COSGP Quarterly Report

TouroCOM-NY Student Government Association

COSGP Quarterly Meeting Report

Marriott Baltimore Waterfront

April 13-17, 2011

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*Note: The COSGP (Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents) was established in 1972 as an official council of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to serve as the official national representative voting voice of osteopathic medical students. See the COSGP official website for more information: http://cosgp.aacom.org/

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Fellow student doctors,

I had the privilege of attending my first COSGP meeting this past April in Baltimore along with outgoing SGA President Buck Stolberg. Held quarterly, COSGP meetings are unique opportunities for SGA members from D.O. schools across the country to interact. Several time-slots during the conference were reserved for open discussion, where a member could bring up an issue their school was dealing with and receive feedback and advice. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge to share with our SGA, club leaders and students. Issues like elections, the SGA constitution and academic integrity are just a few examples of areas I received feedback on. The COSGP also allows students from all osteopathic medical schools to have a voice within AACOM and the AOA. COSGP members are present at all major AOA and AACOM meetings. The meeting in Baltimore was held in conjunction with the joint AACOM/NBOME (National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners) conference. Many of the events and presentations hosted by AACOM conference were included in the COSGP agenda. Several key AACOM and NBOME members presented at the COSGP meeting.

This experience gave me the sense that the osteopathic profession is at a critical turning point. Many of the topics and issues discussed touched upon the nature of health care in the United States and the role of osteopathic medicine. Our nation faces serious challenges in delivering effective and affordable health-care as a wide-spread shortage of physicians looms. AACOM President Stephen C. Shannon, DO, MPH spoke about a special blue ribbon commission being created to tackle the health-care crisis. Osteopathic physicians are at the forefront of implementing a workable solution for health-care reform because of the principles inherent to the osteopathic philosophy. Our profession stands to gain a stronger standing because of this fact.

Making some of the resources available to allopathic students also available for osteopathic students was another topic heavily discussed. A special report, “Charting the Outcomes of the Match”, is produced each year outlining the match results and details for allopathic residencies. There currently is no such report for osteopathic residencies. The data made available is very useful when applying to residencies and having something similar for osteopathic residencies is ideal. The COSGP urged AACOM officials to develop this resource.

Concerning policy and resolutions, a tobacco-free campus resolution that was passed earlier this year will be brought for official recommendation to the AOA, and already many schools have adopted this policy. Also, a resolution was brought up and passed that added gender-identity and sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clauses within the COCA Commission standards.

In terms of special presentations, I wanted to highlight two topics to share:
Focus on Prevention:
An extensive presentation on the work currently being done to incorporate preventative medicine principles into medical school curricula. AACOM has a special task force that deals specifically with this issue. The U.S. government also has a task force, more info can be found at:
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/
-->Check out this App created by the U.S. Department of Health (compatible with most handheld devices):

ePSS, the Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS) is an application designed to help primary care clinicians identify the screening, counseling, and preventive medication services that are appropriate for their patients.

Download at: http://epss.ahrq.gov/PDA/index.jsp

AACOM Career Advising:
A career advising site set up by AACOM allows you to connect with a physician mentor and provides a wealth of information to help guide you on the path to becoming an osteopathic physician. Resources like a decision-making time-line, detailed specialty, match and practice information and advice are just a few of examples.

Visit http://www.aacom.org/InfoFor/students/careeradvice

Concluding remarks:

I gained a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience in my first COSGP meeting. After having extensive discussions and interacting with student government leaders from all of the other D.O. schools, I am proud to say that what we have at TouroCOM is something special. A combination of a highly talented student body, unique location and supportive faculty and administration has served to create an environment of success and creativity. We have the potential for even greater success, and I encourage all of you to be more proactive. Our school’s success truly hinges upon your continued dedication and participation.


Sincerely,
Ali Abdallah
Student Government Association President
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York

Spring cleaning...

The website will be undergoing some construction in the next few weeks. The basic framework will remain the same, but some components will be revamped and updated...

Legislative Informant, COSGP

Vol. 2, Iss. 3

Jan. 21, 2010

The Fate of ObamaCare

On January 19, 2011, the House of Representatives approved legislation
to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The final vote was 245-189 with 3
Democrats voting with the Republicans in favor of repeal. The Senate
has no plans to consider this bill at this time.

The House of Representatives also voted on a measure to instruct four
committees to draft alternative health care proposals that reflect
Republican priorities.

Taxes for All Residents

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the U.S. Treasury Department acted reasonably in promulgating a rule that says medical residents are not exempt from paying employment taxes under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. United States, U.S., No. 09-837, 1/11/11). Furthermore, the decision means that taxes are due only on residents’ stipends paid after April 1, 2005.

The high court opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. dealt with regulations providing that medical residents who work more than 40 hours per week do not qualify for the student exception under Section 3121(b)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code. Chief Justice Roberts said the regulations address an area “to which Congress has not directly spoken,” and because the regulations were “a reasonable construction of what Congress has said,” they had to be upheld.

The case involved a rule change by the U.S. Department of Treasury in 2005 providing that the student exemption from the FICA tax does not apply if the individual works full-time. Eight of the nine Supreme Court justices considered the case, in which the U.S. Department of Treasury argued that the IRS should be allowed to collect Social Security and Medicaid taxes from medical residents who work and study at teaching hospitals. Justice Elena Kagan recused herself from the case because she signed the Justice Department's brief on behalf of the IRS while she was solicitor general.

In August, the AOA submitted a joint amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the case along with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and several other higher education associations. In the brief, the AOA and the AACOM supported the eligibility of medical residents for exemption from FICA taxation

Thought of the Week

What do you think about the time and effort the government has spent on the ACA and now the government wants to repeal ACA? Is this productive, counter-productive?

New Physicians in Congress

Six new physicians will join the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress, including Joe Heck, DO (NV-03), the first osteopathic physician representative in the modern era. Other freshman joining Dr. Heck in the House of Representatives will be:

* Larry Bucshon, MD from the 8th district of Indiana
* Nan Hayworth, MD from the 19th district of New York
* Andy Harris, MD from the 1st district of Maryland
* Dan Benishek, MD from the 1st district of Michigan
* Scott DesJarlais, MD from the 4th district of Tennessee

The Senate will receive its third physician. Senator Rand Paul, MD won the election in Kentucky and will join physicians, John Barrasso, MD (Wyoming) and Tom Coburn, MD (Oklahoma).

2011 will bring a total of 20 physicians to the 112th Congress.

Important Upcoming Dates

DO Day on the Hill registration begins January 3! DO Day on the Hill, Thursday, April 7.
2011 Paul Ambrose Scholars Program Applications due Feb. 7
COSGP Meeting! January 26, 27, 28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.