Medical Society News & Information
September 2002

Ross L. Ballard, M.D.
1917 - 2002

Former SBCMS president Ross L. Ballard, M.D. passed away July 23 at St. Mary Hospital in his hometown of Reno, Nevada. He was a member of our Medical Society for 56 years.

Dr. Ballard received his medical degree from the University of Southern California in 1943. As a medical student, he became an extern at the Santa Fe Hospital and stayed there for his internship. He served in the Pacific with the Navy during World War II and concluded with six months at the Naval Hospital in Long Beach and took his residency at City General Hospital. He began his practice in Needles and moved to San Bernardino in 1949.

Dr. Ballard and Dr. Wendell Ogden practiced together for eight years in San Bernardino. In 1955 Dr. Ballard and his brother, Dr. Robert Ballard, built medical office buildings on Waterman Avenue. It was there that Dr. Ballard and Dr. Pete Wiggins joined in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology for the next 28 years.

Dr. Ballard was a director of the Deseret Drug Company, which was founded by his pharmacist brother Dale in 1959, and was in charge of Research and Development. The brothers sold the company in 1981 to Warner Lambert Drug Company. Later Dale started Ballard Medical to produce medical gadgetry and it involved all the members of the family in ownership. Dr. Ballard was also an accomplished musician and played the saxophone in dance orchestras for 30 years before he switched to playing bassoon in the light operas. For eight years he partnered with Jack McCullough, a Pacific High School music teacher and director of the Civic Light Opera, to operate a music store in San Bernardino. In his later years, he practiced diligently to become a first rate guitarist.

Dr. Ballard joined SBCMS in 1946, served on the Board of Directors and was President in 1970. He was also President of the Foundation for Medical Care 1967-69 and served eight years as a trustee for California Blue Shield. Following his retirement in 1983, Dr. Ballard became the first medical director of the Student Health Center at Cal State San Bernardino. He served in that position for nine years and supervised the development of the Student Health Center. In his retirement, Dr. Ballard enjoyed hunting, fishing and golf. Dr. Ballard was a widower; he and Dorothy raised two sons and two daughters.

Hamad Mirhoseini, M.D.
1948 - 2002

Hamad Mirhoseini, M.D. passed away April 10, 2002. He practiced with the Inland Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates in San Bernardino and Riverside, and was affiliated with St. Bernardine Medical Center.

Dr. Mirhoseini was a native of Isfahan, Iran and received his medical degree from the University of Isfahan, School of Medicine in 1975. He interned at the University of Isfahan, Affiliated Hospital 1974-75. He completed general surgery residencies at Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, Illinois 1984-87 and the Medical Center of Delaware, 1990-91. This was followed by postgraduate fellowships in cardiac surgery at the Medical Center of Delaware 1991-97 and cardiovascular surgery at the UCLA Medical Center 1997-98, where he worked as a licensed physician at the UCLA Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. In 1995, Dr. Mirhoseini received his license to practice in California. Prior to coming to San Bernardino, he was affiliated with UCLA Medical Center. He served in the military in Iran.

Dr. Mirhoseini's survivors include his wife, Deborah Wright Mirhoseini.

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September is Women in Medicine Month
SBCMS celebrates the accomplishments of women physicians and encourages their greater involvement in organized medicine.

SBCMS/CMA MBA in a Day for Physicians and Office Managers
Back by Popular Demand - A "Must Do" Seminar
October 8, 2002 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.
SBCMS Conference Center, 952 S. Mt. Vernon Ave., Colton
Cost: CMA Member $200.00; Non Member $325.00

Today's physicians and office managers need a high level of business management skills in three areas: Finance, Operations and Personnel Management. This course will teach critical skills in these areas and is presented by an experienced consultant and former practice administrator, Debra Phairas, MBA, President of Practice & Liability Consultants. This is a hands on workshop. Participants will need to bring their practice financial information (which will not be shared) to calculate the ratios in the exercises. Please bring a calculator. Topics covered will include:

• Accounts Receivable Management and cash flow
  
• Importance of Profit/Loss Statements as Management Tools
  
• Benchmarking Overhead Categories - Specialty Specific Data Provided
  
• Payroll to Collections and Full Time Equivalents Ratios for staffing levels
  
• Essential Ratios to Calculate Monthly Status Reports
  
• Cost Accounting Techniques
  
• Contract Evaluation and Management
  
• Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Techniques for Improved Scheduling, Telephone Service, Medical Records, Patient Flow
• Marketing Techniques, Patient and Referral Satisfaction
  
• Risk Management - Medicare Compliance, OSHA, Malpractice Prevention
  
• Labor Law Essentials, Overtime laws, Exempt vs. Non-exempt employees, Wrongful Termination, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment
  
• Performance Evaluation, Wage Levels, Discipline, Termination, How to Increase Productivity

To register, call or email Beatrix Erdei at CMA, 888/619-9718, berdei@cmanet.org.