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MMS News & Announcements
MMS Comments on Proposed 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
In a set of recent comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the MMS criticized the federal government's proposed implementation of the Value Based Payment Modifier for Medicare. MMS also called for modifications to the CMS' electronic prescribing program, noting that some physicians who have successfully implemented electronic prescribing have still been assessed the program 1 percent penalty for non-compliance.
Read the complete comments here. (.pdf, 7 pages)
37th Annual Joseph Garland Lecture to Features Emperor of Maladies Author
Please join us for the 37th Annual Joseph Garland Lecture, Writing a History of Cancer: An Epilogue, on Thurs., Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Armenise Amphitheatre, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Ave., Boston. The speaker is oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., a Columbia University assistant professor and author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, The lecture is sponsored by the Boston Medical Library in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine For more information, contact Roz Vogel at (617) 432-4807 or rvogel@hms.harvard.edu
Call for Nominations for the 2013 Senior Volunteer Physician of the Year Award
Do you know a senior physician who has dedicated their time to volunteering their medical expertise? Nominate him or her as the 2013 MMS Senior Volunteer Physician of the Year.
Candidates for this award are nominated by their peers and the recipient is selected by the Committee on Senior Volunteer Physicians. The nomination deadline is Nov. 1. Click here for nomination criteria and more information.
MMS Member Gathering: Physician Family Apple Picking & BBQ
MMS members and their families are invited to a family networking event featuring apple picking, BBQ, and other seasonal activities on Sat., Sept. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Click here for a full schedule and to register.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
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.
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
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
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
Contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
New Bedford Group Leaves Partners HealthCare, Joins Steward
Hawthorn Medical Associates, the largest multi-specialty practice in the New Bedford area has signed a 10-year affiliation deal with Steward, a Boston-based chain of 11 hospitals and other medical care facilities across eastern Massachusetts. The agreement takes effect Jan. 1 Related story: Hawthorn, Steward medical networks to merge
Steward Finalizes Acquisition of New England Sinai
Steward promised to invest $34 million in the hospital, which will convert from a nonprofit to a for-profit. That figure includes $13 million for hospital buildings, equipment, and technology.
Tufts Group to Create State's Only Member-Owned Health Plan
Tufts Medical Center, its physician group, and the publicly traded parent company of MetroWest and St. Vincent hospitals have been awarded an $88.5-million loan by the federal government to create what would be the state's only member-owned health insurance plan.
How Massachusetts is Verifying Health Exchange Users
Massachusetts is now using real-time address verification technology to more accurately confirm the residences of those using its online health insurance exchange.
Massachusetts Payment Reform Featured in Health Affairs
The September issue of Health Affairs is focused on new ways of paying for health care, including perspectives from Massachusetts.
Physician House Calls Make Comeback on Cape
The HouseCalls program is available to patients with limited mobility issues that make regular trips to the physician's office difficult, including older people with dementia, younger people in wheelchairs and individuals recovering from surgery.
First Mass. EEE Fatality Reported
State health officials reported the first death from Eastern equine encephalitis in Massachusetts this year and urged residents to continue taking precautions against mosquito-borne viruses
State's Ninth Human Case of West Nile Virus is Middlesex County Woman
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile have been found in 101 cities and towns in nine counties this year, and nine human cases have been reported -- seven in Middlesex County, one in Hampden, and one in Berkshire. Last year there were six cases. More coverage: 'There is West Nile everywhere,' official says.
'Bath Salts' Hit SouthCoast of Mass.
The so-called "bath salts" drugs that have spiked calls to poison control centers nationwide have also hit SouthCoast streets and hospitals.
