MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Public square dedicated to a pioneering physician and MMS member
A
public square outside Boston Medical Center was dedicated this week to
Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin, a physician described by the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America as “one of the heroes of the reproductive rights
movement.” Dr. Edelin was the first African-American to be appointed
chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Boston City Hospital (now
Boston Medical Center). He went
on to chair the obstetrics and gynecology department at the BU School
of Medicine, where he also served as dean for student and minority
affairs, and directed obstetrics and gynecology at Boston City
Hospital. In the MMS, Dr. Edelin was active on the Committee on Ethics,
Grievances, and Professional Standards, and the Committee on Diversity
in Medicine. He died in 2013.
In
1973, Dr. Edelin was convicted of manslaughter for performing a lawful
abortion, a trial that drew national media attention. Speaking to the Globe later, he described Boston’s religious and racial climate of the early ’70s: “It
was the right place and the right time for those who wanted to make a
statement. It was the wrong place and the wrong time for me.” Dr. Edelin was exonerated in 1976. In 2007, he published his memoir “Broken Justice: A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge in a Boston Courtroom.” Read more about the dedication of the square (Boston Globe) and Dr. Edelin’s trial (Washington Post).
NEJM impact factor sets a new record
The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) scores were announced this week, and the score for the New England Journal of Medicine
rose 21 percent, from 59.558 to 72.4. This is still the highest among
general medical journals. The JIF measures how often, on average,
articles published in the Journal in
2014 or 2015 were cited in 2016. MMS is proud of this accomplishment,
and appreciate that it could not have been done without the staff that
strives for perfection, the researchers who choose to submit their work
to NEJM, and the clinical trial participants who have put themselves at
risk.
New study highlights risks of unproven "chronic Lyme disease" treatments
Unproven
treatments for “chronic Lyme Disease” come with serious health risks,
including death, according to a study reported in MMWR. The study
outlined the cases of five patients treated with long courses of
antibiotics or immunoglobulins and the subsequent health complications,
which included a fatality.
Updated AHA guidelines on dietary fats published
The
American Heart Association has updated its guidance on replacing
dietary saturated fats with unsaturated fats, based on a review of
recent studies. “Taking into consideration the totality of the
scientific evidence, satisfying rigorous criteria for causality, we
conclude strongly that lowering intake of saturated fat and replacing it
with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, will lower the
incidence of CVD;” read the full advisory at Circulation.
The MMS mourns a former executive vice president
Dr.
William M. McDermott Jr., a former executive vice president of the
Medical Society and a retired rear admiral in the US Naval Medical
Command, died in Falmouth on June 6, aged 87. Dr. McDermott was EVP at
the MMS from 1985 to 1994. After retiring, he took a leading role in
founding the Falmouth Free Clinic, now part of the Cape Cod Community
Health Care Network, a commitment that was recognized with the
Massachusetts Medical Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Before joining
the MMS, Dr. McDermott had a distinguished and decorated career in the
navy. Dr. McDermott graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine;
his residency was at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda,
Maryland. He is survived by his wife, four children, and extended
family. Read his obituary at The Enterprise.
Testimony Updates
Eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities in Mass.
The MMS provided testimony to the
Joint Committee on Health Care Financing in strong support of bills
that would establish an Office of Health Equity in the Executive Office
of Health and Human Services to coordinate state efforts aimed
at eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. This legislation
would also incorporate the Health Disparities Council as an on-going
advisory body to the Office of Health Equity and would mandate a number
of important initiatives that would help the Office to achieve its
goal. The
Society’s House of Delegates has a long-standing policy supporting the
elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health care as a
matter of high priority.
Testimony supporting additional bills
- The MMS provided testimony in
support of a bill that would ensure medical necessity in mental health
care is determined by physicians in consultation with patients.
- The MMS provided testimony in support of bills designed to limit
excess lighting produced by state-funded outdoor lighting, potentially
reducing night-time glare that blinds and distracts drivers.
Reminders! Stuff You Should Click On
Free personalized assistance for practice MACRA/MIPS strategies
Join us
for FREE personalized assistance in developing your strategy for MACRA
MIPS 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). 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. Healthcentric
Advisors is a CMS contracted organization and supports practices of all
sizes in preparing for MIPS implementation. They have been helping
hundreds of clinicians prepare for MACRA, and want to help you.
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.
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.
Norfolk County Safe Prescribing and Dispensing Conferences
Thursday, September 14, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The Lantana, Randolph, MA
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.
Mass. AG joins sweeping investigation of opioid makers
Healey and a group of state attorneys general from across the country announced that they are participating in the investigation, which aims to determine whether drug companies have contributed to the nationwide opioid abuse crisis.
Boston square dedicated to pioneering African-American doctor
Friends, family, and colleagues of Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin assembled on the lawn outside Boston Medical Center Thursday afternoon to dedicate a public square in his memory.
State approves plan for UMass Medical to reduce psych beds
Hospital officials want to convert 13 psychiatric beds
into space for medical and surgical patients, arguing that they are
facing greater demand from those patients than from people with severe
mental illness.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock names Mass. hospital executive its new CEO
Dr. Joanne Mather Conroy will
replace outgoing CEO James Weinstein as the head of New Hampshire's
largest private employer and sole academic medical center, following a
unanimous board vote. The 61-year-old Conroy has served as CEO of Lahey
Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., since 2014.
Hospital stabbing highlights perils for personnel
A dwindling sense of workplace safety,
especially for emergency room nurses, has been an issue that seems to
worsen as the drug epidemic spreads and treatment for mental illness
becomes more difficult to get, said former Brigham and Women's ER nurse
Karen Daley.
House leaders pull controversial pot bill
Speaker Robert A. DeLeo cited "procedural issues" and "certain things we have to clear up." Legislators proposed higher tax and sweeping changes to the pot law passed by voters in November.
Greater New Bedford Health Center names new CEO
It took a little over a year, but the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center has found its new CEO: former Alosa Health CEO Cheryl Bartlett.
Hospital "cuddlers" volunteer to hold babies born exposed to opioids
All infants benefit from cuddling, but for babies born with opioids in their system, cuddling provides critical care.
State works with insurers ahead of possible federal changes
The Division of Insurance and the Massachusetts Health Connector have for several weeks been working with insurance carriers
to provide guidance in connection with the possible loss of
"cost-sharing reductions" that would affect federal subsidies for plans
offered through the Connector.
Dana-Farber to open a fifth site, in Chestnut Hill
Developers expect to open the space at 300 Boylston Street to Dana-Farber
patients in 2019, offering a slate of cancer services including
clinical trials, exams, infusions, supportive services to newly
diagnosed patients and survivorship care.
Concord doctor honored for fight against "unspoken inequality" in cancer care
Cancer patients with severe mental illness
face many obstacles to receiving quality medical care, said Dr. Kelly
Irwin. These include cognitive challenges, which can result in a patient
not fully understanding the seriousness of their cancer. Lack of
understanding can lead to behaviors obstructing treatment.
Mass. Eye & Ear and Partners join forces
Under the deal,
Mass. Eye and Ear would remain a separate hospital with its own
leadership team, but Partners will become the sole corporate member of
the hospital.
MGH study shows vaccine could permanently reverse diabetes type 1
Two years after beginning a groundbreaking phase II clinical trial in
reversing type 1 diabetes, researchers from MGH have discovered that a
vaccine could permanently reverse the disease.
5-year-old bitten by black widow spider is recovering
Dr. William Durbin, the pediatric infectious diseases specialist treating the child, believes the spider was outside, and while black widows are somewhat rare in Massachusetts, "they are around."
