October

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Each year for the past 146 years, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has held an annual General Council meeting in a dif-ferent Canadian city. I had the pleasure of attending this year’s 4-day meeting held in Calgary, Alberta, as the BCMA president, a role that gave me a fresh perspective.

1922–2013
Dr Norman Jaques, a resident of Shelton, Washington, died 17 August, surrounded by family. 

Norman was born in London, England. At 19, he became a Royal Air Force pilot, serving his country from 1941 to 1946. He was most proud of the fact that he trained with the US Navy at Pensacola, Florida, and received his USN wings. In 1949, he entered University College London as an undergraduate for a medical degree. In 1953, he started his clinical training at Westminster Hospital in London and was appointed house surgeon in 1956. 

The process of being audited can be a distressing event for physicians, whether it’s by the tax department, the Medical Services Commission (MSC), the College of Physicians and Surgeons, or another agency. With respect to the MSC, physicians must accept that payment agencies are mandated to ensure accountability for the funds that are spent. The Medical Services Plan (MSP) fee-for-service system requires a large element of trust that doctors will bill appropriately for their services. Audits by the MSC indicate that this trust is usually well founded.