MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Connect with your physician colleagues at our casual networking events
Please
join your colleagues and friends for an evening of professional
networking, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks, at one of our
upcoming events. Connect with physicians from across organizations and
specialties, make new professional contacts, and meet MMS leaders.
Physicians (members and nonmembers) and your guests are welcome.
RSVP no later than two weeks before each event to sfrazier@mms.org or mjussaume@mms.org.
The MMS plans to bring fun, convenient, and casual networking events to
all parts of the state. Questions? Call (800) 944 5562.
Scheduled events:
- Saturday, July 28, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Cape Code Beer, 1336 Phinneys Lane, Hyannis
- Wednesday, October 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Hotel on North, 297 North Street, Pittsfield
Benefit Buzz: Discover ways to maximize claim recoveries
Check out this webinar recording by IC System for insightful tips to effectively refine collections practices and maximize recoveries. IC
System is a MMS-preferred vendor that helps physician practices with
effective collection management while assuring that client accounts are
safeguarded by strict regulatory compliance and data security. MMS
members receive a discount. Visit www.icmemberbenefits.com. For questions, please contact Bryan Campbell at (800) 279-3511 orbcampbell@icsystem.com.
The MMS Committee on the Sustainability of Private Practice is on Facebook
Please join your colleagues on our new Facebook forum
for discussions of issues pertinent to private practice. The MMS
Committee for the Sustainability of Private Practice is dedicated to
supporting a vibrant private practice model. This is the committee that
brought two recent resolutions to the House of Delegates (now adopted):
that physicians be permitted to dispense medications directly to
patients, and that the Society support the Direct Primary Care model by improving access to specialists and allowing “membership fees” to qualify as Health Savings Account expenses.
We are developing an MMS-sponsored webinar to educate physicians about
this style of medical practice. When you join our conversation, you’re
helping us advocate for a diversity of practice models.
Last chance to nominate an adult immunization champion
Do
you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to
promoting adult immunization in Massachusetts? Nominate an Adult
Immunization Champion by Friday, February 16. This award will honor a
person who has demonstrated leadership, initiative, and advocacy in
promoting adult immunization. It will be presented at the April 10 Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference in Marlborough. For more information and nomination forms, visit maic.jsi.com.
Member Satisfaction Survey: Due by Monday
A
random sample of our members have received our membership satisfaction
survey. Please look for the email in your inbox. If you’re among our
sample, please take 5–10 minutes to fill it out. Responses are due by
February 12 (Monday). You’ll receive a $10 discount toward your next
online CME course. Your feedback is crucial in ensuring the MMS meets
your needs. Many thanks for your help.
What's up at the State House
MMS gives strong support to updated "partial bill" legislation
The Massachusetts Medical Society provided testimony in strong support of a bill that
would facilitate the “partial fill” of opioid medication prescriptions.
This legislation is designed to reduce the availability of unused
opioid pills that could be misused and diverted. This bill would amend
prescribing laws that allow patients to partially fill opioid
prescriptions at the pharmacy — retaining, importantly, the option of
filling the remainder of the prescription at a later date within a
30-day period, and without adding to patients’ cost share.
MMS advocates for transparency of health plan formularies
The Society was pleased to provide its support for a
bill promoting the transparency of health plan formularies, citing it
as an important step in allowing shared decision-making between patients
and physicians. This bill would require that health insurance providers
post the formularies for their health plans on the carrier’s web site
in a manner that is accessible and searchable by enrollees, potential
enrollees, and providers, and include information regarding cost sharing
and coinsurance.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
NEJM.org: Redesigned for discovery and ease of use
Keeping up with clinical best practice and relevant research just got easier. A revitalized NEJM.org now makes the content you trust easy to find and use, wherever you are and on any device. Learn more today.
Negotiate your best job contract: Live webinar
Learn strategies for negotiating your salary, bonus, workload expectations, and more, with this live webinar, Negotiating Your Best Employment Agreement. You'll also learn what mistakes to avoid. It will be held February 28, noon–1:00 p.m.; information, including CME credits, and registration.
This
webinar is part of a series of financial resources being developed by
the Physician Practice Resource Center of the Medical Society. The first
component, Current and Future Models of Physician Compensation, went live in December. Look forward to our forthcoming webinars: Physician Employment Contract Basics, Reading Financial Forms and Budgeting.
Free financial wellness workshops for physicians
Need
to plan for your financial security while starting out in your medical
career or because you're anticipating your retirement? Join your peers
at a free, in-person class in Brookline geared specifically to residents
or established physicians.
- Physician Finance: Planning for Residents will be held on February 28, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
- Physician Finance: Planning for Doctors will be held on March 20, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The
classes are provided by In Good Company, a collaboration
between MassMutual and Baystate Financial, and are being promoted by the
Physicians Insurance Agency of Massachusetts, an MMS subsidiary, and
Baystate MD; information and registration. Questions? Email Tom Bryant or Meghan Stanley at piam@mms.org.
MassHealth Payment and Care Delivery Innovation: phase two
Effective
March 1, MassHealth will be offering an expanded selection of health
plan options to managed care-eligible members. These new options —
accountable care organizations (ACOs) — are a key element of MassHealth
PCDI’s managed care. MassHealth is rolling this out in three phases, and
offering in-person and online educational sessions for each phase.
Phase two, currently underway, is focusing on operations.
Find information on PCDI and access to webinar and in-person educational opportunities.
Learn about rewarding opportunities in retirement
Join MMS senior physician members to discuss and learn about various rewarding work and volunteer opportunities on March 22, 2018 at the MMS headquarters in Waltham. Spouses and partners are welcome. This free event is hosted by the MMS Committee on Senior Physicians; information and registration.
Albert Schweitzer Fellowship: Students should apply by Monday
The
Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Boston is a one-year interdisciplinary
mentored fellowship program focused on health-related community service
and leadership development for students enrolled in graduate or
professional degree-granting programs. Applications
are due February 12, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The Medical Society, through the
MMS and Alliance Charitable Foundation, contributes $25,000 a year to
support medical students participating in the program. Questions?
Contact Karen Spiller at kspiller@schweitzerfellowship.org.
Join your colleagues on an MMS committee: Apply by 3/2
Getting
more involved with the MMS is a way to expand your network and
friendships, diversify the Society, and help shape medical practice and
policy. Consider participating on a committee (with more than 40, we're
bound to have at least one that aligns with your interests) or the
Member Interest Network Executive Council. Committee appointments are
for specific terms. We have put in place resources for distance
participation, including conference calls and online
meetings. Applications are due March 2; more info and applications.
Educational programs and events
View our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities. Unless otherwise noted, all events are held at MMS Headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA.
Live CME events
Negotiating Your Best Employment Agreement: Live webinar
Wednesday, February 28, 2018, noon–1:00 p.m.
Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness
Thursday & Friday, March 22–23, 2018, 8:00– 6:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured online CME courses — Risk Management credit
Social Determinants of Health: Improving Population Health Through Prevention-Based Care NEW
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Find additional risk management online CME activities.
This week in health care
Sign up for daily roundups of health news affecting Massachusetts.
Mental health care company accused of Medicaid fraud to pay $4 million
South
Bay Community Services (formerly known as South Bay Mental Health)
allegedly used unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised workers to treat patients.
Homeless man helps save father suffering heart attack
Austin Davis, who relied on Champ Homes, witnessed Dakin fall and jumped into action. Davis and two staff members performed CPR on Dakin until first responders arrived.
Flu activity in Mass. reaches second-highest level in a decade
"It's been a bad season,"
said Dr. Larry Madoff, director of the state Department of Public
Health's Division of Epidemiology and Immunization. "We're concerned.
The flu is always a big concern. It's a serious, sometimes fatal
illness."
Lowell psychiatric hospital with a history of citations will close
Arbour Health System, the state's largest psychiatric hospital company, plans to permanently close Lowell Treatment Center, a hospital with a history of citations for providing poor care.
Athenahealth recruits former GE CEO to be its new chairman
Immelt
is no stranger to this sector: He ran GE Healthcare before becoming
GE's CEO in 2001. He's also no stranger to dealing with activist
investors, and it's a fair guess that Bush wouldn't mind getting some
counsel in that regard.
In Plymouth, 'emotional support rooster' has people complaining
The
screaming fits became less frequent. Things she once fixated on — like,
when dinner would be ready — became less important in the company of
her new companion. Perhaps most notably, Ceurvels said, in the year
after adopting the rooster, her daughter went from taking six prescribed medications to just two.
Partners Healthcare says data breach exposed patient information
Partners
HealthCare, the state's largest private employer, revealed on Monday
that its computer network was breached in May 2017, potentially exposing
the private information of up to 2,600 patients.
76 deaths last year of children in Massachusetts under state supervision
In fiscal 2017, there were 76 deaths of children under state care
or supervision, 25 reports of near-fatalities and nine serious bodily
injuries, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of the
Child Advocate.
Local hospitals hit hard by flu supply shortage
MGH
has seen 10 deaths and 150 hospitalizations related to the flu this
season. Statewide, officials have recorded 5,708 confirmed influenza cases since October — and 1,646 just last week.
