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News A Monthly Communiqué for the Vascular Society of New Jersey - February 2004 |
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NOTE TO MEMBERS: Effective November 1, 2003, VSNJ has moved.
Please note new address: Same phone: 609-392-7553 Same fax: 609-392-2664 Same email: blynch@blynchassociates.com Same website: www.vascularsocietynj.org From the President….Rocco Ciocca, MD My tenure as President is rapidly coming to a close and will end in March at the annual Spring meeting of the Society. I think that we have had a relatively successful year with significant gains in the infrastructure and value of the society. I would like to invite all members, residents, fellows, lab techs, and non-members to celebrate those gains at the Spring meeting, which will be held March 17 at my home institution -- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Steve Hertz has again put together a wonderful program that includes the presentation of seven scientific abstracts as well an informative non-invasive lab symposium. There will be no admission fee for all members, residents, fellows, lab techs and only a nominal fee for non-members. It will be a fantastic and inexpensive way to accrue valuable CME credits and serves as another reminder of the significant value of Vascular Society of New Jersey membership. Register for the 26th Annual Meeting of the Vascular Society of New Jersey Wednesday, March 17, 2004 UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ Steven M. Hertz, MD, Program Chairman Registration promotional materials sent under separate cover to all vascular surgeons and techs.
Here’s a sample of the programming -
11:00 am
12 noon
1 pm – 3 pm
3:15 – 4:30 pm
“Rule-Out DVT in the ER: Can d-dimer and/or clinical evaluation lower the rate of normal studies”
“Screening Programs for Vascular Disease: Updates, Yields, and Efficacy” “Eliminating Unnecessary Vascular Lab Tests: How and Why to Do It” Speaker: Peter Pappas, MD Networking…Education…CME and Tech Credits Sign up today! Exhibitor and Sponsorship Opportunities MSNJ’s Call for Expert Witness System The medical liability crisis and the tort system that fostered it are threatening to put many physicians out of business and harm the quality of care physicians can give to their patients. To some extent this crisis is driven by “hired gun” expert witnesses who will testify to anything even if their testimony is not consistent with acceptable medical practices. MSNJ is determined to fight back against witnesses who provide improper testimony but we need the help of your society to help implement our plans. MSNJ intends to create a system to review expert witness testimony and plans to seek sanctions against those physicians who provide improper testimony. MSNJ is establishing a system whereby physicians against whom improper expert witness testimony was offered would be able to submit that testimony to a panel of experts for review. If the panel determines that the expert witness’ testimony was not consistent with accepted medical standards, a report stating that opinion will be issued and complaints against the witness filed with the relevant licensing boards and professional societies. A data bank of “sanctioned” expert witnesses will be kept. MSNJ believes that this process will be more effective in eliminating the “hired gun” expert witness than any other method. MSNJ is calling on physicians to donate their time to this endeavor. We do not believe that this will be a significant burden on any physician. Please contact Ray Cantor (rcantor@msnj.org/ 609-896-1766 x 245) if you would like to participate. We know that the Legislature is not willing to make the tough choices to solve the medical liability crisis. It is up to the physician community to seek its own solutions to effectuate remedies. Policing expert witnesses is one measure we can do on our own. VSNJ – In the Public Eye . . . Did you know that VSNJ . . . Had a Letter to the Editor on stents/angioplasty surgery published in several newspapers across NJ including the Asbury Park Press, The Record and The Daily Journal (Vineland)? The print coverage reached more than 773,000 people statewide. Did you know that VSNJ . . . arranged for Dr. Ciocca to be featured in the Star Ledger Business Feature "The Business of NJ;" and arranged a 5-minute public affairs interview for Dr. Ciocca on "Comcast Newsmakers?" It aired a total of 21 times in five Central/Southern NJ Counties. Our condolences to VSNJ member William Hardesty, MD, on the loss of his son, Bradley Dean Hardesty on January 13. Memorial contributions made in name to Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, 2688 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville NJ 08648. To save important resources (time and money), we are building an email address list of members. The monthly report, and other important communications, can then be easily and efficiently emailed to the organization. Please provide your name and email address. |