MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Free live webinar: Caring for patients with developmental or intellectual disabilities
People
with developmental disabilities or intellectual disabilities have worse
health outcomes than the general population, reflecting systemic
barriers to care. Most people with ID/DD live in the community and are
expected to receive primary medical care at community-based facilities.
Barriers include inaccessible clinical settings, translation and/or
interpretation challenges, and lack of staff training. These issues are
heightened as adults with DD or ID transition out of pediatric care.
This live 1-hour risk management webinar, Medical Care of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Webinar, presents
an overview of associated syndromes, disorders, and relevant
co-morbidities. It helps clinicians develop communication strategies to
appropriately diagnose, treat, and manage adult patients with DD or ID.
Legal and ethical considerations will also be addressed. The featured speaker will be I. Leslie Rubin, MD, research
associate professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia, and
director of the interdisciplinary autism, cerebral palsy, and
developmental clinics at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes
Spalding. Dr. Rubin has developed residency and fellowship programs in
developmental pediatrics and clinical programs in disabilities. He
founded the Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability, and
co-edited Delivery of Medical Care for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Safe and Healthy School Environments; full bio.
The webinar will be held on June 16, 2017, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.; register here. It is free to MMS members.
Free personalized assistance for practice QPP strategies
Join
us for dinner and personalized assistance in developing your strategy
for MACRA Quality Payment Program (QPP) implementation in your practice.
The program includes Mapping out MIPS: Keys to Success in 2017, which outlines reporting requirements. It is designed for providers who are MIPS eligible and required to report for 2017 (check MIPS reporting requirements; October 2 is the last day to begin a 90-day reporting period); space is limited.
The session will be led by Yael Miller, MBA, Director of Practice
Solutions & Medical Economics at MMS, and Leila Volinsky, MHA, MSN,
RN, Program Administrator at Healthcentric Advisors.
Two
sessions will be held—July 11 or July 27, 2017, 5:30-8:00 p.m.—at MMS
Headquarters, Waltham (participants need attend only one session); register here.
Your registration should include at least one clinician and one
colleague/team member responsible for reporting. Questions? Please email
Justin Sacramone at jsacramone@healthcentricadvisors.org or Yael Miller at ymiller@mms.org.
Women physicians: We want to tell your story
In the September issue of Vital Signs,
the MMS print and online newsletter, we’re honoring Women in Medicine
Month. We’ll be featuring several women physicians at different stages
of their careers, and will touch on themes like these: the challenges
and barriers you’ve faced; how gender does or doesn’t influence your
career experiences and choices; and what has helped you make your mark
professionally. If you’re interested in being featured, please email us:
vitalsigns@mms.org.
In a few lines, give us a sense of your story or key theme, and where
you’re at now in your career. If you know someone who might be a good
fit for this, please forward this email to her.
Q&A guide to Supervised Injection Facilities and MMS opioids policy
A
brief question-and-answer guide to Supervised Injection Facilities, and
the MMS support for a pilot SIF program as a potential means of
addressing the opioids crisis, is available on the MMS website. Please
share this with your networks, including patients.
Testimony Updates
Promoting public health via the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund
The MMS provided testimony to the
Committee on Public Health in strong support of bills that seek to
continue investing in the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund (PWTF).
This successful initiative, administered by the Department of Public
Health, has promoted evidence-based community interventions that keep
residents healthy and safe. The Society argued that the PWTF has
increased access to preventive services for nearly 1 million people,
with promising results on health impacts, cost effectiveness, potential
for cost savings, and systems innovation. The MMS considers the PWTF an
essential partner in bringing about successful health care
transformation, providing crucial lessons for MassHealth and Accountable
Care Organizations.
Protecting minors from conversion therapy
The MMS provided testimony
to the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with
Disabilities in support of a bill relating to abusive practices aimed at
changing sexual orientation and gender identity in minors. The Medical
Society has longstanding policy opposing the use of “reparative” or
“conversion” therapy that is based upon the assumption that
homosexuality is a mental disorder or that patients should change their
homosexual orientation. The Medical Society “believes that the
physician’s nonjudgmental recognition of sexual orientation, behavior,
and gender identity enhances the ability to render optimal patient care
in health as well as in illness,” and that this bill could help protect
patients from harmful practices.
Testimony opposing additional bills
- Several bills relating to the Health Policy Commission,
addressing the PIP process, material changes for above benchmark
providers, market impact review, and the community hospital reinvestment
trust fund
- An investigation and study by a government commission on robotic surgery with a view to establishing best medical practices
Testimony supporting additional bills
Reminders! Stuff You Should Click On
Last chance! Do you treat male patients? In half a day, get set up for their future
How does men’s age or marijuana use affect their reproductive potential? Does steroid use affect cardiac health long-term? What’s the best way to broach the topic of gun safety? The 2017 Men’s Health Symposium will set you up to answer your patients’ questions and confidently discuss sensitive topics. At The Many Facets of Men’s Health: Clinical Conversations Impacting Your Patients, our speakers will update you on research advances and legislative policy shifts affecting four key health issues: male fertility, marijuana use, gun violence and safety, and nutrition and physical conditioning. Check out the full agenda and our speakers’ bios. The symposium takes place at MMS Headquarters, Waltham, on June 15, 2017; registration and CME designation. Watch Theodore Macnow, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician, outline what this symposium can do for you (video).
Last chance! Share your expertise with medical students—but first, join us for lunch
The Boston University School
of Medicine Integrated Problems (IP) course depends on volunteer
physicians to facilitate the small group problem-based learning sessions
for second-year medical students. Your medical experience and expertise
will be invaluable in developing the students’ clinical reasoning
skills. The course runs between September and November, 2017. Join us
for lunch to learn more on June 15, 2017; information and registration. If you can only call-in for the presentation, email ckoh@mms.org.
Integrate behavioral health and primary care with the Health Policy Commission: PCMH PRIME webinar
Get
introduced to the PCMH PRIME certification program in this upcoming
webinar. PCMH PRIME was developed by the Massachusetts Health Policy
Commission (HPC) in collaboration with NCQA. PCMH PRIME identifies
criteria that are key to integrating behavioral health care into primary
care, and certifies NCQA PCMH-recognized practices that meet a majority
of these criteria. In this webinar, NCQA faculty will review the
program criteria, documentation requirements, and certification process
for practices applying for PCMH PRIME Certification before September 30,
2017 (more information
on key dates). This webinar is open to health care professionals,
decision makers, and consultants in Massachusetts. It will be held June
20, 2017, 9:00-10:30 a.m.; registration.
Registration entitles registrants to one computer and one telephone
connection. (Future webinars will address the program standards and
application process for practices applying to PCMH PRIME after September
30, 2017; more information.)
Find out how to address your patients’ social needs—and help Health Leads help you do it better
This
upcoming event combines a workshop and a focus group. Do you worry
about the social factors affecting your patients' health? Do you or your
staff feel overwhelmed with patient concerns related to food
insecurity, transportation, housing, and prescription assistance?
Providers know that much of health is driven by life outside medical
care. We also know that unmet social needs contribute to high health
care costs and high utilization rates. At this Physician Practices Workshop and Focus Group,
experts from Health Leads, a nonprofit organization developing
interventions that link patients to community-based resources, will
cover how to screen patients for social needs, integrate those needs
into your existing clinical workflow, enable practice staff to provide
resource support, and create an inventory of resources. They will ask
for your input on relevant content and tools. The event will be held at
6:00-8:00 p.m., June 28, 2017, at the MMS headquarters in Waltham. All
participants will receive dinner and a $100 gift card, as well as
resources including a social needs screening toolkit. Please contact
Rich Porcelli at rporcelli@healthleadsusa.org for more information and to secure your spot.
MMS Membership Benefits
Graduating medical students: Continue your free MMS membership
If
you are staying in Massachusetts, talk with your residents-fellows
residency program director about free MMS membership. Alternatively, ask
your program coordinator to submit a 2017 program roster to activate
the MMS benefits for you and your colleagues.
Beginning
your training out of state? Maintain your membership through December
2018 at no cost. Watch your email inbox for more information.
Questions? Email groups@massmed.org or call (800) 322-2303, ext.7748.
Residents & fellows completing training in June 2017: Access your free MMS membership
- The MMS offers free membership for your first year in practice. Maintain benefits like your New England Journal of Medicine subscription whether or not you’re staying in MA. For more information, contact mmsprocessing@mms.org or 800-322-2303 ext. 7495.
- Supplementing
training with a fellowship? Your new program coordinator can submit a
2017–18 roster to provide membership for you and your program
colleagues. Watch your email inbox for details.
- For more information, contact groups@mms.org or 800-322-2303 ext. 7748.
Educational Programs and Events
Unless otherwise noted, all events are held at the MMS Headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA. View our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities.
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.
Medical Care of Adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities – Live Webinar
Friday, June 16, 2017, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Norfolk County Safe Prescribing and Dispensing Conferences
Thursday, September 14, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured Online CME Activities – Risk Management Credit
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
See our full listing of risk management online CME activities.
This Week in Health Care
Sign up for daily roundups of health news affecting Massachusetts.
State taps 18 provider groups for MassHealth overhaul
Governor
Charlie Baker's administration has chosen 18 networks of health care
providers and insurers, from Boston to the Berkshires, to launch the
biggest redesign of the state Medicaid
program in more than two decades. They include the state's largest
hospital systems: Partners HealthCare, Steward Health Care System, Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Lahey Health, and UMass Memorial Health
Care and others.
County official says tick-borne Powassan virus killed two men
There have been "at least three fatalities" from Powassan virus
in Massachusetts, Dr. Catherine Brown, deputy state epidemiologist and
state public health veterinarian, wrote in an emailed response to
questions.
One word blocks a pregnant workers’ protection bill
The agreed-upon bill language had originally stated that employers could not legally "refuse to hire a person who is pregnant because of the pregnancy or because of a condition related to the pregnancy."
A deadly first: Carfentanil, an especially potent opioid, traced in Mass.
This opioid, roughly 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, was never meant to be consumed by humans. Carfentanil is used to tranquilize large animals. Even then, you don't need much of it.
Whistle-blower files suit over alleged double-booked surgeries
Wollman said she witnessed surgeons performing simultaneous operations
repeatedly from 2010 to 2015, when she left MGH for New England Baptist
Hospital. She said hospital policy gave the doctors financial
incentives to do more procedures, and they never told patients they
would be going back and forth between operating rooms
Mass. Eye and Ear gets largest donation in history to study hearing
The funding
will be used to fund new faculty chairs and recruit additional hearing
researchers to the lab, as well as help researchers pursue treatments
for hearing loss, hearing impairments and balance disorders.
Operating losses double for Southcoast Health as federal reimbursements drop
While the hospital system will get better working on Epic over time, there's little the hospital can do about federal reimbursements. To mitigate the changes, the hospital was expanding its clinical services to increase revenue.
Gov. Baker’s quiet approach to the mental health crisis draws criticism
Critics say his proposals fall far short
of the sweeping changes that are needed to address years of cuts and
neglect that have severely hampered the mental health care system.
Baker's 2018 budget calls for only a 1.6 percent funding increase for
the Department of Mental Health.
Are supervised injections a good tool in the fight against the opioids epidemic?
In Massachusetts, nearly 2,000 people fatally overdose on opioid drugs
last year. That's why in April, the Massachusetts Medical Society came
out in support of Supervised Injection Sites, where addicts can use drugs using clean needles alongside doctors who are ready to administer overdose drugs if necessary.
Battles over who decides what’s necessary in mental health
Groups representing insurance plans and behavioral health service
providers scrapped over a bill that would give clinicians a greater say
in determining medical necessity for mental-health services, a decision typically made by the insurer.
Tufts Medical CEO says hospital plans to spend $30M on nurses’ contract
The hospital has been negotiating a new contract
with 1,200 union nurses since April 2016. The sides are still at odds
over wages, staffing and retirement benefits, and will meet again on
June 12 with a federal moderator.
Patients wait hours or days for ER psych beds as demand rises
A study of Massachusetts hospitals showed that mentally ill patients wait
hours, sometimes days, for treatment. It also found that the poorest
patients — those on public insurance or without insurance — waited the
longest.
Mass. doctor can proceed with lawsuit seeking right to die, judge rules
A retired Falmouth doctor who has metastatic prostate cancer can
continue pursuing a lawsuit seeking the right to obtain a lethal dose of
medication from his doctor and choose when he dies, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled.
Health officials warn of mumps outbreak in Mass.
The Department of Public Health on Friday says 12 cases of mumps have been reported since the end of March.
