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MMS News & Announcements
State to Spray 21 Communities for EEE This Weekend
In an effort to thwart mosquitoes carrying eastern equine encephalitis and the West Nile virus, state officials this week announced plans to spray 21 communities in southeastern Massachusetts with pesticide, beginning July 20. There have been no human cases of EEE or West Nile virus so far this year, but mosquitoes carrying EEE have been found in several southeastern Massachusetts communities.
DPH states that there have been more positive EEE collections of mammal-biting mosquitoes in some areas of southeastern Massachusetts than ever before at this time of the season. People across the state are advised to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
Officials at the Mass. Department of Public Health (DPH) emphasized the safety of the spray, whose active ingredient is sumithrin, but advised those with sensitivity or respiratory conditions to stay indoors during the spraying. Officials have asked hospital emergency departments to report any cases that may appear to be related to the aerial spraying event. Symptoms that may be reported include dizziness, headache, nausea, twitching, reduced energy, or changes in awareness.
MMS Testimony Targets Patient Privacy in Drug Monitoring Program Regulations
In testimony before the state Department of Public Health today, the MMS said that proposed regulatory changes in the Massachusetts Prescription Drug Monitoring Program could reduce existing patient privacy protections. MMS also said the role of the program's Advisory Council and Medical Review Group should be strengthened, rather than weakened, as the regulations propose.
AMA Garners Broad Support for Quality Reporting Guidelines
More than 60 organizations, including the MMS and several national health insurers, are supporting a new American Medical Association program to help physicians better use health insurer-provided data reports as tools to enhance the quality and value of patient care. The AMA's Guidelines for Reporting Physician Data provide a roadmap for improving the usefulness of physician data reports by encouraging greater format standardization, process transparency and level of detail.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
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.
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
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
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. 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
Feds Say Lab Technician Knowingly Spread Hepatitis C
Federal authorities charged a hospital laboratory technician with knowingly infecting at least 30 patients with hepatitis C using contaminated syringes. David Kwiatkowski worked at Exeter (N.H.) Hospital for 13 months until this past May, after working in New York, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and Maryland.
NEJM: Radical Prostatectomy Provides Little Value
A New England Journal of Medicine article found that radical prostatectomy did not significantly improve mortality rates among men with early stage prostate cancer, especially among those 60 years old or more. There was only a two percentage point difference between those who underwent a radical prostatectomy and those whose conditions were closely observed - a difference well within the statistical margin of error.
Congressman Proposes Another SGR Delay
A Republican congressman from Texas proposed that Congress delay the implementation of the pending 28 percent cut in Medicare physician payments for another year. Rep. Michael Burgess said he had little hope that Congress would be able to address the issue during its lame duck session in December.
CDC: EHR Adoption Reached 55% in 2011
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 55 percent of physicians nationwide were using an electronic health record by 2011, and that 85 percent were either somewhat or very satisfied with their technology. About 77 percent of users said they had met the federal government's meaningful use standard. (Registration may be required to access link.)
Poll Shows Voters Leaning to Amending, Not Repealing ACA
A narrow majority of voters (51%)favor amending and improving, not repealing, the federal health reform law, according to a bipartisan survey commissioned by National Public Radio. By a similar margin (47 to 46 percent) voters approved of the Supreme Court's decision upholding the law's constitutionality. Related news: Bill Frist, surgeon and former Republican Senate Majority Leader, urged states to implement health insurance exchanges, even if they don't like the federal reform law.
MGH Celebrates Top Magazine Ranking
U.S. News and World Report named Massachusetts General Hospital the best hospital in the country, the first time MGH has been so honored in the annual survey. The magazine said its survey now relies less on reputation and more on objective quality measures.
US Sees Alarming Rise in Whooping Cough
The CDC said this week that nearly 18,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported so far this year, more than twice the number for the same period last year.
CMS Updates Hospital Compare Website
CMS has completed a major update of its Hospital Compare Website, with an expanded and more current view of quality measures.
CMS to Limit Pilot Program for Dual Eligibles
Medicare said it will limit enrollment in a new pilot program to improve care coordination for those eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid to well below 2 million, even though 26 states representing 3 million patients have asked to participate in the project. Officials said the limits are needed to effectively test approaches to improve quality and lower costs. (Registration may be required to access link.)
