Please find below a copy of the meeting minutes from the Missouri Chapter of the AAPS meeting from Saturday, January 23, 2016.  You’ll note that the floor was opened at that meeting for nominations of officers, which will remain open until the April 23 meeting in Columbia, MO (meeting place to be determined).

Email nominations are welcomed and requested. I made the offer of a slate of nominations at the January meeting, which I have changed and updated via email, and none of the nominees have declined.  My slate stands as follows:

President, Jenny Powell (present Secretary)
Vice President, Phil Dean (present Vice President)
Secretary, Nancy Russell
Treasurer, Todd Rice (present Treasurer)
Director (Immediate Past President), Helen Gelhot (present President)

A complete slate may be nominated, or nominations for any of the above five offices may be made from our membership (be a member of the AAPS and a Missourian). Please send these to Secretary Jenny Powell MD at drjpowell@dpcareclinics.com.

UPDATE: Our citizen lobbyist, Wes Powell, has been to Jefferson City once or twice weekly for the last 3 or 4 weeks. He has attended hearings and witnessed on our behalf. Please keep your finger on the pulse of several bills which will be impacting YOUR practice! There are a handful of bills which extend the scope of practice for APRNs, there anti-MOC/MOL bills, and the push for the PDMP is again the topic of several bills. Wes wants to hear from you, so let him know what is important to YOU and your practice!  See his contact information in the meeting minutes below.

Thank you!
~Jenny Powell MD

MO Chapter AAPS meeting

January 23, 2016
The Missouri Chapter of the AAPS met on Saturday, 1/23/16, at The Order restaurant in the Hotel Vandivort, Springfield, MO.  There were 9 in attendance, and one attendee via GoToMeeting. President Helen Gelhot MD opened the meeting at 12:00 pm with a prayer.
Helen provided an overview of legislation in the Missouri Congress and resolutions in the Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA) in 2015 which the MO AAPS Chapter pursued, including anti-MOC/MOL, DPC practice legislation, and anti-Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. She touched briefly on upcoming legislation in the Missouri Congress.  She turned the meeting over to Wes Powell, spouse member of the AAPS, who is serving as our citizen lobbyist in Jefferson City.  Wes went thru a few of the pre-filed bills, and discussed hearing protocol.  He also then shared his contact information and encouraged those present to contact him regarding their desires on different bills as there are far too many bills for him to be relaying to the members without a group forum. His email address is:
wespowell@qualitygoatmeat.com  and his cell phone number is (417)322-3383.
President Helen then discussed AAPS, and what membership in the organization provides, encouraging all present to join if they have not already done so.
Upcoming dates:

• AAPS Regional Meeting and “Thrive Not Just Survive” workshop Friday Jan 29 and 30 in Orlando FL; Secretary Jenny Powell will be giving a presentation at this workshop which helps physicians of all specialties to transition to cash-pay practices.
• Next MO Chapter AAPS meeting – Saturday, April 23, in Columbia MO, noon.  We will hold election of officers. Location of meeting to be announced.
• May or June AAPS Regional meeting, location TBA
• Sept 22-24, AAPS Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, OK.

The floor was opened for nomination of officers. Secretary Jenny Powell nominated a slate of officers: Todd Rice, President; Nancy Russell, Vice President; Phil Dean, Treasurer; Jenny Powell, Secretary; Helen Gelhot as Immediate Past- President Director.  Todd declined the nomination. Todd Rice nominated Jenny Powell as President and Todd Rice as Treasurer.
Nominations shall remain open until the April meeting.
As there was no further business, President Helen Gelhot closed the meeting at 1:07 pm. We enjoyed fellowship together afterwards.

~submitted by Jenny Powell MD, Secretary

The Missouri Chapter of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons will meet Saturday, January 23, 2016, at the Hotel Vandivort in Springfield,Missouri, at noon.  Appetizers will be provided.

Among the agenda items for this meeting will be the meeting schedule for 2016 and preparing for officer elections at the Spring meeting.

RSVP to Jenny Powell, Secretary MO AAPS,
drjpowell@dpcareclinics.com or (573)933-0872
OR to Jeremy Snavely of AAPS National
jeremy@aapsonline.org.

Hope to see you there!

Hotel Vandivort
305 E. Walnut Street
Springfield MO  65806
(417)832-1515
Map  http://www.yelp.com/map/the-order-springfield-2

Dear Missouri AAPS Members and Friends: There is an exciting lineup of events surrounding our 72nd Annual Meeting taking place in St. Louis. Please take a look and consider attending any or all of them:

1) Wednesday Evening Sept. 30. The Saint Louis Metropolitan Medical Society’s Annual Hippocrates Lecture will feature AAPS Director Paul Kempen, MD, PhD giving another powerful talk on what’s new in the battle to stop MOC. Social hour at 6pm, dinner at 7pm. The event is free for SLMMS members and $40 for spouses, guests, and non-members.  RSVP required to SLMMS at 314-989-1014. CLICK here for the event address and other details.

2) Oct. 1-3. The 72nd Annual Meeting of AAPS will be held at the Hilton Frontenac St. Louis! The agenda is packed with a full slate of top speakers on issues that impact physicians and their patients.  Remarks from Senator Ted Cruz will kick off the event and we’re honored that SLMMS President Michael Stadnyk, MD will participate in our Friday banquet.  Can’t attend the entire meeting?  Partial registration options are available. See http://aapsonline.org/2015am for additional information.

3) Sunday Afternoon Oct. 4.  A first-of-its-kind debate between two physician organizations on polar opposite sides of the healthcare debate. Is a single payer system the answer for American medicine? The Physicians for A National Health Program (PNHP) will argue it is while AAPS will counter with facts in favor of true free market solutions. The debate will run from 2pm to 3:30pm in the Frontenac Room at the Hilton Frontenac St. Louis.  CLICK here for details and for RSVP info.

Questions?  Email aaps@aapsonline.org or call AAPS Business Manager Jeremy Snavely at 520-270-0761

You won’t want to miss out on the third meeting of 2015 of the Missouri Chapter of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons which will be held Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 11:30am in Kansas City, MO.

The agenda will be packed with important topics impacting ALL Missouri patients and their physicians.

• MOC on the ropes?  As pressure continues to mount against Maintenance of Certification, proponents continue to lobby for laws that require MOC like the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. We are pressing forward with efforts to support anti-Compact legislation in Jeff City and resolutions via the MSMA. Learn how you can help be a part of this movement to STOP MOC.
• SCOTUS upholds ObamaCare in King vs. Burwell — NOW WHAT? AAPS General Counsel Andrew Schlafly will join the meeting remotely to discuss the disappointing outcome of this case and look at ongoing and future strategy to combat ObamaCare and other attacks on physicians and their patients.
• YOUR IDEAS for legislation and action to preserve the independent practice of medicine and protect patient-physician relationship.
• Preview of AAPS Annual Meeting which will be held in Missouri October 1-3, 2015.

August 1st LOCATION:
Smoke House BBQ
8451 NW Prairie View Rd
Kansas City MO 64153

AGENDA:

11:30 – Meet and Greet
NOON to 2pm – Lunch and Presentations

COST:
No Charge, Lunch provided by AAPS

RSVP:
Online: at https://aaps.wufoo.com/forms/mb9mqot1afv6kc/

or call/text: AAPS Business Manager Jeremy Snavely at 520-270-0761

or email: aaps@aapsonline.org

Dear Missouri AAPS members and friends,

We are writing today to alert you to upcoming legislation that must be STOPPED! It is extremely likely that in 2015 legislation will be introduced that will hand control of aspects of the practice of medicine in Missouri over to unelected bureaucrats in Texas!  You read that right: the Federation of State Medical Boards, based near Dallas, is pushing legislatures across the country to adopt their “Interstate Medical Licensing Compact.”

Please call your state legislators TODAY and tell them to oppose any attempt to adopt this compact in Missouri. [find your House member | find your Senator].  In addition, contact the Missouri Medical Board to voice your opposition.

This compact will lead to reduced patient access to physicians by creating an entire new bureaucracy full of additional rules, regulations, and costs for physicians that have no proven connection to improved patient care.  This compact risks harming rather than helping Missouri patients and physicians.

One shocking part of the proposed compact:

The FSMB would require physicians seeking a license via the compact to participate in Maintenance of Certification (MOC). In fact, the compact defines “physician” as one who holds specialty certification recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Osteopathic Association’s Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. NO STATE currently defines a physician in this manner.

The adoption of such a definition of “physician” in the compact could open the floodgates to regulations requiring MOC for ALL physicians in order to keep their medical license; it appears  to be yet another shameless attempt to force this counterproductive money-making scheme on physicians. Mandatory MOC would harm patient access to medical care from independent physicians of their choosing.

Here is a list of additional  important reasons why it must be opposed:

• The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact will supersede Missouri’s autonomy and control over the practice of medicine;

• The out-of-state, unelected, Interstate Commission will likely cause changes to Missouri’s Medical Practice Act, without oversight by Missouri voters;

• There will be significant financial costs to states joining such an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact;

• It will be difficult and expensive for Missouri to extricate itself from the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact;

• The cost of obtaining medical licenses will be dramatically increased, and Missouri must protect its citizens from regulatory excesses;

• The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact would require physicians to participate in onerous and counter-productive Maintenance of Certification to be licensed under this compact, reducing patient access to care.

For more background and a model resolution that the Missouri legislature can pass to oppose this compact CLICK HERE.

Please contact your legislator today and stay-tuned.  We are tracking this important issue and will update you as more details become available.