News Medical

To help ensure that patients with these cancers are accurately diagnosed and effectively treated, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) released its newest evidence-based practice guideline, "Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing in Head and Neck Carcinomas." The guideline comes at a much-needed time. HPV-positive head and neck cancer is on the rise in the U.S., with the greatest increase among middle-aged Caucasian men.

Click here to view the 2017 WSP Annual Conference photo gallery!

The legislature is considering legislation based on proposals from the Workers Compensation Advisory Council.  The proposals were developed Labor and Management representatives on the Council.  But not all of the proposals share the support of the Council’s health care representatives, including a recommended fee schedule.  Health care organizations will need to be even more active this session than last to again defeat the fee schedule proposal.

It is important to note that works compensation premiums have dropped – without a government mandated fee schedule.  This year alone, employers received an 8.46 percent reduction in their worker’s compensation insurance premiums, saving employers an estimated $170 million.  At the same time, Wisconsin’s health care system continues to lead the nation in outcomes with injured employees returning to work a full three weeks earlier than the national average.  And health care costs per worker’s comp claim lower than the national average.

Your calls are needed to both the State Assembly and State Senate to explain why the proposed health care fee schedule could harm Wisconsin’s model worker’s compensation system.  You can find your legislators contact information on the state legislature’s website.

Let your State Representative and State Senator know you are a physician in their district, serving patients who are also constituents and that you are opposed to an artificial fee schedule for a worker’s compensation system that provides the nation’s best care at a below-average worker’s compensation cost.  Thank you for your time and action on this important issue.

November 27, Wisconsin Health News

The state’s Supreme Court agreed last week to review a lower court’s decision striking down a cap on how much patients can receive for some malpractice claims.

An appeals court ruled in July that a state law capping awards for noneconomic damages at $750,000 was unconstitutional. Noneconomic damages seek to compensate patients for pain and suffering.  The Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Medical Society have raised concerns about the court’s decision and its potential ramifications for providers and accessibility to healthcare.  In her opinion striking down the decision, Judge Joan Kessler said the law placed an “unfair and illogical burden only on catastrophically injured patients, thus denying them the equal protection of the laws.”

The case involves Ascaris Mayo, who lost her limbs after providers at a Milwaukee-area emergency room failed to notify her she had an infection. A jury awarded Mayo and her husband $16.5 million for noneconomic damages, which the state sought to reduce.

Numerous state and national organizations across the country are asking the Senate to join the House in voting to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) before the end of the year.

There is a broad and growing bipartisan consensus, in Congress and across states that IPAB should be repealed. Senate bills introduced by Senators Cornyn (R-TX) and Wyden (D-OR) have proposed repeal of IPAB.  These bills have over 51 co-sponsors from both parties.  The FY2017 omnibus spending bill agreed on in May eliminated funding for IPAB.  And both the House and Senate FY2018 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations proposals eliminate this funding as well.

Concerns over IPAB include both its purpose and the board’s composition.  The board is charged with developing proposals to reduce Medicare spending, but its membership is comprised of individuals appointed by the President with no Senate confirmation. This combination creates the very real possibility that the future of Medicare may be determined by a small number of unelected bureaucrats.

Contact your Senator today and urge them to repeal IPAB: Senator Ron Johnson (email) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (email).

November 3, WMS Medigram

The Wisconsin Medical Society Board of Directors has named Clyde “Bud” Chumbley, MD, MBA, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Medical Society.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to serve as the next CEO of the Wisconsin Medical Society; I consider it a tremendous honor,” said Dr. Chumbley, who will begin on November 27. “Having been a Society member for 37 years, I’m a firm believer in its mission to advance the health of the people of Wisconsin by ensuring access to high-quality, cost-efficient care. And I look forward to drawing on my experience to further strengthen the Society so we can continue to make a difference for our patients and our profession.”

In addition to caring for patients as a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist throughout his 36-year medical career, Dr. Chumbley has held numerous leadership and management positions, including serving nearly 20 years as president and CEO of a large, independent multi-specialty medical group practice. He currently serves as chief medical adviser for Wisconsin Medical Society Holdings and as chief medical officer for the Wisconsin Medical Society Holdings Association Health Plan.

Past leadership roles in Wisconsin include serving as chief medical officer/chief clinical integration officer for Aspirus Health and president of Aspirus Clinics, and as president and CEO of ProHealth Care Medical Associates. He also has served on the board of directors and as past chair and treasurer for the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. In Texas, he served as chief medical officer for Scott & White Healthcare in the Austin region.  

Doctor Chumbley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds medical licenses in Wisconsin and Texas.

“We were fortunate to have a number of highly qualified candidates interested in this position,” said Jerry Halverson, MD, chair of the Society’s Board of Directors and co-chair of the search committee. “Doctor Chumbley is an excellent advocate for physicians and the patients we serve, and with his extensive administrative experience and medical expertise, we believe he is an outstanding choice to lead the Society. We look forward to all we can accomplish under his leadership.”

Doctor Chumbley is the eighth Society CEO in its 176-year history. Susan L. Turney, MD, MS, FACMPE, FACP, was the first physician to hold the position from 2004 to 2011.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Wisconsin Society of Pathologists
920-560-5634
WSP@badgerbay.co
November 2017

Dr. Guillermo Martinez-Torres Receives First Raymond C. Zastrow Award

Madison – The Wisconsin Society of Pathologists (WSP) has awarded Dr. Guillermo Martinez-Torres with the first Raymond C. Zastrow Award for leadership, service and advocacy efforts to the society and profession. Dr. Martinez-Torres is the president of North Shore Pathologist, SC. He serves as Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Ascension/Columbia-St. Mary’s in Milwaukee.

Dr. Zastrow was active in the State Medical Society of Wisconsin, and he served as president of the Wisconsin Society of Pathologists from 1983 to 1985. Dr. Zastrow’s colleagues remember him as a down-to-earth man of perpetual drive, curiosity, and vision.

The Raymond C. Zastrow Award recognizes individuals, WSP members, that contribute to the society and pathologist profession. To nominate someone for the award, please visit https://wsop.wildapricot.org/page-18062.

The Wisconsin Society of Pathologists (WSP) represents over 70 pathologists in the state of Wisconsin. WSP is the professional organization for practicing pathologists in the State of Wisconsin.

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Doctor Day 2018 has been set for Tuesday, January 30.  The event will again be held at the Monona Terrace in Madison and is hosted by over 20 medical societies.

The event provides physicians an opportunity to meet with their legislators, and have input on important health care issues. The day will conclude with a reception in downtown Madison.

WSP is proud to support state advocacy efforts through sponsorship of the 2018 Doctor Day event. 

Consider getting involved today! Registration link below:

Registration is available online (link).

Classifying central nervous system tumors has recently become both more complex and easier. Surgical pathologists now have guidance that helps them work through the whys, hows, and what-ifs of using molecular studies when making diagnoses. The 2016 WHO classification for CNS tumors, which has been described as a conceptual and practical advance over the previous incarnation, from 2007, should also help them move closer to precision medicine.

Read more >>

Contact: Thomas J. McFeeley
Phone: 800-323-4040 ext. 7472
E-mail: MEDIA@CAP.ORG

Driving Member Value, Improving Patient Care Among Williams's Top Priorities

Northfield, IL—R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP, has been inaugurated as the 35th president in a ceremony at the College of American Pathologists' (CAP) annual meeting near Washington, DC. Dr. Williams has been a CAP member for 40 years, holding leadership roles in the organization for the last 25 years. He has served on the Board of Governors since 2009 and, most recently, as its president-elect since 2015.

The CAP, founded in 1946, is the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs.

"As president, I plan to grow the value of the organization for our members beyond what we have built together over the last 70 years," Williams said in his inaugural remarks. "We fight for our patients and profession on Capitol Hill, we develop guidelines and protocols to improve patient care, and we ensure the highest level of laboratory quality and excellence worldwide through our accreditation inspections. What we built all those years ago, we will continue to improve upon over the next two years."

Dr. Williams has served the CAP on numerous committees, commissions, and councils, including chair and/or vice chair of the Council on Accreditation, Council on Membership and Professional Development, and Council on Scientific Affairs.

Dr. Williams is a founding member and laboratory director of The Delta Pathology Group, LLC, and is in full-time practice of anatomic and clinical pathology in Lafayette, LA. The Delta Pathology Group began in 1990 with the merger of several practices in Shreveport, LA, and since has grown into a statewide group of more than 40 pathologists. Dr. Williams serves on the executive committee as practice manager of the mid-Louisiana region of Delta Pathology.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University (BA, 1971) and Vanderbilt University Medical School (MD, 1975), Dr. Williams completed his anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Vanderbilt and Louisiana State University Medical Center (LSUMC)-Shreveport pathology departments. He is associate clinical professor of pathology at LSUMC-Shreveport. Dr. Williams has been active in organized medicine, serving as president of the Shreveport Medical Society and the Louisiana State Medical Society and serving on the Louisiana delegation to the American Medical Association.

Dr. Williams and his wife, Susan Williams, MD, currently reside in Lafayette. They have two sons, a daughter and son-in-law, and six grandchildren.

About the College of American Pathologists

As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, READ THE CAP ANNUAL REPORT at CAP.ORG