MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Renew your membership: Save $185 on the Annual Education Program featuring Bill Gates
When
your MMS membership is up to date, you’re eligible for an array of
discounts on MMS resources and events. The member discount can save you
$185 on our Annual Education Program (AEP), which includes the Shattuck
Lecture by Bill Gates — Epidemics Going Viral: Innovation vs. Nature — on Friday, April 27. Renew your membership today. Questions? Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7495, or email mmsprocessing@mms.org. Thank you to the vast majority of our members who have already renewed for 2018.
2018 Annual Meeting: Important deadlines
This
year's Annual Meeting will be held April 26-28, 2018, at the Seaport
Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston. Please note these important
deadlines:
- The resolution deadline to submit an item for consideration by the HOD is next Monday, March 12. Learn more about submitting a resolution.
- The MMS hotel deadline of Friday, March 16 is fast approaching. Please make your reservations
today. It is possible that hotel rooms and/or specific categories may
sell out prior to March 16. Please contact Laura Bombrun at MMS on (781)
434 7007 or lbombrun@mms.org if you need a room on a night that is not available, or need to make changes to an existing reservation.
Online registration is open.
MassHealth update: Transition to new plans and ACOs
The
transition to new MassHealth plans, mostly ACOs, is underway for 1.2
million beneficiaries. Here’s how to get the information you and your
patients need:
- MassHealth
has planned several “office hours” accommodating both in-person and
teleconference participation (starting Friday, March 9) for stakeholders
to receive updates, ask questions, and flag any concerns; see dates, times, and access details.
- If
you anticipate a high volume of teleconference participation among your
practice colleagues, please arrange for people who are co-located to
dial in together, to make sure that every organization can get on the
line;
- It
is helpful if stakeholders are able to collect questions or concerns
from members and submit them to MassHealth by end of day Tuesday each
week, at masshealth.innovations@state.ma.us;
- The Continuity of Care memo details how the 30-day transition period will work.
MDPH advisory: Invasive meningococcal disease in students
A
student at Smith College has been diagnosed with invasive meningococcal
disease (IMD) caused by serogroup B. This may be a continuation of an
outbreak at UMass last fall. Serogroup B meningococcal vaccine (MenB) is
now highly recommended for undergraduates attending schools in the Five
College Consortium: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke
College, Smith College, and UMass Amherst. The MDPH has issued guidelines for clinicians
regarding recognizing, reporting, and treating suspected IMD, and
vaccinating students and staff of the Five College Consortium. Questions and concerns? Call the Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at (617) 983-6800.
CMS: New documentation rules for medical students
New
CMS requirements have eliminated a cumbersome regulation for physicians
supervising medical students. As of February 2, 2018, physicians can
verify students’ notes in EHRs, instead of having to re-document the
notes that their students have already entered. By the previous CMS
rules, physicians supervising medical students were required to
re-document almost all of their students’ entries. This change will
streamline the documentation process for medical students and their
physician supervisors; more information.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Addressing employment discrimination in Mass.
In
Massachusetts, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act takes effect April 1,
2018. The law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of
pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions. The law outlines employers’
obligations to employees who are pregnant or lactating and the
protections these employees are entitled to receive. Employer
modifications or adjustments to a position that are presumed reasonable are: more
frequent or longer breaks; time off; equipment or seating; temporary
transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous job; job restructuring; light
duty; private space for expressing breast milk; assistance with manual
labor; and modified work schedule; more information.
Primary care providers: BRCA Founder OutReach study
The BRCA
Founder OutReach (BFOR) study will provide 1000 individuals of
Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry in Massachusetts with no-cost BRCA testing
starting this month, and may involve some PCPs. The study is designed to
evaluate a strategy of direct outreach to patients, combined with
support to PCPs around “personalized genomics.” The study asks
participants to choose to receive their BRCA results through their own
health care provider or from the study’s staff. If they choose their
PCP, PCPs will have the option to disclose the genetic test results or
not. If a PCP prefers not to disclose the results, the study staff will
assume that responsibility. If a PCP chooses to disclose results, study
staff will provide them with educational material to support patient
counseling and next steps. You and your patients can learn more about the study. Questions? Email bfor_bidmc_dfci@dfci.harvard.edu.
Cannabis Control Commission approves final regulations for marijuana industry
The
Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) has unanimously approved regulations
for the marijuana industry. After weighing testimony in recent months on
draft regulations, the CCC finalized regulations in anticipation of
retail sales of recreational marijuana, which will be able to begin on
July 1. The regulations cover a host of issues related to both
recreational and medical marijuana, including rules for production,
sales, marketing, packaging and warning labels. Read the report from the State House News Service.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Cape Cod Beer, 1336 Phinneys Lane, Hyannis (note: corrected time)
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.
Interim president outlines UMass hospital goals
UMass Memorial Medical Center is heading into a year of labor negotiations, renovations, and growth challenges with an interim president who has studied management, law and medicine.
'There's a lot of blood' – Dramatic 911 calls from deadly library stabbing
"He stabbed a woman in the back," a caller hurriedly tells a 911 operator in newly released recordings
of the moments after a fatal stabbing inside a public library. Yelling
and crying can be heard in the background as the caller illustrates the
situation inside the Winchester Public Library with her words.
Allegations of employee mistreatment roil Brookline trauma center
Dr.
Bessel van der Kolk, a best-selling author on trauma whose research has
attracted a world-wide following, has been fired from his job over
allegations that he bullied and denigrated employees at his renowned Trauma Center.
Mass. nurses push for standard on nurse-patient ratios
The measure
has been extensively funded and touted by the Massachusetts Nurses
Association. But some organizations, including the Massachusetts Health
& Hospital Association, say the measure will increase emergency wait
times and lead to higher premiums, deductibles and taxes.
State health officials endorse Beth Israel-Lahey merger
Massachusetts health officials are backing a sweeping merger
of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center network, the Lahey Health
system, and several other hospitals, in what might be the biggest and
most complex health care transaction ever proposed in the state.
Here's the warning that will be on marijuana products at retail pot shop
The warning signs,
one of which features the cannabis leaf, will appear on packaging on
products that contain marijuana, noting that it's not safe for children.
Nurse charged in Worcester fatality tried to save pedestrian
UMass
Memorial Medical Center nurse Heather Richer was hurrying to get to
work on the morning of Dec. 4 when, police say, the Jeep Wrangler she
was driving struck a pedestrian crossing Shrewsbury Street shortly before 6:40 a.m.
Shriners may stop treating young burn patients in Boston
Shriners
Hospitals for Children, which for decades has treated children from the
United States and other countries with complex and life-threatening burn injuries, is considering a plan that could include ending burn services at its Boston location.
Two who died in psychiatric hospitals improperly medicated, report says
Two patients who died at Arbour Health System psychiatric hospitals were improperly medicated with numerous powerful drugs, according to a new report from an organization that investigated the deaths.
