by: Pamela S.N. Goldman, DO

We DO...Grants and Scholarships

by: Diana Ewert

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Memorial Day kicked of the summer for #TeamPOMA as well as our summer flex schedule. Working a bit more each day meant a team member could take every other Friday off. Many organizations offer summer flex schedules, and this was a first for POMA. The team was able to spend a few more long weekends with family and friends. The team spent some time out of the office at the beach, amusement parks, gardening (you should see the tomatoes I’m bringing to the office!), working on homes, getting a puppy and celebrating our two newest staff members who each had their first birthday. We can’t wait until Cyrus is trained and can join Tucker, Bernice and Crosby - the #TeamPOMAPups!

We attended and planned meetings. There was the AOA House of Delegates in July, the POFPS 60^th Anniversary Celebration along with the associated CME program. POMA had its interview for ACCME accreditation (and now we wait until November to hear the outcome). Brenda Dill, our director of education, has been participating in onboarding sessions for a new web-based learning management system. On-line CME is coming for POMA members! Then there were the ongoing meetings we attend such as the State Osteopathic Board of Medicine (SBOM), where we advocate for the osteopathic profession. #WeDORepresent

Your POMA Board of Trustees met in August and started discussing the POMA of the future. Guided by Glenn Tucker (a Pennsylvania native whose father served as executive director of the New Jersey state osteopathic association), he walked us through visioning exercises where the board addressed the hard issues ahead of the profession from the perspectives of demographics, business and economic climate, legislation and regulation, technology and science, and osteopathic medicine in the Commonwealth. This information will be synthesized and use at the POMA board retreat in November and then incorporated into our strategic plan. #WeDOStrategy

The POMA Foundation Board also met this summer to assess the organization’s capacity to do more beyond scholarships and education. Efforts to craft a mission and vision statement are well underway. This will help the foundation develop a case statement along with funding plan. The board will be meeting on September 28 in Harrisburg to continue these conversations. The foundation will begin accepting scholarship applications in the coming weeks. If you know of a deserving student, send them to the website.  #WeDODevelopment

Unlike some member organizations who break during the summer, our district chairs were full steam ahead. District members actively participated in several socially focused events. District chairs planned ballgames, dinners, theater, community events and a Cirque Du Soleil performance. These social events support physician wellness by encouraging you to step back for a moment, inhale, and just be with your colleagues. Not involved in your district yet? Send us a note ([email protected]) and we will hook you up! #WeDOWellness

It’s been a crazy busy summer for your elected leadership and your POMA staff team. Which is fine with us. Because #WeDOCrazyBusySummerBest

Does Your Practice Prescribe Buprenorphine?

Legislation regulating office-based prescribing of buprenorphine is set to be voted on by the House Human Services Committee on Wednesday, September 18.  Senate Bill 675 will require office-based physicians get certified by the state, in addition to what is already required for DEA compliance; pay a fee (up to $500) to the state, in addition to what is already required for DEA compliance; and before you can prescribe buprenorphine, the patient must be in a treatment addiction program licensed by the state.

POMA has heard from many osteopathic physicians that SB 675 will diminish access to patients with addiction and likely result in less recovery and more drug abuse. In June, POMA worked hard to stop SB 675 which can be understood in part by reviewing POMA’s letter to the House Human Services Committee. If your patients will be negatively impacted by SB 675, you are encouraged to contact your state representative and voice your opinion on SB 675 and share why it is runs counter to treatment efforts for patients consumed by the opioid crisis. POMA has made the process easier by providing a one-stop-shop for your legislative advocacy using the POMA Action Center.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Andy Sandusky at [email protected].

POMA Membership Status

Active – marked by present movement or use. 
Grace – an act of kindness, courtesy or clemency.

Do you know which you are?

Your current POMA status is 

If your status is active, we have received your dues for the 2019-20 membership year and thank you!

If it is anything else, your membership ends on September 30. This also means you lose access to all member benefits like your CME records, news alerts, and reduced registration fees for conferences.

Active members can access their CME records on-line at their convenience. Active members can print out the CME certificate to the Annual Clinical Assembly with a simple button click. Active members can upload programs they’ve attended accredited by other organizations very soon and have a complete picture of their professional development over the two-year cycle. But if you are ”Graced” it means your access ends on September 30.

We’ve made it easy for you to renew online through the POMA website. Log into www.poma.org, update your profile, and renew. For your convenience, your username is 

It’s as simple as that! It’s easier than ever to remain a part of our osteopathic community.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

District Dish

District 12 - Dinner & Theater

We DO Support Our Community!

On Friday, August 16, 2019, 39 members of our osteopathic family from District 12, including attending physicians, resident physicians, osteopathic medical students, their children, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers enjoyed a splendid evening of food, fellowship, performing arts, and most importantly, awareness and contribution to the community in which we live and work.

The evening started with a private dinner (complete with appetizers, tastings from area entrepreneurs and a chef-prepared gourmet meal) at Soul Platter Café, Scribner Ave., DuBois. The Soul Platter Café is a “pay what you can” restaurant, open (generally) only for lunch Fridays and Saturdays. The mission of the establishment is to provide nutritious, good tasting food to those who may not be able to afford such a meal. Funded by the generosity of the community, Soul Platter relies on patrons “paying it forward”. Following the meal (choice of vegetable lasagna, grilled salmon filet, beef tenderloin or flat bread pizza for the children), attendees where sent off with a specially packaged dessert to be enjoyed during intermission of the show.

READ MORE >>

District 8 - A Night with the Curve

Great fun, great weather and great company greeted 22 members of the District VIII POMA family on a Saturday night in Altoona. When you include the buffet with burgers & hot dogs, it was a near perfect evening. The Altoona Curve won 5-0 against the Bowie Baysox and the night ended to an amazing firework display set to the music of U2.

The membership event was organized as a part of the new community initiative to focus on social networking and comradery. If you have any idea about events you would like to see contact your district chair or the POMA main office.

by: Lisa Witherite-Rieg, DO

Where DO You Park?

I seldom park in the designated “Physician Parking” spaces. Mostly, because during this time of very active construction at the hospital where I work (or as I refer to it, the “employee wellness program” encouraging all of us to get that 10,000 plus steps in a day) I have found a strategically placed, out of the way “spot” that no one else appears to have claimed. It is not designated for patients, it is not a handicapped spot, I have to travel a couple of side streets to get to it, but it works for me.

Last week I was precepting residents in another building on the hospital campus. Instead of parking in my “usual spot”, I chose to park in one of the physician-designated spots closer to the building that houses the clinic. I was cutting the time I needed to be there too short and would be late had I needed to walk across the campus. I was the first one in the lot at 7:35 am.

Mine was the last car in the spaces at 5:55 pm. When I went to my car that evening there was a hand-written sign chastising me: “PHYSICIAN PARKING”.

READ MORE >>

View the
newsletter online!

Table of Contents...

1. President's Perspective
2. Executive Opinion
3. POMA ISMIE Affinity Program
4. Policy Points
5. POMA Membership Status
   
6. District Dish
7. How Are You DOing?
8. Upcoming District Events
9. Upcoming Young Professionals Meetings
10. POMA Urges Toomey/Casey to Support THCGME
11. Welcome New Members
12. Classified Advertisements
13. Follow POMA on Social Media
14. POMPAC
15. Save the Date - Upcoming CME Conferences
16. Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedules
17. Clinical Pathway to Addiction Medicine Certification to be Developed

Upcoming District Events 

Please address all correspondence for POMA Box Letters to: c/o POMA, 1330 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA  17111-2395.

PHYSICIANS WANTED:

ROWANSOM SEEKS A CHAIR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS. The position provides leadership, director and development of all teaching, clinical, research, community, and support activities within the Department of Pediatrics. Candidates must hold a DO or MD degree, be either AOA or ABMS board certified in pediatrics, and have five years of professional experience. The RowanSOM clinical campus is located in South Jersey, 8 miles from Philadelphia, 1 hour from the Atlantic Ocean and 2 hours from New York City. Click here for more information and to apply online. 

ATTENTION DOs! MD AT HOME, Inc., is in need of a part-time doctor (great for retired doctors) one to two days a week making home visits to the elderly and the disabled that are homebound.  Chauffeured by a medical assistant in a company vehicle to scheduled appointments. Email [email protected] for more information.

Family Medicine Residency Core Faculty Position — Crozer-Keystone Health System, in suburban Philadelphia, is seeking a Family Medicine Physician for a Core Faculty position in our nationally recognized Residency Program. Must have broad-based inpatient and outpatient clinical skills and strong interest in teaching residents and medical students. Excellent benefits, generous CME allowance and malpractice insurance with tail coverage. Email CV to [email protected] or visit http://bit.ly/CrozerFamilyMedicine for more information.

OPPORTUNITY — PHYSICIAN POSITIONS AVAILABLE: Media and Lancaster. Flexible hours, private practice, 3-4 hour shifts, no on-call, malpractice insurance needed. For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or call 610-566-8885

PRACTICES WANTED: Retiring physicians, part-time or full-time practices, call 215-669-4001.

CLASSIFIED AD
RATES
— Per insertion —

Member Ads*: $10 for the first 20 words, $.25 for each additional word. $2 each for special services: box letter, all caps or all bold type, boxing an ad in.

Non-member Ads: (Payment must be received in advance.) $50 for the first 20 words, .50 each additional word. $5 for each special service (listed above).

*Please Note: Member ad rate to be used only by POMA members and only for their medicine- or practice-related ads. Charges for other types of members’ ads will be calculated using the non-member ad rate.

POMA does not take a position of endorsing any organizations, individuals or services whose classified advertisements appear in this publication. The POMA Newsletter reserves the right to select and edit all advertisements submitted.

Follow POMA on social media for all the latest news!

POMPAC is 
the collective voice of the osteopathic profession in Pennsylvania.

Send your personal check today to POMPAC c/o POMA, 1330 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA 17111, or charge your contribution to your credit card! 

PAC contributions are not tax-deductible.

SAVE THE DATE - Upcoming CME Conferences

POMA District 8 33rd Annual Educational Winter Seminar
Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, 2020
Nemacolin Woodlands, Farmington, PA
Registration will open fall 2019!

POMA 112th Annual Clinical Assembly
Apr. 29 – May 2, 2020
Radisson Valley Forge, King of Prussia, PA
Registration will open winter 2019!

If you have any questions, please contact Deb Cargill-Roan at (717) 939-9318 ext 170 or email [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedules

The Pennsylvania Medical Assistance program in the state Department of Human Services has updated its fee schedules, coding system and fee adjustments, and prior authorization requirements.

If interested, please review and let us know if you have any questions. 

Clinical pathway to addiction medicine certification to be developed

AOA Certifying Board Services is beginning work to establish a clinical pathway to board certification in addiction medicine.

The AOA entered into a cost-sharing agreement with the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM) to start the process of opening the clinical practice pathway for initial osteopathic board certification in addiction medicine.

The move comes after the AOA House of Delegates adopted the Addiction Medicine CAQ resolution (H-232/A/2019) during its Annual Business Meeting in July. The resolution calls for a clinical practice pathway to be developed and approved by the AOA conjoint examination committee in addiction medicine. When complete, the pathway will remain open for three years following the administration of the first exam.

Read the full article in The DO.

Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association | 1330 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA 17111  (717) 939-9318 | www.poma.org