MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Following a Tragic Week, an Increased Focus on Mental Health
Following a week of terror and
tragedy, public and private organizations are beginning to increase their focus
on the mental health needs of our community: Victims, family members, medical
clinicians, first responders, volunteers, and spectators.
The most common symptoms of
mental health issues are likely to be difficulty sleeping, becoming easily
frustrated or angry, and a diminished ability to focus on daily tasks.
Physician Health Services is available to physicians, to provide support, and, when appropriate, referrals to mental health professionals and other resources. Support groups for physicians are also available. PHS can be reached at (781) 434-7404.
The Mass. Department of Public Health is coordinating mental health services for the public through its website.
The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health offers an excellent list of web resources on mental health issues.
The heroic work of physicians, first responders and other medical personnel was broadly documented in the news media. Here is a sample of the many reports, as well as comments by the MMS and AMA.
Like all of you, we are grateful that this nightmare is over. Let us expend our energy and focus our resources to help all those involved recover from this ordeal – physically and emotionally.
MMS Testimony on Medical Marijuana Highlights Need for Greater Rigor
The MMS this week stated its broad support for the Department of Public Health’s proposed regulations on medical marijuana, while offering suggestions to tighten the definitions of medical conditions, supply, monitoring, certification, and registration.
In testimony made public this week and provided to the DPH, the MMS expressed concern about the definition of “debilitating medical condition” that would qualify patients to use medical marijuana. The MMS is advocating that a patient must not only have one of the diseases included in the referendum, but also must suffer debilitating symptoms.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
MMS Events
Live CME Activities
New Frontiers in the Diagnosis and Management of Stroke
Saturday, April 27, 2013, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Renaissance Hotel, Foxboro
MMS Ethics Forum – Conflicts of Interest in Medical Publishing
Thursday, May 9, 2013, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
MMS Annual Education Program – Navigating the Currents of Change: Integrating Innovative Technologies into Your Clinical Practice
Friday, May 10, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
MMS Shattuck Lecture – Chronic Infectious Disease and the Future of Health Care Delivery
Friday, May 10, 2013, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
2013 MMS and RIMS Directors of Medical Education Conference
Thursday, May 16, 2013, 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Home-Based Palliative Care for Patients with Serious Illness: A Team Approach
Monday, May 20, 2013, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., via live webinar
A Roadmap to Bring an End to HIV and STDs in Massachusetts: What All Health Care Providers Need to Know
Friday, June 7, 2013, 8:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Assessing Medication, Mental Health, and Cultural Needs During Sheltering
Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., live conference or via streaming webinar
11th Annual Symposium on Men’s Health: Topical Issues in Men’s Health
Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
2nd Annual Addiction Medicine for All Providers Conference
Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Online CME Activities
THIS WEEK IN HEALTH CARE
Medicare Enrollment Requirement Starts May 1
Starting May 1, Medicare will implement a long-planned policy to deny payments to physicians and other providers who are not enrolled in Medicare, unless they have a valid opt-out affidavit on file with their local Medicare contractor. This policy applies to imaging, labs, and home health services. It does not apply to referrals to physician specialists or orders for Part D or Part B drugs. For more information, download this fact sheet (pdf), or visit the AMA website on Medicare enrollment.
Flu Season: More than 20,000 Cases
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s latest figures on the 2012-2013 flu season show that 20,101 cases were confirmed this year, nearly 19 times as many as last year.
Mass. General Scientists Make Progress on Bioengineered Organs
MGH researchers this week announced an important advance in constructing replacement organs: a bioengineered rat kidney that, when transplanted into a living animal, was capable of producing urine.
Funding for Marijuana Research Dwindles
Even as more states seek to approve medical marijuana and legalize its recreational use, funding for research on the drug has dropped 31 percent since 2007.
FDA Bans Generic OxyContin
Fearing more abuse, the Food and Drug Administration this week banned generic versions of the painkiller OxyContin.
Doctors Act Like Consumers When They Know the Costs
A study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine indicates that when physicians know the price of tests, they act like consumers by ordering fewer tests or seeking less expensive alternatives.
U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Falls by 12%
The U.S. infant mortality rate dropped by 12 percent for the seven-year period 2005-2001, due in part to a decline in premature births.
Lyme Disease Increases in Northern States
According to data from the CDC, Lyme disease is increasing in the northern United States, with significant increases in 21 states.
Employer Health Insurance Is Fading
Fewer businesses large and small are offering their employees health insurance, according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
USPSTF Recommends Breast Cancer Drugs for Healthy Women
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that doctors offer breast cancer drugs for healthy women 40-70 whose risk for the disease is above average but only if the risk of blood clots or stroke is low.
