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New features launched on academy web site
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New Features Launched on Academy Web Site New features have been added to the Academy's Web site (www.aapmr.org) and include a "Member Discussion Forum" and an online "AAPM&R Membership Directory," which will be part of a new password-protected area of the Web site for Academy members only. "Find a PM&R Physician" has been added to the "Consumer/Public" section of the Web site. This searchable database will be of assistance to anyone who is looking for a physiatrist.
Members-Only Topics The Academy has reformatted its Web site to create areas accessible only to AAPM&R members through a member log-on and password. The goal of this section is to provide members with a secure area in which to hold online discussions, retrieve contact information on other Academy members, and view important PM&R- and Academy-related news and announcements. Portions of the main menu of the "Member Physicians" page are locked. Secure areas are clearly marked with the graphic of a key, rather than the regular round button. After clicking on a locked topic, a log-in screen appears. The Academy has sent a special member mailing containing step-by-step instructions for entering the secure areas of the Web site. Once members have entered their log-on and password, they have access to all locked areas of the Web site for the duration of that visit to the site. The topic areas that are passwordprotected are: • Hot PM&R Topics • PM&R Awareness Initiative • Position Papers and White Papers • Resident Physician Council • PASSOR • Young Physiatrists Committee • Special Interest Groups • AAPM&R Membership Directory • Member Discussion Forum The following areas are open to any visitor to the Academy's Web site: • PM&R and Academy Calendars • Continuing Education • PM&R Marketing Tools • Federal and State Legislation • Practice Guidelines and Outcomes • PM&R Resource Links • AAPM&R Membership Information (becoming a member, member benefits, etc.) Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 79, November 1998
ORGANIZATION NEWS--AAPM&R
Member Discussion Forum The goal of the Member Discussion Forum is to facilitate member discussion and the sharing of information on a variety of PM&R topics. The new forum allows members to enter a password-protected area where they can post a comment or question. Other members visiting the forum will be able to view the posted questions and comments and have the option to post responses. Each question and its corresponding responses is known as a discussion thread. The Academy will set up specific discussion folders as needed. These folders will help to organize threads should the general discussion area become extremely active.
AAPM&R Membership Directory The AAPM&R Membership Directory has been added to provide members with another way to easily access member contact information. This secure, searchable directory will contain the information included in the print version of the AAPM&R Member Directory. The Web site version, however, has a major advantage--quarterly data updates. Members can search the database by last name--either the full name or the first few letters of that name--as well as state, city, zip code, or area code.
Find a PM&R Physician To provide the public with an efficient and effective way of locating a physiatrist in their area and to enhance referrals to AAPM&R members, "Find a PM&R Physician" has been added. This searchable database is part of the "Public/Consumer" section of the AAPM&R Web site. Anyone who visits the Academy Web site will be able to use this service. Members who have requested that they not be part of the AAPM&R referral system do not appear in this section. Furthermore, the database provides business contact information only. When a user selects "Find a PM&R Physician," he/she arrives at a screen showing a map of the United States. The visitor may search for a physiatrist by state (using the map), or by city, zip code, area code, or last name. For searches in countries other than the United States, users select a country and retrieve a list of physiatrists who practice in that nation.
Academy Joins Fight Against Health Plan Discrimination of Persons With Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses Organized Medicine Also Investigating Physician Deselection Representatives from the American Medical Association's (AMA's) Litigation Center and the Texas Medical Association (TMA) have requested the Academy's support for the lawsuit Zamora v. HealthTexas that was filed in Federal court in San Antonio. The case includes 2 physicians, 10 patient enrollees, and 2 representatives of deceased patient enrollees as plaintiffs. The plaintiffs claim that a medical clinic, a medical services organization, and two Texas health maintenance organization (HMO) companies discriminated against them or their family members based on their disabilities. The plaintiffs also claim that the defendants discriminated against the physician plaintiffs because of their relationship to the patient enrollees or their family members. The defendants include HealthTexas Medical Group of San Antonio (the medical clinic), Primary Care Net of Texas, L.L.C. (the medical services organization), Humana Health Plans of Texas, Inc. (an HMO), and PacifiCare of Texas (an HMO). The plaintiffs claim that the two HMOs, along with HealthTexas and Primary Care Net, refused to provide health care to their patient enrollees because it was too expensive to treat the patient enrollees' disabilities. The patient enrollees claim that they were denied treatments that were medically appropriate and that the HMOs gave the medical clinic financial incentives to deny care to their patient enrollees in order to keep costs low. The two physician plaintiffs, who were fired or forced to resign from the clinic, assert that they were forced out when they (l) continued to provide the medical care their chronically ill patients needed and (2) acted appropriately as advocates for their patients' medical care. Last summer the AMA's Litigation Center staff discussed this case with the Academy's Practice/Business Committee members. In December 1997, members of the Academy's Board of Governors met with Robert Provan, the attorney for the physicians and patients in Zamora v. HealthTexas, and Rocky Wilcox, General Counsel for the TMA. Mr. Provan also spoke with the Academy's legal counsel. As the national medical specialty society for physicians who treat individuals with disabili-
New Features Launched on Academy Web Site New features have been added to the Academy's Web site (www.aapmr.org) and include a "Member Discussion Forum" and an online "AAPM&R Membership Directory," which will be part of a new password-protected area of the Web site for Academy members only. "Find a PM&R Physician" has been added to the "Consumer/Public" section of the Web site. This searchable database will be of assistance to anyone who is looking for a physiatrist.
Members-Only Topics The Academy has reformatted its Web site to create areas accessible only to AAPM&R members through a member log-on and password. The goal of this section is to provide members with a secure area in which to hold online discussions, retrieve contact information on other Academy members, and view important PM&R- and Academy-related news and announcements. Portions of the main menu of the "Member Physicians" page are locked. Secure areas are clearly marked with the graphic of a key, rather than the regular round button. After clicking on a locked topic, a log-in screen appears. The Academy has sent a special member mailing containing step-by-step instructions for entering the secure areas of the Web site. Once members have entered their log-on and password, they have access to all locked areas of the Web site for the duration of that visit to the site. The topic areas that are passwordprotected are: • Hot PM&R Topics • PM&R Awareness Initiative • Position Papers and White Papers • Resident Physician Council • PASSOR • Young Physiatrists Committee • Special Interest Groups • AAPM&R Membership Directory • Member Discussion Forum The following areas are open to any visitor to the Academy's Web site: • PM&R and Academy Calendars • Continuing Education • PM&R Marketing Tools • Federal and State Legislation • Practice Guidelines and Outcomes • PM&R Resource Links • AAPM&R Membership Information (becoming a member, member benefits, etc.) Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 79, November 1998
ORGANIZATION NEWS--AAPM&R
Member Discussion Forum The goal of the Member Discussion Forum is to facilitate member discussion and the sharing of information on a variety of PM&R topics. The new forum allows members to enter a password-protected area where they can post a comment or question. Other members visiting the forum will be able to view the posted questions and comments and have the option to post responses. Each question and its corresponding responses is known as a discussion thread. The Academy will set up specific discussion folders as needed. These folders will help to organize threads should the general discussion area become extremely active.
AAPM&R Membership Directory The AAPM&R Membership Directory has been added to provide members with another way to easily access member contact information. This secure, searchable directory will contain the information included in the print version of the AAPM&R Member Directory. The Web site version, however, has a major advantage--quarterly data updates. Members can search the database by last name--either the full name or the first few letters of that name--as well as state, city, zip code, or area code.
Find a PM&R Physician To provide the public with an efficient and effective way of locating a physiatrist in their area and to enhance referrals to AAPM&R members, "Find a PM&R Physician" has been added. This searchable database is part of the "Public/Consumer" section of the AAPM&R Web site. Anyone who visits the Academy Web site will be able to use this service. Members who have requested that they not be part of the AAPM&R referral system do not appear in this section. Furthermore, the database provides business contact information only. When a user selects "Find a PM&R Physician," he/she arrives at a screen showing a map of the United States. The visitor may search for a physiatrist by state (using the map), or by city, zip code, area code, or last name. For searches in countries other than the United States, users select a country and retrieve a list of physiatrists who practice in that nation.
Academy Joins Fight Against Health Plan Discrimination of Persons With Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses Organized Medicine Also Investigating Physician Deselection Representatives from the American Medical Association's (AMA's) Litigation Center and the Texas Medical Association (TMA) have requested the Academy's support for the lawsuit Zamora v. HealthTexas that was filed in Federal court in San Antonio. The case includes 2 physicians, 10 patient enrollees, and 2 representatives of deceased patient enrollees as plaintiffs. The plaintiffs claim that a medical clinic, a medical services organization, and two Texas health maintenance organization (HMO) companies discriminated against them or their family members based on their disabilities. The plaintiffs also claim that the defendants discriminated against the physician plaintiffs because of their relationship to the patient enrollees or their family members. The defendants include HealthTexas Medical Group of San Antonio (the medical clinic), Primary Care Net of Texas, L.L.C. (the medical services organization), Humana Health Plans of Texas, Inc. (an HMO), and PacifiCare of Texas (an HMO). The plaintiffs claim that the two HMOs, along with HealthTexas and Primary Care Net, refused to provide health care to their patient enrollees because it was too expensive to treat the patient enrollees' disabilities. The patient enrollees claim that they were denied treatments that were medically appropriate and that the HMOs gave the medical clinic financial incentives to deny care to their patient enrollees in order to keep costs low. The two physician plaintiffs, who were fired or forced to resign from the clinic, assert that they were forced out when they (l) continued to provide the medical care their chronically ill patients needed and (2) acted appropriately as advocates for their patients' medical care. Last summer the AMA's Litigation Center staff discussed this case with the Academy's Practice/Business Committee members. In December 1997, members of the Academy's Board of Governors met with Robert Provan, the attorney for the physicians and patients in Zamora v. HealthTexas, and Rocky Wilcox, General Counsel for the TMA. Mr. Provan also spoke with the Academy's legal counsel. As the national medical specialty society for physicians who treat individuals with disabili-