SSVMS Accomplishments

• Instrumental in facilitating review of El Dorado County’s status as a rural health environment, leading to increased Medicare reimbursement in certain census tracks surrounding South Lake Tahoe.
  
  
• Played a major role in assisting physicians terminated by Foundation Health Medical Group find new employment.
  
  
• Maintain informal network and file of physician openings and matching resumes of those seeking positions.
  
  
• Assisted hundreds of physicians in securing payment on claims and uncovering systemic problems with payers. CMA’s medical economics department is drawn in on more complicated payment issues.
  
  
• Bought $150,000 of IOUs issued by California during ’93 budget crisis so physicians with high Medi-Cal load could meet payroll.
  
  
• Took out newspaper ads and sent letters to all local legislators, boards of supervisors and congressional representatives protesting Hill Physicians terminations from its IPA. No further terminations occurred after our actions and legislation was passed to assure due process.
  
  
• Conducted a physician supply study pointing out our serious shortage of physicians in selected specialties and ongoing problems in recruitment and retention.
  
  
• Led the effort to have NORCAL Mutual Insurance Co. establish its professional administrative defense (PAD) coverage, which provides defense and legal counsel on Medical Board, personnel, fraud and abuse and credentialing issues for its insured. Members of SSVMS have their deductibles waived on this coverage.
  
  
• Lobbied for NORCAL’s 5% discount on premiums for insureds engaged in annual peer review activities conducted by SSVMS.
  
  
• Through constant pressure and vigilance, work locally to maintain MICRA, which saves physicians in California from professional liability rates of two to three times their current levels.
  
  
• No dues increase since 1985 and actual dues cut in 2000.

• Chaired a special Board of Supervisors committee to establish fair and equitable distribution of emergency medical services tobacco tax reserved for use in reimbursing physicians for non-compensated ER and OB services.
  
  
• Pressured all three counties to use tobacco settlement funds for health-related purposes and lobbied successfully for physician representation on all three commissions.
  
  
• Successfully lobbied for local ordinances prohibiting picketing of physician residences.
  
  
• Consistently lobbied to preserve county funding for programs and care to the indigent.
  
  
• Provided active leadership in the research leading to the establishment of the UCD trauma facility and the issues regarding Roseville and Mercy San Juan facilities.
  
  
• Unsuccessfully lobbied Sacramento County to not create its own Emergency Services Agency by dropping out of the regional agency.
  
  
• Successfully lobbied Sacramento County Fire Department to have defibrillators on site at the Sacramento International Airport.
  
  
• Conduct independent peer review activities at all correctional facilities in Yolo and Sacramento Counties.

• Established the first public health department in California.
  
  
• Took responsibility for the distribution of the polio vaccine in Sacramento County.
  
  
• Assisted in developing the Center on AIDS Research, Education and Services (CARES).
  
  
• Conducted a two-year prenatal care access program leading to the direct and first appointments for pregnant Medi-Cal mothers with an OB.
  
  
• Led a successful fund raising effort against big tobacco, which preserved Sacramento’s strict anti-smoking ordinance.
  
  
• Provide oversight to the Geographic Managed Care Program in Sacramento County.
  
  
• Supported fluoridation.
  
  
• Fought for and won legislation to reduce and then eliminate rice straw burning.
  
  
• Actively supporting needle exchange programs for IV drug abusers.
  
  
• Actively supported programs and legislation dealing with alternative energy vehicles.
  
  
• Supported anti-smoking campaigns and programs.
  
  
• Supporting efforts to maintain independence of forensic pathologists at Sacramento County.
  
  
• Engaged in ongoing issues regarding medicinal marijuana in all three counties.

• Our SPIRIT Project has delivered over $3 million in care to the medically indigent at county clinics.
  
  
• Our Adopt-A-School Program has placed volunteer physicians in schools to lecture on healthy life styles and choices.
  
  
• SSVMS Alliance supports many charitable health-related organizations in our area.
  
  
• Support medical students with cash scholarships for medical school.
  
  
• Established the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical History Museum, now being visited regularly by elementary and high school students as part of their career training.

• Led statewide efforts to preserve peer review protections for medical staffs.
  
  
• Consistently support solutions to physician on-call issues.
  
  
• Working to address and find solutions to ambulance diversion.

• Publish Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine.
  
  
• Publish On Friday.
  
  
• Operate the www.ssvms.org web site.
  
  
• Maintain strong relationship with local and statewide news media. SSVMS is frequently sought for its opinion.

• SSVMS continues to maintain a complete line of competitive insurance products through its broker including: life, health, dental, workers compensation, disability, equipment and office overhead.
  
  MICRA Savings vs. Other Major States go to www.ssvms.org/articles/micra.asp
  
  
• Staff are available to confidentially assist members with practically any question they may have, using on hand resource materials or referral to CMA, AMA.

• Prepared a report suggesting solutions to ambulance diversion and working collaboratively with others to reduce diversion hours.
  
  
• Working with District Attorneys and law enforcement on issues regarding medicinal marijuana.
  
  
• Developing online membership directory for Society’s web site.