Dr. John Renner wins MMS Special Award; Learn how MassPAT can help your practice

News and announcements

Dr. John A. Renner Jr. wins MMS Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service

Dr. John A. Renner, a psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2019 recipient of the society’s Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service.

The award honors a physician who has made a distinguished demonstration of compassion and dedication to the medical needs of his or her patients and the general public. Dr. Renner is renowned for his dedication to caring for adults and adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) and has shared his knowledge with countless clinicians.

Renner is a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, director of the BMC Addiction Psychiatry Residency, associate director of the BMC General Psychiatry Residency Program, and serves the VA Boston Healthcare System as associate chief of psychiatry.

Massachusetts is battling the opioid epidemic on multiple fronts. As a prescriber, you can play a critical role by using MassPAT whenever you prescribe an opioid or benzodiazepine. It’s required by law, and research shows it’s lowering the number of unnecessary opioid prescriptions.
 
MassPAT can help your practice stay compliant with the law – and deliver the best care for your patients – in several ways. Two of the most common ways are: login to MassPAT and search the patient’s history before each appointment; or assign a delegate to conduct the patient searches daily or before each appointment.
 
But there is much more to using MassPAT than just obeying the law. Viewing a patient’s prescription history can help you detect early signs of misuse, abuse, or diversion. It can prompt timely intervention and avoid duplication of drug therapy. It can also improve communication between providers and promote coordination of care.
 
For more information visit: Mass.gov/MassPAT. 

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.

An Introduction to Disaster Preparedness and Response: The Case of Sudden Onset Disasters

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Medical Society and its Committee on Global Health, this presentation covers the evolution of response to sudden onset crises, among other topics. The presenters are:

• Ritu R. Sarin, MD, EMDM, Associate Director, BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine
• Hilarie H. Cranmer, MD, MPH, Director, Global Disaster Response, MGH Global Health

Please click the thumbnail below to watch the full presentation.    
 

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.

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

Book signing at annual meeting

David F. Gouveia, M.D., author of "A Local Boy – A Memoir," will be signing copies of his book during the art exhibit at Annual Meeting. The memoir is a series of personal reflections about medicine in the 1950s and 60s, as well as a story about coming-of-age in small town USA. A portion of all book purchases will be donated to the Alliance Charitable Foundation.

Educational programs and events

Featuring 2019 Annual Education Program and Shattuck Lecture

2019 Annual Education Program and Shattuck Lecture 

Featured Online CME Course

Medical Mistakes: Learning to Steer Clear of the Common Ones

Restoring Well-Being to the Medical Profession

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

“In the aftermath of Match Day, you deserve to revel in your achievements. But keep your eyes on the long road ahead and prepare for future failures. By embracing them you will become the doctor you yearn to be.”

—  MMS member Dr. Martin Kaminski from his recent Stat News piece.   (Stat News)

Tweet of the week

@MassAGO
Official account of MA Attorney General Maura Healey.

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.

Civil commitment led to loved one's suicide, family says (WBUR)

Sean was handcuffed in court and transported to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC), which had just opened with 200 beds for men in a minimum security prison in a remote area of Plymouth. Sean begged not to go and told his mother that he would no longer be able to take his daily 120-milligram dose of methadone addiction medication. Massachusetts is one of a few states that uses its prisons to involuntarily commit men to addiction treatment — and it uses it more than most states. The DOC does not provide methadone or another addiction medication, buprenorphine, although it says it is working on offering it to civilly committed men.  

As teen e-cigarette use climbs in Mass., nicotine addiction worsens (Boston.com)

In Massachusetts, almost half of all high school students have reportedly tried e-cigarettes at least once and nearly a quarter of them say they've used one in the past 30 days, the most recent state data collected in 2015 shows. The rate is nine times higher than adult users and, according to Monica Bharel, the state Department of Public Health commissioner, essentially mirrors national statistics. The trend has indeed caught on by storm: In 2011, only 1.5 percent of high school students in the Bay State reported using. Now, with the accessibility of products with enticing flavors like mint and mango, a decades-long shift away from teenage tobacco use has been effectively reversed, seemingly overnight.

Massachusetts has highest rate of underage drinking (Boston Herald)

Nearly 29 percent of Massachusetts minors age 12-20 consume alcohol, according to research collected and analyzed by American Addiction Centers. States trailing Massachusetts include North Dakota with an underage drinking rate of 25.3 percent and Vermont with 25.2 percent. The Bay State also leads the nation in underage binge drinking, which is classified as consuming four or more drinks in one sitting. Over 19 percent of Massachusetts minors reported binge drinking during the 2016-2017 research period. Dr. Mark Calarco, American Addiction Centers' national medical director for clinical diagnostics, said alcohol impairment is risky for people of all ages, but especially for minors, who are still growing and developing.  

UMass Memorial, union agree on 4-year contract (Telegram and Gazette)

UMass Memorial Health Care has reached agreement on a new four-year contract with a union representing about 2,600 workers in Worcester. Terms of the agreement with the State Healthcare and Research Employees Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3900, will be retroactive to Oct. 1, 2018, according to the union, which is also known as SHARE. UMass Memorial said in a statement that members of SHARE will vote on the agreement at a later date. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. UMass Memorial is the largest medical provider in Central Massachusetts, operating a doctors' group practice, clinics and three hospitals. SHARE represents workers in patient care, technical, administrative and billing jobs at UMass Memorial Medical Center, the Worcester hospital system.