MEET A MEMBER: DONALD LUEBKE, MD

PCMS is launching a new series in the newsletter, “Meet a Member,” where you can be read about and be inspired by a colleague. You can nominate an outstanding PCMS physician (including yourself) by emailing pueblocountymedsoc@gmail.com.

Our inaugural member profile is Donald Luebke, MD. Dr. Luebke, a retired specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery, is committed and passionate about medicine and our community. He serves on the PCMS Board of Directors, is a past president of PCMS and has been a member of the society since 1980. He met his wife, Teresa, when he started working at St. Mary Corwin and she was a RN on the surgical floor. They have been married for 31 years and have two sons together and two sons from a previous marriage.

Q: Why did you decide to settle in Pueblo?
A: I came to Pueblo because it looked like a wonderful city in which to live, practice, and raise a family, and I have not been disappointed.  Plastic and Reconstructive surgery covers a wide range of different types of problems, and I was able to perform procedures of cosmetic, hand, burn, cancer, facial, and trauma surgery here, and soon I was very busy, as I hoped I would be.

Q: Who or what inspired you to pursue medicine?
A: I decided to be a surgeon when I was in high school, and went to Tulane University and later medical school with that goal.  My very last rotation as a senior in medical school was plastic surgery, which I found fascinating, and that became my specialty until I retired two years ago. I now work part-time for Healogics and supervise the hyperbaric oxygen treatment and wound care at St. Mary Corwin Outpatient Wound Care Center.

Q: Why is it important to you to be a member of PCMS?
A: I have been a member of the Pueblo County Medical Society since I started practicing here in Pueblo since it represents all the local physicians, and provides the ability to get to know our medical colleagues personally and share our views and interests both here in Pueblo as well as the entire state through the Colorado Medical Society. 

Q: What advice would you give to a resident or medical student preparing to practice in Pueblo County?
A: Many changes have already happened to medicine, and even more are soon to come, and I encourage all the doctors to join the society, which now is the only organization responsible for our common goal: to be able to care for our patients in the best possible way. Hopefully, many of the burdensome rules and regulations can be reduced, and I believe that can only happen with representation by the society that speaks for all of us.  Pueblo is a great place to live and work, but it will need help and direction from us in order to ensure that the practice of medicine and surgery here continues with the high standards that have brought us here. 

2017 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS ARE DUE

2017 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

We are in the process of putting together and soon publishing our 2017 pictorial membership directory. All members will be listed alphabetically with pictures, education information and office information included. Arrangements are being made for physicians, Podiatrists, PAs and NPs in Pueblo to come to the Pueblo County Medical Society and take pictures for the directory (also for our online website). The sessions will be free and you will be able to choose the picture you would like published in the directory and online. The purchase of pictures may also be an option at that time (very soft sell opportunity).  Please contact our office ASAP with any address updates.  

NEWS FROM THE COLORADO MEDICAL SOCIETY

• CMS Council on Legislation openings – Two PCMS members are needed to represent our region and all Colorado physicians on the CMS Council on Legislation. Having a say in this process gives you a direct impact on the political events that influence changes in the daily practice of medicine.  If you’re interested in applying, please contact our office at your earliest convenience.
  
  Below are the dates for the COL meetings in 2017. Please place a hold in your respective calendars.  Meetings are held in person or by teleconference on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm and dinner will be served for in-person attendees. Adrienne Abatemarco, CMS Program Manager, Division of Government Relations, will send you a reminder for each meeting along with the agenda and call-in numbers. Here are the scheduled meetings: March: 8, 15 and 29; and April 12 and 26.
  
  If you have any questions, please contact Adrienne at adrienne_abatemarco@cms.org or 720-858-6322. 

• CMS Board opening – One CMS board position is open to be the voice which represents our Pueblo County area.  Please call our offices if you’re interested in applying. 
  
  The next CMS board meeting is March 10, 2017, at CMS headquarters in Denver, CO. Lunch will be provided. CMS will send the board packet two weeks prior to the meeting, and a reminder and call-in numbers a week or so prior to the meeting. CMS board meetings are open to all members to attend in person or by teleconference; only seated board members may vote.

• Central Line – Have you registered your interest areas in Central Line yet? Many of your colleagues have! Central Line is CMS’s new virtual engagement platform that gives members an opportunity to give your board representative input before and after votes on new CMS policy, give input to colleagues on policy proposals they submit, or submit policy proposals yourself. Designating your interest areas gives you the first look at any proposed policy that falls into the particular categories you’ve selected. Go to www.cms.org/centralline to log in.

• Leadership Skills Series – The first program in CMS’s Physician Leadership Skills Series – Giving and receiving feedback / Building social capital – is tomorrow, Feb. 11, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. in Denver. The second program – Goal setting – is March 6, 6 – 7:30 p.m. online. Find more information about this dynamic series at www.cms.org/events/leadership-skills and make plans to attend.

UPDATES ON MEDICAID/MEDICARE

Attest to Meaningful Use by Feb. 28
Physicians have until Feb. 28 to attest to meaningful use for the 2016 program year. Physicians have been required to attest to Meaningful Use every year to avoid a payment adjustment in future years. For all returning participants, the reporting period will be a minimum of any continuous 90-day period between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016.

To attest, eligible professionals should submit their data through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Registration and Attestation System. To speed the attestation process, the AMA recommends that physicians attest during off-peak hours, such as evenings and weekends, and that they take time now to ensure that their information is up to date before beginning to enter 2016 data. The agency has provided a " What You Need to Know for 2016" tip sheet for eligible professionals.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AMA National Advocacy Conference Feb. 27 – March 1
The 2017 AMA National Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., features a terrific lineup of guest speakers and a variety of activities and opportunities that will leave you more well informed and empowered to advocate for patients, the medical profession and the future of health care. Keynote speakers include Norah O’Donnell, co-host of CBS This Morning and correspondent for CBS’ Face the Nation, and Mick Ebeling, CEO of Not Impossible Labs, a two-time SXSW Innovation Award winner and in-demand speaker and author. PCMS and the Colorado Medical Society will coordinate “hill visits,” or meetings with members of the Colorado congressional delegation or their staffs, after NAC concludes.

• Read about the issues in “The Top Issues that will Affect Physicians in 2017” by Troy Parks, AMA Wire
  
• Read “What Does ACA “Repeal and Replace” Mean for Hospitals?” by Michael Wyland, Nonprofit Quarterly

Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast series
Saturday mornings at the Pueblo Convention Center, 8 - 9:30 a.m., March 4, April 1 and April 22, sponsored by Parkview Medical Center; reservations are required - tickets are $20 for Pueblo Chamber members and $25 for non-members.  RSVP by emailing mariellenm@pueblochamber.net. 

Webinar: Healthcare Cybersecurity Update: Ensuring HIPAA Compliance with Cloud Services
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, 1 p.m. MST, Duration: 45 minutes; learn more or register
Health care covered entities and their business associates now need to prepare for two threats: the growing threat of cyber-attacks, and the ramp-up of the HIPAA Compliance Phase 2 Audits by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health & Human Services (OCR-HHS). Health care is a prize target of cyber-criminals; no one is immune from this threat. And the government is taking the threat to the privacy and security of patient information very seriously. Any provider who does not make all reasonable efforts to protect confidential patient information could find themselves the subject of an audit investigation. Join eFax Corporate® and HITECH Answers for this webinar to learn more. 

A quick reminder that the conference room at PCMS headquarters can accommodate up to 10 people and is available for use by all PCMS members. Contact our office to reserve a date and time for your meeting.