History - 1985

Five Minnesota member organizations were founded in 1985.  These included Metropolitan Anesthesia Network of Minneapolis, Oncologic Consultants P.A. of Minneapolis, Reproductive Health Associates P.A. of St. Paul, River Valley Clinic of Hastings and Progressive Eye Care Associates of St. Paul.

An important merger of two Albert Lea clinics into the Albert Lea Regional Medical Center happened in 1985.  Bert Boss retired from the Albert Lea clinic at about that time and William Brouwer succeeded him.  The Shakopee Clinic joined Park Nicollet Medical Center on January 1, 1985.

The Association leadership during 1985 included:  President Frank Wilkus; Vice President Al Tank; Secretary Susan Williams; Treasurer John Ostrander; Legislative Liaison Donald Gerhardt who turned that responsibility over to Jean Trygstad; Third Party Liaison Craig Weflen; MMA Liaison, David Adams; Education, William Amery along with Harold Fenske and Bud Olson; Exhibits, Bunny Iverson; Membership, James Tierney; newsletter, Marie Hanauska.

The Winter Conference was held February 6-8, 1985, at the Minneapolis Registry.  Marge Canning was the Coordinator and Jim Wilkus handled exhibits of which there were 36.  There were 171 members registered plus 43 others for a total of 214.

The Summer Conference was held August 14-16 at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester with Ken Smith serving as coordinator and Bunny Iverson, Manager of Exhibits, of which there were 25.  Registration was 148 members and 63 guests plus 49 exhibitors.

Membership is 260 at the time of the Winter Meeting and 279 at the time of the Summer Meeting.

Official activities of the Board and Association for the year 1984-1985 included:

• Membership:  Ad Hoc Committee on Membership Requirements (Al Tank, Jim Tierney, Jim Wilkus, Frank Wilkus) submitted a resolution on February 6, 1985 "which 1) changes eligibility from ‘anyone who participates in the business affairs' to ‘anyone who manages'; 2) exceptions, if any, by the Board; 3) take to annual meeting; 4) full-time members of county and state association must pay full member registration"; life membership -- Woody Glad;
  
  
• MMA:  (Adams) the Foundation's subsidiary Medtrak is collecting and reporting data on utilization outliers; Jean Trygstad will replace Dave Adams on Medtrak Board;
  
  
• Education:  discussing joint program with MMA; Bill Amery surveyed and reported on needs of membership; MMGMA supports national teleconferencing initiatives with $1,000 grant; $5,000 budget; three new tapes approved; Al Tank to research participation in new ACMGA program for self assessment;
  
  
• Vendors and sponsors:  Ed Frost will survey members on value of exhibits; fee -- $250 including table for booth; there will be exhibitors at Summer Meeting: clarification and communication of privileges and responsibilities;
  
  
• Third Party Liaison:  (Weflen) DHHS may implement a new system through which providers can query departments electronically regarding patient eligibility; HCPCS codes effective January 21, 1985; complaints about insurance company's gratuitous comments to patients regarding providers' charges; "DHHS has cleaned up all suspended claims, and are now, however, six weeks behind on input of any new claims"; DHHS would like to see all providers go tape to tape (or diskette), whereas only 2 percent do so thus far; MMGMA will help support conversion to electronic transmission; a new HMO "Comp Plus" will insure the medical portion of Workers' Compensation; Medicare sanctions against providers who waive deductibles or copays; PHP formulary rules; new COB policy from BC/BS;
  
  
• Newsletter:  Marie Hanauska and Marion Okeson handling newsletter; difficult to get advertisers;
  
  
• Legislative liaison: (Don Gerhardt) will represent MMGMA at Washington Conference August 11-12; reports on these issues -- health care for elderly, mandatory capitation for AFDC recipients, expanded medical assistance for elderly and children, registration of audiologists, prescription procedures and doctor DRGs;
  
  
• Cash basis accounting:  MGMA will publish doctors' regulations; and
  
  
• Approved smoking areas at conferences.
  
  

The MGMA directory for 1984-85 shows 118 Minnesota groups as members of MGMA.

The 59th Annual Conference of MGMA was held October 27-30 at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago under the leadership of Donald R. Olson, FACMGA, of the Virginia Mason Clinic/Hospital in Seattle.  Registration at the conference was 1,407 members plus 286 others for a total 1,693.

The ACMGA President in 1985 was Richard F. Board, FACMGA, manager of Orthopedic Consultants P.A., of Minneapolis.  Dick was Minnesota's first president of ACMGA after about 30 years.  C. Warner Litten and John Q. Paulsen, North Dakota members of MMGMA, had served as president of ACMGA in 1972 and 1982 respectively.

The 1985 Midwest Conference was held on July 7-10 at the Americana Lake Geneva Resort and Conference Center in Lake Geneva, Wis.  Officers of the Midwest Section at that time were President Marilyn W. Arvidson, FACMGA, of Evansville, Ind.; President-Elect Joseph W. Mitlyng Jr., FACMGA, Marshfield Clinic; First Vice President, Stan E. Salzman, of the Duluth Clinic; Second Vice President, Richard G. Green, Carle Clinic in Illinois; Secretary Vivian M. Hoese, Fridley Clinic in Minneapolis; Treasurer Michael D. Sundall, Muscatine, Iowa; and Immediate Past President G. Michael Hutchens, FACMGA, the Burns Clinic Medical Center of Petosky, Mich.  Section memberships at this time were indicated to be 1,718 for the Southern, 1,467 for Midwest, 1,358 for Western, 1,131 for Eastern and 112 for other, for a total for MGMA of 5,786.

Conference highlights included a keynote address, "The Philosophy of Winning" by C.Y. Allen; a keynote address for part two, "Healthcare in the 1990s -- trends and strategies" by Charles K. Bradford; Thomas E. Zerckle on the "Physician's Changing World"; Winfield C. Dunn, DS, on "The HCA Perspective"; "How to Respond to Hostility" by Marilyn Moats Kennedy, and "The Process and Technique of Negotiation" also by Marilyn Moats Kennedy.

Bonnie Porte, who would serve as MMGMA President in 1993, was founder of and first president of the Ob-Gyn Assembly (OBGA) in 1985.