Subscribe to Vital Signs This Week and other MMS email newsletters.
MMS News & Announcements
New Payment Reform Law Will Change Many Aspects of Physician Practices
After years of debate and dialogue, the state legislature overwhelmingly passed a long-awaited payment reform bill this week. The bill seeks to limit the growth of health care spending, promotes the use of alternative payment methodologies, and encourages the expansion of health information technologies. It also imposes new requirements on many physicians, including requirements to register with the state, report cost and quality data, or obtain state certification if they contract for downside risk. Not all physicians will be subject to these rules.
The bill does not require physicians or their practices to join an accountable care organization, or become one. It does not outlaw traditional fee-for-service payments, but gives favored status to practices that use alternative payment methods, such as global budgets, bundled payments and shared savings.
MMS President Richard V. Aghababian, MD, said that while the bill strikes a responsible balance between government oversight and market-led innovation in many places, he was concerned about the burdens the bill could impose on small practices. Governor Patrick said he will sign the bill.
MMS Urges Senate to Pass House Version of Prescription Monitoring Program
The MMS this week called on the Senate to pass the House's rewrite of legislation designed to improve the effectiveness of the state's prescription monitoring program. The bill automatically registers all prescribers in the program, and requires the state to draft regulations for when and how the database should be used. The Legislature has concluded its formal sessions for the year, but the Senate could pass the bill by unanimous consent during an informal session.
Deadline is Aug. 17 for Massachusetts AMA Delegation Candidate Nominations
The Committee on Nominations is currently considering candidates to fill delegate and alternate delegate positions on the Massachusetts AMA Delegation. Candidates should complete a nomination questionnaire for each position sought and submit it along with their resumes no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 17, 2012 to the Committee on Nominations, Massachusetts Medical Society, Department of Governance Meetings and Services, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451-1411.
Incumbents, as well as new nominees, must complete the questionnaire. Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, from approximately 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All nominees should reserve this date. If you have questions, please contact Bonney Erskine at Society headquarters at (800) 322-2303, ext. 7208 or berskine@mms.org
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
PubMed: How to Search Like a Librarian
Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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.
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.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Save the Date
Federal Funding Opportunities
Thursday, October 18, 2012
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
- Legal Advisor: Legal Duties and Options When a Patient Raises Suicide
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
TheAnswerPage.com
Earn 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. For more information, contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
Mass. Medicaid Managed Care Programs Pay Some Providers More
A new report by the state inspector general found that Medicaid managed care plans pay higher fees to some hospitals and doctors than the traditional Medicaid program pays for the same services.
Mass. to Get $16 Million for Health Data Exchange Network
Massachusetts officials say the Obama administration has approved $16.9 million in funding to help develop a statewide Health Information Exchange network that will allow for integrated care and aid in cost containment efforts.
Signature Healthcare Opens Talks with Beth Israel
Trustees at Signature Healthcare in Brockton have moved to open exclusive talks about a clinical affiliation with Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Such a move would result in Signature dropping its two-year-old partnership with Tufts Medical Center.
More Physicians Move Into Concierge Medicine
Rising costs and lower reimbursements have combined to lead more physicians into concierge medicine, now practiced by more than 5,000 physicians across the nation.
Judge Rules Doctor's Home Inventions Belong to Hospital
A Massachusetts superior court judge has thrown out a complaint lodged by a Massachusetts General Hospital urologist who challenged the Harvard teaching hospital's policy denying him rights to inventions he discovered on his own time at home.
AAMC: Doctor Shortage to Get Worse With Reform
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the physician shortage will get worse with national health reform, as approximately 30 million more Americans will have health coverage.
Primary Care Practices Found in Financial Stress
A study by QuantiaMD has found that one in four primary care practices are in financial difficulty, leading many of these practitioners to leave the specialty.
Hospitals Focus on Patient Satisfaction
Local hospitals are ramping up their focus on patient satisfaction as pressure from health care payers and patients transform health care into a consumer business.
Berkshire Health Breaks Ground on Cancer Center
Berkshire Health Systems in Pittsfield will break ground this fall on a new 50,000 square-foot cancer center and expects to have it operational within three years.
Mayo Clinic Care Network Adds Dartmouth-Hitchcock
The Mayo Clinic Care Network has expanded into New England with the addition of Dartmouth-Hitchcock healthcare system, its first addition outside of the Clinic's core mid-western market.
Boston Children's Lead-Poisoning Case Prompts Federal Warning on Folk Remedies
A mysterious case of lead poisoning at Boston Children's Hospital prompted an alert from federal officials about the risk of metal poisoning from folk remedies.
Tobacco Sales To Youth Reach All-Time Low In 2011
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has announced that tobacco sales to minors have reached an all-time low, with sales to underage youth at retailers nationwide falling from about 40 percent in 1997 to 8.5 percent in the last fiscal year.
Mass. Life Expectancy Rising
A Department of Public Health report shows life expectancy in the state rising for both men and women and deaths from heart disease declining.
DPH: Aerial Spraying Killed 60% of Mosquitoes
The Department of Public Health estimates that the aerial spraying of chemicals in 21 communities in southeastern Mass. to fight EEE has killed 60 percent of the mosquitoes.
