The American Osteopathic Association will hold its annual House of Delegates meeting July 17-19, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois.
POMA President William J. Kuprevich, Jr. D.O., will be leading Pennsylvania’s delegation. Forty-six physician delegates and two student delegates — one each from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) — will be attending the meeting. Nine physician alternates and one student alternate from PCOM will also be representing POMA.
Dr. Kuprevich has been recommended to chair the Reference Committee on Public Affairs, and POMA Vice President Alice J. Zal, D.O., has been recommended to serve as vice chair of the Reference Committee on Professional Affairs. POMA hopes to have representation on the Educational Affairs, Constitution and Bylaws and Ad Hoc reference committees, as well as on the Resolutions, Credentials and Joint House/Board Budget.
POMA will also be forwarding a resolution on resident hours to the AOA House for their consideration.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) President and CEO John M. Ferretti, D.O., and Silvia M. Ferretti, D.O., provost, senior vice president and dean of academic affairs, were recently honored as finalists in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. A global leader in business services, Ernst and Young recognizes the achievements of some of the nation’s most innovative business leaders.
Held June 19, 2009, at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Drs. Ferretti were recognized for turning the need to educate more primary care physicians into a reality by leading the effort to open LECOM. Together they made LECOM different than other medical colleges by expanding the curricula to include three extra student-centered learning pathways. The college, which has expanded with locations in Bradenton, Florida, and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, also includes a school of pharmacy.
LECOM board of trustees member Kevin Colosimo, J.D., nominated the Ferrettis for the regional award.
Beginning with this year’s issue, the POMA Membership Directory will only be available online. A disc will be available to POMA members upon written request.
To view the 2009 POMA Membership Directory online, your 2008-2009 membership dues must be paid and you must be a member of the POMA online community.
Instructions for Viewing the POMA Membership Directory Online
• Visit www.poma.org.
• Click Login on the upper right hand side of the page.
• Enter your AOA number (without the leading zero) and password.
• Click Login.
• Click on the POMA drop down menu at the top of the page.
• Click on POMA Membership Directory.
Due to the size of the files, please be patient while they open. You will need Adobe Reader to view the directory files. You can receive a free copy of the reader program at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
As always, if there are any questions, please contact the POMA Central Office at (717) 939-9318 or e-mail poma@poma.org.
The POMA website allows active POMA members to access their CME credits, pay convention registration and membership dues online, view the POMA Newsletter and The Journal of the POMA archives, and complete online surveys. Non-POMA members may view the public site, but they are restricted from the privileges of active POMA members.
Registration/Login Instructions for POMA Online First Time Users
• Visit www.poma.org.
• Click the Register button on the upper right hand side of the page.
• Enter your AOA number in the box provided.
• Select your POMA membership status by clicking the appropriate button and click Continue.
• Select your osteopathic medical school and graduation year from the pull-down list to verify your identity. Click Continue.
• Verify the information provided and complete the remaining fields.
• Once done, click Register. Log out of the website then log back in to access the CME feature of the website.
Accessing Your CME Credits
• Only active POMA members are able to access the CME page on the new POMA website.
• Click Login on the upper right hand side of the page.
• Enter your AOA number and password then click Login.
• Select My Continuing Medical Education Credits from the POMA drop down menu, or click Go next to View CME Records in the POMA Membership box on the left side of the page.
• You will then be redirected to the continuing medical education page, where your credits will appear.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania law, it is illegal for physicians to stop or withhold medical treatment unless a patient has an advance directive or do not resuscitate order. The patient must also meet several other criteria.
Under Pennsylvania law, it is assumed that an adult patient would want all medical treatment possible unless otherwise stated in a living will or health care power of attorney that allows another person to make decisions on the patient’s behalf. It is also assumed that a mentally competent patient has the right to make decisions on treatment and refuse those that would prolong dying.
Advance directives can only be honored when an adult patient has an end stage medical condition caused by illness or injury, or physicians have determined the adult patient is in an irreversible coma.
Physicians who do not feel they can honor the wishes of an adult patient as stated in a directive should transfer the case to a physician who can.
The law also states that medication may be administered to ease pain. The law does not condone mercy killing, euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Physicians are reminded that if they change their office address, they are required to report their new address to the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine within 10 days. If you have an email address, or if your email address has recently changed, please forward it to the POMA Central Office at prc@poma.org.
Osteopathic physicians are reminded that under the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s rules and regulations, as found in the Pennsylvania Code §25.212, “(b) Advertising, letterhead, publications or transmissions shall designate or indicate the licensee’s school of medical practice by the term ‘D.O.,’ ‘doctor of osteopathy,’ ‘osteopathic physician’ or ‘osteopathic physician and surgeon.’” These provisions were issued under section 16 of the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act (63 P.S. §271.16); and section 902(b) of the Health Care Services Malpractice Act (40 P. S. §1301.902(b)). The provisions of §25.212 were adopted January 10, 1992, and became effective on January 11, 1992, 22 Pa.B. 209.
The POMA has received more information on an article that appeared in the June 2002 issue of the D.O. Magazine. The article stated that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) was requiring physicians to report their patients to the Bureau of Licensing when they were placed on medication that could impair their driving ability. According to PENNDOT, physicians only need to report patients if they have a mental disorder or a condition, such as seizures or diabetes, that, if left uncontrolled, could cause impairment to driving. PENNDOT requires physicians to report any of their patients that are not taking medication to control these disorders. They also strongly suggest reporting them even if they are on medication.
The POMA Committee on Public Relations/Affairs is looking for physicians to submit original material for "HouseCalls," a statewide public education/awareness project aimed toward newspapers and their readers. This ongoing series of "medical tips" bulletins is mailed to all daily and weekly Pennsylvania newspapers.
"HouseCalls," which has been recognized by the American Osteopathic Association, can only be a success if POMA members are actively involved in sending in articles and facts!!! Send your articles/ideas to the POMA Committee on Public Relations/Affairs in care of the POMA Central Office, 1330 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA 17111-2395, fax (717) 939-7255 or e-mail publ@poma.org.
Gerald Scharf, D.O., editor-in-chief of The Journal of the POMA, asks all members, including students, interns and residents, to submit their articles for consideration.
Also, voice your opinions on the articles published in the Journal through "Letters to the Editor." Your input is invaluable in helping us meet your needs. The Journal is an educational tool for all POMA members, so let us know your thoughts on the articles we have published and what you would like to see in upcoming issues.
Professional manuscripts and letters to the editor should be sent to the Journal Editor, POMA Central Office, 1330 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, Pa 17111-2395, or emailed to publ@poma.org. If you have any questions, please email or call the POMA Publications Department at (717) 939-9318, ext. 14, or in Pa., (800) 544-POMA.