Dr. Lopez wins Lifetime Achievement Award; Dr. Bombaugh and Dr. Hamnvik join ABMS task forces

News and announcements

Dr. Lopez (right) received the award from MMS immediate past president Dr. Alain Chaoui.

Dr. Rick Lopez wins MMS Lifetime Achievement Award

Less than one year after his retirement, Dr. Richard Lopez, a longtime physician executive and clinical leader at Atrius Health, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Medical Society. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a member who has made lasting contributions to the practice of medicine and who has made a significant impact on patient care, education, administration, and the goals of the Society.

“I am honored to receive this award from the Massachusetts Medical Society and would like to thank them for the recognition as well as all of their advocacy on behalf of patients and physicians across the Commonwealth,” said Dr. Lopez during the award reception. “In addition, I am incredibly grateful for my dedicated colleagues at Atrius Health, and most importantly, the patients and families who entrusted me with their care throughout a wonderful career.”

As part of his 36-year career with Atrius Health, Dr. Lopez served in several executive leadership roles, including a six-year term as Chief Physician Executive and Chief Medical Officer. From 2016 until his retirement in July 2018, Dr. Lopez served as Senior Vice President of Population Health and Chief Medical Officer for VNA Care, Atrius Health’s home health and hospice subsidiary.

Dr. Bombaugh and Dr. Hamnvik appointed to American Board of Medical Specialty (ABMS) task forces
 

Maryanne C. Bombaugh, MD, MSc, MBA

Ole-Petter R. Hamnvik, MBBCh, BAO, MM

Dr. Maryanne Bombaugh, President of the Massachusetts Medical Society, was appointed to the Advancing Practice Task Force. Together with three other task force members, Dr. Bombaugh will research and identify activities that can advance clinical practice and further physician learning. Dr. Ole-Petter Hamnvik, a program director at Brigham and Women's Hospital and NEJM education editor, was appointed to the Remediation Task Force. This four-person team will help those facing certificate loss, or those dealing with certificate loss, by outlining specialty-specific pathways for remediation or re-entry.

Mobilizing Healthcare for a Hunger-Free Massachusetts

An event in cooperation with Congressman James P McGovern, Chairman House Rules Committee

Hunger and food insecurity negatively impact the health of people across the Commonwealth, which results in increased utilization of avoidable healthcare services. As a result, food insecurity costs the health system in Massachusetts an estimated $2.4 billion annually.

The Hunger to Health Collaboratory will host and facilitate a conversation on July 9th at UMass Medical School with leading experts on whole-person care, community of practice, and innovation, including keynote speaker Congressman Jim McGovern. MMS President Maryanne Bombaugh will be among the experts leading the discussion about, "Addressing Food Insecurity within Health Care Holistically."

Join our AMA delegation: The MMS Committee on Nominations is seeking candidates

The MMS Committee on Nominations is currently considering candidates for nomination as AMA Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Massachusetts AMA Delegation. The deadline for submission of nomination applications is Friday, August 30. Visit www.massmed.org/amanoms to learn more about the qualifications and submit your application.

Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held at MMS Headquarters, Waltham, on Wednesday, October 2, 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Applicants should plan to be available on this date. Questions? Please contact Linda Healy at (781) 434-7008 or lhealy@mms.org , or Karen Harrison at (781) 434-7463 or kharrison@mms.org.

Application for MassHealth Provider Access Improvement Grant Program

Earlier this month, MassHealth released the application for the Provider Access Improvement Grant Program, which aims to increase access to health care and improve health outcomes among MassHealth members with disabilities or for whom English is not a primary language, and is one of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Statewide Investments.

The Grant Program will provide funding to selected MassHealth providers to purchase medical diagnostic equipment and other resources that help them better serve these populations. Grant awards of up to $25,000 will be made to selected MassHealth providers, totaling up to $2.07 million for this grant cycle ending December 31, 2019. Applicants must be actively enrolled MassHealth physicians, dentists, or other health care providers working in a medical setting that is not a hospital or owned by a hospital.

For more information about the program, please click here . Proposals are due no later than July 26, 2019. Please direct all questions to the "Contact Us" page on the website.

MMS Individual Claims Consultation Days: Spaces are limited!

The Massachusetts Medical Society is hosting in-person Insurance Claims Consultation (ICC) days. ICC days are designed to allow MMS member physicians and/or their practice staff to schedule 30-minute appointments with health plans to focus on the adjudication of troublesome claims. Available in three locations, representatives from health plans will be on-site to review claims with you to facilitate claims processing.

Schedule your appointment at massmed.org/ICC2019.

Benefit buzz

Why you want to have this first line of defense

Take advantage of the MMS Legal Advisory Plan (LAP) as your first line of defense, providing access to expert attorneys when you receive a Board of Registration in Medicine complaint. Your professional liability policy may limit your coverage for Board investigations, and you may quickly reach your coverage maximum. Your premium may subsequently go up. This is a MMS members-only benefit. Enroll or renew for July 2019 – July 2020 coverage now for a nominal fee of $70 - a fraction of the cost of hiring an attorney. You must be enrolled at the initiation of an investigation to avail yourself of plan services. Email lap@massmed.org or call (781) 434-7311.

Closing a medical practice, transitioning to a new practice setting, or having a colleague leave a practice are all examples of major changes that may require advanced notice and proper planning. Advanced planning is essential to meeting professional and ethical obligations and minimizing future risk. 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@mms.org.

Payer watch

Tufts Health Plan launches new MyRewards Program for members

Tufts Health Plan launched a program that will pay some of its 1.2 million members to find providers with the lowest cost and highest quality.

The MyRewards program, announced June 25, will pay members between $50 and $100 each time they select a provider and service that is cost effective. Eligible services include bariatric and carpal tunnel surgery, colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures, echocardiograms, hip and knee replacements, mammograms, some maternity care, and imaging.

MyRewards is fully integrated within Tufts Health Plan's Provider Search and Treatment Cost Estimator tool, allowing members to log on once to access these suites of services unlike other rewards programs. It can also be accessed through the Tufts Health Plan mobile application. This makes finding the rewards easier and more convenient to redeem and use.

For more information about MyRewards Program, click here.

Stay connected with all your payers’ updates by contacting our Practice Solutions and Medical Economics at (781) 434-7702 or email us at pprc@mms.org.

Educational programs and events

CME education programs & events

Featured NEW online CME course

• Restoring the Fine art of Medicine: The Power of Physician Wellness - The 2019 Education Program
• Future of Care: A Call to Collaboration – The 2019 Shattuck Lecture

Upcoming events and trainings

July 9: You Can Do It: Buprenorphine Prescribing in Primary Care (MMS Headquarters)
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, resources they have used along the way, and empower attendees to start prescribing lifesaving buprenorphine therapy more regularly in their practices.

July 31: Transitioning Into and Within the Medical Device Industry (Regis College)
This networking event is for anyone seeking to enter or move laterally within the medical device industry. Our panel of industry veterans will talk about their varied experiences with transitions and provide insights to help you in your career. Additionally, several past speakers are invited back as special guests. The event will take place on Wednesday, July 31 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.

September 7-8: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: Providing Evidence-Based Care in the Multidisciplinary Setting Course and Workshops (MMS Headquarters)   Dedicated to addressing topics related to understanding all components of ERAS, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative Phases, the course and workshops consider evidence-based best practices for each component according to the various levels of care across different medical specialties. Participants will learn the value and implications of ERAS as a relatively new holistic approach to patient care.

Quote of the week

"I don’t think people realize how involved electronic medical records are. You have to synthesize everything and coordinate all of the care. And something that I see with the residents in our program is that the time spent on electronic medical records rather than caring for patients frustrates them."

—  Dr. Eric Hsieh, internal medicine residency program director at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine on the shrinking pool of primary care doctors. (KHN)

Tweet of the week

@MassAGO
Official account of Massachusetts 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.

South Shore Health, Wellforce discuss potential merger (BBJ)

Four years after failing to merge with Partners HealthCare, South Shore Health is "in partnership discussions" with Burlington-based Wellforce, a possible precursor to a merger. The Weymouth-based health system which owns South Shore Hospital announced Monday that it had begun partnership discussions with the parent company for Tufts Medical Center, MelroseWakefield Healthcare and Lowell General Hospital. The health systems said they want to deliver health care in the community, control health care costs, and increase access to a larger provider network.

AG reports hospitals and HMO's provided $800M in community benefits (Cape Cod Today)

Massachusetts hospitals provided $641 million and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) contributed $160 million in community benefits for residents of Massachusetts in Fiscal Year 2018, according to reports published by Attorney General Maura Healey's office. "Investments by Massachusetts hospitals and HMOs are integral to addressing community health needs," said AG Healey. "I want to thank Massachusetts hospitals, health plans, and community advocates for their ongoing support of important local programs that fund free and discounted medical care, create healthy conditions for our residents, and reduce healthcare disparities in our communities.

Haverhill nurse indicted on charges of stealing morphine from patients (MassLive)

A Haverhill nurse has been charged in federal court in Boston with tampering with patient's morphine after authorities said she stole the drug from several elderly patients, replacing it with another liquid. Brianna Duffy, 32, was indicted on one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud or deception in federal court in Boston Tuesday. Authorities allege that Duffy tampered with morphine sulfate prescribed to an 89-year-old hospice patient while working as a registered nurse at Hunt Nursing and Rehab in Danvers this March.

Vermont imposes 92% tax on e-cigarettes (CBS)
A 92% tax on e-cigarettes went into effect in Vermont Monday as part of an effort to curb youth vaping in the Green Mountain State. State Rep. George Till, who sponsored the tax increase bill, said the measure will help keep tobacco products out of the hands of kids, who are most affected by price hikes. "We know the group that is most sensitive to price is teenager," he told CBS MoneyWatch. "And we know that these companies are going out of their way to get kids addicted."