History - 1978

Groups - 117
Individuals - 138

New state associations started in 1978 included Illinois MGMA, Iowa MGMA and South Carolina Association of Medical Managers.

Minnesota member organizations founded in 1978 included Health One Corporation of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and Neurological Associates of St. Paul.

Merle A. Lindberg, original 1951 member, retired in 1978.  He received life membership in 1981.  Merle has expressed continuing interest in MGMA in his 1991 letters.  He advises that he has served on the board of the Valley Home in his home town and helped with organizing and financing of the Senior Citizens' Building serving on that board for several years.  He also helped organize the Northwest Minnesota Senior's Federation and served on that board.

From Doug Ravnholdt we have a 1978 roster and a 1977-1978 photo directory of the Minnesota association.

MMGMA's 1978 leadership team was identified as:  President Vivian Linquist; Vice President David R. Adams; Secretary E. Thomas Lietzke; Treasurer Joseph Dillenburg; Legislative Liaison (which also at that time encompassed MMA Liaison and HECAPP) David R. Adams and Ken Boyum; Third Party Liaison Sandra Rorem until she moved to Seattle at which time Terry Rawstern took over.  Other members of that committee included Neal Swartz and David Fleming.  Jan Kolbrek was responsible for the DPW and superbill.  Jerry Mockenhaupt was Co-Chairman of the Membership Committee.

From Jerry Wollner, July 12, 1993:  "MMGMA Education Committee was initiated during the presidency of Vivian Hoese.  Jerry Wollner was the first Chair.  The association held these one-day conferences in the first year and purchased several video tapes, including the One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard.  This was the beginning of a highly successful new program for MMGMA."

We get a sense of the growing activity and MMGMA's growing response when we note that the Board met approximately 10 times during this year.  Some of the major items were:

• Billing and reimbursement, new laboratory regulations (Neil Swartz to Washington to discuss); Standard AMA form; difficult transition from CPT3 and CPT4; and ICD-9 for January 1, 1979;
  
• Annual Salary survey;
  
• Legislative liaison; certificate of need; mandatory throat cultures in schools; and DPW rule #47; and
  
• Organizational issues:  Board to survey regarding a "clinic support personnel" organization; decided to recommend a bylaws change to require that the clinic administrative members be full-time in clinic management; appointed a committee of Dillenburg (Chair); and Youngquist, Board, Ravnholdt to investigate;
  --MMGMA bylaws;
  --proposed clarification of active status;
  --apply for a tax I.D. number; and
  --propose a new corporate name.
  
  

Minnesota's cash balance on September 6, 1978, was $7,606.

We are indebted to Adrienne Bendel of the MGMA staff, who sent us some nostalgic materials including the December 1977 Minnesota newsletter.  Highlights included:  Roger Asplin's election to the Presidency of MGMA; helpful report on the task force on lab billing procedures, more detail on CPT3 and CPT4, explanation of the HECAPP acronym as Healthcare Payer/Provider Advisory Committee--Minnesota; and explanation of the changes in the Third Party Liaison Committee arranged by Sandy Rorem -- a subcommittee with a Chairperson for each of the following DPW, Medicare -- Blues, Medicare -- Travellers, Blues, Superbill.  Next item in her material -- Al Burmeister, Assistant Administrator at Winona, accepted a position at the Radiology Group in Rapid City, S.D.  A questionnaire in December 1977 indicates that Minnesota membership was at that time about 135 of which apparently approximately 60 percent were non-MGMA members.

We have a copy of Stan Salzman's letter of January 11, 1978, to MMGMA members inviting them to the Duluth conference.  The registration fee for the meeting was $35.00 for a member and $15.00 for a spouse.  In addition to downhill skiing at Spirit Mountain which was rated as excellent, the conference included:

• Current approaches to estate planning;
  
• What's happening with Third Party Payers and government?;
  
• Current changes in tax laws;
  
• Patient education programs and techniques;
  
• Physician and employee orientation, education, training and review;
  
• Discussion on HMOs; and
  
• "HSA--get involved" by Woodrow Glad.
  
  

The annual conferences were held on February 12-14, 1978, at the Radisson Duluth Hotel and on July 19-21, at the Radisson West in Plymouth.

Membership was 138 members in February from 116 clinics.  Of these members, 77 percent are also members of MGMA.

The MGMA directory indicates 85 Minnesota groups in MGMA in 1978.

The 52nd Annual Conference of MGMA was held October 15-18, 1978, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, under the direction of J. Roger Asplin, President.  Roger and Evy enjoyed the Royal Suite at that hotel which is where Her Royal Highness, the Queen of England, ordinarily stayed when she visited Toronto.  Tom Lietzke was Program Chairman.

The list of special guests and nonmembers includes the names of many people familiar to and important to MMGMA and its members.  They are:  Grayburn Davis, M.D. of the AGPA in Alexandria, Va.; Neil F. Duncan, M.D. and  Eleanor from the Baker Clinic, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; James H. Foster Jr., Medical Computer Systems Inc., Dallas; Steven K. Goldstone and Linda from MedCenters Health Care Inc.; Bruce P. Larson of Ellerbe Associates; D. Bruce McCallum, Investment Research Corporation, Roseville, Minn.; Linda S. Markovich, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, Minneapolis; Ronald S. Moen; Robert J. Saner, II; Harold J. Westin of Harold J. Westin Constructors Inc., St. Paul, Minn.; A.J. Wilwerding, Setter, Leech and Lindstrom of Minneapolis.

The Midwest Section Conference was held at Playboy Resort and Country Club in Lake Geneva, Wis., on June 11-14, 1978, under the direction of President R.F. Roskens of the Mankato Clinic.  Other Midwest Section officers included Dr. Kenneth McFarland and Dr. Robert Carney.  The MGMA report was delivered by J. Roger Asplin, President, and the MGMA chart of accounts and cost and production surveys were reported by Joe Mitlyng, Associate Director of the Marshfield Clinic.

Ward A. Lewis was President of the College.

Committees

* Vivian Lindquist - President David R Adams - Vice-President Joseph Dillenburg - Treasurer E. Thomas Lietzke - Secretary	Government Affairs * David R Adams
MMA Liaison * David R Adams	Third Party Liaison * Sandra Rorem