February 2006
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Dear Colleague:
I hope you and your family enjoyed the holiday season. Kristin and I celebrate our wedding anniversary during January (37 years) and we use this as an opportunity to recommit to our personal and family goals and reenergize for our work ahead in the New Year. As AGA begins its 109th New Year the governing board, committees and staff are also recommitting and reenergizing to advance the science and practice of gastroenterology during 2006! This year the AGA will continue pressing for fair and equitable reimbursement for gastroenterologists. If you have been following the recent Congressional actions on budgetary issues, you know that the AGA has been engaged in a long advocacy campaign to fix the formula that determines physician payments under Medicare. When the House returns this week it is expected to pass the Deficit Reduction Act, which freezes Medicare payments at 2005 rates. Although this is not great news, it could have been worse, given the sweeping budget cuts that comprise the remainder of the Deficit Reduction Act. While wholesale change to the payment system would have been more satisfying, a payment freeze is better than a payment cut. We're committed to continuing the fight for a fair and equitable Medicare payment system that reflects the true costs of delivering care to beneficiaries. Rest assured, the AGA will continue to work on both the legislative and regulatory fronts during 2006 to ensure that gastroenterologists are adequately reimbursed for the quality care that we provide patients. As part of the AGA's commitment to young gastroenterologists, we have provided $2500 support grants to a number of fellows in the Gulf region who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. We heard from fellows at LSU, Tulane and the Ochsner Clinic who had suffered great emotional and financial loss as a result the storm. We are pleased that the AGA's Foundation was able help our young colleagues in their time of need .These checks arrived over the holidays and the gratitude expressed by the recipients was truly heartening. If you are a fellow in the affected area, grants are still available. Go to the Foundation Web site < http://www.fdhn.org/> for more information.On the educational front, I am happy to report that the AGA's Clinical Congress which was held in December was a worthwhile and highly rated educational experience for all who attended. The feedback from attendees on course content, interactive learning and venue was consistently positive and evaluation of the speakers uniformly outstanding! Key to the success of the Congress was our excellent faculty. Thank you to all faculty presenters, Congress Directors, Steve Hanauer and Bill Chey, and to the CTC Course Director Don Rockey. Another educational opportunity for members is the recently launched joint program with the Duke Clinical Medicine Series. This is a year-long series of interactive, evidence-based conferences designed to highlight new research and improve treatment in the field of gastroenterology. The one-hour, case-based programs are led by well-known physician experts and cover key topics in gastroenterology. The conferences, designed for physicians, fellows and residents, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants and support staff, are free and are held live on the first Friday of each month and then archived online for a year. Click here for more information < http://gastroenterologyconference.dcri.duke.edu/index.asp> .Thank you to all who participated in the discussion board on Women and Minority Issues on the AGA Web site. Hosted by Gail Hecht, the Governing Board Liaison for Women and Minority Issues, the discussion is part of the AGA's commitment to give greater focus to these important groups. Stay tuned since we will host additional discussions in the future. As always, I am interested to hear your feedback on the work of the AGA. Send comments to communications@gastro.org. Sincerely, David A. Peura, MD |
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Gastroenterological Association (AGA) 4930 Del Ray Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814; Phone: (301) 654-2055; Fax: (301) 654-5920 |