Gov. Baker invites MMS to signing of CARE Act

What’s up in advocacy and policy

Gov. Baker invites MMS to signing of CARE Act
MMS President Dr. Alain Chaoui earlier this week was an invited guest to the signing ceremony of the CARE Act, legislation passed two weeks ago addressing the opioid crisis. The CARE Act also expands access to medication- assisted treatment in several settings, including emergency departments, jails and prisons, and in the community. The bill also includes a state-led study of supervised injection facilities (Click below to learn more about SIFs). MMS has been named to this Task Force. Please stay tuned to VSTW for more details about the this bill, including changes that will affect your clinical care, and new resources available for your patients.

MMS grants for International Health Study; apply today

Medical students and resident physician members of the MMS are eligible to apply for grants of up to $2,000 to defray the costs of studying abroad. The primary goal of these International Health Studies (IHS) grants, provided by the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation, is to encourage international education, particularly focusing on under-served populations. Preference will be given to projects providing health care-related work and/or training of staff, and to applicants planning careers serving underprivileged populations. Research projects that do not involve direct clinical care or teaching will not be considered. Programs must last at least three weeks to receive consideration. Applications are due by September 15, 2018. For more about the grants and application expectations, click below.

Join our AMA Delegation

The MMS Committee on Nominations is seeking candidates for nomination to the Massachusetts AMA Delegation. Visit www.massmed.org/amanoms to learn more about the qualifications and submit your application. The application deadline is Monday, August 20.  

Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held at MMS Headquarters, Waltham, on Thursday, September 20, 2018, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Applicants should plan to be available on this date. Questions? Please contact Linda Healy (800) 322-2303, ext. 7008 or lhealy@mms.org, or Karen Harrison at ext. 7463 or kharrison@mms.org.

News and announcements

Benefit Buzz

Need Help to Collect Claim Co-Payments?

IC System is a 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  icmemberbenefits.com. For questions, please contact Bryan Campbell at (800) 279-3511 or bcampbell@icsystem.com.

Reminders: Stuff you should click on

Networking event coming to Western Mass. 
Please join your colleagues and friends for an evening of professional networking, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks, on October 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Hotel on North in Pittsfield.  Physicians (members and nonmembers) and your guests are welcome. (Photo: Networking event 2018, Cape Cod)
 
Please reply to  sfrazier@mms.org or  mjussaume@mms.org.  The MMS plans to bring fun, convenient, and casual networking events to all parts of the state. Connect with physicians from across organizations and specialties, make new professional contacts, and meet MMS leaders. Questions? Call (800) 944 5562.

Problems getting reimbursed?

Individual Claims Consultation Day upcoming

Looking for an efficient way to resolve unpaid insurance claims? The MMS is hosting an Individual Claims Consultation day. These are opportunities for you and/or your practice colleague to meet with representatives from insurance companies to troubleshoot specific claims. The event will be held in Lakeville (Sept 20). Click below.

Educational programs and events

Live events: Leadership development

The First Penile Transplant: The Surgeons and Patient Report
Thursday, October 11, 2018

Gender and Bias in Medicine – Effect on Physicians, Impact on Patients
Friday, October 19, 2018

Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership & Personal Effectiveness
Thursday & Friday, November 1-2, 2018

Visit www.massmed.org/cme/events to view our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities.

Featured online CME: 

New Opioid Prescribing Guidelines in Practice

Legal Advisor: Identifying Drug Dependence

Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT)

Quote of the week

"We don't want this debt to hang over (physicians') heads and persuade them from pursuing careers of passion."
—  Dr. Rafael Rivera, associate dean for admission and financial aid at New York School of Medicine, on the school covering full tuition for medical students  (AP)

Tweet of the Week

@sangerkatz
Covering health care metaphors at @nytimes  @upshotnyt. Popcorn enthusiast.  #wthealth

What’s new in health care

Check out the most clicked-on stories from this week's MMS Media Watch. Sign up for daily Massachusetts media roundups by email. Some publications are fully accessible only to their subscribers.

N.Y. doctor identified as Cape shark attack victim  (Boston Herald)

Dr. William Winzer Lytton, the tourist attacked by a shark off Long Nook Beach Wednesday, is a licensed neurologist and professor in New York who's listed in serious condition at Tufts Medical Center. Lytton, 61, reportedly suffered puncture wounds to his torso and at least one leg. Beachgoers and first-responders helped whisk him to a medical helicopter. 

Partners in Health receives $15 million from Wagner Foundation (Boston Globe)

The $15 million gift to Partners in Health came from the private Wagner Foundation, and represented the largest donation in the foundation's 13-year history. The money will target new programs, including tools to collect and store data in remote Liberia, where health records are sometimes kept in decaying handwritten ledgers. "This visionary gift from the Wagner Foundation will have a remarkable and sustained effect on the patients we serve and the care that we provide," said Gary Gottlieb, chief executive of Partners In Health, in a statement. 

Big Y now selling drug-neutralizing kit (MassLive)

Big Y Pharmacy and Wellness Centers along with all Big Y supermarkets now sell a pouch that neutralizes medications, even opioid painkillers, at home and prepares the medications for safe disposal. The product is Deterra Drug Deactivation System. According to Big Y, Deterra works on pills, liquids and patches. Consumers are told to add the recommended amount of unused medicines in the pouch, fill the pouch half-way with warm water, wait 30 seconds, seal the pouch and gently shake and dispose of in normal trash. 

MGH ranked No. 4 in the country by U.S. News & World Report (Boston.com)

Massachusetts General Hospital has once again been singled out as one of the best medical institutions in the country. MGH came in fourth in the 2018-2019 best hospital rankings from U.S. News and World Report, holding its spot from last year on the publication's annual Honor Roll. Minnesota's Mayor Clinic also kept its place at No. 1, followed yet again by the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital, respectively, in second and third. 

These Mass. hospital execs received the biggest raises (Boston Business Journal) According to forms filed with the IRS, which the Boston Business Journal obtained from individual health systems, executives from at least nine hospitals in Massachusetts received double-digit pay raises in the most recent reporting year. The forms became publicly available on Wednesday, and are the most recent ones available from hospitals. Some health systems reported compensation for the 2016 calendar year, while others reported for fiscal 2017, which ran from October 2016 through September 2017.