Attend TMA Fall Conference
Attend the TMA 2015 Fall Conference Sept. 25–26, when it returns to the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa in Bastrop. The conference pro- vides an opportunity for physicians and medical students to conduct TMA business, earn continuing medical education, and network with peers. Saturday’s General
Session will feature a presentation on physician employment contracting and a panel discussion on Texans and hepatocellular carcinoma. Visit
www.texmed.org/
event/list to register online. To reserve your room online and for information about business meetings, visit
www.texmed.org/fall.
physician practices and clinics. The grants can help fund new or expanded shot clinics or subsidize events to vac- cinate those who are underserved or uninsured. Be Wise also provides other items for grantees to use for their give- aways and educational and promotional materials. Dr. Kadir received the Be Wise grant
in late 2014 and built her January com- munity health fair around the grant. The $1,600 she received covered 100 free flu shots to mostly uninsured patients, and she teamed with other organizations so the fair could provide such services as health screenings, routine blood screen- ings, and mammograms. Since the grant program started in
2012, Be Wise has awarded 41 grants totaling nearly $74,000, resulting in at least 2,000 vaccinations. Awardees can host an event for any recommended vac- cination. Be Wise grant recipients have hosted vaccination events for bacterial pneumonia, pertussis, and human papil- lomavirus, among others. “There aren’t many grant programs
that private physicians can apply for,” Dr. Kadir said. “My clinic is in an under- served area, and so I feel like I am [in] the perfect place. Given that influenza is a community-based infection, and many seek care in ambulatory settings, we felt that our primary care practice was the logical focal point for talking about preventive care delivery and educating patients about flu shots.” That education piece takes on re-
newed importance each fall as flu season approaches, and physicians like Dallas immunologist Steven Cole, DO, work through the annual ritual of telling some patients why their fears of the flu shot are unfounded. Dr. Cole, a member of the Be Wise
Physician Advisory Panel, says patients most commonly are apprehensive about flu shots because they think receiving one can give them the flu. (See “Flu Facts,” page 13.)
+ 14 TEXAS MEDICINE September 2015
“We don’t ever say if you don’t get
the flu shot, we’re not going to be your doctor,” Dr. Cole said. “But I tell them it sure would make it a lot easier to be your doctor if you get the flu shot. That way, we wouldn’t have to treat compli- cations of the flu. We could just worry about asthma and allergies.” Be Wise — Immunize local impact
grant proposals are due each year on March 1, July 1, and Nov. 1. For more information, contact Tammy Wishard at (512) 370-1470, or (800) 880-1300, ext. 1470, or
tammy.wishard@texmed.org, or visit
www.texmed.org/bewise.
Be Wise — Immunize is a service mark of the Texas Medical Association.
Doctors: Get ready to accept chip credit cards
THE LOOMING SWITCH to ICD-10 next month isn’t the only financial transition affecting medical practices in the future. U.S. banks are stepping up security to reduce fraud by switch- ing from strip-based to microchip- based cards by the end of the year. That means you need to think
about buying and reconfiguring your credit-card processing equipment and software. According to a Modern Healthcare article titled “Providers Need to Prepare for Switch to Chip Cards,” a typical countertop terminal runs $200 to $300. While the federal government
hasn’t mandated that private business- es convert to microchip-based cards, many patients will want to pay with them. And many businesses, including medical practices, will feel pressure to adopt the more secure payment meth- od. According to the Modern Health- care article, hospitals and medical practices still using an older magnetic strip reader after October 2015 will
TMA’s Be Wise — Immunize:
www.texmed.org/bewise
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