MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Participate online in the 2018 Annual Meeting: Webcast and testimony opportunities
We invite all members to take advantage of the online opportunities we have available for the Annual Meeting.
Learn! Want to participate in the Annual Education Program from the comfort of your home or office?
Register now for the Annual Education Program webcast Epidemics Going Viral: Innovation vs. Nature featuring Bill Gates. Experience the same high-quality learning experience in a convenient format.
Testify! Unable to attend in person, but feel passionate about a resolution or report? Any MMS member may view the online
Delegates’ Handbook and
post testimony. For example:
- Would you like to see the MMS recommend routine food insecurity screening of patients by their health care providers?
- Should the MA Board of Registration in Medicine eliminate the fee for a volunteer license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth?
If you plan to attend the meeting in-person, please
pre-register. Some Annual Meeting events require pre-registration.
LGBTQ mentoring and networking reception
Join LGBTQ physicians, medical students, and allies from across the state for conversation and appetizers at the Seaport Hotel, on Thursday, April 26, 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. The event is free with a cash bar, and takes place at the MMS Annual Meeting. To register, please contact Erin Tally
at
etally@mms.org or (781) 434-7413.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Clinical Practice: Does Machine Learning Empower or Challenge Physicians?
Please click again! The link is working. We apologize for the problems with the registration link in last week’s email.
Join your colleagues to learn how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the medical landscape and where it will be in five years. AI technologies have a growing and potentially transformative role in health, in and out of the clinical setting. The revolution has begun
with the use of smart devices to monitor individual health. Investment in AI technologies is accelerating, and many see potential for disruptive advances in diagnostics, predictive analytics, and decision support. The event will be held on May 12 at MMS Headquarters, Waltham;
more information and registration.
Physician facilitator volunteer opportunity with medical students
The Boston University School of Medicine Integrated Problems course depends on volunteer physicians to facilitate the small group problem-based learning sessions for second-year medical students. Share your valuable medical experience and expertise in developing the students’ clinical
reasoning skills. Join us for lunch on June 7, 2018;
information and registration. If you can only call in for the presentation, email
ckoh@mms.org.
MDPH alert: Rising HIV infection in north-east Mass.
The CDC has agreed to work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to investigate a large cluster of new HIV infections in Lawrence and Lowell among people who inject drugs and/or experience homelessness, the
MDPH announced yesterday, drawing
media attention. Last week, the CDC
issued its own guidance on managing HIV and hepatitis C outbreaks among people who inject drugs.
MDPH alert: Hepatitis B outbreak in south-east Mass.
The MDPH has observed an increase in the number of cases of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection reported in people who inject drugs in Bristol County. HBV is preventable. MDPH asks clinicians to give hepatitis B vaccine to susceptible individuals reporting injection drug use; offer HBV testing to symptomatic patients; refer patients to substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction services; and promptly report all cases of suspected acute HBV infection to MDPH. To ask questions or report HBV infections, call the MDPH Epidemiology Program at (617) 983-6800.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
Renew your membership by April 23: Save $185 on the Annual Education Program featuring Bill Gates
When your MMS membership is up to date, you can save $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. This is among an array of member discounts on MMS resources and events.
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.
MMS Alliance celebrates National Doctors’ Day: TOMORROW
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: TUESDAY
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. The event will be held April
10, 6:30–8:30 p.m., at the Countway Library, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston;
information and registration.
Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference: TUESDAY
The Massachusetts Adult Immunization Conference has been sponsored by MMS for nine years. The workshops will discuss key strategies for discussing immunizations with patients, 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;
information and registration.
RESCHEDULED: Discover rewarding work and volunteer opportunities and licensing options when retired
Learn and discuss with senior physician members of various rewarding work and volunteer opportunities, locally and globally. Find out about your medical licensing options when retired. Pre-registration is required for the May 23, 2018 event at the MMS headquarters in Waltham. Spouses and
partners are welcome. This rescheduled event is free and hosted by the Committee on Senior Physicians;
information and registration.
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. Join
us for a collaborative listening session on Friday, April 27, 2018, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., at the MMS Annual Meeting;
information and registration. Questions? Email
sdowner@law.harvard.edu or
JTerranova@servings.org.
What's up in health policy
Proposed MassHealth closed drug formulary
MassHealth should include physicians in the process for developing its proposed closed drug
formulary, says the President of the MMS, Henry L. Dorkin, MD, FAAP, citing the imperative of medication options for patient care. In a
blog post, Dr. Dorkin asked physicians to revisit the Society's
submitted comments on the proposed formulary and share their thoughts on its impact in the blog comments. "A closed drug formulary will limit the ability of physicians to give their patients the care they need. While a proposed exception process has been created, this will only lead to additional
delays in treatment for patients and administrative burdens for doctors," he wrote.
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
Artifical Intelligence and the Future of Clinical Practice
Saturday, May 12, 2018, 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
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.
Boston City Council to hold hearing on Beth Israel-Lahey merger
District 5 City Councilor Tim McCarthy said the hearing
is intended to help councilors better understand that the transaction
might mean for Boston residents. McCarthy and Councilor Ed Flynn both petitioned to hold the hearing, which will feature a panel of experts in favor of the merger and those against.
Lahey employee fired after allegedly hiding recording device in bathroom
An employee at Lahey Hospital in Burlington has been fired after allegedly hiding a recording device in one of the bathrooms.
Apple teams with Partners to test health record technology
Partners
is one of 40 health systems in the country — and one of only two in
Massachusetts — that is making medical records available within the Health app.
All 1.5 million Partners patients will be able to log on to the
Partners patient portal to access the functionality, and will then be
able to see their medical record from various organizations in one view
on their phone.
Beth Israel-Lahey merger takes another key step forward
The
endorsement by the state Public Health Council, a body chaired by
Governor Charlie Baker's public health commissioner, marks a significant
step in the proposed 13-hospital deal.
The merger would create a sizable new health system, with doctors and
hospitals spanning from the New Hampshire border to Cape Cod.
Reliant Foundation becomes independent nonprofit following merge
The foundation said several key changes are taking place as a result of the transition. OptumCare is spending $2835 million to acquire Reliant.
Billerica estate wins $4.2 million medical malpractice suit
Had
the diagnosis come sooner — with the help of Senna's Billerica-based
primary-care physician — the 54-year-old could have been treated at an earlier stage, when the illness was more curable.
Drs. Gawande and Murthy discuss opioid crisis — and what to do now
When Brigham and Women's Hospital surgeon and best-selling author Atul Gawande
turns his attention to a health care issue, people take notice. But
last week, during a Brigham-only event, staff packed an auditorium to,
in Gawande's words, welcome another doctor "home."
High school students shadowing Baystate Franklin doctors
The event, put on by the Massachusetts Medical Society, allows students to witness and observe firsthand the practice of medicine.
MA welfare and Medicaid fraud hits new record, rising to nearly $17M
As in previous years, most of the fraud, 61 percent, occurred within MassHealth,
the state-federal Medicaid health care program for low and medium
income Bay State residents. The total amount of MassHealth fraud came to
$10.3 million.
MA "boomers" line up for joint replacements, and expectations are high
"They're aging, they've had some injuries, and they want to continue to be active
into their 60s, 70s, and 80s. And they need a good joint to do that,"
said Dr. David Mattingly, surgeon-in-chief at New England Baptist
Hospital in Boston, one of the nation's top orthopedics centers.
2,500 patients' data compromised, says Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge Health Alliance said that it has notified patients of a data breach that resulted in billing information for 2,500 people landing in the hands of an "unauthorized third party."
