Washington, D.C., October 22, 2019 - The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), the largest medical organization in the District that represents metropolitan Washington physicians, is saddened by the news that Past President Lewis H. Biben, MD, passed away on October 20, 2019.   

Dr. Biben was an esteemed physician leader and philanthropist. He earned his medical degree at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia and then came to Georgetown University School of Medicine for his residency. Dr. Biben served a term as MSDC president in 1981, and he served Washington, DC patients as a board-certified internist for many decades. He was a member of the DC Delegation to the American Medical Association, where he advocated for public health. He was “a dear friend, excellent physician, and a gregarious raconteur,” according to MSDC Past President Raymond Scalettar, MD. His commitment and service earned him many awards, including the Medical Society’s Distinguished Service Award in 1993.   

He is survived by his wife Beverly Biben and family. Mrs. Biben was also active in the community and received MSDC’s John Benjamin Nichols Award for service to the community in 1989.

The temple service and burial are as follows.
 

TEMPLE SERVICE

Thursday, October 24, 2019

11:00 AM

Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St. NW, Washington, DC)

BURIAL

Thursday, October 24, 2019

King David Memorial Gardens (7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042)

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Media Contact:

Pia Duryea                                                                 

Medical Society of the District of Columbia               

duryea@msdc.org                                                       

(202) 355-9414                                                             

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

With more than 2,900 members, the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC) is the largest medical organization in the District of Columbia representing metropolitan Washington physicians. Founded in 1817, MSDC is the first medical society chartered by an Act of Congress, and it remains dedicated to ensuring the well-being of physicians and their patients in metropolitan Washington. Learn more at msdc.org.  

MSDC Bemoans Passing of Beloved Past President Carlos Silva, MD

Washington, D.C., October 16, 2019 – Carlos Silva, MD, beloved father and husband and past president of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), passed away peacefully on October 13, 2019. He was an esteemed surgeon at George Washington University Hospital and a dedicated physician leader who spent decades advocating for patients and physicians.

Born in Puerto Rico, he came to the nation’s capital for medical education and received his medical degree from The George Washington University in 1960. After completing residency and internship, he served his country as a captain in the U.S. Air Force in Newport News, Va. Upon his return to Washington, D.C., he entered private practice as a general surgeon, specializing in burn and trauma surgery. He practiced for over 40 years, and later in his career acted as medical director at George Washington University Hospital.  

A long-time physician leader, his peers describe him as “selfless” and “dedicated.” He was “the epitome of what all physicians should be” according to MSDC Past President Raymond Scalettar, MD. Dr. Silva served a one-year term as MSDC president in 1987, and he served Washington, DC patients as an MSDC board member for 25 years. He provided his expertise on national healthcare issues as a delegate to the American Medical Association for over 25 years. His commitment and excellence earned him many awards, including the Medical Society’s Distinguished Service Award and Certificate of Meritorious Service.

He was beloved by his family and is survived by his wife of 59 years, Maria; daughter, Cristina (Fran) Silva Muracca; son, Carlos Jr.; and four grandchildren. He enjoyed traveling to Puerto Rico, California, Maryland and other locales for pleasure and to visit friends and family.  Other joys included golf and cruises.

Visitation took place on October 15, 2019, at Joseph Gawler's Sons, 5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 2 to 4 PM and 7 to 9 PM. Services were held on October 16, 2019, at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cath. 11 AM, 36th and Mass. Ave., NW Washington, DC.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral or The George Washington University School of Medicine in Health Sciences Discovery Fund, SHS Development Office, 2600 Virginia Ave. NW Suite 355G, Washington, DC 20037.

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Media Contact:

Pia Duryea                                                                 

Medical Society of the District of Columbia               

duryea@msdc.org                                                       

(202) 355-9414                                                             

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

With more than 2,900 members, the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC) is the largest medical organization in the District of Columbia representing metropolitan Washington physicians. Founded in 1817, MSDC is the first medical society chartered by an Act of Congress, and it remains dedicated to ensuring the well-being of physicians and their patients in metropolitan Washington. Learn more at msdc.org.  

Washington, D.C., May 7, 2019 – The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), the largest medical organization in the District of Columbia representing Washington-area physicians, is pleased to announce that today the Council of the District of Columbia issued a ceremonial resolution to “recognize and honor Dr. Raymond Tu for his incredible career as a radiologist and his service in treating the residents of Ward 8 and the District of Columbia.”  Dr. Raymond Tu is the current president of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia and a member of the Medical Society’s delegation to the American Medical Association.  The Medical Society congratulates him on this well-deserved recognition. 

As Chair of the MSDC Board of Directors, Susanne Bathgate, MD, said, “it has been an honor to work with a dedicated physician leader like MSDC President Dr. Raymond Tu. He is known for the humor, passion, creativity, and inclusivity he brings to his work, as well as the commitment to public health, service, and excellence in the field of medicine for which he is being recognized.  He is a tireless champion for improving health and the practice of medicine in the District of Columbia.”

Dr. Tu’s leadership and commitment to public health knows no bounds. He is the Chair of Radiology at the United Medical Center; Chair of Radiology at BridgePoint Hospital, National Harbor and Capitol Hill; and Clinical Associate Professor, Radiology, The George Washington University. He is quick to note that the District of Columbia is a minority-majority city, emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusivity in healthcare. He has written numerous scientific articles and presented at national and international medical meetings on the topics of Medicaid, food deserts, health disparities, the opioid crisis and practice improvement.

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Media Contacts:

Pia Duryea                                                                 

Medical Society of the District of Columbia               

duryea@msdc.org                                                       

(202) 355-9414                                                             

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2019 – The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), the largest medical organization in the District of Columbia representing Washington-area physicians, announces that Kirstiaan L. Nevin, MD, has been appointed to the MSDC Board of Directors as an at-large director. Dr. Nevin’s appointment was confirmed by the MSDC Board of Directors at its February board meeting. “The Board is pleased that Dr. Nevin has joined us as a Director,” said Susanne Bathgate, MD, Chair, MSDC Board of Directors. “Her business experience, content expertise, and diverse background will add much to the discussions on how to make the District the best place to practice medicine.”

Dr. Nevin, who is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, is Partner at Reiter, Hill, Johnson & Nevin (RHJN), a comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology practice with seventeen physicians and offices in D.C.’s Golden Triangle, Chevy Chase and Falls Church. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Surgeons, and she has admitting privileges at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Some of her professional interests include obstetrical genetic testing, breast and ovarian cancer genetic testing, and colposcopy. Dr. Nevin attended Johns Hopkins University for her undergraduate degree, received her M.D. from George Washington University, and completed her training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia Hospital in 1996. She served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps from 1996 to 2000.    

RHJN Chief Executive Officer Jason Miller applauded Dr. Nevin’s appointment. “For the last 23 years, Dr. Nevin has seen the healthcare landscape change dramatically.  While remaining a tireless advocate for her patients, she realizes first hand that the field of medicine has changed and continues to change.  Now taking her advocacy to the MSDC Board, Dr. Nevin looks forward to having a positive impact on her profession, the DC medical community, and patient population for many years to come.”
 
Dr. Nevin fills a board seat that went vacant in 2018. Per MSDC Bylaws, Dr. Nevin will serve through the MSDC annual meeting on October 25, 2019. Dr. Nevin is eligible for re-nomination by the MSDC Nominating Committee.

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Media Contacts:

Pia Duryea                                                                 

Medical Society of the District of Columbia              

duryea@msdc.org                                                       

(202) 355-9414                                                             

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

Washington, D.C., January 3, 2019 – The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), Washington, D.C.’s leading physicians group, today applauded the release of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “Live.Long.DC” plan to reduce opioid addictions and deaths in the District. In particular, MSDC is pleased to see the Mayor included the removal of prior authorization for medication assisted treatment (MAT) as one of the plan’s goals.  

Prior authorization of medical treatments often delays necessary patient care, making it a major issue for MSDC’s 2,600-plus physician community members and the thousands of Washingtonians whom they treat each day. Goal 5, Strategy 5a of the Mayor’s plan would examine “eliminate[ing] barriers to accessing MAT… including prior authorization,” and “[e]stablish an on-call 24-hour consultation service for physicians prescribing MAT.” Both strategies would allow District physicians seeing a patient with opioid use disorder (OUD) to more quickly prescribe treatments such as buprenorphine that have been proven effective in fighting addiction. 

“We applaud the Mayor and her administration for their plan to help District residents,” said Dr. Raymond Tu, MD, MS, FACR, president of MSDC. “MSDC has worked with the District Council, our members who treat OUD patients, and other stakeholders to ensure that a physician voice is heard to provide sound medical knowledge on dealing with the scourge of drug addiction in our city. We will continue to advocate for good medicine and our physicians treating District residents on these issues.”

The “Live.Long.DC” plan also contains numerous other provisions that if implemented well would help physicians more easily treat OUD patients. Goal 1 includes provisions aimed at “promot[ing] improved access to MAT for individuals on Medicare with part D coverage.” It also calls for commercial health insurance plans to reduce barriers for MAT and other treatment services.
 
MSDC will work with the Mayor’s office, DC Health, the Department of Behavioral Health, the Department of Health Care Finance, and the District Council to ensure these provisions are implemented in a timely and medically-sound manner. MSDC will also work in 2019 to reduce the barrier of prior authorization for all treatments in the District. A 2017 American Medical Association survey of physicians found that 78% of respondents said prior authorization can lead patients to abandon treatment, with 30% of respondents reporting waiting between three and five days for a prescription to be approved by an insurance company.
                                                            See pdf version.

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Media Contacts:

Pia Duryea                                                                  

Medical Society of the District of Columbia               

duryea@msdc.org                                                         

(202) 355-9414                                                             

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

MSDC Statement on Healthcare “East of the River”

Dated December 18, 2018

As our city debates what physical healthcare facilities it needs in Wards 7 and 8, two things are abundantly clear to the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. First, adequate access to quality health care “east of the river” is lacking due to a number of factors. Second, there is a wealth of resources across this city that can help solve some of those factors, but the resources are not limited to just one facility or one ward. The Medical Society enters this debate because our strategic vision is to make the District of Columbia “the best place to practice medicine,” and we are dedicated to helping the District provide world-class healthcare regardless of where patients are from or where in the city they choose to receive care.

Currently, the District is home to top-ranked, world-renowned healthcare facilities and medical schools, many of which reflect our city’s wonderfully diverse population. We are fortunate to have two distinguished academic centers of medicine eager to build on the care already available in Wards 7 and 8. These include Howard University College of Medicine, which ranks among the nation’s highest producers of black medical professionals, and The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, which can trace its history back to the first school of medicine in the nation’s capital.

We urge the Council and the Bowser Administration to take an open approach to deciding what care facilities are necessary in Wards 7 and 8, and to engage in a collaborative discussion over the next 90 days that comes to an agreement to provide continuous, appropriate, and comprehensive health services in the neighborhoods of our under-served populations. These decisions must not further disadvantage health care facilities or schools that are already struggling to deal with current health inequities, and they must not reduce the healthcare choices available to our residents. What is clear is that the decisions must balance the financial realities of providing quality care for our residents with the need for a vibrant network of providers, academic centers and hospitals.

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See pdf version.

Washington, D.C., December 4, 2018 –The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), the largest medical organization in the District of Columbia representing Washington-area physicians and long-time behavioral health advocate, commends the Council of the District of Columba for passing the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017 (B22-597) today.  MSDC urges the mayor to promptly sign the bill into law, thereby positioning the District of Columbia as a model for the nation on behavioral health at a time when the nation’s behavioral health needs are rapidly increasing.

The bill ensures that federal law regarding behavioral health parity is codified into DC law, adding an extra level of protection for patients. The bill also expands parity for the District’s Medicaid program, thereby addressing significant unmet behavioral health needs of the District’s neediest patients. According to the 2013 District of Columbia Community Health Needs Assessment, in Washington, D.C., 60 percent of adults enrolled in Medicaid managed care with a diagnosis of depression had an unmet need for depression care. The Behavioral Health Parity Act aims to address the overall shortfall in behavioral health care by requiring insurance carriers to meet the provisions outlined in the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. These changes will ensure that any patient who seeks behavioral mental health will have services covered by their insurer.  Signing the Behavioral Health Parity Act into law will demonstrate the District of Columbia’s leadership on behavioral health for Washingtonians.

“I applaud the Council for passing this progressive, proactive legislation,” said MSDC executive vice president Robert Hay Jr. “So many of the public health issues in our city are tied to behavioral health. With the passage of this bill, DC is again a leader in health care and mental health treatment. We look forward to working with DISB and the other agencies to implement the legislation.”

As a voice for all physicians, MSDC is an advocate in the fight for patient access to medically necessary care, and has a history of success in behavioral health. In December 2017, MSDC sent a letter of support to the Committee on Health making a strong case to pass the Behavioral Health Parity Act. In 2015, MSDC led a stakeholder group to pass the Behavioral Health Coordination of Care Amendment Act (B21-7). That bill permitted the disclosure of a consumer’s mental health information between mental health facilities and health professionals caring for the patient, to ensure better coordination of care. The Medical Society will continue to support behavioral health parity as the bill moves through the legislative process, and MSDC will continue its legacy of voicing concerns on behalf of all physicians and their patients.    

See pdf version.
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Media Contact:

Pia Duryea                                                     

duryea@msdc.org                                            

202- 355-9414
917-952-3246 (Cell)                                                   

About the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 14, 2016

CONTACT:

AMA Media & Editorial

(312) 464-4430

media@ama-assn.org

(Orlando, FL) –  During the opening session of its 2016 Interim Meeting, the American Medical Association presented K. Edward Shanbacker, executive vice president of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), with the Medical Executive Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors a medical association executive who has contributed substantially to the goals and ideals of the medical profession.

“A leader on Medicare and Medicaid issues and a champion for patients and physicians, K. Edward Shanbacker has dedicated his career to organized medicine and serving as a mentor to colleagues near and far. The AMA is honored to present him with this award, recognizing a tremendous career and contributions to medicine,” said AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D.

Shanbacker began his career in organized medicine in 1980 when he became assistant executive director, and later executive director, of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Medical Society. He assumed his current role at the MSDC fifteen years later. During his career, Shanbacker has led his staff on important issues that impact physicians and their patients – including health system reform, tort reform, Medicare, Medicaid and other public health measures.

Shanbacker received his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from New York University and MPA in health policy at American University. He was accepted in the executive education certificate program in physician leadership at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
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About the AMA
The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America. For more information, visit www.ama-assn.org