Benefits of Membership

• Continuing Medical Education for Physicians is available through programs that are administered by the Medical Society and sponsored through a consortium arrangement in each of the hospitals and health facilities throughout Santa Barbara County. Very few counties in the State have a CME program such as the one the Santa Barbara County Medical Society offers for the benefit of the local physicians. The Medical Society maintains CME records for all physicians in the county and can provide them to the hospitals at re-credentialing time.

• Professional/Collegial Activities provide opportunity for physicians to be involved in political activities and to meet with colleagues for business or social purposes. The Medical Society is one of the few places in the medical environment where physicians of all types of practice, all insurance affiliations and all specialties can come together for collegial purposes, legislative efforts and community health projects. The Medical Society sponsors several general membership meetings each year where members can join with colleagues, their spouses and guests for dinner and an informational or entertaining program.

• SBCMS keeps an eye on Medicare fees and regulations that affect Santa Barbara County Medical Society physicians. Although battling the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is a frustrating task, the local Society is continuing to appeal the Medicare fee schedule for the local area. Meetings with the local Congressional representative and with representatives of CMS have been part of the Society's agenda in the attempt to assist local physicians with Medicare issues.

• 4000+ physician referrals are given per year by the Medical Society office when patients need referrals to a doctor or request information about physicians listed on their health plans. SBCMS provides information about Medical Society members ONLY.

• Office staffing is made more convenient for Medical Society members who choose to use the Medical Society's resource file of applicants who would like to work in a physician's office or medical clinic. A monthly advertisement in the local newspaper brings in a sizable number of résumés regularly.

• Salary survey results (office employee wages) are available to Medical Society physician members to assist in determining the range of pay for various employees in physicians' offices within Santa Barbara County.

• Practice management workshops focusing on office practice management issues are examples of "looking after physicians' best interests" at the local level. OSHA workshops are included in this offering.

• Office Managers receive a monthly newsletter by fax or email from the Medical Society focusing on practical issues encountered by the office staff. This newsletter provides information on new or updated compliance laws and general hints to make the practice run smoothly.

• Publications such as the Medical Society News and the SBCMS Membership Directory provide information on local and statewide medical issues and encourage collegiality and professionalism among physicians in Santa Barbara County. Approximately 1200 SBCMS Directories with pictures and information about all Medical Society members are distributed to physicians, hospitals and health-related organizations and personnel.

• The Survival Manual, given to each new member, is a valuable business and legal tool for physicians who are new to the area or for those establishing a practice of their own following an employed situation. This manual can be useful for an employed physician as well as the independent business physician and is available for members ONLY.

• Mailing Labels (one set complimentary per year) containing the Medical Society's physicians and their office addresses are available to each member.

• The Medical Society is a resource for general information relating to medical practice and usually is able to link the physician with a source to find needed information if the Society does not have it available.

• Advance Healthcare Directive Kits are available for members and their patients at the Medical Society. The Advance Healthcare Directive gives one the ability to insure that his/her health care wishes are known and considered if he/she becomes unable to make these decisions him/herself.

• Medical Society committees, available for volunteer service, give members an opportunity to work with colleagues in the community on efforts such as peer review, legislative and political action, health education in the schools, public health projects, continuing medical education, physician well-being and others. The Medical Society places member physicians on CMA Committees and Commissions such as the influential CMA Council on Legislation. The Medical Society also is asked to place its designated physicians on committees and boards in the local community such as CenCal Health, the local organization that administers Medi-Cal, the county's Tobacco Settlement Task Force, and others.

• A Professional Relations Committee is available for physicians and patients who find it necessary to register a formal complaint against a physician. A volunteer committee of physicians is very effective in the resolution of complaints relating to physician reimbursement, medical ethics and other matters.

• Insurance packages for your personal and business welfare are available through the Santa Barbara County Medical Society's group insurance programs. A wide variety of services are available, including professional liability, family and employee healthcare, disability, business overhead expense, workers compensation and others.

• SBCMS maintains close contact with state legislators who represent the local area. This contact allows SBCMS to educate and influence our representatives when medical issues are debated and voted on in the State Legislature.

• Our fight for MICRA is of immense value to your practice. Santa Barbara County Medical Society and CMA are dedicated to saving you money whenever possible. In the mid 1970s, during the medical malpractice crisis, the CMA and local medical societies were pivotal in the passage of MICRA (Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act). This state legislation places a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages and limits attorney fees, thus keeping professional liability insurance rates among the lowest in the nation. The Santa Barbara County Medical Society/CMA continue to fight for the preservation of MICRA as well as push for federal tort reform.

• Dues payment options are available to members. The Santa Barbara County Medical Society has arranged dues payment options that are flexible and convenient. To help you the Medical Society accepts payment by check or credit card. Credit card payments may be made by phone or mail.