MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Your Membership Counts – Renew Today!
The MMS is a proactive
advocate representing the voice of physicians and their patients. The
Society will propose no less than 20 pieces of state legislation on
Beacon Hill this year, and has recently testified before the Board of
Registration in Medicine against proposed regulatory changes ranging
from expanding the grounds for filing complaints leading to disciplinary
action, to more onerous credentialing requirements, and additions to
informed consent provisions. Please
renew
your MMS membership for 2017 and support the Society in its mission to
ensure the perspective and expertise of physicians is reflected in
regulatory proposals.
MACMRI Holds 5th Annual Forum April 13
The Massachusetts Alliance for
Communication and Resolution following Medical Injury (MACRMI) is
holding its 5th Annual Forum at MMS headquarters on April 13. The first
session, which begins at 11 a.m., will explore basic principles of CARe
and its history. The general session, which begins at 1 p.m., will
include discussion of the MACRMI pilot study. The free program is
designated for CME and nursing credit.
Click here to register.
Benefit Buzz: Legal Advice with Board of Registration in Medicine Issues
Safeguard your medical license.
Physicians receiving notification from the Board of Registration in
Medicine (BRM) of a complaint or investigation can find the experience
time-consuming and costly. The Legal Advisory Plan (LAP), a member-only,
low-cost legal service, is designed to effectively respond to Board
issues. Enrollment for 2017 - 2018 plan year is available.
Click here to learn more. Questions? Email
lap@mms.org, or call (781) 434-7311.
Adult Immunization Conference April 25
Make plans to attend the
Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference. Early bird registration
ends on April 11 for the April 25 conference. For more information,
click here.
Massachusetts Healthcare Decisions Month
April marks Massachusetts
Healthcare Decisions Month, an expansion of National Healthcare
Decisions Day, which falls on April 16. This month-long initiative aims
to engage physicians and patients in end-of-life conversations. Everyone
is encouraged to continue those conversations with their loved ones and
appoint a health care proxy. The MMS has joined the Massachusetts
Coalition for Serious Illness Care, which is promoting Healthcare
Decisions Month. The Coalition’s campaign,
Write Your Script, emphasizes healthcare at all life stages that honors the wishes of each individual.
MMS Annual Meeting 2017:
Online Opportunities for Annual Meeting Participation
We invite all members to take
advantage of the online opportunities we have for the Annual Meeting!
> Testify! Unable to attend in person, but feel passionate about a resolution or report? Any MMS member may view the online
Delegates’ Handbook and
post testimony.
> Engage! Follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #MMSAnnual.
> Learn! Want to participate in the Annual Education Program from the comfort of your home or office?
Register now for the Annual Education Program webinar
The Winding Road of Addiction: Hope on the Horizon and experience the same high-quality learning experience in a convenient format.
If you do plan to attend the meeting in-person, please take the time to pre-register. Register online at
www.massmed.org/annual2017/register.
Information Available on Oral Health
Members of the
Committee on Oral Health underscore the importance of oral health in
general health. The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health has
developed posters outlinging the facts of gum disease and other related topics. Please consider downloading these posters and sharing with colleagues.
Educational Trip to Cuba Planned
The Connecticut State
Medical Society has extended an invitation to MMS members to participate
in an educational experience in Cuba, May 20 – 24, 2017. Deadline for
reservations is May 1, 2017 For more information, click here.
Risk Management Course on Addiction Medicine
A risk management
course, “Addiction Medicine for All Providers: Pearls for Practice in a
Time for Advocacy,” is scheduled for May 19-20. For registration
information click here.
Senior Physician Luncheon: Experiencing Retirement - Before, During and After
The Committee on Senior
Physicians invites MMS members who are retired or considering
retirement to discuss various aspects of retirement. A panel of MMS
member physicians will be sharing their experiences. The free luncheon
will take place on Tuesday, May 23rd from Noon – 2:00 p.m. at the MMS
headquarters, Waltham. Significant others are welcome. Learn more and register for the event here.
Symposium on Arts, Humanism, and Caregiving
A symposium
about caregivers and caregiving will take place on April 29 from 8:30
a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at WamsWorks in Worcester, Included are presentations
on the use of literature, music, and art in providing care for our
patients, our family members, and ourselves. This program has been
approved for 5.5 Category 1 CME credits. $30 registration includes
lunch; students and residents are free.
Leading Experts to Speak
at Women’s Health Forum April 21
Are you up-to-date on how
certain hormonal changes can worsen – or improve – a woman’s well-being?
At the Women’s Health Forum
on April 21, leading experts will explore how hormones can affect the
women you treat from puberty to pregnancy and through postmenopause. It
will also feature a lecture and panel on transgender health, a session
on the effect of hormones on metabolism and weight regulation, and a
discussion on the evolution of breast surgery by faculty from the
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
JoAnn Manson, M.D. will
deliver the morning keynote address. Dr. Manson is a physician at
Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of
Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. Barbara L. Smith, M.D. will
deliver the afternoon keynote speech. Dr. Smith is director of the
breast program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
The Women's Health Forum is
provided by the Massachusetts Medical Society and its Committee on Women
in Medicine in collaboration with the Brigham and Women's Hospital Mary
Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology. It will
be held at MMS headquarters in Waltham.
For registration, visit
www.massmed.org/whf2017, or contact Erin Tally at etally@mms.org.
Educational Programs and Events
Unless otherwise noted, all events
are held at MMS headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA. Visit
www.massmed.org/cme/events to view our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities.
Women’s Health Forum – Hormones: Do They Define Us?
Friday, April 21, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Ethics Forum
Thursday, April 27, 2017, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Annual Education Program – The Winding Road of Addiction: Hope on the Horizon
Friday, April 28, 2017, 8:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
MMS Annual Meeting, Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston, MA or Via Live Webinar
Shattuck Lecture and Luncheon – Personalize Medicine or Precision Medicine
Friday, April 28, 2017, 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
MMS Annual Meeting, Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston, MA
Engaging Physicians and Care Teams to Prevent Diabetes via Live Webinar
Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Discussions on Concussions: Clinical Headlines Via Live Webinar
Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
15th Annual Symposium on Men’s Health – The Many Facets of Men’s Health: Clinical Conversations Impacting Your Patients
Thursday, June 15, 2017, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Directors of Medical Education Conference – Advancing Collaboration and Compliance
Thursday, May 18, 2017, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
SAVE THE DATE
The Many Facets of Men’s Health: Clinical Conversations Impacting Your Patients
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Featured Online CME Activities – Risk Management Credit
•
Helping Patients with COPD Breathe Easier
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
This Week in Health Care
NE Baptist to join merger of Beth Israel and Lahey
New England Baptist Hospital
agreed to join the two health systems as they plan a combination to
challenge Partners HealthCare, the state's largest health network. Mount
Auburn Hospital in Cambridge also may take part in the deal.
Mass. Lawmakers Seek to Raise Tobacco Legal Age to 21
Massachusetts lawmakers
want to harmonize the legal age for three drugs: alcohol, marijuana,
and tobacco. And it would level the playing field because more than 140
towns and cities, including Boston and Worcester, have already raised
the tobacco sales age to 21.
Teen Birth Rate Hits New Low
The teen birth rate in Massachusetts
declined to its lowest recorded level — 9.4 births per every 1,000
women ages 15 through 19, according to DPH. In 2011 the teen birth rate
was 15.4, and the 2015 data represents a 39% decline in teen births
between 2011 and 2015.
Doctors, Lawmakers Urge Alternatives to Painkillers
A proposal with
bipartisan support seeks to get commercial insurers to expand coverage
for alternative treatments for pain, which supporters say will prod
providers and prescribers to rely less on opioids.
Partners, GE Launch Opioid Addiction Effort
General Electric, Partners HealthCare and others committed
nearly $13 million, and they're looking to other local corporate donors
to help raise the rest during the next three years.
Bay State Towns Plan to Ban Pot Sales
Massachusetts Municipal Association
reports nearly two dozen communities have either enacted moratoriums
through bylaws or begun the process to bring the matter before their
spring town meeting or municipal election banning pot sales in their
towns.
Trump’s Proposed NIH Cuts Could be Dire for Mass.
The NIH annual funding
is important in Massachusetts, which receives the highest amount per
capita of NIH funding annually. The proposed cut comes after a year of
record funding for the Bay State, with Massachusetts organizations
collecting $2.57 billion.
Neighborhood Health Plan Announces Layoffs
Neighborhood Health Plan
announced layoffs after a difficult first quarter and several
challenging years for the insurer and a $17 million operating loss in
the first quarter ending Dec. 31.
Rate of infants born on opioids soaring
The state counted 1,197 cases
of neonatal abstinence syndrome in 2015, a 27 percent spike from just
four years earlier, according to a 100-page report state health
officials quietly filed with lawmakers last week.
