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MMS News & Announcements
Gov. Patrick Addresses State of Massachusetts Health Care at MMS Forum
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke to more than 150 MMS members, legislators, and other health professionals this week about the status of the health care and payment reform movements and the challenges that still remain.
"We started with the belief that health is a public good…and that this is an expression of the kind of Commonwealth we want to live in," said Gov. Patrick during his remarks at the State of the State's Health Care 13th Annual Leadership Forum, hosted by the MMS. (Watch a video of Gov. Patrick's address)
The leadership forum also featured remarks by Mass. Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, M.D., Harvard School of Public Health Associate Dean Robert J. Blendon, Sc.D., Dean Clinic President and CEO Craig Samitt, M.D., M.B.A., and Robert J. Shapiro, Ph.D., an economist and former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs.
From the MMS blog:
Gov. Patrick Addresses State of Massachusetts Health Care at MMS Forum
Health Care Leaders Address Elections, Economy, and "Value Medicine"
MMS Testifies Before DPH on Gift Ban Rules
The MMS this week offered written testimony before the Department of Public Health on emergency regulations on pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer conduct in the Commonwealth surrounding prescription marketing and gifts to physicians.
The Society said in its testimony that the current emergency regulations are consistent with its policy, which is summarized as follows: "Physicians should avoid undue influence from pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and health plans that could influence prescription writing. The Medical Society supports objective education of physicians by independent authorities about prescription and non-prescription drugs since such education advances the interests of our patients."
At its annual meeting in May, the Society's House of Delegates adopted a policy that states the Society may engage in advocacy to modify the Massachusetts gift ban law if (1) the advocacy advances patient interest, (2) the modification sought would conform to the guidelines of the American Medical Association and the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education regarding industry gifts to physician, and (3) the advocacy effort does not adversely affect public trust, or the benefit to the patient from modification of the law outweighs the ethical impact of any potential adverse effect on public trust. Read the complete testimony here.
2012 MMS Interim Meeting Event Spotlight: Annual Oration
The 2012 MMS Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates will be held on Friday, Nov. 30 at MMS Headquarters and Saturday, December 1 at the Westin Waltham Hotel. A perennial highlight is the MMS Annual Oration. For more than 200 years, MMS orators have addressed a wide spectrum of topics germane to the evolving practice of medicine. Join us as we welcome H. Eugene Lindsey, M.D., President and CEO of Atrius Health who will deliver this year's Annual Oration.
The MMS deadline for hotel reservations at the Westin Waltham Hotel is Oct. 22. Please click here to make your reservations online or call the hotel at (800) 937-8461 and tell them you are with the Massachusetts Medical Society. Click here for more information on 2012 Interim Meeting events and to register.
Ninth Annual Fall Forum for Free Health Care Programs
Volunteers, staff and all others interested in Free Health Care Programs are invited to attend the 9th Annual Fall Forum, How the Health Care Act Affects the Undocumented and Hospitals on Nov. 7, 2012, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Please join Dr. A. Nicholas Morse, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and representatives from other area hospitals for a discussion of the repercussions of the Accountable Care Act. Register and learn more here
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
Protecting Health Information in the Commonwealth: Health Data Security Training for Physicians
Thursday, October 25, 2012, 8:30 a.m.to noon.
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.
Learning from Our Errors - The Road to Safety
Thursday, November 1, 2012, 6:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Directors of Medical Education Conference
Thursday, November 8, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, call (800) 322-2301 ext. 7306.
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.
Physician Contracting Basics WEBINAR
Friday, November 16, 2012, noon to 1:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Online CME Activities
Acid Suppression Therapy: Neutralizing the Hype
Incorporating Meaningful Use in the Specialty Practice
Avoiding Failure to Diagnose Suits
Legal Advisor: Legal Duties and Options when a Patient Raises Suicide
Breast Cancer Seminar Series OnDemand
Seven Steps to Better Health Literacy *
The Unintended Consequences of DNR *
The Importance of Discussing End-of-Life Care with Patients *
Legal Advisor: Identifying Potential Drug Dependence and Preventing Abuse
* 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
FDA Issues Advice to Physicians on Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
This week, the Food and Drug Administration urged all medical providers to evaluate all patients to whom they administered injectable products produced by New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Mass.
This includes either ophthalmic drugs produced by NECC after May 21, 2012, that were injected or used in conjunction with eye surgery, or NECC's cardioplegic solution, which is used during heart surgery. The FDA does not recommend patient follow-up at this time for NECC topical products (lotions, creams, and eye drops not used in surgery) or suppositories.
The Mass. Department of Public Health has created a letter that physicians can use when contacting their patients who may have received an NECC medication. Click here for the letter in word or .pdf format, as well as the complete FDA statement.
More coverage:
Fungus in drug vials from Framingham pharmacy matches type in most meningitis patients
Mass. hospitals send warnings to cardiac patients on drug in meningitis outbreak
Two Virginia residents sue Mass. firm tied to meningitis, death toll now at 19
Steward, Partners Strike Trauma Care Alliance
Expanding ties between the state's two largest medical care providers, Steward Health Care System has struck a deal with Partners HealthCare System to send its most severely injured patients to Partners-owned hospitals in Boston.
Quest Diagnostics Seals Deal With UMass Memorial Medical Center
Quest Diagnostics said it has agreed to buy the clinical outreach business of UMass Memorial Medical Center.
Quincy Medical Center Seeks Return of Obstetric Services
A proposal by Quincy Medical Center to restore its obstetric services after a 14-year hiatus drew community backing this week, despite opposition from competing hospitals.
Medical Records Sharing Off and Running
Once fully up and running, the Massachusetts Health Information Exchange will help doctors avoid dangerous drug interactions and redundant tests that now plague the health-care system.
Massachusetts Launches "Dual Eligibles" Demonstration Plan
Massachusetts has finalized a memorandum of understanding with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to test the federal agency's capitated financial alignment model for Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible beneficiaries.
