MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
2018 Annual Meeting: Hotel deadline and website launch
This
year's Annual Meeting will be held April 26-28, 2018, at the Seaport
Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston. The MMS hotel deadline of
Friday, March 16, is fast approaching. Please make your reservations
today; hotel rooms and/or specific categories may sell out before March
16. If you need a room on a night that is not available, or to make
changes to your existing reservation, please contact Laura Bombrun at
MMS; lbombrun@mms.org or (781) 434-7007.
The Annual Meeting website
includes online registration, hotel room information, and a complete
schedule of events. The upcoming 2018 Annual Meeting is sure to be an
exciting event. We hope you can join us.
The Patient as 'Watch Bird': Boston Medical Library lecture
Please
join your peers at the Boston Medical Library (BML) for the 14th Annual
J. Worth Estes MD History of Medicine Lecture. This year’s guest
lecturer is Dr. Nancy Tomes, a SUNY Distinguished Professor of History
from Stony Brook University. Dr. Tomes will be exploring past attempts
to engage patients as a means to combat the inefficiencies of the US
health care system; more information. The event is free and will be held March 13, at 6:00 p.m.; register or RSVP to Jillian Silverberg at (617) 432-4807 or BostonMedLibr@gmail.com. The BML is the official library of the MMS.
Save the date! The BML Garland Lecture will be held October 25, 2018, delivered by Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, professor
of global health at Harvard University, director of the Harvard Global
Health Institute, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Private practices with Medicare patients: Get help with 2017 MIPS reporting — due March 31
Physicians
in private practice: Could you could use help complying with MIPS? In
2017, if you treated at least 100 Medicare patients and received
$30,000+ in annual Medicare payments, you are eligible to participate.
If your organization is not reporting for you, please contact Healthcentric Advisors, the New England QIO-QIN support center: email Leila Volinsky. Find out whether or not you need to submit.
MDPH alert: Invasive meningococcal disease in people experiencing homelessness
Two
individuals experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston have been
recently diagnosed with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) serogroup
C, the MDPH reports. Prompt recognition and antibiotic treatment of
meningococcal disease is critical. Clinicians are requested to:
- Be
alert for cases compatible with meningococcal disease among persons
experiencing homelessness, including atypical presentations of mild,
subacute, or chronic symptoms
- Immediately report all suspect cases of meningococcal disease to the MDPH at (617) 983-6800
- Not wait for laboratory confirmation to report a clinically suspected case or to initiate antibiotics
- Obtain blood and CSF cultures prior to administration of antibiotics, if this will not result in undue delay of treatment
- Vaccinate persons experiencing homelessness with quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (Men ACWY)
- Call the MDPH Division of Epidemiology and Immunization with questions or concerns: (617) 983-6800
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
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:
- Thursday, March 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Lir, 903 Boylston Street, Boston
- Wednesday, March 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at River Styx Brewery, 166 Boulder Drive, Fitchburg
- Saturday, July 28, 3:30-9:30 p.m., at Cape Cod Beer, 1336 Phinneys Lane, Hyannis
Bridging Syndemics: Treating infections complicated by substance use disorder
This
case-based, interdisciplinary program is for those involved in the care
of patients with difficult-to-treat infections complicated by substance
use disorder. The course will be held on Wednesday, March 28, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at MMS Headquarters, Waltham; information and registration.
Learn about rewarding work, volunteering, and licensing options in retirement
Considering
medical opportunities when retired? Interested in volunteering locally
or globally? What are your medical licensing options? Learn and discuss
your opportunities and options with senior physician members of 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 Committee on Senior Physicians; information and registration.
Gun violence: Resources for providers from the MMS and Attorney General’s office
Physicians
have a role to play in protecting their patients from the threat of gun
violence. Learn how you can talk to your patients about gun safety. The
MMS and the Mass. Attorney General's office teamed up on educational brochures and fliers for patients and providers that can be downloaded and printed. The MMS offers CME courses on gun violence
(listed under Public Health), addressing how to talk with patients
about gun safety, how to evaluate the risks for gun violence in
patients, the role of the clinician, and more.
MassHealth update: Transition to new plans and ACOs
On
March 1, MassHealth began its much anticipated reform allowing
approximately 1.2 million MassHealth beneficiaries to enroll in new
plans, many of which are newly formulated accountable care organizations
(ACOs). Auto-enrollment assigned patients to the ACO of their primary
care physician. MassHealth outlined its Continuity of Care plan detailing how the immediate 30-day transition period will work as patients move to new plans. This memo covers:
- Topics such as transfers of prior authorizations and referrals, pharmacy services, and durable medical equipment requests;
- Plans for some exceptional cases, such as continuity of care for pregnant patients who wish to maintain their current OB/GYN;
- Customer
service information for all parties to help physician offices
troubleshoot any issues that may arise over the next few weeks.
Questions? Contact Lori DiChiara at MMS: ldichiara@mms.org or (781) 434 7215.
MassHealth update: Ordering, referring, and prescribing requirements
MassHealth is preparing to deny claims that do not meet the ordering, referring, and prescribing requirements described in All Provider Bulletin 274.
No date has been set yet for denying claims. The Society is following
this important issue and will let you know in advance of the date that
the denial process is set to begin. The information in Bulletin 274 is
intended to help billing providers prepare their processes and systems
for compliance with the ordering, referring, and prescribing
requirements, and to reduce the impact on them when claim denials take
effect.
Managing Workplace Conflict: Become a more effective colleague and leader
Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness is an interactive course based in real-life scenarios. In a recent evaluation, all participants perceived substantive advances in their own relevant skills. Their comments included:
- “Excellent course, and I appreciated the role-playing scenarios, engagement and participation of the attendees"
- “I feel that now I can work to be [a] more assertive and heard leader in my office"
- “Where great theory and data meet!”
The
program is designed for physicians in clinical practice, and those in
administration and leadership, to explore and improve the relationships
that drive the medical work environment. It
is jointly provided by the MMS and Physician Health Services, Inc.
Space is limited; register today. The program takes place March 22–23 at
MMS Headquarters in Waltham; information and registration.
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
Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness
Thursday & Friday, March 22–23, 2018, 8:00– 6:00 p.m.
Bridging Syndemics: Infections and Substance Use Disorder
Wednesday, March 28, 2018, 1:00–5:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured online CME courses — Risk Management credit
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.
Loved ones recall slain med student Deane Stryker
Stryker, a 22-year-old medical student from Winchester, was laid to rest Thursday, five days after she was fatally stabbed while studying at the town library.
Fallon and Tufts finish 2017 in the black
Worcester-based Fallon Health and Tufts Health Plan of Watertown each reported positive net income
for 2017, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care posted losses, according to earnings statements from
the four Massachusetts insurers Thursday.
Health care providers brace for confusion with new Medicaid rules
As program changes
get underway, patients will have to figure out which doctors they can
continue to see under the new rules. Some will have to choose whether to
keep primary care doctors they have seen for years, or specialists they
have come to trust.
MA teacher says she got fired because son's cancer cost $1M
Jacquelyn Silvani said her son's treatment cost Andover Public Schools about $1 million before she lost her job at West Elementary School in 2016. Her son was 3 at the time.
Smoking and radon drag state health
Lung cancer
cases in the Bay State have surpassed the national average, according
to a new report, due in part to tobacco use and high levels of radon in
the state.
RI hospital system joins Partners/Care New England merger talks
Partners,
which has been in talks to acquire Care New England Health System of
Providence, has opened up the discussions to include Lifespan, the operator of Rhode Island Hospital and several other medical facilities in that state.
State to move most Shattuck Hospital care to South End
The state expects to transfer all
700 employees who work in Shattuck's medical and surgical units and
psychiatric programs, including those who treat Department of
Corrections inmates when they need hospital care.
Health officials alarmed by rise in infant deaths
"We
need to do a better job of getting the message out to parents," said
Dr. Carole Allen, a retired pediatrician and trustee at the
Massachusetts Medical Society. As a basic rule, she said, parents should
put babies to sleep on their backs on a flat surface, and never sleep with their babies in their beds.
Steward Health Care to move top executives to Dallas
Several top Steward executives, including CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre, are expected to move to Dallas.
De la Torre, a heart surgeon who helped launch the company in 2010, has
long been interested in growing outside Massachusetts, and he has not
been particularly active in the local business community.
