Do You Know the Value of Your Membership?

As SMCMA President, I have been involved in a number of conversations with association members, CMA staff, presidents from other county medical associations, public health officials and politicians. One thing that has come from these conversations is the many functions organized medicine plays. Though some members may disagree with the particular amount of emphasis placed on a particular political position or feel there is not enough focus on public health issues, the truth is the SMCMA, the CMA and AMA are the organizations that do attempt to represent all physicians as a group.  But in addition to political, economic and public health advocacy role of organized medicine, the SMCMA provides many important tangible programs and direct benefits to our members. Listed below are just a few valuable services that you may not know about, most of which are free to our members. We have also provided a more detailed description of these and other services in A Member Benefits Refesher article on pages 10 and 11 of this newsletter.

Legislative Advocacy - At the local level, the SMCMA maintains relationships and works closely with local city, county, state and federal legislators. The SMCMA also serves as an important conduit of information between our members and the CMA and AMA which are in turn directly involved in influencing state and national political policy.

Reimbursement Advocacy Assistance - SMCMA works directly with commercial and government payers to resolve reimbursement or other disputes on your behalf. Simply fill out a Reimbursement Advocacy Request form, located on the SMCMA.org website and fax it to the Association or call SMCMA with your issue at (650) 312-1663.

Legal Advice - SMCMA offers advice via telephone to assist members with their legal questions regarding the business and practice of medicine. Members should call Executive Director, Sue Malone for details on accessing this service.

Medical Office Staff Wage & Salary Survey - The SMCMA surveys members every two years regarding salaries and benefits provided to office staff. The information collected through the survey can assist SMCMA members in establishing competitive levels of compensation and benefits for their medical practice staff.

Physician-Patient Mediation - As part of the SMCMA peer review process, the Professional Relations, Medical Review & Advisory and Fee & Insurance Mediation Committees are able to mediate patient complaints and resolve a problem before it escalates into a referral to the Medical Board of California or it ends up in the courts as a lawsuit.

Professional Liability Review - The Medical Review & Advisory Committee (MRAC) conducts confidential liability evaluations of malpractice suits filed in San Mateo County against NORCAL policyholders. The MRAC provides advice to the medical malpractice carrier on standard of care issues and helps prepare the best possible defense.

Practice Management Seminars - Throughout the year, SMCMA hosts a variety of educational programs to assist members and their staff in medical office management issues. Refer to the “Events” section of the SMCMA.org website for a comprehensive list of upcoming programs.

NEW: DocBook MD Smart Phone Application - SMCMA recently endorsed a Smart Phone app that provides the contact information for all physician members. It will definitely help in providing a quick way to reach out to your fellow SMCMA member colleagues.  

These are just some of the direct member benefits offered by the SMCMA in addition to the more traditional role of political and economic advocacy. It can be easy to overlook these benefits when our attention is focused on the ongoing debate in Washington over the looming cuts to the SGR (which have been delayed for two month as of this writing). Of course, the SMCMA, in conjunction with the CMA and AMA, are very much involved in this ongoing fight over these looming cuts and we are fortunate to have Elizabeth McNeil who directly represents the CMA and us in Washington. Be sure to check out SMCMA.org for more information on the aforementioned benefits. Ω