1. NEW! SDMS Medicare Reimbursement Policy Directory

SDMS is pleased to announce the SDMS Medicare Reimbursement Policy Directory as an exclusive benefit of SDMS membership. Medicare reimbursement policies for medical procedures such as diagnostic medical sonography are complex and may vary from state to state (and, sometimes, may vary within a state). Additionally, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/) can be difficult to navigate and search for the information you need. Knowing what is required for reimbursement can make the difference between getting paid or not getting paid for your work. And knowing what is expected can help you avoid costly fraud investigations and/or penalties.

SDMS has cut through the bureaucratic red tape to help our members - we are tracking more than 1,100 reimbursement policies relating to diagnostic medical sonography. We link you directly with the policies you need without you having to wade through the CMS website. In addition, as we monitor the status of the sonography reimbursement policies, we will update our directory at least once a month so you have easy access to the latest information.

Effective January 1, 2008, the annual dues for SDMS membership increase to $145. This represents the first increase in 7 years. After a thoughtful and comprehensive discussion and debate, the SDMS Board of Directors adopted the dues increase, in part, because of the Society’s increased legislative efforts on behalf of its 20,000 members. “The fight in Congress to establish minimum education and certification standards through the CARE bill is a major factor,” said Shannon Boswell, SDMS President. “But our efforts go far beyond Washington DC including dealing with insurance companies, state legislatures, etc.” SDMS has also significantly expanded its member benefits over the years. The dues increase was needed to offset increasing costs of providing these services to the growing SDMS membership.

In addition to the dues increase, the membership rate structure have been simplified – US and international members now pay the same amount. Students, who receive discounted membership dues while in school, are not affected by the dues increase. Nor are Advanced Practice Sonographer (APS) members who already pay a higher dues rate.

SDMS plans to continue to expand its services and benefits to make sure that SDMS membership is your best career investment!

SDMS members may use our online nomination form to submit their nominations for various association elected positions and awards including:

Board of Directors

• 1 open position for International "At-Large" Director
• 3 open positions for "At-Large" Directors

• 1 open position on the Finance Committee
• 2 open positions on the Nominating Committee

• SDMS Fellow*
• Joan P. Baker Pioneer Award*
• Distinguished Educator Award*

The deadline for all nominations is February 15, 2008. To nominate someone for an elected position, please go to http://www.sdms.org/members/nominateform.asp.

The SDMS is pleased to welcome Linda Berndt as the new Director of Government and Public Relations for the SDMS.

Linda brings with her 20+ years of experience, much of it at the senior staff level, in Legislative/Advocacy and Public Policy work. She has spearheaded a number of state and federal lobbying initiatives that established landmark legislative and regulatory changes. She worked in and is familiar with the healthcare world. Prior to joining SDMS her most recent position was serving as the Vice-President for Government Affairs & Marketing for the Earth Biofuels/Applied LNG Technologies. Her professional history includes:

• Serving as the President (CEO) of the Kansas Healthcare Association, and
• Serving as the Executive Director of External Affairs for Southwestern Bell

5. NEW! SDMS Sonography Puzzles

The SDMS is pleased to announce another exclusive SDMS member benefit, SDMS Sonography Puzzles. SDMS Sonography Puzzles are a series of online crossword and word search puzzles that sonography educators can incorporate into their educational programs or can be used by students and sonographers just for fun. The puzzles are interactive and a fun way to learn sonography-related terminology.

A new puzzle will be added each month and announced in SDMS Sound News. The puzzles may feature a broad or specific topic theme (e.g., anatomy or kidney anatomy). The interactive puzzles can be completed online (using Adobe's free Flash player) or you can print the puzzle for later use. The first puzzle, titled "Fans of Physics" was submitted by Debra Krukowski at Triton College DMS Program in River Grove, IL.

The News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. The articles do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the SDMS. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org.