Contact: Richard P. Gulla
Tel: 781-434-7101
Email: rgulla@mms.org
Boston/Waltham, Mass. -- May 21, 2011 -- Resolutions focusing on
health care reform, medication recycling, end-of-life care,
legislative involvement in the physician-patient relationship, and
physicians' use of social media were among those adopted by the
Massachusetts Medical Society's House of Delegates Saturday, May 21
at the organization's annual meeting.
The Society's Annual Meeting brings together hundreds of
Massachusetts physicians from across the state to examine and
consider specific resolutions brought forth by members to the
Society's House of Delegates, its policy-making body.
Among the resolutions adopted:
Health Care Reform - Delegates adopted a
wide-ranging policy on health care reform that includes principles
related to physician leadership; multiple payment models;
technology support for physicians; risk adjustment for patient
illnesses; transparency by payers on administrative, legal,
measurement, and payment policies; administrative simplification;
and professional liability. Details on this policy are available at
www.massmed.org/healthreformprinciples.
End-of-Life Care - The Medical Society voted to
endorse and encourage statewide dissemination and adoption of the
Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)
Program, which will assist individuals in communicating their
preferences for life-sustaining treatment near the end of life.
Unrestricted Medical History - Delegates
adopted a resolution that opposes legislative interference in the
right of physicians and patients or parents and guardians to
discuss gun ownership, storage or safety in the home. The
resolution also opposes any legislative or regulatory limits on a
physician's ability to take a complete history and document
relevant portions of the history into the permanent medical
record.
Physicians' Use of Social Media - A
comprehensive policy on guidelines for physicians' use of social
media was approved, providing direction for physicians choosing to
engage in the professional use of social media on the issues of
privacy, boundaries for physician-patient relations and
communications, and ethical behavior for online participation.
Recycling of Medications - Physicians
adopted resolutions to urge the Department of Public Health
to expand its current medication return list, to urge the
Massachusetts Congressional delegation to draft legislation to
support the recycling of unused nursing home drugs that are sealed
and dated, and to urge the American Medical Association to advocate
to the Federal Drug Administration and Congress to require that all
pharmacies have a "take back and disposal" policy for unused and
expired medications and that the disposal be handled in an
environmentally friendly way.
Support for Transgender Individuals - A
resolution was approved to support legal protections against
discrimination and hate violence against transgender individuals
and to recognize the significant negative health outcomes and
disparities caused by such discrimination and hate violence.
Among other resolutions adopted and reaffirmed were those on the
topics of firearm safety and regulation, physician relationships
with allied health professionals, gender parity in the physician
workforce, medical society administration and organization, and
professional liability.
The complete resolutions may be found at www.massmed.org.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with nearly 23,000 physicians
and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for
the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes
the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical
journal and web site, and Journal Watch alerts and newsletters
covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing
medical education for health care professionals throughout
Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs
for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS
is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the
country. For more information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org, or www.jwatch.org.
