MMA News
Physicians Set Policy at MMA Annual Meeting
The MMA’s 156th House of Delegates considered about 35 resolutions at its Annual Meeting last month in Rochester. Physicians from across Minnesota gathered to shape MMA policy and set the overall direction of the association.
Resolutions were debated in reference committees and voted on by the House of Delegates. Some of the resolutions the House adopted call for the MMA to:
- Authorize the merger of the East and West Metro Medical Societies (R-103);
- Encourage primary care providers to do primary dental caries prevention interventions (R-201);
- Support, publicize, and encourage evidence-based drug abuse prevention and treatment approaches (R-204);
- Oppose burdensome prior authorization requirements that negatively affect patient care or access to needed medications (R-207);
- Support efforts to reduce excessive alcohol use by increasing the alcohol tax, liquor-licensing fees, and efforts to prohibit discounts for on-sale alcohol (R-300);
- Educate providers and payers about vitamin D deficiency and encourage the Minnesota Department of Health to increase efforts to inform Minnesotans about the issue of vitamin D deficiency (R-302);
- Recommend that all payers provide comprehensive tobacco-cessation benefits (R-303);
- Oppose efforts to lower the legal drinking age, which is 21 years (R-306),
- Establish a work group to study and make recommendations regarding rapid changes in the private and public medical insurance markets (R-311); and
- Support educational and legislative efforts (upon assessment of the MMA Board of Trustees) to reduce children’s exposure to secondhand smoke in vehicles (R-312).
MMA Elects New Officers
The House of Delegates elected the following officers for 2009-2010:
Patricia J. Lindholm, M.D., family physician, Fergus Falls Medical Group, president-elect;
David E. Westgard, M.D., family physician and chief medical officer, Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, secretary-treasurer;
Lyle J. Swenson, M.D., specialist in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular diseases, St. Paul Cardiology, speaker of the house; and
Karen K. Dickson, M.D., psychiatrist, Family Life Medical Center, Coon Rapids, vice speaker of the house.
MMA Board of Trustees
David C. Thorson, M.D., chair. Also elected: V. Stuart Cox III, M.D., East Metro District, Benjamin W. Chaska, M.D., West Metro District, and Gabriel Sciallis, M.D., Southeast District. Re-elected were Paul B. Sanford, M.D., Northeast District, Patrick J. Zook, M.D., North Central District, and Roger G. Kathol, M.D., West Metro District.
AMA Delegation Re-elected as delegates:
Raymond G. Christensen, M.D., family physician, Gateway Family Health Clinic, Moose Lake; Anthony C. Jaspers, M.D., family physician, Mankato; and Sally J. Trippel, M.D., staff consultant, Mayo Clinic department of internal medicine, division of preventive, occupational, and aerospace medicine.
Re-elected as alternate delegates: John Abenstein, M.D., anesthesiologist at Mayo Clinic; David L. Estrin, M.D., pediatrician, South Lake Pediatrics; and Gail E. Baldwin, M.D., family physician, Lake Superior Community Health Center.
Whitten Inaugurated as MMA President
 Benjamin Whitten at a Glance
Medical School
University of Minnesota Medical School, 1979
Residency
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 1980-1985 (during that time, he also trained in the United Kingdom)
Whitten is an alternate delegate to the AMA House of Delegates. He has served on the MMA Board of Trustees and as chair of the Uniform Credentialing Task Force. He also has chaired the Committee on Medical Ethics and Legal Affairs and is currently chair of the Committee on Legislation. In addition to the MMA, he is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, and West Metro Medical Society. |
During his inaugural address, new president Benjamin Whitten, M.D., told how he became convinced of the power of organized medicine. An internist who practices at Abbott Northwestern General Medicine Associates, Whitten recalled the day in 1995 when he found out about a proposal to amend the Vulnerable Adults Act so that it included felony-level penalties for physicians who treated vulnerable adults who suffered bad outcomes that could have been prevented.
He started calling and visiting lawmakers, sharing his concerns and registering his opposition to the idea. But his solo efforts only took him so far. “Neither the governor nor the lieutenant governor nor anyone from their offices would even talk with me or acknowledge my concerns. It was only when the MMA threw its full weight against the bill that the criminal provisions were stripped out,” Whitten said.
That lesson about the value of the organized medicine prompted Whitten to get and stay involved in the MMA. Today, he chairs the MMA Committee on Legislation and frequently testifies at the Capitol on issues that affect the practice of medicine and patient safety.
Whitten told the audience that Minnesota’s physicians have a lot to be proud of, as the state consistently ranks among the best in the nation in terms of quality and cost of care. However, he still sees room for improvement.
He would like to see the culture of medicine change from one of “shame and blame” to one that acknowledges that errors occur and helps physicians overcome shortcomings. Whitten also would like to see the health care system do more to empower patients by making the content of their medical records available to them. “Think of the communication errors that could be avoided by simply giving patients access to their own data,” he said.
He closed his speech by saying that Minnesota has many outstanding institutions that have helped physicians adhere to the highest standards of care in the country and that the MMA is part of that proud tradition.
2009 Annual Meeting
The MMA’s 156th Annual Meeting was a time for physicians to meet, have fun, and discuss important health policy issues. Some of the highlights included educational sessions, the election of new officers and inauguration of a new president, the presentation of awards, and speeches by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and AMA President J. James Rohack, M.D. The meeting had about 450 attendees, with about 150 physicians traveling from across the state to serve as members of the House of Delegates. Next year’s meeting will be held September 15-17 at Breezy Point Resort near Brainerd.
Doctors Honor Their Peers
The following awards were presented at the Annual Meeting.
Physician Communicator Award
Peter J. Dehnel, M.D., a pediatrician and medical director for the Children’s Physician Network, for his speaking and writing on a variety of pediatric topics. He serves as the media contact for the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, writes articles for the clinics in his network, and often speaks at schools about teen health issues.
Physician Leadership in Quality
Prathibha Varkey, M.D., a preventive medicine physician, for developing and implementing a nationally recognized quality-improvement and patient-safety curriculum for Mayo Clinic’s residents and fellows. She has also redesigned outpatient practices to support safe, high-quality patient care.
Minority Affairs Meritorious Service Award
J. Michael Gonzalez-Campoy, M.D., FACE, a practicing internist and MMA past-president, for being a strong advocate for eliminating health care disparities nationally and in Minnesota. He led Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Task Force on Health Care Disparities and served as vice chair of the governing council of the American Medical Association’s Minority Affairs Consortium from 2002 to 2004.
Community Service Award
Donald S. Asp, M.D., a family physician, for his extensive volunteer work. Asp has participated in international medical missions for more than 20 years. At home, he has volunteered at Twin Cities community clinics and served on the boards and committees of numerous organizations. He also has made a career-long commitment to family practice resident education at the University of Minnesota.
Neal R. Holtan, M.D., medical director of the St. Paul-Ramsey County Department of Public Health, for his exemplary record of achievements in public health. Holtan is cofounder of the Council for Preventive Medicine, has been involved in improving the health of refugees for more than 30 years, and has a long record of involvement with the Center for Population Health and the Center for Victims of Torture.
MMA President’s Award
Two individuals were recognized for their service to the MMA and the MMA Alliance. Edward P. Ehlinger, M.D., an internal medicine physician and pediatrician, for his contributions to public health as director and chief health officer of Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, as a member of the MMA’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine Committee, and as a member of the MMA House of Delegates since 2005. Harriet Hodgson, a Rochester journalist and author, for her service to the MMA Alliance as its secretary and editor of its newsletter, Scope. The Alliance uses the health resources she’s created to promote health and wellness.
Medical School Student Award
Nicole J. Te Poel, a University of Minnesota medical student and chair of the MMA Medical Student Section in 2008, for co- organizing a medical student lobby day at the Capitol and authoring a resolution, which the House approved, regarding student loan forgiveness programs for rural physicians.
James H. Sova Memorial Award
Earl E. Bakken, M.D., Hon.C., for inventing the world’s first wearable, external battery-operated pacemaker and for his efforts to help Medtronic become a successful company and medical technology leader.
Terence Cahill, M.D., Receives Distinguised Service Award
Blue Earth family physician Terence Cahill, M.D., received the MMA’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a colleague by the organization. Cahill, who is medical director of United Hospital District’s clinics, has made numerous contributions to the MMA’s efforts in the areas of quality, health care reform, and legislative advocacy. Having served on the MMA’s Health Care Reform Task Force since 2004, he helped develop the MMA’s reform plan and kept members focused on the need to preserve patients’ access to care.
A champion of quality, Cahill served on the MMA’s Quality Committee from 2004 to 2005 and has worked to make sure that the quality measures used in Minnesota are meaningful and useful. He currently serves on the board of MN Community Measurement.
Cahill also has been a familiar face at the Capitol, representing the interests of physicians and informing lawmakers of the needs of rural providers and their patients. He chaired the MMA’s legislative committee from 2001 to 2004.
Cahill takes to heart the dictum that physicians should not only tend to their patients but also to their communities. He is a member of the Blue Earth School Board, is involved in youth sports, and cares for troubled teens as medical director of the Elmore Academy Adolescent Residential Correctional Facility.
He has served with distinction as an MMA Trustee since 1999 and has been an MMA delegate for the Blue Earth Valley Medical Society since 1990. Cahill also has been active in the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians and currently serves as president of that organization.
A graduate of Drake University and the University of Minnesota Medical School, Cahill did his family medicine training at the Naval Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina.