MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
DPH Formulary Commission Issues Prescribing Resource
The
Drug Formulary Commission, appointed by Governor Baker and staffed by the Department of Public Health (DPH), has released
a resource for physicians
outlining FDA-approved, non-opioid drug products that are effective
pain management alternatives and have a lesser potential for abuse than
Schedule II and III opioid drug products. This non-opioid drug resource,
required by the Governor’s opioid bill passed in March of this year,
will be updated annually by the Commission. The list is intended as a
resource for prescribers. It includes over 100 non-opioid medications
that are either indicated for pain or have a recognized off-label use
for pain.
Did You Miss the Interim Meeting? Read the Special Edition Online!
If you missed the MMS Interim Meeting,
click here to catch up with the news by reading
Vital Signs This Week: Special Edition, which
contains reports on new MMS policies, MMS President Dr. James Gessner’s
report to the membership, educational events, and more.
MMS and DPH Launch MassPAT CME Course
MMS and the Department of
Public Health (DPH) announce an online CME course “MassPAT:
Incorporating the New PMP into Your Practice” to address various legal
and regulatory requirements and to help prescribers implement use of the
Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) into daily clinical
workflow. The course also addresses how prescribers can use MassPAT to
inform best prescribing habits.
Click here for information.
Vital Signs
December/January Issue Now Available Online
Click here to read the December/January issue of
Vital Signs online.
Top stories include a report on the MMS forum on the opioid crisis and
the State of the State forum on health care; a report on MACRA and what
physicians need to know; and trends facing physicians in the New Year.
MMS Awards - Nominations Due December 12
Do you know that MMS
recognizes its members by presenting numerous awards annually? Do you
have a colleague who deserves to be nominated for their outstanding work
or service to the community? Do you know a medical student or resident
who is worthy of recognition due to cutting edge innovation?
Click here for information.
Educational Programs and Events
Unless otherwise noted, all
events are held at MMS headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA. Visit
www.massmed.org/cme/events to view our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities.
Running on Empty? Physicians’ Path to Enjoying Life and Medicine More
Wednesday, January 25, 2017, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. –
LIVE
WEBINAR
The above activities have been approved for
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured Online CME Activities – Risk Management Credit
End-of-Life Care
The above activities have been approved for
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit
www.massmed.org/cme.
This Week in Health Care
Opioid Overdoses Rise in Bay State
The opioid epidemic continues to rise in Massachusetts, and police are finding drug users overdosing in cars, libraries, in the bathrooms of fast-food restaurants and churches.
In Lowell alone, according to Lowell Police, the city has had 55 fatal opioid overdoses through mid-November, surpassing last year's total.
Gov. Baker Slashes Cape Anti-Addiction Funds
Gov. Charlie Baker
slashed hundreds of thousands of dollars for opioid abuse prevention
and treatment services on the Cape and Islands this week, including
seven school-based anti-addiction programs, part of a $98 million
reduction to "earmarks" in the state budget, including health and
homeless funds and tourism services.
Pilot Program Seeks to Help Addicted Injured Workers
A two-year pilot program,
designed to help people with injured workers who are being treated with
opioid medication, may be dashed due to an insurance company that seeks
to stop payment for the opioid.
Closing the Budget Gap: Health Money Swept into General Fund
The $53 million in
Commonwealth Care Trust Fund
is part of $145 million apparently being swept into the state's General
Fund to address a gap in this year's $39.25 billion budget, as the
fund's trustee - Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore -
and the agency whose programs it supports have declined to answer
questions about why the money is available for general spending
purposes.
AG Healey Vows to Protect State Health Plan
AG Maura Healey pledged to protect
Massachusetts’ health care reform
even though if Obamacare is repealed, there could be less federal
funding to the state to help consumers pay for insurance. Insurers may
be forced to provide plans that offer subsidies, without any hope of
receiving federal money to pay for those subsidies.
Consumers Shop for Alternative Health Plans
Of the 55,000 consumers
facing premium increases higher than 15 percent, nearly 13,000 have
chosen an alternative plan, as calls and visits to customer service have
increased, along with website usage.
Central Mass. Gun Buy-Back Program Continues Through Weekend
Goods for Guns,
a gun buy-back program founded in 2002 and co-sponsored by the district
attorney's office and UMass Memorial Medical Center, will continue to
purchase guns from area residents through this weekend.
Major Shift in
Death Certificate Revisions Announced
Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner
announced a major shift in how his office handles cases in which
forensic pathologists retract their findings on the cause of death — a
move that follows controversial rulings that derailed murder trials.
Study: Depression Common among Med Students
A
report in the
Journal of the American Medical Association provided evidence that future doctors suffer depression, or depressive symptoms, at higher rates than the general population.
Gov. Baker Proposes $98M in Budget Cuts
Gov. Charlie Barker proposed
budget cuts to state government programs that include health care for
the poor, suicide prevention, the State Police crime laboratory,
literacy programs, state parks, and the Bureau of Substance Abuse
Services.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Receive $40M from Obamacare
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
is set to receive $40 million more in risk adjustment payments for
2015, on top of the $40 million the insurer initially received.
Marijuana Law Delayed
State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said legislators are discussing delaying aspects of the measure to legalize marijuana.
Boston has Fewer Gun Deaths, More Drug Fatalities
Big Cities Health Coaltion,
a group that compiles health stats in the U.S., reported that Boston
had an overdose mortality rate of 16.6 percent, almost 4 times higher
than the U.S. average at 4.3 percent.
Coalition Explores Health Care for Women Addicts
Providing health care
for women and their children with drug abuse or mental illness is being
explored by a coalition including Middlesex District Attorney Maria T.
Ryan’s office, Hallmark Health System, and Jewish Family &
Children’s Service.
DPH Official: HIV Rate Declining
The rate of new HIV cases
in Massachusetts has been "coming down across the board," said Dawn
Fakuda, a DPH official, but progress appears to be much slower for
minorities infected by the virus.
Bay State Expected to Weather Trump’s Healthcare Disruptions
President-elect Trump
and Republican control of Congress will likely mean sweeping changes in
healthcare policy across the U.S., but in Massachusetts, state laws
that pre-date federal healthcare reform could help prevent major
disruptions.
Children's Hospital Expansion Faces Opposition
Health insurers
are opposed to Boston Children's Hospital’s plans to expand, urging
state regulators to reject the building project because it would drive
up medical spending.
