MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join our AMA delegation: The MMS Committee on Nominations is seeking candidates
The
MMS Committee on Nominations is currently considering candidates for
nomination as AMA Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Massachusetts
AMA Delegation. The deadline for submission of nomination applications
is Thursday, August 17, 4:00 p.m. Visit www.massmed.org/amanoms
to learn more about the qualifications and submit your application.
Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held at MMS
Headquarters, Waltham, on Thursday, September 14, 2017, 4:30 p.m.–7:30
p.m. Applicants should plan to be available on this date. Questions?
Please contact Linda Healy (800) 322-2303, ext. 7008 or lhealy@mms.org, or Karen Harrison at ext. 7463 or kharrison@mms.org.
MMS grants for international health studies: Apply this summer
Medical
students and resident physician members of the MMS are eligible to
apply for grants of up to $2,000 to defray the costs of studying abroad.
The
primary goal of these International Health Studies (IHS) grants,
provided by the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable
Foundation, is to encourage international education, particularly
focusing on under-served populations. Preference will be given to
projects providing health care-related work and/or training of staff,
and to applicants planning careers serving underprivileged populations.
Research projects that do not involve direct clinical care or teaching
will not be considered. Programs must last at least three weeks to
receive consideration. Applications are due by September 15, 2017; more information about the grants and application expectations.
Benefit Buzz: Get legal advice on Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM) issues
Retaining
an attorney to respond to a BORIM matter can cost thousands of dollars,
and additional legal assistance could raise the cost even higher. The
Legal Advisory Plan (LAP) is a MMS member-only, low-cost legal service,
designed to effectively respond to BORIM issues. Enrollment is available
for the July 2017–July 2018 year. Click here to learn more. Questions? Email lap@massmed.org, or call (781) 434-7311.
Stop the Bleed: New MMS video spreads the message that everyone can be trained in bleeding control
In
a traumatic event, onlookers can become lifesavers. This is the message
of the Stop the Bleed campaign, which was partially inspired by our
community’s response to the Boston Marathon. MMS encourages individuals to be trained in bleeding control, and has released this 1 ½ –minute video outlining the value of that training for everyone. Hear
from a local trauma surgeon and a resident physician about how the
public can be prepared to save lives. This video is based on a Stop the
Bleed training event provided at the MMS Annual Meeting (April,
2017) by the MMS Committee on Preparedness and the Physicians Insurance
Agency of Massachusetts, the insurance agency of the MMS; more information on Stop the Bleed.
Waiver training: Provide medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder
This free training is for MDs, NPs, and PAs seeking a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine
to treat opioid use disorder in their office. The curriculum includes
the science of addiction as a brain disorder, the pharmacology of
buprenorphine, and the regulatory requirements around prescribing this
medication. Attendees will learn to screen patients for treatment with
buprenorphine, and to manage the medication along with the patient's
other medical needs in an office setting such as a primary care clinic.
The training will be held in West Barnstable on July 28, 8:00 a.m.–4:30
p.m.; more info on content and accreditation, and registration.
What's up at the State House
State budget steers clear of problematic health provisions
State Senate and House leaders announced today a compromise $40.2 billion FY 2018 budget. The
budget imposes $400 million in cuts—including $150 million from the
MassHealth program—to prior proposals, owing to reduced revenue
projections. The Medical Society was pleased to see many concerning
provisions that had been offered throughout the lengthy budget process
omitted from the final budget. The budget negotiators elected not to
include proposals that would have altered the scope of practice of nurse
practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, and others, as well as
provisions that would have authorized the Health Policy Commission to
set rates for out-of-network care. The Medical Society remains committed
to addressing many of these issues through the traditional legislative
process.
Reminders! MACRA, HDHPs, and more
AMA video shows physicians how to avoid Medicare payment penalties
The
AMA and the MMS are looking to help physicians avoid a negative
Medicare payment adjustment in 2019—an effort that may be particularly
relevant to physicians who have not previously participated in Medicare
reporting programs, and/or physicians in smaller practices. The AMA has new materials available on its website, including:
- A short video: One patient, one measure, no penalty: How to avoid a Medicare payment penalty with basic reporting.
- A sample CMS-1500 claim form
- Links to quality measures on the CMS website
- A link to the CMS MIPS eligibility too!
Free personalized assistance from MMS 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 measure selection and reporting requirements. It is
designed for providers who are MIPS eligible and required to report for
2017 (check MIPS reporting requirements). Space is limited. Dinner is provided. 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.
Join the QPP Open Call sessions for expert guidance
Join
the New England QIN-QIO's Quality Payment Program (QPP) team as they
review frequently asked questions about participation in the Merit-based
Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or an Alternative Payment Model (APM).
These calls will include time for open discussion and sharing about all
things QPP. The calls are open to providers, clinicians, office
managers, practice administrators, quality improvement specialists, and
anyone else who is involved in quality program reporting. Calls will be
offered bimonthly on the following dates, 11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.:
- Wednesday, July 12
- Wednesday, July 26
- Wednesday, August 9
- Wednesday, August 30
Sign up for calls here. An email with instructions will be sent the day before the call. Questions? Contact Leila Volinsky at lvolinsky@healthcentricadvisors.org.
New MMS report on the impact and implications of high-deductible health plans
The
MMS has published an informational report on the prevalence and impact
of cost-sharing, particularly high-deductible health plans, in
Massachusetts. Assessment of the Impact of High-Deductible Health Plans on Patient Health and the Financial Impact on Medical Practices
is designed to guide physician policy and advocacy efforts at the state
and federal levels. The report outlines policy options that could help
protect patients and physicians from further growth in cost-sharing,
encourages conversations between physicians and patients about costs,
and promotes advocacy for more equitable and durable means of
controlling medical spending. The impact of cost sharing on patients and
physicians is also explored in the Summer issue of Vital Signs: Patients are Feeling Crushed By Health Care Cost Sharing: How Can Physicians Be Part of the Solution? (Illustration: Chris Twichell, MMS)
Provider and patient resource on drowning prevention and water safety
Summer is here, and people are flocking to the water. More
than 3,500 people in the US die in drowning accidents each year, most
of them in May–August. In children aged 1–14 years, drowning is the
second leading cause of unintentional death. The MMS has produced a new
guide for patients and parents to inform and remind them of the dangers
of drowning. This downloadable resource for providers and patients addresses drowing prevention, what to do in an emergency, and where to find further resources and training.
Honors, accolades, appointments, publications? Share your news in Vital Signs
Vital Signs, the monthly print and online newsletter of the MMS, has two new columns—and we need you to fill them. Members on the Move lists your professional news, such as joining a new hospital, opening a practice, or a recent promotion. Honors and Accolades
is where we share your other achievements: board appointments, speaking
engagements, community outreach, or published works. We are currently
seeking submissions for the September issue of Vital Signs.
Please include your full name and title, medical school with graduation
year, residency institution, hospital affiliation, recent update, and a
high-resolution headshot. Send submissions to vitalsigns@mms.org by July 14, 2017 (for the September issue).
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.
Randolph, MA
Open to all Norfolk County registered prescribers and pharmacists
The above activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured new online CME activities – Risk Management credit
Comprehensive Cannabis Curriculum (Modules 1–5 now available)
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.
Gunshot wounds in Boston up 30% over last year, over 75 in one neighborhood
According to Boston police statistics
pulled by The Herald, 123 people suffered gunshot injuries in the city
as of July 4. By July 4, 2016, in contrast, 28 fewer names made that
list. Neighborhoods of concern driving the surge in nonfatal shootings
include Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.
Natick school warns of game that encourages suicide in kids
It's called the Blue Whale Challenge, and it has parents and educators concerned about the consequences. The challenge
is targeted at teens, who have to download an app, from which they get
50 different assignments. The last one is to kill themselves.
For now, Central Mass. towns reject recreational pot law
Voters statewide approved a new law legalizing recreational marijuana
last November, but cities and towns aren't waiting for the legalization
of pot shops to go into effect before taking action to delay or ban indefinitely any such stores.
In Massachusetts, annual health care costs surpassed $10,500 per person
While
there was a decrease in excess spending in hospitals, physician and
nursing care facilities from 2009 to 2014, there were "disproportionate"
spending increases in prescription drugs and home health care spending, according to the commission.
No tropical paradise: Urban 'heat islands' are hotbeds for health problems
Daily temperatures in these spots can be 20 to 50 degrees hotter than in leafy suburbs. For residents of these islands, health risks rise with the heat.
$10 million gift launches joint Harvard, Children's Hospital brain center
The
Allen Discovery Center will bring together researchers in neuronal
molecular biology, human evolution, genetics, and genomics to figure out
what exactly makes humans unique — which genes were involved, when they came into play, and how they were affected by experience and environment.
Massachusetts looks to reform state health care system
Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of residents with health
insurance in the nation, but a recent audit revealed that patients
continue to turn to emergency rooms for treatment instead of primary care doctors.
Board can't weed out doc who OK'd pot for mother-to-be
The board argued that issuing the certificate to a pregnant woman
made him an "immediate and serious threat" to public safety. As of June
1, 2016, Cushing had issued 4,649 medical marijuana certificates — the
third-highest in Massachusetts.
US Rep. Kennedy makes impassioned plea for health care goals
The Massachusetts Democrat made the pitch for his party's health care goals during the weekly House Democratic address.
Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus found in Western Massachusetts
Sixteen cases of WNV infection
occurred in Massachusetts last year, according to the DPH, which says
people over 50 are at a higher risk for severe disease, though all ages
can be affected by most mosquito-borne illnesses.
Charles River Community Health opens Koutoujian health center
The new facility
was made possible in part through the Affordable Care Act Patient
Centered Medical Home—Facility Improvements Grant Program, which grants
funds to health centers in need of renovation or construction.
Lowell opioid workers hit the streets, saving lives
Every day, the COOP team
scours the city to find the people who overdosed the night before, and
encourages them to enter treatment and connect with other resources.
