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MMS News & Announcements
Gov. Patrick Signs $32.5 Billion State Budget; Loosens Physician Gift Ban Rules
Governor Deval Patrick signed a $32.5 billion state budget last week, vetoing $32.1 million in spending and rejecting the Legislature's efforts to keep open Taunton State Hospital. (Subsequently, the Legislature overrode the veto on Taunton State Hospital, keeping it open for at least another year.)
The budget scaled back a set of strict restrictions on industry gifts to physicians imposed in 2008, and the language now allows companies to pay for "modest" meals and refreshments for doctors as part of informational sessions about their products. Medical device makers will now be allowed to provide training to physicians without a signed contract.
The revised statute now permits "the provision of or payment for modest meals and refreshments in connection with non-CME educational presentations for the purpose of educating and informing healthcare practitioners about the benefits, risks and appropriate uses of prescription drugs or medical devices, disease states or other scientific information, provided that such presentations occur in a venue and matter conducive to information communication."
The Department of Public Health will determine what constitutes "modest." The amended statue also requires pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report meals and refreshments to the DPH on a quarterly basis. Reports will be in line with the reports required by the federal government.
More media coverage:
November Ballot to Include Marijuana, Assisted-Suicide Questions
Massachusetts voters will be asked this fall to decide whether to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes and whether to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with a lethal drug prescribed by a physician.
In the past year the Society has affirmed resolutions opposing the legalization of medical marijuana and opposing physician-assisted suicide. In an interview with The Boston Globe last week, MMS President Richard Aghababian, M.D. reiterated the Society's position. Physicians who are "trained to preserve life," should not play such an active role in ending a person's life, he said.
Legal Advisory Plan Enrollment Deadline is Drawing Near
The Legal Advisory Plan is currently enrolling for the July 2012 through July 2013 plan year. To renew or enroll for this enrollment period, please return your completed application by July 31. Don't miss out on this exclusive member benefit for legal assistance regarding Board of Registration in Medicine matters. If you have any questions, call Carolyn Maher at (781) 434-7311, or email lap@massmed.org.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
Antitrust Considerations for Physicians in Massachusetts
July 18, 2012, noon to 1 p.m. via WEBINAR
Women's Leadership Forum: Effective Team Leadership
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
September 29, 2012, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
CME Accreditation Orientation
October 16, 2012 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. For more information, call (800) 843-6356.
Managing Workplace Conflicts
November 1, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and November 2, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
SAVE THE DATE
PubMed: How to Search Like a Librarian
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
MMS Headquarters, Waltham, MA
Federal Funding Opportunities
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Controversies in the Screening and Management of Breast Disease
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
MMS Headquarters, Waltham, MA
Directors of Medical Education Conference
Thursday, November 8, 2012
MMS Headquarters, Waltham, MA
Online CME Activities
Seven Steps to Better Health Literacy*
The Importance of Data Analytics in Physician Practice (3 modules)
The Unintended Consequences of DNR
The Importance of Discussing End-of-Life Care with PatientsLegal Advisor: Identifying Potential Drug Dependence and Preventing Abuse
Avoiding Failure-to-Diagnose Suits
Medical Mistakes: Learning to Steer Clear of the Common Ones
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
TheAnswerPage.comEarn 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.
Note: The pain medicine, opioid prescribing, palliative care, risk management content will be available on July 23, 2012.
For more information, contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
All Massachusetts Maternity Hospitals Now Ban Infant Formula Gift Bags
All 49 birth facilities in the state have voluntarily eliminated the formula giveaways as of the beginning of July, making Massachusetts the second state, after Rhode Island, to do so.
Mass. Hospital Association Calls Medicaid Cuts 'Unsound Public Policy'
The Massachusetts Hospital Association sent a letter to Governor Patrick asking him to stop proposed administrative changes the group says would result in cuts of about $40 million to Medicaid payments for hospitals.
AMA's Hoven Testifies on Medicare Physician Payments
AMA President-elect Ardis Dee Hoven, M.D., testified before the Senate Finance Committee last week about the need to eliminate the Medicare physician payment formula and replace it with a viable system that will support high-quality, high-value care for patients.
Global Payments Show Promise As Consumers Wait For Savings
Hospitals, doctors and insurers in Massachusetts are moving quickly towards global payments. A recent study published in the journal Health Affairs says there are signs that moving doctors into a global budget is good for patients, but the change isn't saving consumers any money yet.
Mass. Life Expectancy Hits All-Time High: 80.7 years
Life expectancy for people in Massachusetts hit an all-time high in 2009, as the rate of deaths from major killers, such as heart disease and cancer, declined, according to a report released this week by the DPH. Read the full report here.
Does Early Finding of EEE Mosquitoes in Region Pose Threat?
State health officials are trying to determine whether early findings of EEE in Easton announced last week could mean a looming problem.
Dana-Farber Shares in $16 Million Rare Disease Grant
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was chosen to be among six research centers that will share a $16 million grant from the Edward P. Evans Foundation to study a group of rare diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood.
BWH Researchers Discover `Most Effective Melanoma Cell Ever'
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital stumbled across a discovery involving a kind of T cell normally associated with asthma and allergies which could potentially be used to fight melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
