7 to 10 PM President's Reception [Sungarden]; Heavy hors d'oeuvres, no-host bar

8 - 8:15 AM Welcome, Introduction of Candidates and Resolutions. Robert J. Cihak, M.D., AAPS President

8:15 - 9:15 AM Is Medical Care a Right? Public perception and its impact on legislation, policy, & patients' demands. Surveys show overwhelming belief that medical care is a "right," but conveniently neglect to ask respondents how much they are willing to pay. You'll learn about the public's perception of medical care and our profession and get a legislative briefing about recent and pending Congressional action that affects how you practice medicine. Dean Clancy, Office of the Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives (invited)

9:15 - 10:30 AM Government in the Examining Room: Practice in a Socialized System. First-hand observations about practicing in systems in which a "right to medical care" results in rationing -- panelists on Canada, Cuba, England, Russia, and Washington State. Louise Omdahl, R.N., nurse manager; Tom Mueller, M.D., Washington AAPS; Yuri Maltsev, Ph.D., Carthage College

10:45 - noon. Restoring Private Insurance: Why the Employer-Based System Has Failed. Most patients can't hire or fire their "plan." Free-market solutions for you and your patients. Greg Scandlen, Senior Fellow, National Policy Center Analysis; Gerry Smedinghoff, Actuary

12:00 noon Luncheon [Regency A]; Business Reports; "SNITCH CULTURE": How We've Turned into the Eyes and Ears of the State." Jim Redden, author and investigative reporter (Book signing follows)

2:00 - 3:30 PM "First Alert Team" workshop [Regency EF] (Optional). Join other members of our team who help educate the public, politicians, and media. We'll preview the new AAPS slide show and video, and run through the scripts so you can give presentations to carry the AAPS message and recruit new members. Bring your ideas for communications tactics and tools.

5 - 9 PM River Dinner Cruise, featuring award-winning stand-up comic Stu Silverstein, M.D. (optional) Board bus at hotel at 5:00 p.m. Please RSVP by 10/23 or with registration.

7 - 8 AM Continental Breakfast [Regency EF]

8:00 AM Prescription Drugs: Why are drugs so expensive, and why are they cheaper in other countries? What are the effects of government mandates and price controls? How can private programs get drugs to our needy patients? Speakers from PhRMA and "Rx Hope"

9:00 - 10:15 AM Medicare's Life Expectancy: How to Avoid Letting It Shorten Your Patients'. Medicare's management problems from an insider; how to opt out and a first-hand story from an opted-out doctor; Constitutional issues. William Scanlon, Government Accounting Office; Andrew Schlafly, Esq., AAPS General Counsel; Robert Schwartz, M.D.; Herb Titus, Esq., American Health Legal Foundation

10:30 - 12 noon The Death of Medical Privacy: Ethics v. the Law. The HIPAA privacy regulations abolish any notion of patient confidentiality and force physicians to choose between compliance and their Oath. We'll review developments in AAPS v. HHS, and discuss how HIPAA will affect your practice. Vickie Yates Brown, Esq.; Jonathan Emord, Esq., and Andrew Schlafly, Esq. Noon - 1:30 pm. Luncheon: PC Medicine: the Corrupting Effect of Political Correctness. Sally Satel, M.D., psychiatrist and author (Book signing follows)

1:45 - 2:45 PM Doctors as Propaganda Agents and Informants: Case study -- Guns. Should doctors take media health histories and ask about guns and other family information to make "safety" recommendations? What are the implications, and how can you protect yourself from liability? Miguel A. Faria, M.D., editor, The Medical Sentinel

2:45 - 4 PM Public Health v. Personal Freedom: How Far Should You Go for the State? Doctors are charged with collecting more and more personal data, and public health officials claim the need for government intervention, such as mandatory vaccines, all in the name of public health. Should public health always trump individual freedom? William Reynolds Archer III, M.D., former Commissioner of Health, Texas Dept. of Health; Sally Satel, M.D.; Beth Clay, House Committee on Government Reform

4:15 - 5:30 PM The Freedom to Practice: the Role of Licensure Boards and Prosecutors. Can you meet pain needs without delicensure or prosecution? We'll hear from one doctor who felt the full force of the state. Can you use complementary medicine in a traditional practice? We'll examine the Access to Medical Treatment Act. William Hurwitz, M.D.; John H. Boyles, Jr., M.D., Clinical Professor, Wright State Univ; Jonathan Emord, Esq.

7:00 PM Reception [Regency North Foyer] No-host bar

7:30 PM Banquet [Regency FG]; Presentation of Shining Scalpel Award (recipient to be announced); Keynote Speaker The Hon. Dick Armey (invited): "Making a Federal Case out of Health Care"

7:30 AM Business Meeting, Resolutions, and Elections

8:30 - 9:45 AM The Knock at the Door: Audits, Licensure Actions, and Prosecutions. Despite your best efforts, you could be a target. Learn techniques to respond to and build a case for an initial informal carrier review, through a "fair" hearing and administrative law judge, all the way to a District Court proceeding. Amy Woodhall, Esq.; Glen Crick, Esq.

10 - 10:45 AM The Administrativectomy: the High-Tech, Patient-Friendly, Third-Party Free Practice. Learn how to eliminate third-party interference, reduce administrative costs, and increase time for patient care. Thomas Dorman, M.D.; David MacDonald, D.O.

10:45 - 11:30 AM Getting the Message Out: Communicate with colleagues, patients, policymakers and the media. Kathryn A. Serkes, President, Square One Media Network; Rob Oldham, medical student and former congressional intern.

11:30 AM For the Good of the Order

1:00 PM Board of Directors Meeting

1. Identify and implement policies and procedures to improve compliance with government regulations and reduce administrative errors.
2. Identify and implement policies to minimize third-party disruptions of patient care and interference with the patient- physician relationship.
3. Develop a program for better communication with patients concerning their rights and the effects of insurance and regulations on their care.
4. Identify ways to improve patient access to prescription drugs.
5. Explain the ethical issues related to the right to medical care and recognize the consequences for medical practice and the quality of care.
6. Recognize the ways in which public health issues affect individual patient care.
7. Analyze data presented in various public health campaigns for scientific fallacies.