M e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Can we make “the gentle ask?”As a long practicing family physician, it has often occurred to me, sometimes related to tragic circumstances, that my workingknowledge of the issues surrounding organ donation in PEI is sorely lacking.

Through Medical Staff discussions in preparation for our most recent accreditation process, and during a subsequent meeting ofMSPEI’s CME Committee, I learned that we are all “in the same boat.”

What is expected of physicians when it comes to organ donation?

What tissues can be harvested in PEI?

Are any of us truly knowledgeable about the protocols and procedures needed in our province tosupport transplant programs?

To assist in providing answers to these and other medical questions relating to organ transplant, I am pleased to announce Halifax’sTransplant Team will present at the upcoming MSPEI Clinical Day, Friday, June 3rd. Please refer to Mark Your Calendars, eventlistings, on the following page.

Further to this issue, I urge you to read the CMAJ article, ‘The gentle ask,’ written by Denice Klavano, a certified tissue bankspecialist at the Regional Tissue Bank, Capital Health Authority in Halifax, NS. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/181/9/618;

Chris MacNearney, MDMSPEI CME Committee Member

S p r i n g / 11

oneM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Mark your Calenders! Medical Society EventsMARCHMarch 29 - April 9, 2011Medical Society Members’ Art Show: RIGHT BRAIN, RELEASEDThe Guild Gallery, Grafton Street, CharlottetownSubmissions due: 9:00 a.m., Monday, March 21, 2011Gala opening: Evening - Thursday, 7pm, March 31th,

MAYWednesday to Friday, May 4-6: PMIDepartment heads and Board members will be receiving an invitation to the 2011 PMI (Physician Management Institute:Leadership Development for Physicians). This is an accredited leadership development program designed uniquely forphysicians. Lakeview Loyalist, Summerside, PE

JUNEFriday, June 3rd: Clinical Day - Everything You Wanted to Know About Organ TransplantsCredit Union Place, Summerside, PE, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.The Transplant Team from Halifax will be presenting a full day on Organ Transplants.Speaker and specific topic information will follow.

Saturday, June 18th - Golf & CMEFox Meadow Golf & Country ClubCME Session: 10:00 a.m. - Noon, Topic TBAGolf: 1:00 p.m. Shotgun StartFun Night: 6:00 p.m. Lobster/Beef buffetEntertainment: Lazy Jacks

JULYFriday, July 15th - MSPEI’s Annual Student Welcome BBQAll members, residents and medical students welcome, Medical Society Gardens, 2 Myrtle St., Stratford12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. - Hosted by MSPEI and Health PEI

SEPTEMBERSaturday, September 10th - AGM - Shaw’s Hotel, Brackley BeachBreakfast: 8:00 a.m.CME Session: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., Topic TBAGeneral Session: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Spouses/Guest Luncheon at The Dunes in Brackley (tentative): 12:30 p.m.

Stroke Clinical Day. Saturday June 4th, 2011, from 8:00am -12:30pm. They have an exciting line-up of both speakersand topics. Registration brochures highlighting speaker, topics, and registration fees will be distributed at the first of Apriland will also be available on the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Prince Edward Island website.The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Prince Edward Island - Sara Crozier, at 902-892-7441 or at healthpromotion@hsfpei.ca.

Heart & Stroke PEI

twoM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Open Letter to Medical Society Members:In this edition of The Pulse, the Medical Society has included two lists of member names outlining all members

invoiced the 2008 Negotiation Levy, and a separate list outlining those members honouring their levy payment.

This decision was made at the most recent Board meeting, after much deliberation. The decision to avail interested

members of the delinquent member names came after the request of many members, and insistence of some, that

have paid the additional $40 covering the 2008 Levy shortfall. We feel it is the right of any member making

additional payment, covering non-paying colleagues, to make such request. The names of the delinquent members

had not been revealed to the Board or membership to minimize conflict in any relevant decision making process.

In essence, Board members have been made aware of those non-paying members in the same manner that the

members are being notified.

In 2008, a levy was imposed on all members to cover costs incurred for the most recent Master Agreement

negotiations. This contract was considered to reflect fair compensation to PEI Physicians, overwhelmingly supported

by our voting membership, and offered fair return to Government in services rendered. It was in effect, a very

successful contract negotiation, accomplished with great effort; our negotiating team spent hundreds if not thousands

of hours. Not every contract will fulfill every Physician group’s expectations, and this one is no exception. Not

all expectations are fully reasonable.

Our Medical Society’s greatest strength is in our unity.

Seven physician members of our collegial society have resisted repeated attempts to collect payment to cover their

share, we believe their fair share, of the Negotiation expenses. This issue has potential to be very divisive. It is

embedded in principle, fraught with emotion, and has potential to divide our Society membership. It is for this

reason that the Medical Society administration has not previously allowed the identity of the delinquent members

to be known.

It is a fair presumption that all non-paying members have done so in principle. Many members that have paid the

original $1000 levy have objected, also in principle, to paying the additional $40 to cover the non-paying members.

A motion has been put forth at our most recent board meeting, at the request of several members, to present to

the general membership the option of legally pursuing the members still delinquent in their outstanding Levy

payments. This motion was tabled to our April board meeting to discuss further.

Thank You.

Patrick Bergin MD FRCPC FACP

Treasurer of PEI Medical Society

three

MEMBERS INVOICED FOR 2008 NEGOTIATION LEVYADAMS, LENLEYAJISEBUTU, TEWOGBOLAALANSARI, NABEELALSALIH, HALAAL-SHAAR, WASANAMANULLAH, SHABBIRANG, LEIARSENAULT-SAMPSON, NADINEASHBY, JENNIFERBADER, JEAN-FRANCOISBANNON, DAVIDBARBRICK, N. ELIZABETHBARKHOUSE, LANABECK, ANGUSBECK, GORDIEBERGIN, PATRICKBERROW, PAULBETHINE, MARGARETBETHINE, PETERBIGSBY, KATHRYNBOSWALL, GUYBRANDON, BRADLEYBRODIE, BEVERLYCAMERON, SCOTTCAMPBELL, D. SCOTTCAMPBELL, G. STEWARTCAMPBELL, JOHNCAMPOS, ALFREDOCARMODY, DOUGLASCARRUTHERS, GEORGECASSELL, KRISTACELLIERS, ANDRECHAMPION, PAULINECHAMPION, PHILIPCHAMPION, STACYCHRISTENSEN, PAULCLARK, DONALDCOADY, KENNETHCOLOHAN, DESMONDCONNORS, SHELAGHCOOKE, RAYMONDCOULL, ROBERTCOX, WAYNECRASWELL, JEFFREYCRONIN, TERENCECUNNIFFE, JILLCUSACK, PAULDADA, NADEEMDEMARSH, JOHNDEWAR, CHARLESDHILLON, HARMINDERDICKIESON, HERBERTDRYER, DAGNYDUBOIS, JEAN-YVESDUFFY, CHARLESESTEY, FRANKFARAG, HANI

FARMER, STEPHENFERGUSON, SHAUNFITZPATRICK, TIMOTHYFLANAGAN, BARBFLEMING, D. A. BARRYFOLEY, COLINFONG, MICHAELFRIEDRICH, CARLGANDY, ALANGILLIS, ALEXGOODWIN, JOHNHAMBLY, DAVEHAMILTON, ANDREWHANNA, ADALAHANSEN, PHILIPHARNOIS, BRYANHARRIS-EZE, AYODEJUHARRISON, EDMUNDHENDER, KIMBERLEYHENDERSON, ROSEMARYHOARE, CONSTANCEHOFFMAN, CHRISTINEHOLLAND, BERNARDHOOLEY, PETERHOVE, EUNICEHUNT, BARRYHUTCHINGS, REGINALDIRVINE, MICHAELJABER, ZAIDJAIN, TREVORJAY, ROBERTJOHNSTON, GERALDINEJOHNSTON, JULIEKASSNER, RACHELKEIZER, HEATHERKEIZER, W. STIRLINGKELLEY, ROBERTKELLY, PAULKENNEDY, AMBROSEKHALID, TAHIRKHAN, FARAZKHANAM, HUMAIRAKIM, DAE TONGKLEIN, JEAN-MARCKONTOR, JURGENKOZMA, DAVIDLAFTAH, ABDULRAHEMLANTZ, CHRISLANTZ, BRODIELAUKKANEN, ETHANLECOURS, MIREILLELING, T. DONMACDONALD, FRANCISMACDONALD, KATHRYNMACDONALD, LINDAMACFARLANE, AMYMACKEAN, PETER

MACKENZIE, DAVIDMACKINNON, RANDYMACLEOD, ANDREWMACNEARNEY, CHRISTINEMACNEILL, STEVENMADIGANE, JOYCEMAGENNIS, W. TERRYMCCARTHY, KENNETHMCGINN, JOANNEMCLEAN, GARYMCMILLAN, COLINMCNALLY, KATHERINEMCNEILL, MONICAMEEK, DOUGMIDLEY, JANETMIDGLEY, PETERMILLER, STEPHENMOLYNEAUX, HAROLDMOLYNEAUX, LLOYDMONTGOMERY, ROYMOORE, ANNEMORAIS, ALFREDMORRISON, HEATHERMORRISON. KATHRYNMOYSE, CYRILMUHAMMED, ISHTIAQMIULLIGAN, MICHAELNEILSON, DOUGNEILY, DONNEWMAN, STANLEYNEWSON, KRISTYNGUYEN, HUYNICHOLSON, RONALDNOONAN, PETERO'HANLEY, GERALDO'NEILL, STEVENOLUYEDE, OLUMAYOKUNPEACOCK, EDITHPETROVIC, MIROSLAVPETROVIC, ZIVKAPHELAN, PAULPINEAU, FRANCISPRICE, PAULPROFITT, ALLENRECK, MONAREID, DAVIDREID, IANREISCH. HELGARIZK, SOHAROSS, MARY-ANNSALAMOUN, WASSIMSAMPSON, JOHNSAUNDERS, GEORGESAUNDERS, KRISSCANTLEBURY, BILLYSCHAEFER, PAULSEFAU, SULEIMAN

SETHI, BALDEVSEVIOUR, PAULSHARPE, JONATHANSHEA, DAWNSHETTY, KARUNAKARASILVERBURG, DAVIDSINGH, ARVINDSLIVKO, TATIANASLYSZ, GARTHSPEARS, BENJAMINSTEWART, CHRISSTEWART, D. G.STEWART, D. I.STEWART, SUSANSTEWART, TRINASTULTZ, TIMOTHYSWART, HENRYSWEET, LAMONTTESCH, MARVINTHOMPSON, JASONTOMA, TAMERTRIANTAFILLOU, MARKTWEEL, DOUGVEALE, ANNVEER, ADRIANAVICKERSON, DONALDVISSER, HENDRICKWALKER, WILLIAMWHALEN, RONWHITE, EDWOHLGEMUT, ANDREWWONG, DAVIDYOUSIF, HAYTHEMZELIN, JENNIZELMAN, MITCHELL

M e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

four

MEMBERS WHO PAID 2008 NEGOTIATION LEVYADAMS, LENLEYAJISEBUTU, TEWOGBOLAALANSARI, NABEELALSALIH, HALAAL-SHAAR, WASANAMANULLAH, SHABBIRANG, LEIARSENAULT-SAMPSON, NADINEASHBY, JENNIFERBADER, JEAN-FRANCOISBANNON, DAVIDBARBRICK, N. ELIZABETHBARKHOUSE, LANABECK, ANGUSBECK, GORDIEBERGIN, PATRICKBERROW, PAULBETHINE, MARGARETBETHINE, PETERBIGSBY, KATHRYNBOSWALL, GUYBRANDON, BRADLEYBRODIE, BEVERLYCAMERON, SCOTTCAMPBELL, D. SCOTTCAMPBELL, G. STEWARTCAMPBELL, JOHNCAMPOS, ALFREDOCARMODY, DOUGLASCARRUTHERS, GEORGECASSELL, KRISTACELLIERS, ANDRECHAMPION, PAULINECHAMPION, PHILIPCHAMPION, STACYCHRISTENSEN, PAULCLARK, DONALDCOADY, KENNETH

CONNORS, SHELAGHCOOKE, RAYMONDCOULL, ROBERTCOX, WAYNECRASWELL, JEFFREYCRONIN, TERENCECUNNIFFE, JILLCUSACK, PAULDADA, NADEEMDEMARSH, JOHNDEWAR, CHARLESDHILLON, HARMINDERDICKIESON, HERBERT

DUBOIS, JEAN-YVESDUFFY, CHARLESESTEY, FRANKFARAG, HANI

FARMER, STEPHENFERGUSON, SHAUNFITZPATRICK, TIMOTHYFLANAGAN, BARBFLEMING, D. A. BARRYFOLEY, COLINFONG, MICHAELFRIEDRICH, CARLGANDY, ALANGILLIS, ALEXGOODWIN, JOHNHAMBLY, DAVEHAMILTON, ANDREWHANNA, ADALAHANSEN, PHILIPHARNOIS, BRYANHARRIS-EZE, AYODEJUHARRISON, EDMUNDHENDER, KIMBERLEYHENDERSON, ROSEMARYHOARE, CONSTANCEHOFFMAN, CHRISTINEHOLLAND, BERNARDHOOLEY, PETERHOVE, EUNICEHUNT, BARRYHUTCHINGS, REGINALDIRVINE, MICHAELJABER, ZAIDJAIN, TREVORJAY, ROBERTJOHNSTON, GERALDINEJOHNSTON, JULIEKASSNER, RACHELKEIZER, HEATHERKEIZER, W. STIRLINGKELLEY, ROBERTKELLY, PAULKENNEDY, AMBROSEKHALID, TAHIR

KHANAM, HUMAIRAKIM, DAE TONGKLEIN, JEAN-MARCKONTOR, JURGENKOZMA, DAVIDLAFTAH, ABDULRAHEMLANTZ, CHRISLANTZ, BRODIE

LECOURS, MIREILLELING, T. DONMACDONALD, FRANCISMACDONALD, KATHRYNMACDONALD, LINDAMACFARLANE, AMYMACKEAN, PETER

MACKENZIE, DAVIDMACKINNON, RANDYMACLEOD, ANDREWMACNEARNEY, CHRISTINEMACNEILL, STEVENMADIGANE, JOYCEMAGENNIS, W. TERRYMCCARTHY, KENNETHMCGINN, JOANNEMCLEAN, GARYMCMILLAN, COLINMCNALLY, KATHERINE

MEEK, DOUG

MIDGLEY, PETERMILLER, STEPHEN

MOLYNEAUX, LLOYDMONTGOMERY, ROYMOORE, ANNEMORAIS, ALFREDMORRISON, HEATHERMORRISON. KATHRYNMOYSE, CYRILMUHAMMED, ISHTIAQMIULLIGAN, MICHAELNEILSON, DOUGNEILY, DONNEWMAN, STANLEYNEWSON, KRISTYNGUYEN, HUYNICHOLSON, RONALDNOONAN, PETERO'HANLEY, GERALDO'NEILL, STEVENOLUYEDE, OLUMAYOKUNPEACOCK, EDITHPETROVIC, MIROSLAVPETROVIC, ZIVKAPHELAN, PAULPINEAU, FRANCISPRICE, PAULPROFITT, ALLENRECK, MONAREID, DAVIDREID, IANREISCH. HELGARIZK, SOHAROSS, MARY-ANNSALAMOUN, WASSIMSAMPSON, JOHNSAUNDERS, GEORGESAUNDERS, KRISSCANTLEBURY, BILLYSCHAEFER, PAULSEFAU, SULEIMAN

SETHI, BALDEVSEVIOUR, PAULSHARPE, JONATHANSHEA, DAWNSHETTY, KARUNAKARASILVERBURG, DAVIDSINGH, ARVINDSLIVKO, TATIANASLYSZ, GARTHSPEARS, BENJAMINSTEWART, CHRISSTEWART, D. G.STEWART, D. I.STEWART, SUSANSTEWART, TRINASTULTZ, TIMOTHYSWART, HENRYSWEET, LAMONTTESCH, MARVINTHOMPSON, JASONTOMA, TAMERTRIANTAFILLOU, MARKTWEEL, DOUGVEALE, ANNVEER, ADRIANAVICKERSON, DONALDVISSER, HENDRICKWALKER, WILLIAMWHALEN, RONWHITE, EDWOHLGEMUT, ANDREWWONG, DAVIDYOUSIF, HAYTHEMZELIN, JENNIZELMAN, MITCHELL

M e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

The soporific effect of serial reorganization of PEI’s health care system should never be underestimated as a potent weaponof tactical success. As physicians, one by one, awaken from their torpor and read the new medical bylaws of Health PEIsigned into law on 12th February 2011 by the Minister of Health they will encounter the magnitude of the imposed changesand their revolutionary character. The cardinal prerogatives of a profession, self-regulation and autonomy have beencommandeered in what might be described as a putsch which exploited our naivety and indifference; the College has beenreduced to a secretariat acting in the service of Health PEI with the license to practice now no more substantial than anenabling certificate for application for privileges; the Medical Society’s function is diminished to that of a trade union. Theprofession, in brief, has been conscripted to the government’s service without a frank and open debate despite an importantpublic interest. The presence of six physicians on the Bylaws Working Group, three nominated by the Medical Societyand three appointed by Health PEI invokes more embarrassment than reassurance. The unusual circumstances of theMinister’s signing which revealed the spuriousness of the Medical Society’s involvement, with the exception of the insertion, with the assistance of CMPA, of procedures of defense in the face of internal indictment exposed the Medical Society’scontribution as scribal rather than authorial. The power of veto resided with and was exercised by Health PEI. The outcomewas determined from the beginning.

There being no discussion or debate concerning the larger rationale of the Bylaws, the devil, of course is to found in thedetails. Curiously, it is the technicality of the universal requirement for the possession of privileges within the provincethat the takeover of the College function rests instituting a system of double jeopardy. Sentencing which varies in degreefrom the mild to the extreme is to be administered at Health PEI’s own timeline and will be unguided by precedent. Butthe most striking feature of the bylaws is that describing in pedantic, repetitious and unnecessary detail the range of medicalmisdemeanors and crimes open to indictment. The exhaustive detail is achieved by the limitless expansibility of HealthPEI’s jurisdiction – to comic proportion when it appears , on the face of it that a physician, fortunate enough to be attendinga medical conference in Paris, after a couple of cocktails is reported for making uncomplimentary comments about a Boardmember and finds himself or herself on the mat after returning home- and a colonization of the Medical Act mere persistenceshielding it from irrelevance, redundancy and eventual formal repeal.

Perhaps Health PEI should trouble to ask itself whether or not it has debased its own currency in confronting the physicianbody with so watertight and draconian a front representing a rebarbative managerial manifesto . To have done so confersa taint on the entire document particularly when it is compared with the equivalent section of Alberta Health Bylaws, acivilized piece of work self-evidently the issue of a collaborative process. What is interesting is that the paragraph on thelegitimacy of physician advocacy has been taken word for word by the Working Group from the Alberta Bylaws where itreads as a reasonable and sensible tract, while in the PEI Bylaws it is replete with menace; unmistakably, public statementsby physicians must first be submitted to Health PEI’s censors. For physicians now to cry foul would be not only futile butunseemly. Denied a ratification vote, unlike Alberta physicians, it is hard to know where we stand. With the proportionof salaried physicians standing at 46% of the entire complement in November 2010, the public silence of half our groupis to be expected as it would be imprudent for those on salary to hazard their purported independent contractor status againstthe ire of the employer. But does silence with respect to the bylaws represent approval, indifference, incomprehension ora misleading conveyal of assent where none exists? Alberta Health engaged in a personal correspondence with each physician

Submitted byDr. Ben Spears

fiveM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Health PEI and Medical Staff Bylaws

forwarding personally successive drafts of the bylaws and ultimately receiving convincing ratification. In PEI the drafts wereleft haphazardly in various hospital quarters to be largely ignored as turgid and uninviting reading matter. Any ratificationof the Bylaws individual or collective was a matter of indifference to Health PEI to judge by the tawdry process under whichthey chose to operate.

In defiance of precedent, a well primed Corpus Sanchez report 2008 recommended the re-establishment a governing healthauthority sounding the trumpet-call of integration of services. Many will remember the Health and Community ServicesAgency which blazed across the sky like a meteor to crash rather abruptly with the outgoing Government that had set it upin the 90’s. Fewer will remember the PHSA which had a slightly longer tenure which was abolished around 2005 becauseit was intrinsic to a very expensive administrative systems which included the Regions. For Government establishing HealthPEI seems to be a case of “third time lucky”: to which physicians might add the rejoinder, “three strikes and we’re out”.Can physicians recover from the type of surgery they have just undergone, the effects of which are ordinarily permanent,and resurrect their former professional status? Well. Perhaps: the omens for the future of Health PEI are not especiallypropitious to judge by what is happening in England where a new coalition government is intending to dissolve the PrimaryHealth Care Trusts on the grounds of disproportionate costs of management given that what happens in the NHS usuallyprecedes developments in the Canadian health system by a few years.

The rhetoric of health care integration bespeaks a cooperative coming together of the elements into a harmonious unitypermitting of a rational division and disposition of resources leading to an overall sustainability. The actuality is about rawpower, the power to centralize control, which is in large part the explanation of the decision to nationalize a medical professionobviously regarded as a barrier to change. But integration can exist both for better and worse and carries the disadvantagesof tendencies to stagnation, demoralization in the workforce with reduced productivity. Groups deprived of administrativeinfluence usually forfeit their imagination and initiative.

But the shoal on which Health PEI’s ship is most likely to run aground is that of accountability. Physicians eager to serveas leaders ought to bear in mind the fact that our liberal profession achieved its zenith in the liberal democracies and hasnever fared particularly well when associated with institutional autocracies. Without a democratic accountability of its own,Health PEI will be subject to the provincial electoral process and risk shipwreck with the government with which it is mostidentified. In the founding Health Governance Advisory Council’s report, there is no reference to the need to create amechanism for public censure such as democratically elected committees for external scrutiny without which accountabilitywill be ersatz. The HGAC’s failure to identify their resource personnel to whom it refers in the appendix is particularlytroubling as that group are Government’s messengers and the omission of their mention conceals potential vested interestsin certain types of governance which are prone to diminish the board’s operation to a rubber stamp function. Perhaps HealthPEI which has put a profession’s house in order in keeping with its own vision will be receptive to receiving from the sameprofession an acquaintance with an early approbation to transparency, a saying of Francis Bacon, a lawyer, statesmen, andscientist: “The best governments are always subject to be like the fairest crystals, when every icicle or grain is seen, in whichin a fouler stone is never perceived.” Without the transparency, there can be no accountability. Without a vote at somelevel, there can be no democratic accountability and Health PEI’s engagement with the public no matter how high handedwill devolve into tendentious conversation fortified by spin and glossy handouts. Anyone may be forgiven for wonderingwhether will Health PEI really be at liberty to choose between becoming a fair crystal or a foul stone?

sixM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Health PEI and Medical Staff Bylaws - continued

Please advise your office staff that a package willbe arriving soon. The very latest in Smokers Helplinemedical practice supplies are hot off the press.

Smoker’s Helpline

NEW for your office

sevenM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

It was a wintery February day for the Family Sleigh Ride,but all enjoyed the ride and farm animals. Afterwards in thewarm hospitality cabin, hot chocolate and cookies  were verymuch appreciated!

At a Glance Name: Bob BurkeOccupation: Senior Financial Consultant, MD ManagementFamily: Wife Sandy, son: Josh (Stratford ON),daughter: Amy (Truro NS) with one granddaughter from each.Education: High School in NB, College in ON (Arts & Theology) and Industry Specific.Favourite Food: A good steak and ceaser salad:Shoe Size: 10 1/2If you were a car, what model would you be? Mustang 5.0Biggest pet peeve?: Folks who take Canada for granted.How many hours of sleep do you get a night?: 7Golf or “a good walk spoiled”?: Golf for sureWhat soothes your soul?: Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg VariationsMost recent place traveled/visited?: Disney with our 10 year old granddaughterIf you were not a financial consultant, what would you be doing?: TeachingLast or current book read?: Ken Follet’s “World Without End”.Pets? None now but a golden lab at some point in the futureFavourite website?: TED.comWhat are you listening to in your car stereo?: Sirius Satellite – CBC Radio One,Classic Rock, Classical

“Don’t Have A Stroke” - Clinical Day that was on February 23 at the Best Western Charlottetown.Photo Left: Graham Miner (left), Registrar of Motor Vehicles, presented, “Medical Fitness & Age-related Driving”; andDr. Tim Stultz (right), Geriatrician, spoke on “The Elderly and Driving with Dementia”. Both hosted a panel discussion on “Driving”Photo Right: Dr. Huy Nguyen welcomes Dr. Gregg MacLean to the “Don’t Have a Stroke: Miss Daisy’s Still Driving” Clinical Day,where he spoke on Embolic Stoke and MS.

eightM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

nineM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT UPDATEDecember, 2010 - March, 2011

Some folks think an apple a day is good for what ails you, while others claim that laughter is the best medicine.Another school of thought maintains that there is a strong link between music and good health. This latter opinionis one held strongly by the students participating in the Music-in-Medicine program at Dalhousie University.

A musical demonstration of this theory will be presented on Saturday, April 2 at the Bonshaw Hall, at a specialconcert given by Dal Med students. While miracle cures are by no means guaranteed, this spirited performance bya talented group of young doctors-in-training should be an ideal way to help cure the spring blahs.

The Dalhousie Medical School has a long tradition of offering a strong Humanities program to its medical students,encouraging them to read, paint and sing as they learn to suture, diagnose and treat.

Returning to the Island to perform again this year are two student vocal groups: the TestosterTONES (men) and theVocal Chords (women). Over the past few years, these groups have toured in the Maritimes and abroad, includingperformances in New Zealand in 2010. Their music includes a mix of everything from Maritime traditionals toclassic pop tunes with both the full groups and solo performers.

The Bonshaw concert will represent a home-coming for TestosterTONE member and Bonshaw native, Keith Baglole.Also performing at the concert will be special guest Susan Holmes, a jazz singer from Tracadie Bay.

The concert begins at 7:00. Admission is $10.00. This is a benefit concert for the Bonshaw Hall Co-op.

NEW PHYSICIANSDr. Heather Austin Family Medicine - Summerside January 2, 2011Dr. Scott Wotherspoon Orthopedics February 8, 2011

Committed to Begin Practice (Signed letters of offer)Dr. Megan Miller Palliative Care (.6 fte) March 1, 2011Dr. Johann Vlok Family Medicine - Cornwall April 1, 2011Dr. Tahir Rafiq Emergency Medicine - Summerside April 1, 2011Dr. Owen MacAusland Emergency Medicine - QEH (.25 fte) June, 2011Dr. Rory Porteous Radiology June, 2011Dr. Chris King Family Medicine - Charlottetown Fall, 2011Dr. Aziz Jamal Family Medicine - Charlottetown May 1, 2011

SITE VISITSDr. Mohamed Hassan Anesthesia - Summerside February 10-13, 2011Dr. Julian Loke Anesthesia - Summerside February 10-14, 2011Dr. Selvaraj Vincent Psychiatry February 24-27, 2011Dr. Zia Rahman Psychiatry February 24-27, 2011Dr. Don Roux Family Medicine - Tyne Valley,

Souris and Charlottetown March 9-13, 2011Dr. Sofian Al Samak Family Medicine - Montague March 8-18, 2011

(Locum as well)

Dal Medical Students in Concertat Bonshaw Hall, April 2 - 7pm

tenM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Signing Death CertificatesPhysicians and Coroners in Prince Edward Island must complete medical certificates of death and stillbirth.These certificates are important legal documents that provide the details about causes and circumstances of death.Death certificates are an indispensable source of statistical information used in public health monitoring, medicalresearch, medical education and public health promotion.

The value of the statistical data derived from death certificates depends on the certifierís care and judgement inrecording complete and accurate information.

When signing “Registration of Death” certificates, Sections 24 through 36 are imperative to complete (ifapplicable). Please enter the immediate “Cause of Death” (section 25), i.e. the disease, injury or complicationthat caused the death, in Part I, Line A. Do not enter the mechanism of dying, such as heart failure, cardiac orrespiratory arrest.

Thank you for your cooperation.Dr. Charles Trainor, Chief Coroner, Province of PEI

The CASEM Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference will strengthen the clinical skillsof sport medicine physicians or family physicians with an interest in sport medicine. Itwill maintain and enhance the knowledge of health care practitioners in the field of sportand exercise medicine. It will strive to improve the quality of care provided to athletesof all ages and performance levels.

CASEM offers a pre-conference two day FIMS Team Physician Development Course(International Federation of Sport Medicine). The goal of the course is to preparephysicians to provide medical care to athletes. The target audience is a physician of anyspecialty, with or without a CASEM diploma in sport medicine, who wishes to developand enhance knowledge and skill in th4e care of the athlete and the role as team physician.This course may also be of interest to Allied Health Professionals who are involved withthe care of athlete or sports teams. Conference and Team Physician Course will be CMEaccredited.

More Information and detailed Preliminary Program available at www.casem-acmse.org click on events

Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise MedicineAcadémie canadienne de médecine du sport et de l’exercice

CANADIAN ACADEMY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE MEDICINEPRESENTS

THE CANADIAN SPORT MEDICINE CONFERENCEON THE EASTERN EDGE

Sheraton Hotel NewfoundlandSt. John’s, NL, July 14-16, 2011

elevenM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS

Health PEI is seeking an "expression of interest" from any family physician in the province who may have an interest inbecoming involved with Addiction Services, the Pain Clinic, Medical Oncology, or Radiation Oncology.  Part-time and full-time work is available in these various positions.  Beach Grove Home is seeking a House Physician to provide 24 hour, 7days a week "on-call" coverage for 131 long-term care beds.Prince Edward Island is seeking a physician to provide 24 hour, 7 days a week " on-call coverage" for 11 convalescent/restorativecare beds.

Training assistance may be available from Health PEI if necessary.

If you have an interest in any of these positions, please contact Sheila MacLean, Physician Recruitment Coordinator at (902)368-6302 or

twelveM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

Making investment decisions can be stressful, even under the best of market conditions. For years, much ofeconomic and financial theory has been based on the idea that people act rationally and consider all availableinformation in the decision-making process. Research, however, indicates this is not necessarily the case.

Behavioural finance—a branch of economic and financial analysis that applies scientific research to human social,cognitive and emotional factors in an attempt to understand the financial decisions that people make—challengesthe notion of rational decision-making and proposes the idea that people are, more often than not, irrational.

Behavioural finance helps identify three main biases that people tend to display when investing:

1 Anchoring.Anchoring describes the common tendency to rely too heavily, or “anchor”, on one trait or piece ofinformation when making decisions, even though it may have no logical relevance to the decision at hand.For example, investors will often cling to a subpar investment waiting for it to break even, to get back tothe value they paid for it. This can be a costly decision, however. If you realize a loss, it’s better to use itto offset realized gains.

2 Recency effect.“Recency effect” is a bias that places disproportionate emphasis on recent events. It is a tendency toremember recent events or observations more vividly, giving them more weight than historical information.A recency bias can cause investors to abandon a long-term strategy and hinder their ability to make rationaldecisions. For example, investors often react to a stock market drop by pulling money out of mutual funds,rather than riding out the volatility with a long-term investment approach designed to smooth out thebumps.

3 Confirmation bias.“Confirmation” describes our tendency to look for evidence that confirms our beliefs, but ignores evidencethat contradicts it. For investors, this selective thinking is associated with focusing on information thatsupports a preferred investment idea.

No one can predict the future, but we can sometimes predict how we would react under a given set of circumstances.When we think of the lagging returns seen in global markets, many investors, quite naturally, express disappointmentand a desire to avoid investing outside Canada. Unpredictability in the markets is a given, but we can be fairlycertain that Canada will not be the leader year in and year out. We can also be certain that taking a more strategic,and less emotional, view of investing can lead to portfolios that are focused on achieving financial goals andcarefully managing risk along the way.

Allowing news and recent events to drive an investment strategy is never a good idea. Becoming more aware ofhow emotional biases can affect decision-making can help investors make better investment choices—a financialadvisor can help investors stay focused, by incorporating appropriate risk tolerance and asset allocation to createa portfolio that can weather market volatility.

Don't let emotions dictate yourinvestment decisions by MD Physician Services

Inclusion of this article does not represent an endorsement by the Medical Society of PEI of the RelativeCosts of Medications Comparison Tool. Rather, it is intended to inform and alert members of itsdistribution to physician offices. As noted, the Comparison Tool does not consider specific drug plansand has not been influenced by pharmaceutical companies.

“'Do you have a drug plan?”'Why do we, as physicians, ask this question when prescribing?

If all else is equal when prescribing a medication for your patient, and two or more products are available, would knowing their

cost play a role in which one you prescribe?

When affordable options can be selected without detriment to health outcomes, it benefits your

patients and the employers providing their health coverage. Did you know that the cost of group drug plans (employer plans)

are rising on average at a rate of 6 to 10% per year? With several biologics and oral cancer medications coming to market in

the next ten years, drug plan costs will undoubtedly continue to increase.

By knowing drug costs and prescribing accordingly, your patients’ out of pocket costs for prescriptions are minimized. It has a

positive impact on their rising health premiums and the long-term viability of employer sponsored health plans. For those individuals,

particularly retirees, with health insurance plans, many may be paying 100% of their premiums for those plans or cost-sharing

with their employers (i.e. 50/50 cost-sharing). Here on PEI, some retirees are paying more than $3,000 annually to maintain

their private drug plan. So even if the answer is ‘“yes” to insurance, many times individuals are the ones paying directly out of

pocket for this coverage in terms of significant annual premium increases.

In 2007, the South East Regional Health Authority in New Brunswick partnered with Medavie Blue Cross to develop the Relative

Costs of Medications Comparison Tool to increase awareness about the cost of drugs and to assist physicians in making informed

choices when they prescribe drugs. This comparison tool was recently updated with the help of physicians associated with Horizon

Health Network and the Dalhousie University School of Pharmacy.

Holland College –a large employer in Prince Edward Island, and Murphy’s Pharmacies – a chain of independent pharmacies

and provider of workplace wellness services, saw great value in this tool. These parties have partnered with Medavie Blue Cross

to bring the Relative Costs of Medications Comparison Tool to physicians in Prince Edward Island.

The comparison tool is a quick reference guide that will visually identify lower cost drugs within a class. The tool comprises

several of the most commonly prescribed diagnostic categories, which are subdivided into drug classes. All products are colour

coded by cost that ranges from lower cost (green), to moderately high (yellow), to very high (red). Each colour stands for a price

range that is included with the drug classes. This tool is not based on drug coverage for any specific plan and is not influenced

by pharmaceutical companies. An electronic version of the comparison tool is available in the Health Professionals section of

the Medavie Blue Cross website at. Hard copies will be distributed to physician offices across Prince Edward Island for use in

your practice.

twelveM e d i c a l S o c i e t y o f P r i n c e E d w a r d I s l a n d - P u l s e N e w s l e t t e r - S p r i n g 2 0 1 1

The Community Hospitals and Primary Care Division of Health PEI has launched a new booklet for the generalpublic and patients entitled "Passport to Health". The purpose of the resource is to emphasize prevention byincreasing awareness of risk factors for chronic disease and by providing a useful tool for the public and patientsto track their own personal health information such as blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI etc. It wasdeveloped in collaboration with representatives from primary care, acute care, community organizations as wellas the Department of Health and Wellness.

The booklet will be available across the health system in health centres, hospitals, physicians offices, mental healthand addictions, provincial diabetes program and other venues. Health care providers are encouraged touse the resource with their patients as a teaching tool when appropriate.

If any physicians would like to receive copies to distribute to their patients, please call Dawn Watson, CommunityHospitals and Primary Care Division, Health PEI, at 368-6171.

Pat CharltonSpecial Projects Officer, Community Hospitals and Primary Care Division - www.healthpei.ca

Passport to Health Launched