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Member Tool Kit
STATUS CHANGES
TIPS ON STARTING YOUR PRACTICE
DCMS MEMBERS' FAQs REGARDING STATUS CHANGES
DCMS MEMBERS' FAQs REGARDING
MEMBERSHIP DUES
HELPFUL REFERENCES
STATUS CHANGES
If you need to make a change in your status, please review the
choices, or call the membership department at 214-948-3622 for assistance
in keeping your membership up-to-date.
- GRADUATING MEDICAL STUDENTS
In May of the year you will graduate from medical
school, DCMS will send a packet to your school mailbox with information
about becoming a resident member. If you are graduating and haven't
received your packet, call us at 214-948-3622.
- RESIDENTS FINISHING TRAINING
In May of the year you will complete your residency,
DCMS will send you a packet concerning your completion of training
and active membership. If you are finishing and haven't received your
packet, call us at 214-948-3622.
Your membership in the Dallas County Medical Society and the Texas
Medical Association will be elevated to active membership upon completion
of your training. Continuation of your TMA insurance coverage (if
applicable) is conditional on your maintaining membership in the TMA.
TIPS ON STARTING YOUR PRACTICE
How and where can I get information before
I make decisions about setting up my practice?
TMA offers 1-day workshops for physicians and residents
entering practice. These are designed to give you step-by-step procedures
needed for a successful practice, whether you are starting your own
practice or joining an established one.
The workshops include practical information you can
use immediately, including:
- Practice alternative--solo, group, or HMO/PPO
- Practice setting and practice marketing techniques
- Financing your practice and practice buy-ins
- Medical records
- Patient management/scheduling
- Personnel management
- Financial management techniques
- Legal aspects of medical practice in Texas
If you are interested in these workshops, contact
the TMA Division of Practice Management at 1-800-880-1300 or 512-370-1300
for dates or visit their web site at texmed.org.
DCMS MEMBERS'
FAQs REGARDING STATUS CHANGES
What do I do if I am relocating within Texas?
Send a written request to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas,
TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org
requesting a transfer of your membership to the medical society of
the county to which you are relocating. Upon receipt of request, a
transfer form will be sent to TMA. TMA will send you a copy of your
original application and an addendum application for you to complete
and send to your new county medical society. You have 6 months to
complete the transfer after you have relocated or your membership
will cease.
Do I have to pay additional dues?
If you have paid the current year's dues in your
present county, no additional dues for the year will be required.
If you have not paid the current year's dues, you will need to pay
full-year dues before transferring.
What action do I take if I am relocating outside
Texas?
Send a letter of resignation to DCMS, PO Box 4680,
Dallas, TX 75208, or fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org.
We will notify TMA.
Please include the telephone number and address of
your new location so former patients who call DCMS may contact you.
You may request a letter of good standing for the society to which
you will be applying.
What do I do with my
records if I am relocating?
If you are relocating your practice but want your
Dallas patients to have access to their records, it is best to write
all active patients and inform them where they can get their records.
You may have another physician keep them or may make another arrangement,
but please notify DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805,
or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org
of the procedure your patients should use to locate their records.
This notification may be given when you request transfer or resignation.
When would I be eligible for a leave of absence?
DCMS may grant a leave of absence for a period of
1 year or more for members who leave the active practice of medicine
for any of the following reasons:
Further training in an approved internship or
residency - Send request in writing to DCMS, PO Box 4680,
Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, stating the
name of the institution, specialty, and inclusive dates of training.
Service as a missionary outside the United States
- Send request in writing to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208,
fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, stating where
and for how long you will be doing missionary work.
Temporary service in the U.S. armed forces
- Send request in writing to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208,
fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, stating the
branch of the service and dates of service.
Temporary civilian service outside the United
States - Send request in writing to DCMS, PO Box 4680,
Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, requesting
a 1-year leave while temporarily out of state serving in a nonclerical
or administrative position.
Sick leave - Send request in writing
to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or
e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, concerning
your illness.
Sabbatical leave - Send request in
writing to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805,
or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, requesting
a 1-year leave while temporarily out of state.
Family leave - Send request in writing
to DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or
e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org, if you are
on maternity leave or are staying home with children or other family
members.
What do I do when
I have completed my leave of absence?
Notify DCMS in writing at DCMS, PO Box
4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805 or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org
of the date you will complete your training, missionary work, military
service, civilian service, or family leave, or have recovered your
health and are returning to practice. If you are returning to practice,
you must pay the balance of active dues for the current year.
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What if I am moving out of state and I want
to keep my TMA insurance?
You may request status as an affiliate member. Affiliate
membership is available to regular, military, intern, and resident
members in good standing in the United States. Affiliate members hold
direct memberships in TMA and are not members of DCMS. To qualify
for this membership type, you must do the following:
- Maintain a current Texas medical license AND
- Within 6 months of relocation, join a county and
state medical association and present evidence of good standing
at the time of application and each year at the time of annual TMA
dues billing.
To apply for affiliate membership, call the TMA Membership
Department at 512-370-1300 (in-state 800-880-1300) and notify the
DCMS Membership Department at PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to
214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org
that you will be relocating and resigning your DCMS membership.
What action do I take if I am retiring from
active practice?
Notify DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to
214-946-5805, or e-mail linda@dallas-cms.org
in writing when you have set a date of retirement. The DCMS Board
of Directors will then nominate you to retired status. The TMA House
of Delegates may then elect you to retired status, if you are eligible
according to TMA bylaws. If you will retire before April 1 and have
paid dues for the past year, you will not have to pay dues for the
current year. If you retire after April 1, the current year's dues
will be required.
Retired members do not pay dues but have all the
privileges of membership, except the right to vote, hold office, or
serve as a delegate or alternate delegate to the TMA or AMA. If you
are an AMA member, a portion of your dues to the AMA may be required,
depending on your age. You will be billed directly by AMA.
Life membership is available to physicians who have
been dues-paying members of organized medicine for 35 years, of
which 25 years MUST have been dues paying years in TMA and its component
county societies, and who are practicing less than 50 percent
of the time. The rules are the same as those for retired membership.
You will receive a letter from DCMS confirming your
nomination, and after your election to retired status, the TMA will
notify you.
For more information and a detailed guide to closing
your practice, call DCMS Membership Department at 214-948-3622.
How long must I keep my medical records?
Please inform DCMS of any additional information
concerning where your patients' records will be stored. The information
will be put in your file. Any information about who will be taking
over your practice can be kept in your file to help patients who call
the DCMS office for information.
The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners has established
the length of time patient records must be maintained.
Each licensed physician should maintain an adequate
medical record documenting or memorializing the history, diagnosis,
and treatment for each patient.
A licensed physician should maintain adequate medical
records of a patient for a minimum of 7 years from the anniversary
date of the last treatment by the physician.
If a patient was younger than 18 when last treated
by the physician, the medical records of the patient should be maintained
by the physician until the patient reaches 21.
A physician may not destroy medical records that
relate to any civil, criminal or administrative proceeding if the
physician knows the proceeding has not been resolved.
Physicians should retain medical records longer than
the length of time imposed if mandated by other federal or state statute
or regulation.
Texas State Legislature Senate Bill number 1607.
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What medical agencies need my address changes?
You must provide the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
with your current address. The board can be reached at:
Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
PO Box 149134
Austin, TX 78714-9134
1-800-248-4062 or 512-305-7010
You should also notify DCMS in writing of your old and new address at
DCMS, PO Box 4680, Dallas, TX 75208, fax to 214-946-5805, or e-mail
linda@dallas-cms.org. DCMS
will notify TMA and AMA.
Also notify hospitals, specialty societies, referring
physicians, professional journals, financial institutions, utility companies,
suppliers, labs, attorneys, and accountants.
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DCMS MEMBERS' FAQs REGARDING MEMBERSHIP DUES
To whom are dues statements sent?
Every dues-paying member of DCMS and TMA should receive
a statement in mid-October for the next year's dues.
When should dues be paid?
Dues are accepted after October 1. They are due January
1.
When are dues considered late?
Dues are delinquent on March 1, and members are dropped
for non-payment on April 1.
What is included in the dues statement?
Dues for:
Dallas County Medical Society
Texas Medical Association
American Medical Association
- Alliance dues are included for your spouse if he
or she is, or wishes to be, an Alliance member. A contribution for
support of the Aldredge House also is included.
- Also included is the contribution amount for TEXPAC/AMPAC
(Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee and American
Medical Association Political Action Committee), TEXPAC Alliance for
your spouse's contribution and TEXPAC 300 Club and 1000 Club memberships.
HELPFUL REFERENCES
If you plan to administer, prescribe, or dispense
controlled substances in Texas, you must obtain an application for
a Texas Controlled Substances Registration number by contacting:
You must inform the Texas Department of Public Safety
if you change practice addresses.
After you have obtained a Texas number, you can apply
for a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number by
calling the DEA's divisional office in Dallas at 214-640-0849 or fax
214-640-0854.
If you have a DEA registration number (which is specific
to a particular practice address) and plan to relocate, you must inform
the DEA in writing approximately 6 weeks in advance. Send your DEA
number, your old address, and the new address to:
If you plan to administer, prescribe, or dispense
Schedule II controlled substances, you must obtain a supply of triplicate
prescription forms. Contact:
General correspondence can be addressed to:
If you wish to dispense or administer Schedule II
controlled substances in your office, you must obtain the drugs from
a distributor (not from a pharmacy) by means of DEA Form 222. These
may be obtained from:
Schedule III, IV, and V controlled substances may
be obtained from distributors (not from pharmacies) by using your
DEA and Texas registration numbers.
To receive the order form with price information
about ICD-9-CM, write:
Order the CPT Coding Manual by calling AMA Order
Department at 312-464-5000 or write:
Ask the name and telephone number of your provider
representative from both the Medicare and Medicaid intermediaries.
Establishing this personal contact should help resolve future reimbursement
problems more efficiently.
Medicare - If you plan to treat Medicare
patients, you must apply for a Medicare provider number from Blue
Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, the Medicare fiscal intermediary in Texas.
Telephone 972-766-6076. After completion of the application form,
allow 6 to 8 weeks' processing time.
Medicaid - You can request a Medicaid
provider number from National Heritage Insurance Co. (the Medicaid
intermediary) only after you have been assigned a Medicare provider
number. Call 1-800-73-6768 and press 0 for an application, or call
National Heritage Insurance Co. directly at 512/343-4900. Allow about
1 month for processing the Medicaid enrollment form.
CHAMPUS - A similar process is necessary
in preparation for treating CHAMPUS patients. Call the Provider Certification
Unit at 608-243-7603 and request an application for a provider number.
Simply filing a claim form for reimbursement under CHAMPUS will result
in automatic enrollment as a provider. Claim forms can be obtained
by writing:
If you plan to operate X-ray equipment in your office,
you should contact:
If you have employees, you must obtain a Federal
Employer ID Number from the Internal Revenue Service, as well as information
about withholding federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and
annual reporting of federal unemployment insurance taxes. Most employers
also are required to report and pay state unemployment insurance taxes
quarterly. Send applications for state unemployment insurance account
numbers to:
Most tangible personal property that physicians provide
patients is exempt under the broad "Health Care Supplies"
exemption of the Texas Tax Code, Sec. 151.313. However, you may be
required to obtain a state sales tax permit if you sell tangible personal
property that is not subject to exemption. Further information about
the necessity for sales tax permits is available from the Comptroller
of Public Accounts, 1-800-252-5555.
- ASSUMED NAME REGISTRATION
If you and/or any partners who have not formed a
professional association intend to practice under a name other than
your own, such as "Internal Medicine Associates of Anytown,"
you must file a certificate with the county clerk stating the assumed
name and providing other information required by statute. (See Texas
Business and Commerce code, Sec. 36.10. For a copy, contact the Office
of the Secretary of State at 512-463-5701.)
If you and any other physicians will practice as
a professional association (P.A.), your lawyer must file your articles
of association with the Texas Secretary of State in Austin. A franchise
tax must be paid annually to the Comptroller of Public Accounts in
order to continue the P.A.'s existence. Professional associations
that use an assumed name also must file a certificate with the county
clerk. (See Texas Business and Commerce Code, Sec. 36.11.)
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