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by: Joseph M.P. Zawisza, DO
POMA On The Move!
By now you’ve likely heard that this is the theme I have selected for my year as president of POMA, with a bullet train logo. And on the move we are. After more than a year of isolation and limited interaction with others, I’m excited to report that three weeks ago, in Hershey, members of our House of Delegates and Board of Trustees were able to meet in person if they chose, under appropriate safety measures, to conduct the business of the organization. I had the opportunity to see about forty of my friends and colleagues, face-to-face, for the first time in fifteen months. It was good to see you all! To those who were not able to join us or not yet comfortable with in-person attendance, I look forward to seeing you soon, especially as COVID numbers continue to improve and restrictions continue to be eased. We made a lot of progress in the last year despite our distancing, and the possibilities of what we can achieve this year seem even more fantastic!
As another sign of POMA on the Move! we’re taking this year’s board meetings to different areas of the state. I want our professional organization to be something that you can see, not just read about. I’m excited to report that we are currently planning our August board meeting to be held on the campus of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie. It will be good for myself and the board to see members from “the other side of Pennsylvania” and likewise for them to have an easier time interacting with us. This includes students, interns and residents from the western half of the state. Just as exciting is that in November we anticipate our meeting will be held in State College, and then in February in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Considering new locations and venues that may better suit the needs of our members - we’re not just going to be something that happens in Harrisburg.
And now that we can travel a little more liberally again, I want to be on the move too. I like to travel and see new places (I like trains too, but I’ll likely just travel by car) and I want to come to your events, talk with you, and be a part of our organization with you. As you are all aware restrictions are easing as the hold of the virus seems better controlled, and I encourage districts to consider safely resuming in-person events as appropriate. While the educational, governance and social achievements we made this past year virtually were outstanding, I think many would agree that there’s nothing like being together. Let’s get our POMA districts on the move!
My musings would not be complete without a thank you to all of those who have helped me to get to this position, though the complete list would take up an entire newsletter. Or without congratulations to all of our new leaders, including our new district chairs, officers and trustees, our new President-Elect Lisa Witherite-Rieg, DO, and our new Vice President John Kalata, DO. And certainly not without one more mention of the phenomenal work Immediate Past President Gene Battistella, DO, did during this last year to keep POMA on the Move!
by: Diana Ewert
"Even if you are not ready for the day, it cannot always be night."
- Gwendolyn Brooks
Are we ready? Are we ready to return? Are we ready for another normal? I’m not going to say a new normal or back to normal or even back to the way things used to be. It will never be the same. We have all been changed in ways that we won’t even recognize until we respond to a situation. Then we will take a breath and realize that we are different. We won’t view people walking through an airport with a mask on as an aberration. We will probably experience that heart stopping split second feeling when someone closer than six feet from us sneezes as a flash of fear runs through our brain. We won’t take the ability to hug the ones we love (and even the ones we don’t so much) for granted for quite some time. But after every disaster, every tragedy, every action and reaction, we look for another dawn. Another opportunity. Another chance. We are ready for the day.
TeamPOMA went virtual for the first time in March 2020. We slowly returned to the office to go virtual again on November 1. This time, though, we weren’t driven out by a pandemic (although the timing was really close). We were driven out by our surroundings. POMA has almost completed its first significant renovation since the early 1980s. We had no idea we were entering into COVID world when the designs were drafted and funding approved. Yet it had an impact on the materials we chose, the offices and the layout, the HVAC system, the alarm systems… almost everything. The surfaces of the materials we used can be easily disinfected and cleaned. Lights are motion activated so there are no manual switches to flip. There is more natural light, greater air circulation and the ability to come into an office, slide the door closed, and work without a mask. Everyone on the team has at least one vaccine with most having had two. The POMA Central office is now fully staffed and ready to meet the 2021-2022 fiscal year ahead under the leadership of Joseph M.P. Zawisza, DO (along with some Fiesta Mexico when he comes to the office).
Returning to a different environment will keep us focused on the possibilities of what can be rather than what was. Of possibilities rather than maybe. Of moving forward rather than staying where we were. Are you ready? Ready for the day after the night? Your TeamPOMA is as we are #POMAontheMove!
by: Andy Sandusky
PA Legislative Session to Heat Up
As shared previously with POMA members, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is often pushed into action based on deadlines. The budget, due June 30, is no exception. It appears that money flowing from the federal government stimulus may provide some needed assistance to the Commonwealth as legislators and Governor Wolf attempt to agree on a balanced budget. The budget has many pieces that will impact Osteopathic physicians and their ability to treat their patients and POMA will closely monitor the line items and implementing language of the budget to ensure its adequacy.
However, because of the budget deadline, there will be many other bills “in play” that will require POMA’s concentrated attention. Among these are scope of practice bills. The CRNPs made a deal on a 6-year pilot project to permit treatment of patients in rural and underserved areas of the state, which is what they have lobbied for over the past several decades. The CRNPs agreed to that language in the last session and now are trying to renege on that deal. It appears that while they said they wanted to practice in rural and underserved areas, they really appear to want to practice independently in the entire state. POMA will work to ensure that any CRNP bill that moves will contain the agreement language and oppose any outside efforts. The physician assistants are also seeking to modernize their scope of practice, but it falls far short of independent practice lobbying. POMA is currently working with the physician assistants in the effort to reach a compromise on their legislation. Stay tuned for further details on this hot issue.
POMA is also supporting legislation that would streamline and modernize the current step therapy and preauthorization process for Osteopathic physicians and their patients. A press conference is set up for next Monday to rally support for the effort led by patient groups that are fed up with the negative impacts their constituencies endure under the current practices. All these legislative issues and many more will be pushed throughout the month of June until the budget is passed. Welcome to “Budget Season” POMA members! POMA has your back!
Congratulations to the 2021-2022 POMA Leadership!
POMA is excited to introduce our newly installed leaders, who will keep POMA on the move for the coming year…
POMA Officers
Joseph M.P. Zawisza, DO – President
Lisa A. Witherite-Rieg, DO – President-elect
John J. Kalata, DO – Vice President
Eric J. Milie, DO – Secretary/Treasurer
Gene M. Battistella – Immediate Past President
POMA House of Delegates Officers
Jeffery J. Dunkelberger, DO – Speaker of the House
Richard E. Johnson, DO – Vice Speaker of the House
That’s a Wrap!
POMA's 113th Virtual Clinical Assembly &
Scientific Seminar A Success!
For the second year in a row, POMA's Annual Clinical Assembly was held virtually, and while we certainly missed seeing everyone, the committee planned an excellent program and our speakers delivered fabulous lectures!
The live opening session featured our annual Fireside Chats with both the POMA and AOA Leadership teams. POMA's 2021-23 strategic plan is being implemented and POMA is on the Move! The AOA is focusing on board certification and continues to advocate for DOs across the country. Dr. Carisa Champion provided the keynote address, focusing on the intertwining of medicine and entertainment. Many patients learn about medicine from television and social media, and its important for physicians to remember that frame of reference when talking with their patients.
The conference also featured updates in general disciplines of cardiology and endocrinology. There was a diagnostic testing session and a faculty development sessions. There were pediatric lectures and of course, OMM. And a conference in 2021 wouldn't be complete without addressing the COVID pandemic. The capstone session provided important updates on where we are with the variants, vaccines and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
On-demand viewing of the lectures is available through May 31, 2021. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to re-watch or catch up on anything you missed. The evaluation and attestation process is managing entirely within the conference platform. Please refer to the email that was sent on May 21 for additional instructions.
And thanks to our sponsors - ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company, US Army Medical Recruiting, AbbVie Inc, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Rothman Orthopedics. Thank you for supporting POMA21!
Planning for POMA22 will begin in just a few weeks! Watch your email, the webpage and social media for more information. We look forward to seeing everyone in-person in April 2022!
District Competition
Who likes a little friendly competition?
From April 1, 2021 – March 30, 2022 POMA is hosting a District competition. Districts receive points based on holding events; survey and event participation; members writing in publications (POMA and external); membership retention; and various additional items. Click here for a complete list of challenges.
The winning District will receive a POMA sponsored dinner before POMA HOD 2022, a hefty traveling trophy, special recognition at the POMA Clinical Assembly, and priority seating at the POMA House of Delegates and bragging rights. The leaderboard will be published in POMA's monthly newsletter.
Contact your District Leadership to share ideas and to learn more.
Current Standings as of May 21
- 1st: District 12
- 2nd: District 4
- 3rd: District 14
District Dish
POMA Steps Up 4 Charity!
Congratulations to everyone who joined us for Steps 4 All! Over the course of the month, the POMA group logged 4,401 miles! What an amazing accomplishment!
POMA and the District 4 leadership appreciates your participation and is hopeful the event will return next year. In the meantime, enjoy the warmer weather and keep stepping!
Returning to In-person Events?
On June 1st, Governor Wolf is expected to lift the gathering restrictions on indoor and outdoor events in Pennsylvania. For POMA, this means possibly resuming in-person district events. How comfortable are you returning to in-person indoor or outdoor events?
Your District Leadership would like to know your opinion so they can best accommodate your wishes.
Click here to complete the short survey by June 1st.
Remember, completed surveys earn your district points in the district competition!
by: Richard E. Johnson, DO
It's Been a Year...And What Have I Learned?
It’s been a year, and what have I learned? This being 2021, and since Covid-19 has pretty much put a kibosh on the last 365+ days, one would think “all things Covid” is what has been rumbling around in my brain, causing all of these mental gymnastics. Well, no, actually, my “what have I learned?” is more on the lines of: It’s been a year since I retired, and what have I learned?
I’ve learned that my wake-up time has changed. Having spent the last 30+ years rolling out of bed pretty much exactly at 6:50am every morning without the aid of an alarm clock (even on weekends and vacation/not-at-work days, with the use of my trusty internal alarm clock.) “Eager” to start the day with seeing patients, doing paperwork, learning the new computer system at the hospital (that changed a hospital consult for me that used to take me about 20 minutes to do – see the patient review the chart, and hand write the necessary consult paperwork – to a 1+ hour endeavor of navigating a computer system that feels as if it was designed and written by a programmer who had no concept of the mental or physical algorithmic workflow that physicians have been doing for millenniums. After patient hours were done, paying bills, making phone calls it was then off to home to the array of “things that needed done.” All on a regular, tightly orchestrated schedule that ofttimes was not a written schedule, but just a routine that had been followed for so many years that it “just happened.”
Read more>>
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View the
newsletter online!
Memorial Day!
Please note that the POMA Central Office will be closed on Monday, May 31st for Memorial Day.
We will return to regular business hours on Tuesday, June 1.
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for all that you DO!
POMA continues to monitor the rapidly changing information surrounding the spread of COVID-19. Please visit www.poma.org/covid-19 for all of our updates, as well as resources we are finding to be most useful and accurate at this time.
Table of Contents...
- President's Perspective
- Executive Opinion
- Policy Points
- POMA-ISMIE Affinity Program
- Congratulations POMA Leadership
- That's a Wrap! POMA21
- District Competition
- District Dish
- Returning to In-person Events?
- How Are You DOing?
- SoFi
- Memorial Day
- COVID-19 New Update
- Membership Dues Renewal
- Welcome New Members
- Podcast
- JPOMA Survey
- Classified Ads
- Scam Alert – Health-Related Licensing Boards
- Under the DOme
- POMPAC
- Follow POMA on Social Media
- APOMA News
Membership Dues Renewal
Check your mailbox! Membership dues renewal invoices were mailed out at the beginning of May.
Click here to renew today! Your username is
Thank you for your continued commitment to POMA!
Welcome New Members!
The following physicians have applied for membership in the POMA. According to Article VI, Section 2 of the POMA bylaws, if no written objection is received within 30 days after publication, the following will be accepted for membership.
Maria-Claudia Durkin, DO
1015 West Baltimore Pike
West Grove, PA 19390
Active Member - District 2
Amy J. Farris, DO
Millcreek Community Hospital
5515 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509
Active Member - District 7
Amanda M. Godfrey, DO
506 Ryan Way
Mountain Top, PA 18707
Active Member - District 4
Daniel Kessler, DO
3036 Historic Horizon Avenue
Henderson, NV 89044
Out of State Member
Christofer W. Shaw, DO
147 Gettys Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Active Member - District 5
Tro Kalayjian, DO
84 Route 303
Tappan, NY 10983
Out of State Member
Interested in helping POMA develop its own podcast? Send an email to [email protected] with the Subject: Podcast and let us know why you are interested!
The Publications Committee wants to hear from you!
Click here to complete the JPOMA Readership Survey - we want to make sure your opinions and suggestions are considered as the Journal evolves to better serve you. Thanks for participating!
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
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LEGAL AND COMPENSATION ANALYSIS OF PHYSICIAN AGREEMENTS.
Physician Agreements Health Law is a law firm that focuses exclusively on physician contracts, with a particular emphasis on physician employment agreements. Have your agreement reviewed by Dennis Hursh, author of the definitive book on physician employment agreements. https://pahealthlaw.com/
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PRN Medical Space – ready exam rooms for Drs on the go! Five locations in Philadelphia and Bristol. Call 215-669-4001.
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: all caps or all bold type.
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.
Scam Alert – Health-Related Licensing Boards
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) received reports that persons pretending to be from one of the health-related boards are contacting licensees by phone and mail about the status of their licenses. The scammers are spoofing their caller ID on their phones and have forged Department of State letterhead.
As a reminder to all licensees and applicants:
- BPOA will NOT contact you by phone to request credit card payment, wire transfer or a money order.
- BPOA will NEVER request payment of fines, fees or penalties to be paid using gift cards.
- BPOA will NEVER request payment be wired or otherwise transferred to a foreign country.
- Do NOT give your personal or financial information over the phone, text message or fax, including your zip code.
- BPOA will NOT threaten you. DOS initiates disciplinary action through an administrative process and you will receive notice by certified mail and/or personal service.
- BPOA WILL provide you with a contact name and phone number if you are the subject of an investigation or disciplinary action.
- CONTACT local police or the PA State Police if you believe you have been the victim of a scam.
Under the DOme
Did you catch POMA's advocacy newsletter, Under the DOme?
Under the DOme is a member benefit providing you with an update of the advocacy work POMA is engaged and/or monitoring to ensure DOs and their patients have the best possible opportunity for strong physician-patient relationships and care. POMA is THE organization that represents you as a DO in the state in all areas of advocacy.
We hope you find Under the DOme to be a valuable advocacy tool. Send your feedback to [email protected].
POMPAC is the collective
voice of the osteopathic profession in Pennsylvania.
Send your personal check to POMPAC c/o POMA, 1330 Eisenhower Blvd., Harrisburg, PA 17111, or charge your contribution to your credit card!
PAC contributions are not tax-deductible.
Follow POMA on social media for all the latest news!
  
 
APOMA News
The annual APOMA meeting was held virtually by Zoom on May 5, 2021. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, a cooking demonstration was held featuring enchiladas, guacamole and margaritas. Thank you to all who attended!
APOMA has made arrangements with the AAOA to share in the proceeds from sales of DO brooches on the AAOA web store. The very beautiful and available in variety of colors. Visit the store and use the discount code POMA2021 at checkout to get FREE SHIPPING and share proceeds with APOMA.
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