"we have now what we have always needed, real partnership with the government"
The Mississippi State Medical Association represented the Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure for two years as a lobbyist. The Board paid MSMA $30,000 in fees for its services. The Board is the regulatory agency for physicians in Mississippi. MSMA calls itself "the largest physician advocacy organization in Mississippi, representing nearly 5,000 physicians and medical students."
The Board voted at its January 2014 meeting to hire the Mississippi State Medical Association as a lobbyist.*
Board President Dr. Randy Easterling "advised" the board to hire the MSMA to push the Board's legislation and monitor other bills as well. The contract term was for one year but the board voted at the January 2015 meeting to renew it for another year. The Board paid MSMA $15,000 per year for the two years. MSMA registered the Board as a client each year with the Secretary of State as required by law. The Board did not renew the contract in 2016 but did hire the Clay Firm last January.
The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure also pays the Mississippi State Medical Association $175,000 per year to administer the Mississippi Physician Health Program. MSMA defines the program on its website:
It claims a 90% success rate as well:
The MPHP is a confidential first line resource for physicians and other licensed health care professionals who suffer from potentially impairing conditions such as substance use disorders. The MPHP coordinates effective detection, evaluation, treatment, and aftercare monitoring of physicians with addictive disorders and other psychiatric illnesses. Our primary focus is on intervention and recovery, with long term, intensive monitoring.
Physicians receiving advocacy of MPHP practice medicine safely and actually have a lower risk of adverse outcomes, which helps to guarantee a healthy Mississippi physician workforce. Over 90% of MPHP participants have confirmed stable recovery and return to productive medical practices.The Medical Board provided the following grants to the program and its predecessor under the MSMA:
Fiscal Year
2017: $350,000 (MSPHP)
2016: $250,000 (MSPHP)
2015: $250,000 (MSPHP)
2014: $250,000
2013: $250,000
2012: $250,000
2011: $200,000
2010: $200,000
2009: $200,000
The Board has paid nearly $2 million to MSMA to support the program over the last nine years.
*Board Members Dr. Randy Easterling (President), Dr. Virginia Crawford (VP), Dr. Larry Aycock, Dr. Claude Brunson, Dr. Rickey Chance, Dr. William Jones, Dr. William Mayo, Dr. Philip Meredith, and Dr. Charles Miles were present.
Kingfish note: Read the post again. A regulatory agency hired the trade association for the industry it regulates to lobby for said regulatory agency. The Board also has the worst website for reporting disciplinary actions against doctors. But there is nothing to see here, move along. Is this a case of regulatory capture, incest, or nothing at all?
In case anyone thinks otherwise, this website is not criticizing substance-abuse programs for doctors. Such programs are needed. If a program can help a physician earn his way back into sobriety and regain his life (the key word being earn), then that program is a good thing. Better than just locking them up and throwing away the key.
20 comments:
Damn. I don't know what all this means but this is some serious reporting. Some people within these organizations are no doubt scrambling right now.
Government kickbacks at its best.
Should Drs. Brunson and Easterling be permitted to vote on finacial interest at the Board of Medical Licensure that directly enhances the bank account of the Mississippi Medical Association?
The Clay Firm does a phenomenal job representing a diverse client book. They are engaged and aways on top of the issues. They do a great service representing this professional Board. All my Best,
@ 12:24, I think that the minutes above say that Brunson recused himself from the vote.
They were smart to get away from State Med and hire the Clays. Should have hired them or Capitol Resources (Blake).
Thanks, 12:26 PM (AKA The Clay Firm's Summer Intern). I just checked out the website and they do pretty well for a solo practitioner.
Incest at its best.
Terrible. What is worse is that if one does not have a lobbyist at the legislature, they are SOL. Gotta pass some cash around along with some expensive dinners and drinks if you want anything there.
I guess the medical board was immune to the last two years of budget cuts because they gave medical association 70% more money. I think that is a little fishy.
KF - I'll donate if you will stay after the MSMA.
and this is how doctors that got fired from one hospital for overdosing while on call still get hired again by other hospitals in the area...
I'm sure someone will be able to help you understand the nature of your your misunderstanding.
There is no way that the type of situation that you are alleging on this muckbreaking blog would be allowed to happen in the banana republic of Mississippi. Nepotism and self dealing would also be present.
Since you apparently can't report the names of the inlaws, cousins and dullard sons and daughters whose beds are feathered by the taxpayer dollars by whatever you seem to think might be going on in this overly long post (tldr anyway) it stands to reason that you must not have a full understanding of the details!
The fox (rather large and plump) guarding the hen house.
June 16, 2017 at 1:18 AM = Right hand or left hand?
MPCN is a joke. Easterling uses it to go after my friends who practice medicine who has a personal issue with.
Lot of comments being filtered about certain lobbyists.
Alot of comments with unsubstantiated allegations. Guess you missed the other day how quickly MSMA's lawyer sent me an email. Go back to Lord Snow.
These people on the board go after phycisians and Pa’s that they have a personal issue with!!! They don’t give a damn how much damage they cause to so many people ! Especially to the people who have invested years to get to where they are to help people!!!!I know for a fact that a banker with Bankplus who has a personal vendetta against my doc hubby is close friends with 2 members of the state board of medicine and have gotten them to attack his spotless career!!!! But there is no recourse!!! The state medical board needs to be held accountable!!!! They have even gone after physicians who have recently sat on the State Board of Medicine themselves!!!! These people need some oversight and need to answer to another authority!!!!
What happened to my statement????
Please don’t let this storyline go dormant!!!! There is a serious problem here! On one hand....they cover up and protect physicians that should be disciplined big time!!!! And more so.... they attack physicians that are good and serious about caring for their patients!!!! Physicians who practice real medicine and do not allow a “board” to dictate how the practice medicine that is best for the patients! The board acts according to the influence of friends and business associations!!!!
Post a Comment