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MMS News & Announcements
As Risk Grows, MMS and DPH Present Special TV Program on Mosquito and Tick-Borne Disease
As residents of the Commonwealth face continued high threats from Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease, the MMS and Mass. DPH have produced a special edition of the Physician Focus TV program to raise awareness about these mosquito and tick-borne diseases. The program is available online here. Physician Focus episodes are also available for download on iTunes.
Related News
Today is Deadline for Mass. AMA Delegation Candidate Nominations
The Committee on Nominations is currently considering candidates to fill delegate and alternate delegate positions on the Massachusetts AMA Delegation. Candidates should complete a nomination questionnaire for each position sought and submit it along with their resumes no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 17, 2012 to the Committee on Nominations, Massachusetts Medical Society, Department of Governance Meetings and Services, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451-1411.
Incumbents, as well as new nominees, must complete the questionnaire. Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, from approximately 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All nominees should reserve this date. If you have questions, please contact Bonney Erskine at Society headquarters at (800) 322-2303, ext. 7208 or berskine@mms.org
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
PubMed: How to Search Like a Librarian
Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Women's Leadership Forum: Effective Team Leadership
Monday, September 24, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Management of Carotid Artery Stenosis and Acute Stroke: How to Provide the Best Treatments for Your Patients
Saturday, September 29, 2012, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
CME Accreditation Orientation
Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Federal Funding Opportunities
Thursday, October 18, 2012, 3:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Please call (800) 322-2303 ext. 7306 for more information.
Controversies in the Screening and Management of Breast Disease
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Managing Workplace Conflict
Thursday, November 1, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, November 2, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
MSCO 2012 Annual Meeting: Burkitt's Lymphoma: From Uganda to the U.S.; a Personal Journey
Thursday, November 8, 2012, 5:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Save the Date
2012 Schwartz Center Speaker Series: Innovative Approaches to Partnering with Patients
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Directors of Medical Education Conference
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Online CME Activities
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
Coming Soon
- Acid Suppression Therapy: Neutralizing the Hype
- Legal Advisor: Legal Duties and Options When a Patient Raises Suicide
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
TheAnswerPage.com
Earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ every week by reading targeted content relative to pain medicine, opioid prescribing, palliative care, risk management, hospital medicine, perioperative medicine, anesthesiology, and clinical statistics and completing either an Interactive Crossword Puzzle or Standardized Quiz. For more information, contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
Boston-Area Hospital Bosses Earn Up to $3 Million
Chief executives for the Boston-area's largest hospitals mostly earned pay packages between $1 million and $3 million in 2010, and several received bonuses for attracting more patients, improving care, or simply by agreeing to take the job.
Health Insurers' Earnings Plunge in Second Quarter
Massachusetts health insurers, ¬under sustained pressure from small business customers and the Patrick administration to hold down premium increases, posted sharply lower earnings for the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago.
Health Law Benefits Some Mass. Hospitals, Penalizes Others
Steward Health Care System, which includes struggling Carney Hospital, will not qualify for millions of dollars in special payments under Massachusetts' new health care law, because legislators said they did not want to subsidize a for-profit company. The provision is one of several buried in the 350-page bill that penalize or benefit certain hospitals.
Mass. Moves Forward With Statewide Health Information Exchange
A new information exchange will allow hospitals, doctors, long-term facilities and other medical personnel to exchange clinical data via a secure statewide network. The White House approved $16.9 million for the project.
New $302M Hospital for Mental Health Opens in Worcester
The Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility designed to care for the most severely mentally ill patients who are not yet ready to be treated in a community setting, opened this week.
Official: New Mass. School Policy on Concussions Helping
An estimated 211 schools have submitted final concussion policies and 54 interim policies. And policies still need to be submitted by 24 public school districts, 27 private schools, and 33 charter schools. Fifty-seven schools have submitted head injury data, ranging from zero incidents to 78.
Nearly One-Third of Central Mass Nursing Homes "Below Average"
Nearly one-third of all nursing homes in Central Massachusetts scored "below average" according to a recently released study by Medicare.gov. The Nursing Home Compare study found that 19 of the 62 nursing homes scored "much below average" or "below average" for overall quality.
Mass. HHS Officials Release RFI on Medical Home Models
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services this week released a RFI on how the Commonwealth will structure its payment processes to facilitate the creation and use of medical home models. Responses to the RFI must be submitted by September 7. Detailed descriptions of the proposed goals of the new medical home approach and specific questions for which answers are sought may be found here.
MassHealth Now Collecting Provider Application Fees
Because of a provision in the federal health reform law, as of Aug. 1, MassHealth began the collection of application fees in the amount of $523.00. More information on the fees and exemptions can be found here.
