to Thompson for reforming and streamlining the regulatory requirements at HHS agencies, particularly the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which have the greatest regulatory responsibilities.

Wood, who will chair the panel, is a practicing cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He is a member of both CMS' Practicing Physicians Advisory Council and the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee in Minnesota. He has worked with the Minnesota Peer Review Organization to improve the quality of care for heart attack patients. He also is a member of the American Medical Association's CPT Advisory Committee.

Crosby is vice president and chief medical officer of Olympic Health Management Systems in Bellingham, Wash., sister company of Sterling Life Insurance Company in Chicago that provides Medicare supplement and a Medicare+Choice Private Fee For Service (PFFS) plan for Medicare eligibles.

Committee members will hold field hearings across the country to gather insights from consumers, doctors, health care providers and businesses. The input gathered at these hearings will help the committee develop recommendations both to change specific regulatory requirements and to develop broader reforms. The committee's goal is to focus on areas where real changes can be made that improve the quality of care provided to large numbers of patients.

ACPE Resource

Copies of a Web Lecture on regulation change conducted by Wood and Crosby are available from ACPE Order online at www.acpe.org on call 800-562-8088.

Members On The Move

W. Michael Alberts, MD, MBA, FCCP, chief medical officer and associate center director of clinical affairs at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., has received the Alfred Souffner Award for Editorial Excellence. The award was given to him for his creativity, vision, outstanding service and dedication as a member of the CHEST editorial board and as creator and editor for the top 10 list of the magazine's literature review. CHEST The Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care Journal is published by the American College of Chest Physicians.

Henry G. "Rennie" Coit, Jr., MD, MBA, is chief operating officer of the University of Washington Physicians Network (UWPN) in Seattle. Previously, Coit was medical director at Regence Blue Shield in Seattle. Before that, he practiced general pediatrics for 10 years at Virginia Mason Medical Center, also in Seattle. Coit earned his BS in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, his MD from UC San Diego and an MBA from the University of Washington.

John A. Fallon, MD, MBA, FACP, is senior vice president for clinical affairs and clinical professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY. In this position, Fallon manages the entire clinical enterprise that includes both University Hospital of Brooklyn and the Clinical Academic Faculty Practice Plan. Previously, Fallon was chairman of the board of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc., in Boston, president/CEO/founder of North Shore Health System in Salem, Mass., and executive vice president of North Shore Medical Center, also in Salem.

Michael David Henderson, MD, MPH, FACP, a board-certified medical oncologist and health care businessperson, is chief medical officer of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. He's also been recommended for appointment as associate professor of medicine at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Henderson received his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1969. Following a fellowship in oncology at Wayne State University/Milton A. Darling Memorial Center in 1975, he was appointed to its faculty as assistant professor of medicine and medical oncology. He subsequently served on the faculty of the University of Texas School of Medicine, the University of Southern California at Berkeley and the University of Tennessee. In 1991, he received a master's degree in public health from the University of Texas School of Medicine. Henderson has extensive experience as both a medical practitioner and health care administrator. For nearly 10 years, he was a medical oncologist in private practic e in Santa Barbara, Calif. He subsequently served as a flight surgeon and lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force from 1985-1991.

Roger Howe, MD, MMM, is the vice president of medical affairs at QualChoice/QCA of Little Rock, Ark. He runs the medical management department, oversees all aspects of care management and works on generating and improving the working relationship with providers. QualChoice/QCA is a small, single-state HMO participating only in the commercial market. Previously, Howe was medical director of Health Net of Arizona.

Edward Kim, MD, is medical director of adult services for University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide, integrated delivery system of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He oversees clinical operations and quality improvement for adult behavioral health services at over 15 sites throughout New Jersey. Prior to this Kim was medical director of acute adult services at University Behavioral HealthCare, managing an acute teaching service affiliated with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Jefferson Medical College, completing his psychiatric residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Emil Kleinholz, Jr., MD, is vice president of medical management at St. Francis Health Center in Topeka, Kan. Previously, he served as director of clinical resource management at St. Francis. Before that, he worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Topeka and served more than 20 years in private practice. He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College of Union University in Albany, N.Y.

Marilyn Radke, MD, MPH, CPC, FACPE, FACOEM, was recently named a Fellow in the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Radke practices at the Mankato Clinic in Mankato, Mm. She is also a member of the ACPE Board of Directors.

Herbert M. Weinman, MD, MBA, CHCC, was recently certified as a Healthcare Compliance Consultant and joined BCE Technology of Clearwater, Fla., as a partner. BCE and its professional staff coach physicians in appropriate documentation of inpatient and outpatient services. The company provides the tools for continuing education in documentation using a physician-to-physician approach. Previously, Weinman spent 25 years in family practice, was medical director for an HMO in New York, Medicare medical director and vice president for provider services for Blue Cross of Northeastern, Pa, and a practice management consultant.