MMS joined Senator Ed Markey to condemn Title X rule

News and announcements

MMS joined Senator Ed Markey to condemn Title X rule

Dr. Carole Allen, representing the MMS, joined US Senator Ed Markey in a press conference on Tuesday condemning the Trump Administration’s anticipated Title X rule change. The Title X program uses federal dollars to support family planning and preventative health services for low-income patients nationwide. Under the proposed rule change, however, clinics receiving Title X funds will no longer be able to perform abortions or refer patients to abortion providers.

“Providing a patient with all relevant information and options, within the context of a confidential, trusting relationship, is an obligation for physicians, one that we don’t take lightly,” said Dr. Allen, “and the Massachusetts Medical Society will not support any actions that cause patient harm and jeopardize the trust between a patient and a physician.”

Click the thumbnail below to watch Dr. Allen's full statement.

The Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain (MCSTAP)

We would like to make you aware of a new program, the Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain (MCSTAP). MCSTAP provides real-time telephonic consultation to primary care providers on safe prescribing and managing care for adult patients with chronic pain and/or substance use disorder (SUD). MCSTAP also provides resource information on community-based programs to support people with these conditions. The program is staffed by a team of physicians with extensive academic and clinical expertise in safe prescribing and managing care for patients with chronic pain and SUD. This free service is available to support all adult patients in Massachusetts, regardless of insurance coverage.

It's available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 1-833-PAIN-SUD (1-833-724-6783). The program is funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. For more information about MCSTAP, go to www.mcstap.com.

2019 Annual meeting – prevent check-in delays onsite: Pre-register today!

This year's Annual Meeting is scheduled to take place, May 2-4, 2019 at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston. Online registration is available at www.massmed.org/annual2019/register. Pre-registration is highly recommended to prevent delays onsite. Important details about registration can be viewed in this flyer. Please contact us at annual@mms.org for assistance.

Hotel Information

Currently the MMS overnight room block at the Seaport Hotel is sold out. Arrangements for additional rooms at a nearby hotel are underway. A waitlist has been started. Please contact us at annual@mms.org to be added to the waitlist, or if you find you are no longer in need of your reservation. We will reassign the room from the waitlist to keep the negotiated room rate.

April 2: The 24th annual Massachusetts adult immunization conference 

At the 24th annual MA adult immunization conference, over 350 immunization providers will come together for a day-long conference to support statewide efforts to increase adult immunization rates in Massachusetts. Keynote speakers are:

• David Kim, MD, MA; CAPT, US Public Health Service; Deputy Associate Director for Adult Immunization, Center for Disease Control.
• Elisa Choi, MD, FACP, Governor of Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Physicians.

The conference will be held on April 2 from 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center. Click below to learn more and register.

Benefit Buzz

Need help with your practice?

At the Physician Practice Resource Center, our goal is to ensure that you have the information, support, and resources you need to maintain a thriving practice. We are here to help physicians and those who assist them navigate the healthcare environment and provide them with the necessary tools and guidance to find solutions for a wide range of needs – from attorney referrals to implementing current regulatory requirements, to tips and research on coding and reimbursement issues, the PPRC is here to help. Our consulting team can even help you with patient experience training or opening a new practice!

Feel free to contact us today for more information at (781) 434-7702 or email us at pprc@mms.org.

Connect with colleagues

The Massachusetts Medical Society invites you to join colleagues and friends for an evening of professional networking and cheer at one of our upcoming events! Connect with physicians from across organizations and specialties, catch up with colleagues, make new professional contacts, and meet members of the MMS leadership. Professional networking, complimentary hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and good fun!

• Thursday, March 28, 2019, 6:30–8:30 PM. The Cove Restaurant, Fall River, MA

RSVP at sfrazier@mms.org or mjussaume@mms.org. Questions — (800) 944-5562.

MMS Alliance celebrates National Doctors' Day

MMS Alliance invites all members and their families to celebrate National Doctors’ Day, Sunday, April 7, honoring physicians for their dedication and service. The free event will take place at the Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman Street, Waltham from 12:30-3:30 p.m. An open lunch buffet will be provided with music provided by graduate students of the New England Conservatory. RSVP to alliance@mms.org

Educational programs and events

Featuring 2019 Annual Education Program and Shattuck Lecture

2019 Annual Education Program and Shattuck Lecture 

Featured Online CME Course

Health Care as a Basic Human Right

Patient Suicidal Ideation: A Physician’s Legal Duties and Options

For additional online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme

Upcoming lectures and training

April 11-12: Harvard annual bioethics conference: Controlling death? The policies, practices, and ethics of choosing when we die (Harvard Medical School)

This two-day conference will explore the ethical, legal, and clinical aspects of evolving end-of-life practices, including euthanasia and physician-assisted death. How ought we to think about the choices of determining the time and manner of death for our loved ones, our patients, and ourselves? How can we be prepared if a new law permitting physician-assisted death passes in Massachusetts? Speakers include Marcia Angell, MD, faculty at Harvard Medical School and former Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, among others. 

April 17: Medical Device Group Boston: US healthcare economics forum (Regis College)

The US spends more than any other country in the developed world on healthcare on both a per capita (US$ PPP) and percentage of GDP basis. Despite that high spending and incredible technical sophistication, US healthcare ranks near the bottom of the developed world on many health care quality indicators.This forum will discuss how the costs in healthcare, and the never-ending efforts to lower them, drives innovation and initiatives to help accomplish that.  

May 7: The 7th annual communication, apology, and resolution forum (MMS Headquarters)

The forum will take place at the Massachusetts Medical Society Conference Center on Tuesday May 7, 2019. The event includes live simulation of using the CARe process in adverse event situations, an update on the CARe pilot study data, as well as a keynote by Richard Boothman, J.D., formerly of the University of Michigan Health System. Register for this free event online before May 1st.

June 6-7: Managing workplace conflict: Improving leadership & personal effectiveness (MMS Headquarters)

This program explores complex relationships within the medical work environment. The course provides techniques for addressing and resolving difficult relationships and stressful situations, as well as strengthening relationships with other team members and patients. Read the full program flyer here.

Quote of the week

“As a guy in his 80s, he was like a resident. He did everything complete. If I could be like Fred Ernesti, I’ll be all right.”

—  Dr. John Mahoney, a neurologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, on the passing of 89-year-old Mas. Physician Dr. Fred Ernesti   (Boston Globe)

Tweet of the week

@common

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.

Biogen halts late-stage trials on Alzheimer's drug (Boston Globe)

Biogen — the largest biotech based in Massachusetts — and its Japanese partner Eisai said they were halting two late-stage clinical trials of the drug after concluding it was unlikely to benefit patients. The news sent Biogen stock into a free fall, with the company losing a staggering $18 billion of its value Thursday. With the setback, Biogen joined a long list of drug firms that have tried and failed to develop successful treatments for Alzheimer's.  

WPI professor aims to understand life and death of our cells (Worcester Business Journal)
With a three-year, $446,563 grant from the National Science Foundation, Billiar, the head of WPI's Department of Biomedical Engineering, hopes to find out what forces and stresses affect programmed cell death, known as apoptosis. Billiar, recently elected a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, says there's a critical gap in our understanding of the triggers of programmed cell death. Understanding these causes better, he said, could one day have applications for many diseases. Understanding those causes better could help develop medications that could prevent or cure diseases caused by unexpected cell death. Billiar's research will include looking at how cell characteristics such as size and shape affect the cell and its ability to die as a normal part of our lives. 

Partners launches Epic EHR-integrated PDMP connection (EHR Intelligence)

Boston-based Partners HealthCare recently became the first health system in Massachussetts to offer an EHR-integrated link to the state's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP.) The health system fully integrated with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) to offer clinicians access to complete controlled substance information at the point of care. Clinicians can utilize the common platform to monitor opioid prescriptions without the added administrative burden of logging into multiple windows to access prescription data.  

Medicaid fraud division recovered $45M in fiscal 2018 (State House News Service)
Attorney General Maura Healey's Medicaid Fraud Division recovered more than $45 million for the MassHealth program in fiscal year 2018 and secured the convictions of three people on charges connected to Medicaid fraud schemes. Healey's office said that the $45 million recovered by its investigators represented roughly $11 recovered for every $1 appropriated in the fiscal 2018 state budget for its work. The division brought 18 cases, involving pharmacies, home health organizations, and doctors, to civil settlements and criminally charged 11 people with defrauding MassHealth. "Our Medicaid Fraud Division works every day to protect the integrity of MassHealth and ensure that its funds are used appropriately to support our most vulnerable residents," Healey said.