Dr. Bombaugh testifies at State House; AAFP recruiting for e-cigarette prevention project

News and announcements

MMS President Dr. Bombaugh testifies at State House 

The current legislative session at the Massachusetts State House is in full swing. The MMS testified on over a dozen bills during the past two weeks to advocate for  Massachusetts physicians and patients. MMS President Dr. Maryanne Bombaugh testified before the Joint Committee on Financial Services in strong support for a bill filed by the MMS that provides a solution to out-of-network billing. Dr. Bombaugh underscored to the legislature that this bill offers a “comprehensive and time-tested solution for patients and physicians.”

The MMS also submitted testimony for several other bills on the dockets of hearings of six additional legislative committees, including (1) bills supporting expanded graduate medical education and physician loan forgiveness, (2) bills against broadened optometrist scope of practice, and (3) bills supporting a negotiated compromise to decrease the burden of updating physician provider directories.

Dr. Chaoui presents at HIMSS conference

The New England Chapter of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information and technology, held their annual spring conference last Thursday in Foxborough. MMS immediate past President Alain Chaoui, MD, sharing the podium with Larry Garber, MD, medical director for informatics at Reliant Medical Group, delivered a presentation titled, "Physician Burnout: Changing the EHR from a Liability to an Asset." The talk focused on strategies to improve EHR workflows and usability, which are both known to affect physician satisfaction and mitigate career burnout.

Health plan provider directory: Free webinar

In an effort to improve the accuracy of health plan provider directories, streamline the process across plans, and reduce the overall administrative burdens for providers, HealthCare Administrative Solutions and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts have both engaged the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare's (CAQH) DirectAssure to develop an electronic solution for use in the Massachusetts market. The rollout of this new tool is expected to begin this summer, starting with individual and behavioral health providers.

The Massachusetts Medical Society would like to invite you to a one-hour webinar training session on updating provider directory information using the new CAQH Direct Assure tool. Training sessions will be held on:

• Monday, June 3, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 
• Tuesday, June 18,  2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

To register, please contact us today and indicate which session you would like to attend at PPRC (781) 434-7702 or Bissan Biary @bbiary@mms.org.

AAFP recruiting family medicine practices for electronic cigarettes prevention project 

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is recruiting 20 family medicine practices to participate in an Office Champions quality improvement project. The project includes introducing systems changes, training, educational materials, and practice resources specific to electronic nicotine delivery systems, with a focus on youth prevention and cessation. The AAFP will provide materials, education, and technical support to participating practices. Practices will receive $5,000 to cover time and administrative costs.

For more information, visit  http://bit.ly/2VvUo1h .  The deadline to apply is May 31, 2019.

NEJM Knowledge+ Pain Management and Opioids

Pain Management and Opioids, a new module from NEJM Knowledge+, will help you implement safer strategies for pain management and earn your state-mandated CME credits. More than 60 case-based questions, written by experts in pain management and addiction, reflect the types of cases health care providers experience in daily practice and cover the FDA’s Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Treatment and Monitoring of Patients with Pain.

Pain Management and Opioids was created in partnership with Boston University School of Medicine’s SCOPE of Pain and is provided free of charge through an unrestricted educational grant. Registration is available through the NEJM Knowledge+ website.

June 6-7: Managing workplace conflict: Improving leadership & personal effectiveness 

This educational forum designed for physicians (in clinical practice, administration and leadership) will explore complex relationships within the medical work environment. Participation in this course will help you develop techniques to address and resolve difficult relationships and stressful situations, as well as strengthen relationships with other team members and patients.

This two-part program will be held at the MMS headquarters in Waltham.  Click here to learn more and register. 

Benefit buzz

 

Closing a medical practice, transitioning to a new practice setting, or having a colleague leave a practice are all examples of significant changes that may require advanced notice and proper planning. Advanced planning is essential to meeting professional and ethical obligations and minimizing financial as well as other types of risk in the future.

If you are in the transitioning process, the PPRC can help you address issues in less time with less stress and with better outcomes. 

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

Payer watch

UnitedHealthcare and the American Medical Association (AMA) have partnered to better identify and analyze Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in patients nationwide. When indicated, 12 new ICD-10 codes related to SDOH will automatically match patients with government and social services in their communities. Both UnitedHealth and the AMA believe SDOH data in clinical decision making can improve access to care and patient outcomes.

Read the full news release here.

Educational programs and events

CME education programs & events

Featuring CME live activities

Managing Workplace Conflict – Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness

• Thursday, June 6, 2019, 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 7, 2019, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  
  

MMS and RIMS 2019 Annual Accreditation Conference

• Thursday, June 6, 2019, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Featured online CME physician wellness and burnout

• The Medical Professionals Empowerment Program (MedPEP)
• Restoring Well-Being to the Medical Profession Running on Empty?
• Physician’s Path to Enjoying Life and Medicine More

Quote of the week

"I need you to know that any child’s pregnancy is the result of rape, because no child can consent to sex. I need you to know that any child’s pregnancy is traumatic, no matter the outcome, because little girls aren’t supposed to have full wombs."

—  Shannon Dingle is a mother of six and a writer (USA Today)

Tweet of the week

@ACPMAChapter
This program aims to allow physicians in the primary care setting who have successfully made opioid use disorder (OUD) care a part of their daily practice to share their experiences and empower attendees to start prescribing lifesaving buprenorphine therapy more regularly in their practices. Register here. 

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.  

Family awarded $30m after baby delivered at MGH suffers brain injury (Boston Globe)

Kim Boulter was having a healthy pregnancy when she and her husband, Daniel, headed to Massachusetts General Hospital in January 2013. But when their son, Aiden, was born after five hours of pushing, he was not breathing and had almost no heartbeat. That came as a shock to the medical team, which had not been using a continuous fetal heart-rate monitor. Aiden was left with severe brain injuries, the result of the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck in the birth canal, the family's attorney said. The Boulters' attorney, Benjamin R. Zimmerman, said the family will still receive a significant sum because the size of the confidential settlement was tied to the size of the jury award. Zimmerman said $30.6 million is among the largest awards in a medical malpractice case in Massachusetts in recent years.  

Why did opioid overdose deaths nearly double in Springfield last year? (MassLive)

Deaths from opioid overdoses in Springfield nearly doubled last year, even as they declined in the rest of the state, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Public Health. Public health officials say the new data show the need for local officials to do more to address addiction in the region. "Certainly, those numbers aren't acceptable," said Sen. Jim Welch, D-West Springfield. "From a public health standpoint, we as a region need to continue to address the situation." 

UMass Boston notifies community about tuberculosis diagnosis (NBC)

The University of Massachusetts in Boston confirmed Monday night that a person on campus had been diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Robert Pomales, the director of the university's health services department, said in a letter to students that the patient may have had close contact with approximately 59 other people on campus. Pomales noted that the patient may have been infected with tuberculosis for years before developing the active infection.   

Jury finds Mass. doctor guilty in death of 6-month-old baby in her care (WCVB)

A Massachusetts doctor has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2014 death of a 6-month-old who was in her care. Pallavi Macharla ran a day care out of her Burlington home and was responsible for the baby, Ridhima Dhekane, who died on March 27, 2014, officials said. Macharla was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Prosecutors said the baby died from being shaken and having her head hit against something.