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MMS News & Announcements
New Online for Members: MMS Model Physician Employment Contract
Are you an employed physician? Are you thinking about switching from self-employed to employed?
We have updated our Model Physician Employment Contract to reflect the advent of medical homes, accountable care organizations, and other new practice structures. It is designed to be relevant for private practice settings (including large and small groups), in hospital and other institutional settings, and in solo practice. It is available free of charge to MMS members only.
Download MMS Model Physician Employment Contract.
Interim Meeting: Resolution Deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 16
The 2012 MMS Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates will be held on Friday and Saturday November 30-December 1, 2012. The deadline for submitting resolutions is Tuesday, October 16. Members can submit resolutions online at www.massmed.org/resolutions or via e-mail to resolutions@mms.org.
At the HOD Community website, members who would like feedback on their draft resolutions for the 2012 Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates can post their draft prior to the October 16 resolution deadline. The site is visible only to MMS members and you must log in to the MMS website to see the content. Sponsors are strongly encouraged to share their draft resolution with an MMS committee and/or district and ask them for feedback prior to submitting a resolution.
The MMS deadline for hotel reservations at the Westin Hotel is October 22. Please click here to make your reservations online or call the hotel at 1-800-WESTIN1 and tell them you are with the Massachusetts Medical Society. Visit www.massmed.org/interim2012 for more details about the 2012 Interim Meeting and to register.
Last Weekend to Take Member Survey: How Do You Use Mobile Technologies?
The Massachusetts Medical Society is collaborating with ICF Ironworks to conduct a study about current and future mobile technology use among physicians.
We would like to invite you to participate in this survey. Responses will only be reported in aggregate and will serve as a benchmark for technology use and needs in the healthcare industry. The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete, and will remain open through Oct.14. Your participation is completely confidential and anonymous. Results will be reported in the December-January issue of Vital Signs.
To begin the survey, click here.
Nominations for 2013 Senior Volunteer Physician of the Year Award Due Nov. 1
The deadline for nominations for the 2013 Senior Volunteer of the Year Award is fast approaching. Candidates for this award are nominated by their peers and the recipient is selected by the Committee on Senior Volunteer Physicians. Nominees must be MMS members, age 60 or older who volunteer in Massachusetts The deadline for submitting nominations is Thursday, November 1, 2012. Click here for nomination criteria and more information.
PIAM Offers Discounted Medigap Plan to MMS Retirees and Spouses
If you and/or your spouse are covered by Medicare, our open enrollment period for Massachusetts Medical Society group plans will begin in early November and will continue until December 21, 2012 for coverage to be effective January 1, 2013. We offer several unique group Medicare supplement insurance programs with favorable benefit levels, pricing or both. Those physicians turning 65 or who have just turned 65 may also want to consider enrolling in one of our plans. For more information, call PIAM, the insurance agency for the MMS, at (800) 429-6513.
Education Programs and Events
Live CME Activities
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, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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
* 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
Government Oversight Eyed in Meningitis Outbreak
The state's beleaguered health department - already reeling from an evidence-tampering crisis at the state drug lab -now faces a new wave of intense scrutiny after a terrifying nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis tied to a Framingham pharmacy.
More news coverage:
Mass. Health Information Exchange Launches Oct. 16
Next week, Mass. Governor Deval Patrick will launch Phase 1 of the state's Health Information Exchange by sending a secure message between Partners Healthcare and Baystate clinical environments. This exchange will represent the first official secure clinical exchange in an ambitious program aimed at including 50,000 Massachusetts providers over a two-year period.
Participating providers will be able to send protected health information to another provider, eventually replacing faxes with structured digital information derived from a variety of electronic health record systems.
Mass. Officials Wary of Medical Marijuana
Statewide coalitions of prosecutors and police chiefs oppose the measure, known as Question 3, as does the Massachusetts Medical Society, which says there is "insufficient scientific information" about the safety of medicinal marijuana. Law enforcement officials, however, are less concerned with the medicinal merits than the fear that dispensaries would skirt regulations and become easy targets for criminal activity. More coverage:Doctors, religious leaders debate physician-assisted suicide ballot question and Opponents gather support to fight assisted suicide ballot question
GIC Seeks Bids for Health Care
The state's Group Insurance Commission issued a request for proposals that is expected to change the way its 400,000 members are insured and to cut expenses by nearly $1.3 billion over the life of the five-year contract.
Study: "Cadillac" Health Plan Tax Could Hit Middle Class
An excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" insurance plans set to take effect in 2018 could wind up costing middle class workers, such as small business owners, police officers and teachers, according to a study released by the Pioneer Institute.
Partners' Financial Health Turns on Complex Plans
When Partners HealthCare announces its financial results each quarter, what often stands out are not the gains and losses for providing medical services. It's the investment and debt portfolios
Cambridge Health Alliance, Beth Israel in Talks
Cambridge Health Alliance, which has been seeking a partnership with a financially stronger hospital system for two years, has entered exclusive talks with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston about a potential affiliation.
How Changing Patients' Socks Could Save Lives
Six years ago, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center set a goal: It would aim to end preventable harm in its hospitals by 2012. The results of that effort included "hundreds" of small changes-such as having patients wear socks with treads that could prevent falls.
MassHealth Hosts Oct. 23 Town Hall Meeting for Physicians on Payment Reform Law
MassHealth Director Dr. Julian Harris will host a Provider Town Hall Meeting regarding the Primary Care Payment Reform Initiative on Wednesday, October 23, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Morse Institute Library, 14 East Central Street, Natick. This is an opportunity for providers to interact directly with Dr. Harris and share their ideas, concerns and comments about the initiative as well as discuss how it will affect them. Click here for more information.
