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Mintues: February 8, 2012

407th MEETING OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL COUNCIL

3 p.m., Wednesday, February 8, 2012
School of Medicine Administration, Board Room 103

PRESENT: Drs. Ahuja, Akpek, Barone, Bienvenu, Carroll, Chanmugam, Dlhosh, Gonzalez-Fernandez, Gottesman, James Herman, Joseph Herman, Ishii, Matunis, Molinaro, Nyhan, Poynton, Shuler, Solomon, Taverna, Tufaro, Williams, Zachara, Mr. Rini and Ms. Foy

 ABSENT: Drs. Ahn, Barker, Claypool, Comfort, Crino, Fine, J. Green, R. Green, Keefer, Pavlovich, Puttgen, Resar, Tan, Tis, Wade, Wolfgang, Messrs. Johnson, Mandell, Ms. Matthys

 GUESTS: Drs. Baumgartner, Hill-Briggs, Mr. Neall, Mss. Flury and Ungar


I. Minutes

 The minutes of the January 18, 2012 meeting were approved.

II. Chair’s Report- Dr. Ishii

Dr. Ishii made the following comments:

Dean/CEO elect Dr. Rothman will meet with the Council in April.

A series of Town Hall meetings on the new benefits proposals will take place in late February.

A multi-school committee has been formed to make recommendations on the best use for the Welch Library Building. The committee will be reaching out to faculty and students in the East Baltimore divisions for input. A suggestion the Welch be used as a faculty resource for grant-writing and reference work was made.

Fifteen CMS challenge grants have been submitted from the School of Medicine and one from the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

A faculty retreat will be held on February 11th. Dr. Darrell Kirch, President of the AAMC, will give the keynote address. Topics presented will help faculty understand the new leadership structure of JHM 3.0 and provide an opportunity for feedback.

The new clinical buildings will be dedicated on April 12th.

A symposium in honor of Dean Miller will take place on June 11th.

The MSC Charter Committee continues to work. The name change for the Council will be postponed until the new charter is approved.

The exchange program between Johns Hopkins and King’s College has been reactivated and will be open to faculty at all levels. Dr. David Cornblath is spearheading the effort. Information on the application process is available from Ms. Christine White in the Dean’s Office.

III. Meaningful use and ePrescribe Update- Ms. Nina Unger, Associate Director Contracts Services

Ms. Ungar reported on the progress in building the system to accommodate the requirements of being a “meaningful user”. Participation in an electronic exchange of health IT is a key component of the program. Meaningful users must also use certified EHR-technology in a meaningful manner (CPOE) and submit information on clinical quality measures. Johns Hopkins has been enrolling physicians who by virtue of their clinical practice qualify for the Medicaid EHR incentive. Some 350 faculty have been enrolled with another 220 possible enrollees. Registration deadline is March 2012.

Ms. Ungar reviewed the Medicaid incentives available and the reporting requirements under “meaningful use”. Physicians will continue to be sought out to enroll. A summary of notable differences between the Medicare and Medicaid programs was provided which included a timeline for implementation. A summary of the most problematic requirements for practice plans was presented.

A brief review of the ePrescribe program was presented. Requirements for participation are dependent on an established number of scripts written within defined periods.

Ms. Ungar responded to questions. Dr. Ishii thanked her for her presentation.

IV. Gold Book Revisions- Dr. Poynton 

Dr. Poynton, Chair of the Gold Book Subcommittee informed the Council on the Subcommittee’s work to date. The group was charged with reviewing the proposed Gold Book changes as any change requires MSC as well as ABMF approval. Dr. Poynton noted a number of areas in the document required further clarification and perhaps better formatting. Areas mentioned were faculty rank, salary, medical leave, and personal leave. A final report will be forthcoming.

A comment concerning a new Department of Surgery compensation plan which some faculty felt was not in compliance with the Gold Book policy led to a broader discussion of the purpose of the Gold Book.

Dr. Ishii thanked Dr. Poynton for her presentation.

V. Overview of JHM strategy- Ms. Elizabeth Flury, Office of Transformation

Ms. Flury and Dr. Felicia Hill-Briggs reviewed the JHM 3.0 strategic planning process. Faculty will have an opportunity to learn about the JHM 3.0 vision at a retreat scheduled for Saturday, February 11th. A number of mission imperatives will be presented and faculty will have an opportunity to participate in Subject Matter Expert Teams (SMEs) designed to implement the indentified imperatives. 

Dr. Baumgartner encouraged faculty to attend and to hear Dr. Kirch’s address, “How Will Johns Hopkins Lead in Health Care Transformation”. Discussion topics of interest to faculty include EPIC, Access, ICD10, and meaningful use.

Dr. Ishii thanked Dr. Hill-Briggs and Ms. Flury for their presentations.

 VI. Priority Partners- Mr. Robert Neall, Executive JHHC Priority Partners 

Priority Partners is one of seven state-wide Medicaid providers and covers 225,000 poor Marylanders. The company was formed in 1997 and until 2006 had a long history of losses due to a flawed rate setting system, risk profile, and operational issues. The company is 25% owned by JHM, 25% by the JHHS, and 50% by MCHS. Over the last four years the company has become financially viable. Some $180 million per year downstreams through JHM for medical services provided to Priority Partners patients.

Mr. Neall outlined the challenges in running a managed care organization as members have many social issues that impact on health. The downturn in the economy added Medicaid enrollees and the State has cut MCO rates to inadequate levels.

Mr. Neall outlined several issues impacting Priority Partners including provider access, increasing numbers of high cost NICU care, risk aversion by some competing networks, unrealistic HEDIS quality expectations with huge fines at stake, state cutbacks in reimbursements, and increased costs due to Johns Hopkins regulated clinics policies.

Mr. Neall noted Priority Partners is committed to the JHM mission of serving the poor and providing members for teaching missions and downstreaming revenues to JHM where appropriate. He noted that 85% of patients seen in the Harriet Lane clinic are Priority Partners patients. The organization is committed to providing the highest quality of care at a reasonable cost to the DHMH and highest patient satisfaction to its members.

Dr. Neall responded to questions. Dr. Ishii thanked him for his presentation.

 VII. Other Business

There being no further business this meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary E. Foy

Secretary

Future Medical School Council meetings:

All meetings will be held in the School of Medicine Board Room (SOM 103), 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

  • March 21, 2012
  • April 11, 2012
  • May 9, 2012
  • June 20, 2012
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