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MMS News & Announcements
State Spending Cuts Hit Health Care Programs Hard
Health care advocates expressed concern late this week over proposed emergency cuts in Medicaid, MassHealth, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Developmental Services aimed at closing a $540 million state budget gap.
MMS President Richard Aghababian said the state's physicians were "deeply concerned with any spending cuts to health care programs that affect patient access to care and the viability of physician practices, especially those that are not funded to appropriate levels for provider rates, such as Medicaid." When coupled with proposed federal cuts in Medicare rate, the situation is even more alarming, Dr. Aghababian said.
Mass. BORIM Director Resigns
Dr. Stancel Riley, M.D, director of the state Board of Registration in Medicine, resigned his post early this week after three years of service. As of Friday, a successor had not been named by the agency.
MMS President Richard Aghababian, M.D., praised Riley's performance in the job. "Dr. Stancel Riley brought a high degree of professionalism to the operations of the Board of Registration in Medicine, with a deep knowledge of both clinical and patient safety issues. …His unique set of clinical and administrative skills, along with his personal dedication to patient safety and medical care, will be difficult to replace."
MMS Adopts New Policy on Medical Marijuana
The MMS approved an extensive new resolution on medical marijuana at its 2012 Interim Meeting last week, outlining considerations and criteria for regulations governing the implementation of the law, following voter approval of the ballot initiative in November that allows the use of medical marijuana in the state. Full coverage of the Interim Meeting, including links to a video and transcript of the President's Report, Annual Oration, and Ethics Forum can be found here.
Stage 2 Meaningful Use Webinar Video Now Available Online
Video from the recent webinar hosted by MMS, MGMA of MA & RI, and the MA eHealth Collaborative titled "Making Meaningful Use Meaningful: A Look Back - A Look Forward - A Way Ahead" is now available to MMS members free of charge.
Resources for Preventing Violence Against Children and Teens
The MMS Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention and the MMS Alliance have updated and re-issued ten parent education tip cards on subjects ranging from Raising Your Child With Praise, to Bullying, to Teen Dating Violence. The MMS and MMS Alliance Campaign Against Violence has been recognized by the AMA and Jane Doe, Inc. for its innovative work in domestic violence issues. The cards are available on the MMS website.
MMS Annual Awards Nomination Deadline: December 10
Nomination applications for the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service, Award for Distinguished Service to the Massachusetts Medical Society, Grant V. Rodkey, M.D., Award, Henry Ingersoll Bowditch Award for Excellence in Public Health, and the Committee on History Essay Award must be received by December 10. Click here for more information on these and other MMS awards, or to obtain a nomination application.
Benefit Buzz: Time is Running Out for 2 Free Months of Online Data Backup Storage
Hurricane Sandy was the latest example of how unexpected circumstances can derail our personal and professional lives. Weather conditions and power outages may have caused you to shuffle patient schedules. But what if they had caused you to lose patient or office data? VaultLogix provides secure, encrypted and HIPAA compliant backup storage and restoration if necessary. Learn more about the service and a special offer for MMS members.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
8th Annual Women's Cardiac Health Conference
Friday, February 1, 2013, 8:00 a.m.to 3:00 p.m.
Preventing Falls in Older Patients: A Provider Tool Kit WEBINAR
Wednesday, February 6, 2013, noon to 1:30 p.m., via live webinar.
The Impact of Effective Communication on Patients, Colleagues, and Metrics
Friday, February 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to noon.
How to Prepare for ACOs,
Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Call (800) 322-2302, ext. 7306 for more information.
Managing Workplace Conflict
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, March 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Online CME Activities
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
Contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
Mass. Officials Find Problems at More Compounding Pharmacies
Three compounding pharmacies found to have problems in how they prepared or stored drugs have received cease and desist notices from the state Department of Public Health. None of their products has been recalled. Related news: Gov. appoints three new members to pharmacy board.
CDC: Early Flu Season Appears to be Underway
Significant increases in flu activity in the U.S. in the last two weeks indicate that an early flu season is underway, the CDC said this week. Read more flu updates from the CDC website.
Pertussis Proliferation Worries State Officials
The 560 cases of the respiratory ailment confirmed in Massachusetts so far this year is a dramatic jump from the 273 cases confirmed throughout all of 2011, the DPH said.
New Evidence Links Repeat Concussions to Permanent Brain Injury
Boston University School of Medicine researchers reported on the autopsies of 85 brain donors, most of them professional athletes, as concerns mount over the dangers of head injuries among children in contact sports.
Medical Marijuana Clinics Announce Plans to Settle in Mass.
Two medical clinics that will assess patients for medicinal pot are opening in Framingham and Cambridge in time for the new law that takes effect in January.
Report: Mass. ePrescribing Rates are Among the Highest in the U.S.
Federal officials said this week that Massachusetts has the nation's highest percentage of physicians e-prescribing through an EHR. According to The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, approximately 77% of Mass. physicians used EHRs to e-prescribe. New Hampshire was a close second with 74% of its physicians e-prescribing via EHR.
CPT Coding Changes for Psychiatry
CPT coding changes have been finalized by CMS and will go into effect January 1, 2013 for all psychiatry billing. Changes include new and revised codes, codes that will no longer be accepted, revised definitions of time increments, and coding for crisis management and pharmacologic treatment. More information is available here from the on the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society. Additional information can be found here from the American Psychiatric Association. Please contact the MMS Physician Practice Resource Center at (781) 434-7702 with any additional questions.
