September 6, 2002

Dear Colleagues:

On behalf of the CPA we would like to thank all those members of Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) who helped in the successful negotiation of the MAMSI contract. Many of our faculty and staff were involved in this team effort. We thank each of them. In addition, we would like to express our gratitude below to those who played key leadership roles in the negotiation.

The Contracting Committee and Board of Governors of the CPA developed the strategy to improve our pro fees in this latest round of contract negotiations. They remained steadfast through the MAMSI negotiation. We thank them for their principled leadership.

Special thanks are extended to Ron Peterson and the Hospital for taking considerable risk to partner with the CPA in this negotiation. The Hospital had much to lose and relatively little to gain. Hospital revenues are much greater than pro fee revenues. Furthermore, hospital rates are set by the HSCRC and are not subject to negotiation. They are essentially guaranteed. By partnering with us in our effort to improve the MAMSI pro fee schedule, the Hospital was willing to walk away from substantial patient volume and revenue for the CPA.

We thank Patty Brown and her team at Johns Hopkins Health Care (JHHC) for leading the negotiation with MAMSI on behalf of JHM. The communication and face to face negotiations with MAMSI were difficult and frustrating but Patty and the JHHC team were not deterred. Additionally, Patty and the JHHC team worked tirelessly here at Hopkins to keep the JHM partnership working effectively during the negotiations.

Ken Wilczek, Megan Lower, and Joe Bezek led a sterling CPA staff in support of this negotiation. They have been staunch supporters of the initiative to obtain better pro fees and were determined to improve the MAMSI fee schedule. There was a never ending and often urgent need for data to support this negotiation. The CPA team never flinched and always delivered.

We look forward to a continued JHM team effort in the contract negotiations ahead.

Edward D. Miller, MD
Dean & CEO
Johns Hopkins Medicine

William A. Baumgartner, MD
President
Clinical Practice Association

John H. Fetting, MD
Chairman, Contracting Committee
Clinical Practice Association