Become a more effective colleague and leader

MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Save the date: Be a more effective colleague and leader

Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness is an interactive course based in real-life medical workplace scenarios. In a recent evaluation, all participants perceived substantive advances in their own relevant skills:

• “Fantastic course – should be required of all physicians. This was a gift!”
• “Uncommon honesty of the group in sharing their workplace problems and helping others to improve [their] handling [of] these conflicts.”
• “Where great theory and data meet!”

The program is designed for physicians in clinical practice, and those in administration and leadership. It takes place on November 1–2 at MMS Headquarters in Waltham. Click the button for information (including CME credits) and registration.

Read and register

Benefit buzz

Bridging the gap with Board of Registration issues
Professional liability policies may not cover complaints that arise before the BORIM. Even if those are covered by your policy, the benefits may be limited. Avoid financial caps during an investigation by utilizing the Legal Advisory Plan (LAP), which fills the insurance gap. The Plan is a members-only, affordable legal service, designed to offer expert advice from attorneys on BORIM matters. Enroll or renew at a fraction of typical legal fees. Additional discounts apply for groups of five or more. Questions? Email lap@massmed.org or call (781) 434-7311.

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Reminders: Stuff you should click on

Save the date: Casual networking event on the Cape Please join your colleagues and friends for an evening of professional networking, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks. 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. The event will be held on Saturday, July 28, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Cape Cod Beer, 1336 Phinneys Lane, Hyannis. Please reply by July 13 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.  
Photo: Splatter Painted Boat by Arthur T. Skarin, MD, Norfolk district

Educational programs and events

Live event: Palliative care

Palliative Care: Aligning the Team Around the Patient via live webinar
Tuesday, June 19; 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

More live CME

Featured online CME: Physician wellness

Restoring Well-Being to the Medical Profession  
Running on Empty? Physicians' Path to Enjoying Life and Medicine More

More online CME  

Get involved

"The MMS is built on the people who are part of it and who are willing to speak up — this is a powerful opportunity to create change."

—Lynn Black, MD, MPH, internist at MGH and recipient of the 2018 Henry Ingersoll Bowdith award for Excellence in Public Health on how her expectations of the MMS were upended (video)

Quote of the week

"Study after study shows that when you have diverse people — people with different perspectives, styles, genders, ethnicities and orientations — then you have better conversations that translate into better outcomes."

—Amy Schulman, partner in the venture capital firm Polaris Partners and CEO of the Watertown-based startup Lyndra Inc, on inadequate diversity in biotech (Boston Globe)

Tweet of the week

@ErikGoralnick Emergency medicine physician @brighamwomens; assistant professor @harvardmed; @USNavy veteran

What’s new in health care

Check out the most clicked-on stories from this week's MMS Media Watch. Sign up for daily Massachusetts media roundups by email. Some publications are fully accessible only to their subscribers.

'Red flag' bill clears Senate hurdle 

The bill allows family or household members to petition a judge to remove guns from a person at risk of harming themselves or others and bar them from possessing firearms for up to a year. 

Somerville school uses nursery rhyme to teach kids about lockdowns

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Superintendent Mary Skipper said that as much as the city would like for lockdown drills not to be part of students' educational experiences, "unfortunately, this is the world we live in." 

Mass. mayor: Big Pharma industry caused opioid crisis

"The manufacturers and distributors chose profits and lining their own pockets over public health, and betrayed the public confidence by refusing to warn us about the addictive drugs they let loose in our communities," LaChapelle said.

Brockton hospital staff overlooked warning about a deadly allergy

A nurse at the Brockton hospital last winter administered the drug, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, to the patient, who suffered a life-threatening reaction and had to be transferred to the intensive care unit, according to a federal and state inspection report. 

Researchers: Mandated nurse ratios would lead to more hospital closures

A research group advocating against mandated nurse staffing ratios said hospital unit closures like the pediatric unit at UMass Memorial Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital in Leominster will continue if a ballot question is passed.

Berkshire Medical Center nurses set strike date

The 800 registered nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association have been negotiating a contract with Berkshire Medical Center and parent Berkshire Health Systems since September 2016.

Mass. woman jailed for drug relapse: Tough love or too harsh?

"There's a lot of data showing individual differences in resisting relapse but that people figure out ways to deal with their cravings all the time," said Gene M. Heyman, a lead author on an amicus brief who lectures about addiction at Boston College and Harvard.

MIT sensor shows promise for diagnosing and treating disease

The tool, developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women's Hospital, is controlled by radio frequency waves and has been successfully tested on pigs.

Tom Brady posts an emotional message after Dwight Clark's death

"I never forgot the impact he made on me as all of our heroes do," said Brady. "I am sad tonight hearing of his passing of ALS but I know he is now resting and at peace finally after many years valiantly fighting such a terrible disease." 

Psychologist accused of sexual misconduct still has license

Grover reported Rabin to the state Board of Registration of Psychologists in February 2016. More than two years later, the case remains open. Rabin still holds an unrestricted license to practice psychology. 

UMass Medical School grads are told to embrace the unexpected

A Doctor of Medicine degree affords recipients a relatively high level of certainty with their career. But Dr. Huda Zoghbi, the keynote speaker at UMass Medical School's commencement on Sunday, told this year's graduates it doesn't necessarily secure a straight path in life.

'No healthy tan': Skin cancer rates high in New England 

New England has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the country, with areas on the Cape seeing double the national average, according to a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.