MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Nominations due 2/2: MMS officers and AMA delegation
The
MMS Committee on Nominations is currently seeking candidates for MMS
officer positions and the Massachusetts Delegation to the AMA.
Your involvement helps us ensure that our membership and profession are well represented. The application deadline is February 2, 2018.
Announcing the revitalized NEJM.org
Visit NEJM.org. We’ve made some changes, so it’s easier for you to find and use New England Journal of Medicine content — wherever your work takes you and on whatever device you choose. Explore the new site today. To learn more about its advantages, see the 3-minute video featuring your peers discussing the implications for their teaching, research, and medical practice, and this NEJM editorial: Moving Ahead with a New NEJM.org.
Benefit Buzz: Need help to collect claim co-payments?
IC
System is an MMS-preferred vendor that helps physician practices with
effective collection management while assuring that client accounts are
safeguarded by strict regulatory compliance and data security. MMS members receive a discount. Visit www.icmemberbenefits.com. Questions? Please contact Bryan Campbell at (800) 279-3511 or see the website.
Check out this webinar by IC System to discover insightful tips to effectively and safely refine collections practices with changing collection laws.
Read Dr. Dorkin’s thoughts on medical aid-in-dying
Since
the MMS House of Delegates withdrew the Society’s opposition to what it
termed “physician assisted suicide,” on December 2, there has been some
confusion about what the new policy of neutral engagement on medical
aid-in-dying really means. In a new blog post,
Dr. Dorkin describes the remarkable collaboration that took place at
the Interim Meeting and shares his thoughts on the role of the Medical
Society as a medical and scientific resource, the importance of
physician autonomy, and the value of hospice, palliative, and
compassionate care.
Unrest: Join your peers for this Oscar-nominated film
The MDPH invites all public health and health care professionals, scientists, and researchers to a screening of Unrest,
a documentary exploring the experience of poorly understood disease,
with a panel discussion and light supper. The documentary has won awards
from Sundance and the Boston Globe. It tells the story of a Harvard PhD student struck down by myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic
fatigue syndrome). The screening will be held March 27, 5:30 p.m., at
the State Public Health Laboratory, 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain; registration.
Deborah Becker, NPR/WBUR's senior correspondent and host, will moderate
a post-film panel featuring Jennifer Brea, director and protagonist of
the film, and science and health care professionals. The screening is hosted by MDPH in conjunction with the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association.
Reminders: Stuff you should click on
Join your colleagues on an MMS committee: Apply by 3/2
Getting
more involved with the MMS is a way to expand your network and
friendships, diversify the Society, and help shape medical practice and
policy. Consider participating on a committee (with more than 40, we're
bound to have at least one that aligns with your interests) or the
Member Interest Network Executive Council. Committee appointments are
for specific terms. We have put in place resources for distance
participation, including conference calls and online
meetings. Applications are due March 2; more info and applications.
Tomorrow! New England Conference on Global and Community Health for Trainees
This
full-day conference includes lectures and workshops on global and
domestic health topics, and opportunities to network with others
involved in global and community health work. The keynote speech —
Towards a Global Public Health — will be delivered by Sandro Galea, MD,
DrPH, dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University School of
Public Health. The conference, sponsored by the MMS and its Committee on
Global Health, will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. at the MMS Headquarters, Waltham; information. Walk-ins are welcome ($25 fee).
Benefit Buzz: Last chance to guarantee uninterrupted legal service
If
you don't have the Legal Advisory Plan (LAP) January 2018 – January
2019 coverage, renew or join now to have your LAP protection in effect
and not be handicapped if you are notified of a Board investigation. The
LAP, a member-only, low-cost legal service, ensures attorney
representation experienced in Board regulations and proceedings for a
successful outcome. You must be enrolled at the initiation of a
BORIM-related investigation to avail yourself of plan services; learn more. Questions? Email lap@massmed.org or call (781) 434-7311.
Managing Workplace Conflict: This CME builds a stronger, happier team
Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness helps
physicians in clinical practice, and those in administration and
leadership, explore and improve the relationships that drive the medical
work environment. Space is limited; register today. This two-day
experiential course is jointly provided by the Massachusetts Medical
Society and Physician Health Services, Inc., an MMS corporation. The
program develops techniques for minimizing stressful dynamics and
conflict with colleagues and patients. It uses real (de-identified)
workplace conflicts supplied in advance by attendees as examples for
exploration and change, with role-playing and focused feedback. The
program takes place March 22–23 at MMS Headquarters in Waltham; information (including CME risk management credits) and registration.
Educational programs and events
View our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities. Unless otherwise noted, all events are held at MMS Headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA.
Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness
Thursday & Friday, March 22–23, 2018, 8:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured online CME courses — Risk Management credit
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Find additional risk management online CME activities.
This week in health care
Sign up for daily roundups of health news affecting Massachusetts.
Partners HealthCare, R.I. system move closer to merger
Partners, the largest health system
in Massachusetts, and Care New England, Rhode Island's second-largest
health system, said in a joint statement that the latest progress in
their talks "marks an important milestone.'' Any final agreement would
need state and federal regulatory approval.
Family says elderly patient left alone in lobby after heart surgery
Allen received a stent from Beth Israel Deaconess on Tuesday after having a heart attack the day before, Sharlet said. He was transferred there from another hospital where all of his clothes were left.
Commission abandons plan to change state workers' health insurance
After facing fierce criticism, the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission is reconsidering its move to limit the number of health plan options for state workers. The change was "seriously mishandled," said state Attorney General Maura Healey.
Medical Society opposes Conscience and Religious Freedom division
The Massachusetts Medical Society
has formally opposed the Conscience and Religious Freedom division
formed within the federal department of Health and Human Services last
week.
Another Rob Gronkowski concussion could be dangerous
"Here's the deal: If you have had one of these injuries, you are at greatly increased risk for a second injury,
and those are the ones to be very concerned about," said Dr. Lee E.
Goldstein, neurologist and associate professor at the Boston University
School of Medicine.
CEO and wife donate $100M to two Boston hospitals
Rob and Karen Hale announced Monday that Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital will each get $50 million.
Boston Scientific's new opioid alternative
The system works by sending low electrical pulses to the spinal cord to interrupt pain signals. The therapy provides pain relief
with a light tingling sensation, a process called paresthesia-based
therapy, and sub-perception therapy, which doesn't carry a sensation.
Greenfield health director fired following Deerfield traffic stop
An investigation was launched after a reporter for the Greenfield newspaper contacted the mayor for comment on Jones' history,
which included traffic violations, child support issues, bankruptcy
claims, and a misdemeanor conviction of simple battery on a family
member in Georgia.
Debate on in MA over SIFs
The
Massachusetts Medical Society and the Massachusetts Hospital
Association back the idea. In a report released last year, the medical
society found supervised injection sites can reduce overdose mortality and increase access to drug treatment.
