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News and announcements
(Left-right) Mira Irons, MD, Group Vice President, Chief Health and Science Officer, American Medical Association; Maryanne Bombaugh, MD, President of the Massachusetts Medical Society; Denise Faustman, MD, PhD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital
immunobiology laboratory.
A message from our president, Dr. Maryanne Bombaugh
On Tuesday evening, July 16, 2019, I took a train to NYC to participate in a think tank event titled, "A World Without Diabetes…What if We Could Reverse Type 1 Diabetes With a Generic Vaccine." The event was held at EY Wavespace on Union Square Broadway.
The work of Dr. Denise Faustman, who is investigating a BCG vaccine for T1DM, was the focus of the Wavespace work the following day. You may recall that Dr. Faustman had presented her compelling research on BCG vaccination and T1DM at our MMS Annual Oration
at Interim 2018.
Present by invitation at the event were participants from the pharmaceutical, financial, insurance, and medical industries, private philanthropy, three patients with T1DM (ages 14, 23, and 32), Dr. Mira Irons representing the American Medical Association,
and myself representing the MMS.
The day began with an overview of the science and findings from Dr. Faustman’s research, and then small group breakout sessions were held that explored (1) barriers to funding a generic vaccine for Phase 2 studies, (2) communications (grassroots, industry,
global), and (3) advocacy to fund a cure for T1DM.
It was an exciting day, with action items identified to work to enable "A World Without Type 1 Diabetes." I will update again with more information as soon as it is compiled and sent. Please find an executive summary of Dr. Faustman’s research on the
BCG vaccine and T1DM using the button below.
Thank you.
Read More
MEMA: Safety tips to share with patients during extreme heat
Hot temperatures and high heat indices can lead to serious heat-related illnesses. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) circulated a list of tips to recognize and respond to heat-related illnesses, including:
- Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms caused by heavy sweating.
- Symptoms: Muscular pains and spasms that usually occur in the legs or abdomen
- Treatment: Get the person to rest in a comfortable position in a cooler place. Give the person water or fluids with electrolytes help them rehydrate.
- Heat stroke is the most serious heat emergency and is life-threatening. Heat stroke develops when systems in the body begin to stop functioning due to extreme heat. Heat stroke may cause brain damage or death if the body is not cooled
quickly.
- Symptoms: Extremely high body temperature, hot and red skin (dry or moist), loss of consciousness, changes in level of responsiveness rapid and weak pulse, rapid and shallow breathing, vomiting, confusion, and/or seizures
- Treatment: A person suffering from heat stroke needs immediate assistance. Call 9-1-1 and move the person to a cooler place. Immerse the individual in a cool bath, wrap in cold wet sheets, or cover the person in bags of ice.
To view all MEMA's safety tips,
click here.
For more information about heat-related illnesses and graphics to share with patients, click here.
MMS Minority Affairs Section – Join us!!
Past MMS President Ron Dunlap, MD, At-large Seat, with Nidhi Lal, MD, Chair
The Massachusetts Medical Society’s Minority Affairs Section (MAS) offers a forum for addressing the unique needs and concerns of underrepresented minority physicians and the delivery of health care to minority patients and communities. The Section’s
priorities include the development of policies and initiatives that provide career advancement and leadership opportunities for minority physicians and increases participation and mentorship of underrepresented minority physicians and students in
the MMS.
The Section also offers members a chance to participate in organized medicine at both the local (MMS) and national (AMA) levels. Membership in the MAS is open to any MMS member physician or medical student with an interest in minority physicians or minority
health issues.
For more information or to become involved, contact Bill Howland via email at bhowland@mms.org.
Join our AMA delegation
The MMS Committee on Nominations is seeking candidates for nomination to the Massachusetts AMA Delegation. Visit www.massmed.org/amanoms to learn more about the qualifications and submit your application. The application deadline is Friday, August 30.
Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held at MMS Headquarters, Waltham, on Wednesday, October 2, 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. 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.
MMS Individual Claims Consultation Days: Spaces are limited!
The Massachusetts Medical Society is hosting in-person Insurance Claims Consultation Days (ICC). 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 adjudication
of troublesome claims.
Now available in two locations:
- Waltham ICC Day August 15, 2019
- Lakeville ICC Day September 19, 2019
Representatives from health plans will be on-site to review claims with you to facilitate claims processing. Schedule your appointment at massmed.org/ICC2019.
The following health plans are participating: Allways Health Partners, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fallonhealth, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare, Health New England, MassHealth, Medicare, Tufts Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, and Unicare.
Benefit buzz
Bridging the legal gap with licensing Board issues
Professional liability policies may not cover complaints that arise before the Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM). Even if those are covered by your policy, did you know that the benefits may be limited, and you may quickly reach
your coverage maximum? Are you also aware that your premium may subsequently go up?
Using the MMS Legal Advisory Plan (LAP) first provides an extra layer of coverage and may help prevent malpractice insurance premium increases. The Plan is a members-only, affordable legal service, designed to offer expert advice from attorneys on BORIM
matters. 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. Additional discounts for groups of five or more. Questions? Email lap@massmed.org or call (781) 434-7311.
Member verdict:
"When
I received the Board complaint, I tried to sign up for the LAP. It was
too late. It cost me thousands of dollars for an attorney to resolve the
issue. Don't wait. The Plan is an incredible bargain.” --MMS Member
Learn more
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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 financial 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 (781) 434-7702 or email us at pprc@mms.org.
Payer watch
Tufts Health Plan webinars
Tufts Health Plan webinars allow you to participate in interactive training sessions with Tufts Health Plan’s Provider Education Team without traveling away from your office.
Tufts is offering a series of webinars that cover a variety of topics that are important to providers. These webinars have been developed for providers, administrators, office managers, and provider office staff. Each webinar will deliver information
about working with Tufts Health Plan and offer an opportunity for you to ask questions about the topics that are important to your practice.
How to Register
Register for the webinars that are of interest to you by using one of the following options:
You will receive login instructions by email prior to the event. This is a link to the list of upcoming webinars that are being offered: https://tuftshealthplan.com/provider/training/webinars.
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
More online CME
Upcoming events and trainings
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 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
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.
September 8-10: Schwartz Center’s Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference (Westin Boston Waterfront)
This unique conference brings together clinicians, health system leaders, and others who are committed to making compassion a priority in their organizations and communities. Through interactive experiential sessions with experts from diverse
care settings and communities, this conference will provide cutting-edge programs, strategies, and tools to help health care professionals across all roles and disciplines create and sustain cultures of compassion.
Quote of the week
"We shouldn’t be creating laws that create additional strata and divisiveness among already marginalized populations."
— Eric Paulk, deputy director of Georgia Equality, on criminalizing HIV exposure. (AP)
Tweet of the week
@KidsWinMissouri
Coalition of organizations and individuals working to improve the well-being of Missouri children.
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.
Bill would make Mass. first to ban flavored tobacco products (WBZ)
Invoking comparisons to the "Joe Camel" campaign that critics accused R.J. Reynolds of using to entice young smokers in the past, supporters of the bill claim the flavored pods have been aggressively marketed to minors by the industry, helping to fuel a surge of adolescent vaping that the higher legal age for tobacco purchases has so far done little to abate.
"We know that for every adult that picks up an e-cigarette device, six youths are getting their hands on it," said Rep. Danielle Gregoire, a Marlborough Democrat. Gregoire and Democratic Sen. John Keenan, of Quincy, are the lead sponsors of the legislation
that, if passed, would make Massachusetts the first state to outlaw sales of flavored tobacco products. Hawaii considered a similar ban but abandoned it.
Plasma shortage depriving Mass. patients of necessary treatments (Boston 25)
The Red Cross prefers specific blood types -- AB positive or AB negative. While The Red Cross says they won't turn donors away, the Novaks said they have had friends be turned away. So they made the trip to specialized plasma donation centers. The problem
is there are several in Rhode Island, but there aren't any in Massachusetts. "Obviously we have some of the top hospitals in the world here in Boston and yet we have no plasma donation centers," Rachel said. It's believed the shortage may be caused by the increasing number of medical conditions that benefit from IVIG have put pressure on the supply chain. Everything from Lyme disease to autoimmune issues can be helped by it.
Drug price controls included in $43.1 billion budget accord (State House News Service)
The drug pricing compromise authorizes
the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to negotiate supplemental rebates for MassHealth on the most expensive drugs, but would not force drug companies to testify before the Health Policy Commission at a public hearing if a price agreement
can't be reached, according to officials. The bill does not include a process for the commission to refer drug companies to the attorney general for possible prosecution under the consumer protection laws, and leaves it up to the Baker administration
if it wants to publish a recommended price for certain drugs. Michlewitz said that drug pricing was one of the policies in the budget that took longer to resolve, and Rodrigues called it "the most complicated piece."
Ex-Patriots offensive lineman dies of heat stroke at 32 (NBC10)
New England health care system officials say former New England Patriots offensive lineman Mitch Petrus has died in Arkansas of apparent heat stroke. He was 32. Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs says Petrus died Thursday night at a North Little Rock hospital. He says Petrus had worked outside all day at his family
shop, and that his cause of death is listed as heat stroke. Petrus was a University of Arkansas walk-on who played alongside Razorback greats Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and later earned all-Southeastern Conference honors. He was drafted by the
Giants in the fifth round in 2010 and had a three-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with New York in his second season and playing briefly for the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans the following year.
