MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
MMS 2018 Annual Meeting:
Pre-registration closes Monday, April 23, at noon
This year's Annual Meeting will take place on April 26–28, 2018, at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston. Help
shape MMS policy, attend a world-class educational program, and join
your colleagues for social and networking opportunities.
Online registration closes THIS MONDAY at noon. Pre-registration is required for some of the planned Annual Meeting events; on-site registrations will not be taken for these events. Don’t delay.
Art auction sneak peek Preview the annual member art exhibit and silent auction. (Shown: "The Rocky Coast of Maine," oil on canvas by Donald Matthews.)
Birds of a Feather: Easy lunch networking
Alone for now and up for meeting some fellow MMS members? At
this meeting, we are introducing the Birds of a Feather table. At each
of our lunches, a table will be marked “Birds of a Feather.” Grab your
seat and and get to know your peers here at the Annual Meeting. Thanks
to Mary Beth Miotta, MD, for the suggestion.
Resident Fellow Section Annual Meeting:
Dinner and discussion; Unconscious bias in health care
Unconscious
bias, also known as implicit bias or implicit social cognition, refers
to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our subconscious
understanding, actions, and decisions. In The Impact of Unconscious Bias in Health Care, Sheri-Ann
Burnett-Bowie, MD, of the MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion will
help us examine how unconscious bias impacts health care delivery and
discuss strategies to reduce unconscious bias in health care settings. Participate
in this dynamic conversation at the 2018 MMS Resident & Fellow
Section Annual Meeting and elect your resident/fellow leaders for
2018-2019. The event will be held at Maggiano’s Little Italy, Boston, on May 2, 6:00–9:30 p.m. The cost includes a four-course dinner and two drinks; $10 for members and $20 for non-members; program agenda and registration.
Governing Councilor: Nominations due April 24
As
a Governing Council member, you could take an active role in directing
the policy and activities of the Resident Fellow Section both in
Massachusetts and on the national level at the AMA.
For more information about Governing Council member responsibilities, please see the document Resident Fellow Section 2018-2019 Elections. Self-nomination is permitted. Questions? Contact Colleen Hennessey at chennessey@mms.org or (781) 434-7315.
Free webinar: How to achieve your desired MIPS score
The
Quality Payment Program Year 2 is in full swing. Are you on top of how
your performance and chosen submission method may affect your score?
Join the New England QIN-QIO to explore how your MIPS quality
performance category score will be calculated, including how to select the measures on which you perform well and other ways to achieve your target score. Decoding the QPP Year 2 Quality Measure Benchmarks and Deciles to Maximize Performance will be held on Monday, April 30, 11:00 a.m.–noon; registration. Questions? Email neqinqio@healthcentricadvisors.org.
Share your professional news in Vital Signs
Have
you recently received a promotion, award, or another opportunity or
honor? Have you switched jobs lately, opened a new practice, been
elected to a board, or retired? Share your professional news with
colleagues via the Member News and Notes column in Vital Signs. Email vitalsigns@mms.org; include the relevant information and a headshot.
Are you seeing the effect of climate change or other environmental hazards in your practice?
Are
you treating asthma or other respiratory illness, or CVD, that may be
related to "bad air days"? Are your patients experiencing stress or
mental health problems related to climate change or other environmental
concerns? The Summer issue of Vital Signs will explore the
relationship between environmental and human health, focusing on
Massachusetts. If you are active in medicine or advocacy related to
environmental health issues, we're interested in talking with you.
Please email vitalsigns@mms.org.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
CHIA: Last chance to preview your CompareCare data
Physicians:
You have a little longer to preview your data on CHIA’s CompareCare
website before the site is launched. CHIA will not be making further
changes to the site before its public launch, but remains open to
comments. Log in and comment:
Medical and dental implications of HPV: Free lecture and dinner — DEADLINE EXTENDED
This
free, one-hour lecture explores the relationship between HPV and
head-and-neck cancers, risk factors for oral cancer, the role the HPV
vaccine in cancer prevention, and more. It will be followed by an
interactive session in which physicians and dentists can network and
share best practices, and a light buffet dinner. Medical Dental Integration — Working Together to Address HPV and Establish a Dental Home is presented by Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH, assistant
professor of oral medicine, infection, and immunity at Harvard School
of Dental Medicine. It will be held Tuesday, May 1, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at
The Delaney House, 3 Country Club Rd (Route 5), Holyoke; registration and information, including CME accreditation. Please register by April 23. The event is provided by the MMS and its Committee on Oral Health and From the First Tooth–Massachusetts.
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 an in-person class geared to residents or established physicians.
- Physician Finance: Planning for Residents covers career risks, building a solid financial foundation, and student debt; Brookline, May 2, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
- Physician Finance: Planning for Doctors covers retirement, estate planning, charitable giving, and college planning; Brookline, May 9, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The classes 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: Additional time and support for members transitioning to new plans
To help ensure a successful transition to new plans, MassHealth is taking additional steps:
- Continuity of care extended through May 31, 2018;
- Fixed Enrollment period extended through July 1, 2018 (learn more about the Plan Selection Period and Fixed Enrollment Period);
- New Service Area exceptions in some circumstances.
For more information, see the full transition update, including resources for members, and the providers’ guide to MassHealth changes.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Clinical Practice: Does Machine Learning Empower or Challenge Physicians?
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; information and registration.
What's up in health care advocacy
MMS signs joint letter supporting medication treatment for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder
The Society has signed a letter
to the state Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and
Recovery expressing strong support for including medication treatment
for incarcerated people with substance use disorder in the Massachusetts
CARE Act, which is aimed at addressing the opioid crisis.
MMS Letter to Senator Warren in Support of the CARE Act
On behalf of the Society, President Henry L. Dorkin, MD, FAAP, wrote to Senator Elizabeth Warren expressing support
for the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, a
federal initiative that would direct funds to states and localities to
provide substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
The bill would also authorize critical funding for federal research into
prevention and fund an expanded health care workforce supporting
patients with substance use disorder.
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
Medical Dental Integration
Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Artifical Intelligence and the Future of Clinical Practice
Saturday, May 12, 2018, 8:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Directors of Medical Education Conference — Leading and Designing for Change
Thursday, May 17, 2018, 9:00 a.m.–3:30 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.
UMass Memorial CEO: Clinic closure part of $50M efficiency plan
The
UMass Memorial Health Care system is eyeing $50 million in annual cost
reductions for the foreseeable future — the latest of which is the
closing of a Worcester clinic serving a large number of Medicaid and Medicare patients — CEO Eric Dickson said on Wednesday.
The risky game one doctor plays to help patients find affordable insulin
When Zwerling meets with patients, he can't tell what the copay
will be for each drug. He doesn't know if the patient has met their
deductible. Those on Medicare may be in the so-called doughnut hole.
Health cost estimators catching on, Pioneer report says
The study analyzed the online cost estimator tools
offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and
Tufts Health Plan, finding them to be more user-friendly than the same
tools were in a 2015 assessment by Health Care For All.
$4.38 million in improper testing payments by MassHealth
MassHealth overpaid
$4.38 million for drug tests over a more than four-year period,
according to an audit released Thursday by state Auditor Suzanne Bump.
What BI-Lahey merger could mean for health care in Mass.
The deal would create the second-largest system
in the state behind Partners HealthCare and would provide about 25
percent of inpatient care throughout the state, according to the Health
Policy Commission.
2,500 Boston Marathon runners receive medical treatment
Dr.
Gregg Greenough, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston,
said medical providers are worried about the toll the weather would take on runners.
Saint Vincent, MetroWest appear safe from Tenet hospital divestment
Tenet wants to operate hospitals in the top one or two acute care providers
in their markets, which is certainly the case in Greater Worcester,
where Saint Vincent is the smaller of two, behind UMass Memorial Medical
Center.
Teaching hospitals pledge to hire and treat more minorities
Two of Boston's top teaching hospitals said they are expanding efforts to hire more black and Latino
doctors, and to ensure their facilities are welcoming to minorities
they treat — an attempt to address two longstanding issues in the health
care industry.
'Cool caps' are helping cancer patients keep their hair — for a high price
Tufts Health Plan and the state Medicaid program, which covers about 1.85 million people, do not cover
the therapy, while Harvard Pilgrim Health Care said it is under review.
Isakoff, of Mass. General, said he has written appeals that have
resulted in UnitedHealthcare and Aetna paying for the treatment for some
patients.
Court rules state ban on stun guns violates Second Amendment
The
ruling from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court stated that the
prohibition in Massachusetts state law is a violation of the Second Amendment. The law allowed for law enforcement to possess the weapons.
Mass. is about to become battleground over transgender rights
Although opponents have often focused on public bathrooms, the law covers all public accommodations, including hotels, stores, restaurants, theaters, sports facilities, and hospitals.
