MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Annual Education Program: Join Bill Gates and distinguished panelists (pre-registration is required)
Today, every epidemic has the potential to become a pandemic. Join Bill Gates, the MMS, and the New England Journal of Medicine for Epidemics Going Vital: Innovation Vs. Nature, a scientific and creative exploration of the complex challenges associated with modern epidemics.
Our 2018 Annual Education Program (AEP) — part of the MMS Annual Meeting — will take place on Friday, April 27, 2018, 8:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center, Boston.
Registration is open for in-person and/or web attendance. Don’t forget to register for the Networking Luncheon, which will take place immediately afterward. Pre-registration is required for the Annual and the Networking Luncheon.
See
full program and CME credit information.
Epidemics Going Vital: Innovation Vs. Nature includes:
- Shattuck Lecture and Conversation: Innovation for Pandemics, featuring Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Michelle Williams, SM, ScD, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Panel: How to Identify an Epidemic — Past, Present, and Future Lessons
- Panel: Acquiring Knowledge While Saving Lives
New video from MMS: How to reverse an opioid overdose with naloxone
Do your patrients and their families know that anyone can carry naloxone, the medicine that can help save a life during an opioid-related overdose? Please share this
new 1-minute video PSA from the Massachusetts Medical Society with your colleagues and patients. It features MMS members Sheena Desai and Hilary Rogers, students at Tufts University School of Medicine, explaining how to identify an overdose, and why
everyone should consider carrying naloxone.
MMS Alliance celebrates National Doctors’ Day
MMS Alliance invites all members and their families to celebrate National Doctors’ Day on Saturday, April 7, honoring physicians for their dedication and service. The free event will take place at the Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman Street, Waltham, 12:00–3:30 p.m. An open lunch buffet
will be provided. RSVP to
alliance@mms.org.
Residents, fellows, and students: Free media and public communication training
Start looking forward to public speaking. This interactive session, designed for physicians, demonstrates powerful communication and presentation skills that will convey your message and get you noticed. The session will be led by Odysseus Argy, MD, host of Doctors on Call and
director of Odyssey Health Communications. It covers the essentials of effective communication, including non-verbal skills, strong first impressions, connecting with audiences, and much more. The event will be held April 10, 6:30–8:30 p.m., at the Countway Library, 10 Shattuck
Street, Boston;
information and registration.
New driver’s license and ID requirements
Starting March 26, 2018, to get or renew any driver’s license, ID card, or learner’s permit, individuals need documentation showing US citizenship
or lawful presence as required by federal and state law. The new RMV
Info Center outlines the documentation requirements, including information for non-US citizens, drivers aged 75+, learners, and those new to Massachusetts. Drivers will have a choice between a standard MA driver’s license or ID card, or a REAL ID license or card (the latter is valid
for federal identification purposes);
decide which card is right for you. Questions? Email
Michele.Ellicks@state.ma.us.
Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference: Early registration deadline next week
Last chance for the early-bird discount is Tuesday, March 27! The Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference has been sponsored by MMS for nine years. This conference will feature workshops that discuss key strategies to engage patients in meaningful discussions about
immunizations, and many more important topics. This will be a great opportunity to network with your colleagues and maintain partnerships that foster effective care coordination. Join us at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough on April 10 and take advantage of our
early-bird discount
today.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: New law on employment discrimination
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, including adjustments or a modification to a woman’s job. 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 a modified work schedule;
more information.
RESCHEDULED: Learn about opportunities and licensing options when retired
Considering medical opportunities when retired? Interested in volunteering locally or globally? What are your medical licensing options? Learn and discuss
with senior physician members of various rewarding work and volunteer opportunities on May 23, 2018, at the MMS headquarters in Waltham. Spouses and partners are welcome. This rescheduled free event is hosted by the Committee on Senior Physicians;
information and registration.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
Food is Medicine: Physician input needed on State Plan
Massachusetts is developing a first-in-the-nation Food is Medicine Plan to assess the need for and access to medically-tailored food and nutrition interventions for patients with complex health and social needs. Physicians will play a key role in providing input into this plan; we
need your help to ensure that patients will have access to these critical interventions. Join us for a collaborative listening session hosted by the MMS, the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School, and Community Servings of Boston to learn about and
give us your thoughts on how best physicians can contribute to this new plan. The session will be held on Friday April 27, 2018, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the MMS Annual Meeting;
information and registration. If you have questions regarding Food is Medicine, please contact
sdowner@law.harvard.edu,
kgarfield@law.harvard.edu or
JTerranova@servings.org.
RESCHEDULED: Boston Medical Library Estes lecture
This event has been rescheduled owing to weather. 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. The event is free and will be held Tuesday, May 8, 6:00–7:30 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.
MMS casual networking events: Fitchburg and Hyannis
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:
- 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
Ethics Forum — Transparency in Health Care
Thursday, April 26, 2018, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
MMS Annual Meeting, Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston, MA
Epidemics Going Viral: Innovation vs. Nature
Friday, April 27, 2018, 8:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
MMS Annual Meeting, Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston, MA or Live Webinar
Featured online CME courses
Find additional risk management
online CME activities.
This week in health care
Sign up for daily roundups of health news affecting Massachusetts.
Dover doctor who ran 'pill mill' sentenced to prison for fraud
Fathallah Mashali, 62, who once ran pain management clinics in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, was also sentenced
to three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $8.7 million
in restitution, according to a statement from the US Attorney's office.
Researchers at UMass Med discover gene linked to ALS
Researchers
at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester say they
have pinpointed a gene connected to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
State to pay docs' student loans to lure them to community health centers
MassHealth is offering to pay doctors' student loans to entice physicians to work for community health centers and community mental health centers.
Mass. Eye and Ear teen patient undergoes revolutionary procedure
A 13-year-old patient at Massachusetts Eye and Ear with hereditary vision loss is the first-ever recipient of a gene therapy that could eventually save him from blindness.
Survey: Female surgical residents grapple with training and motherhood
Women training to become surgeons face daunting challenges
juggling their work with the demands of pregnancy and motherhood,
according to a new survey published by researchers at Brigham and
Women's Hospital.
1,000 retired MA teachers could face insurance spikes of 20–80 percent
Currently,
up to 955 retired teachers who are insured through the state's Group
Insurance Commission will have to switch plans and could see premium increases of 20 percent to 80 percent.
Lawrence mayor fires back after Trump's opioid comments
In New Hampshire to talk up his approach to dealing with the opioid epidemic, President Donald Trump laid blame on Lawrence, Mass., and prompted a pointed response from the city's mayor.
ERs share records to catch patients who bounce from one to another
MACEP,
in collaboration with the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA), has
launched a pilot program that will alert hospitals across the state to
patients who are in and out of emergency rooms on a regular basis.
Partners takeover of Care New England could raise RI insurance costs
Partners HealthCare's proposed takeover of Care New England could raise health insurance premiums
in Rhode Island, but the local hospital group likely needs to make a
major move to shore up its finances no matter what, according to a new
study commissioned by the state.
Central Mass. pharmacy owner docked $200,000 for opioid violations
The
owner of pharmacies in Worcester, Fitchburg, and Gardner has reached a
settlement with the US Attorney's Office after he was found to have improperly dispensed drugs and kept flawed record-keeping.
UMass Med student from Haiti makes parents proud on Match Day
She
didn't speak a word of English and couldn't fathom living without her
mom and dad, but there was one thing she knew for sure: She wanted to be
a doctor.
