Summer Fun and Significant Savings!

by Deanna Wooten, DCMS director of membership/member services

With the first quarter of 2004 behind us, some of you may be experiencing Spring Fever. The only remedy is to spend a little time outdoors with your family before the inevitable Texas heat arrives. DCMS is excited to again team up with the Texas Rangers to provide half-price tickets in premier seating locations for multiple games at The Ballpark in Arlington this season. This offer is beginning much earlier this year because of the tremendous positive response from members last year.

Watch your mail for a letter with more details about the program. For tickets, either return the form you receive in the mail or contact Brett Tolbert with the Texas Rangers at 817-273-5137. You must mention your “Dallas County Medical Society Discount” when placing your order to receive the ticket savings of up to $20 off the usual box office price or $250 off nightly suite rentals.

On a similar note, DCMS is pleased to assist you in your practice of medicine. To help physicians obtain the best resources for their practices, the Member Services Committee reviews endorsement requests by companies interested in marketing their products and services to Dallas physicians. The companies must meet requirements that include establishing a minimum six-month advertising relationship with DCMS. This encourages longevity of the relationship with DCMS and weeds out fly-by-night companies.

Member Services Committee members are conservative in their recommendations of products and services that DCMS endorses to pass on significant savings to our members. Companies must present detailed background information and physician referrals for review, and prove that by being endorsed, DCMS members doing business with them will receive a “members only” discount that exceeds a discount given the average consumer. The product or service must benefit the majority of our members. DCMS wants to re-introduce a few of these companies to you.

DoctorsAutoLease, a division of D&M Leasing, specializes in providing medical professionals with the finest auto leasing service. With one call, you can complete your auto shopping at DoctorsAutoLease, which DCMS has endorsed since 2002.

Endorsed since 1989, I.C. System delivers effective and ethical solutions for collecting debts and improving cash flow. Since that time, participating members have recovered more than $2 million.

As a joint member of DCMS and TMA, physicians also receive numerous discounts through TMA’s list of endorsed vendors. A link to these services is provided on our Web site, www.dallas-cms.org These services include practice management consulting, credit card processing, Web site building, credit card reward programs, investment services, magazine subscriptions, travel programs, and home mortgage products.

Physicians in the process of determining which medical liability carrier best fits their practice should visit the Texas Medical Liability Trust Web site at www.tmlt.org/products/benefits.

In the past, TMA Insurance Trust offered coverage for TMA group insurance plans only. Today, TMAIT can get physicians the coverage they want from the insurance company they prefer.

Physicians who have dealt with any DCMS-endorsed vendor are encouraged to give us feedback. DCMS and the Member Services Committee want to ensure that your experiences with these vendors are exceptional.

For more information about any of the above vendors, see the Member Benefits section of the DCMS Web site at www.dallas-cms.org and click on Endorsed Vendors, or contact Deanna Wooten, at deanna@dallas-cms.org or call 214-948-3622, ext. 231.