ACA or single payer? What's next in health care policy

News and announcements

ACA, single payer, or what? Free CME (Oct 3)

Join your peers in person or via live webinar to listen, discuss, and connect at this free one-day program. The past decade has seen tumult in our nation’s approach to health care policy, with the adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) followed by a series of challenges for it and to it. How did we come to the health care system that we have now and where does it succeed and fail? What does the near future have in store for the ACA and for health care policy overall? Would we be better off with a dramatic move to a single-payer option or with a more incremental approach to reform? What lessons can be gleaned from attempts at state-level innovations? What will be the politics of this issue in the 2018 and the 2020 elections? And what is in the best interest of patients? The event will be held on Wednesday, October 3, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. at MMS Headquarters, Waltham; you can alternatively participate via live webinar. Click the button below for more information and registration.

Submit an abstract for MMS Research Poster Symposium (Oct 9)

Residents, fellows, and medical students are eligible to submit abstracts for the 13^th Annual MMS Research Poster Symposium, to be held at the Interim Meeting later this year. Cash prizes will be awarded in four categories: basic research; clinical research; clinical vignettes; and health policy/medical education. For detailed submission guidelines, abstract templates, and program information, click the button below.

2019 MMS Annual Awards: Call for nominations (various deadlines) 

Do you have a colleague who deserves to be nominated for their outstanding work or service to the community? Do you know a medical student or resident who is worthy of recognition for innovative IT solutions for medicine? The MMS recognizes excellence in multiple categories, including: medical service or public health; contributions to medical education, men’s health, women’s health or women’s physician leadership, or reducing health disparities; service to the MMS; and more. The MMS and its Committee on Recognition Awards are currently seeking nominations for the 2019 Annual Award Program; information and instructions.

Renew your membership

Streamlined MMS membership renewal

It’s not too early to renew your MMS Membership for 2019. Now it’s easier than ever to renew online. Click the button below to access the Society’s new, mobile-friendly, online system. At 25,000 strong, the MMS is the largest physician-led organization in the Commonwealth. Thank you for your continued membership as we work to support physicians in their practices (large and small) and fight for policies that promote access to quality care for your patients.

Reminders: Stuff you should click on

The Prescription Drug Predicament: Improving Access and Fostering Innovation (Oct 25) 

The 15th Annual Public Health Leadership Forum from the MMS, a half-day CME program, will explore prescription drug costs and the implications for patients, doctors, and public health. The program will identify opportunities for balancing our reliance on pharmaceutical innovation against the price of prescription drugs as a barrier to access. Speakers include Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, commissioner of MDPH; Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, dean of BU School of Public Health, and Kenneth Kaitin, PhD, professor of medicine and director of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. The event includes a panel discussion and networking opportunities. It will be held on October 25, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., at the MMS Headquarters, Waltham. For more information and registration, click the button below.

Gender and bias in medicine: impact on physicians and patients (Oct 19)

Bias in medicine is a two-sided coin, and those two sides are rarely considered together. This half-day CME program is changing that. Gender and Bias in Medicine — Effect on Physicians, Impact on Patients features keynote speaker Tamika Cross, MD, who was not acknowledged as a physician during an in-flight emergency and was prevented from rendering care. Dr. Cross’s experience crystallizes how bias against physicians has a direct effect on patient care, and helped shift the discussion toward awareness and advocacy. The keynote will be preceded by panel discussions, one focused on physicians, the other on patient care. The event will be held Friday, October 19, 12:30–5:15 p.m., at the MMS Headquarters, Waltham. For more information and to register, click the button below.

Apply for a LGBTQ health disparities grant: Due Oct 5

The MMS is currently accepting grant proposals from medical students and residents/fellows whose curriculum development or research addresses health disparities in the LGBTQ community. Grant proposals are due October 5. Download the Application and Guidelines; click the button below and scroll down.

Awards, networking, CME: Symposium on Men's Health (Oct 11)

Join the MMS Committee on Men’s Health for the 16^th Annual Symposium on Men’s Health. The event will include a reception, networking, and the presentation of the 2018 Men’s Health Awards. The evening’s CME program will address The First Penile Transplant: The Surgeons and Patient Report. The event will be held on Thursday, October 11, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m., at MMS Headquarters, Waltham. Space is limited. For more information including CME accreditation, and to register, click the button below or call (800) 843-6356.

What is the physician's responsibility toward immigrants' and refugees' health care? (Oct 17)

Join us to learn about the physician’s moral, ethical, social and legal responsibilities when providing health care to immigrants and refugees. Also discover tools and resources available on the state and community levels as well as non-profit health care and law organizations. This free, unique event is on October 17, 2018 at the MMS Headquarters in Waltham. It is hosted by the MMS Committee on Senior Volunteer Physicians; for information and registration, click the button below.

Educational programs and events

Live events

Conference on Universal Health Care (in person or live webinar)
Wednesday, October 3  

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

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

The Prescription Drug Predicament: Improving Access and Fostering Innovation
15th Annual Public Health Leadership Forum
Friday, October 25

Featured online CME

Shared Decision Making: Essential Skills for Prostate, Lung, and Breast Cancer Screening (4 modules)

Quote of the week

“We realized very quickly we needed staff who could prescribe addiction treatment outside brick-and-mortar facilities." 
— Dr. Elsie Taveras, coordinator of a Boston pilot program that uses a mobile van and near real-time data to reach populations at high risk for overdose (STAT)

Tweet of the week

@MCBombaughMD
Maryanne Bombaugh MD MSc MBA FACOG
Gynecologist, Community Health Center of Cape Cod
President-Elect, Mass. Medical Society
Past President, Mass. Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

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.

Boston's VA adds overdose-reversing naloxone to AED cabinets (WBUR)

In December, the project will expand nationwide, as VA hospitals across the country will add naloxone to their AED cabinets. "The overwhelming evidence is that it just saves lives," said Dr. Ryan Vega with the VA's Center for Innovation. "We're hopeful that other health systems take notice and think about doing the same." 

Home health care is growing rapidly but remains largely unregulated (WBUR)

One of the fastest growing occupations in the state and the country is in home health care. It's also one of the least regulated, and that's proving to be a dangerous mix. Globe reporter Linda Matchan joined WBUR's All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins to discuss her story, "Stranger in the house," about the crisis in unregulated home health care.

Essex County sheriff sued for denying inmates OUD medication (WBUR)

A lawsuit has been filed against the Essex County House of Correction in Middleton and its sheriff over the jail's refusal to provide methadone, a drug used in opioid addiction treatment, to inmates. "We talk a good game about treating addiction as a public health issue, but the reality on the ground is that we still deal with it largely through punishment," said Matthew Segal, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. 

Financial impact of nurses ballot question? Depends who's counting (Globe)

If the ballot question passes, the parent company of Cape Cod Hospital estimates it would have to spend more than $34 million a year to comply with the measure. The parent of South Shore Hospital would spend more than $33 million. Boston Medical Center and Baystate Medical Center each would spend about $28 million. Among hospital systems, Partners HealthCare, the state's largest, estimates it would have to spend $140 million across its facilities. Southcoast Health pegged its costs at $38 million.

Health care price tool could be "game changer" (Worcester Business Journal)

A new state website designed for patients to compare health care provider prices launched earlier this year, but the head of the agency behind the tool said he thinks one of the site's features that goes beyond cost comparisons and quality metrics could ultimately make the most difference for patients. Ray Campbell, executive director of the Center for Health Information Analysis, said at an oversight hearing that he sees consumer education as a "major emphasis" of MassCompareCare.gov. Campbell said if someone is about to have an MRI, they may be interested in knowing what their doctor would get paid for it, but they would also benefit from knowing where MRIs are performed and what they should ask their doctor and insurer beforehand.  

Children's splits top role, appoints COO as president (Boston Business Journal)

Boston Children's Hospital has announced it will split its top job, with Sandra Fenwick keeping her title as CEO and passing the role of president to Dr. Kevin Churchwell, currently the hospital's chief operating officer. The change will allow Churchwell to play a more active role in external affairs, the hospital said, particularly regarding state policy and community issues. He will maintain his role as COO. "Dr. Churchwell's promotion is recognition of his outstanding leadership, as well as part of our ongoing efforts to align senior management responsibilities to the ever-expanding internal and external challenges and demands on the hospital," Fenwick said in a release Tuesday. 

Mass General and Brigham ranked among top US hospitals (MassLive)

Two of the state's hospitals — Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital — made US News' 2018-2019 Best Hospital Honor Roll ranking for the top 20 hospitals in the country. US News generates hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals.  It ranks hospital performance by a system of points in 16 areas of complex adult specialty care and also rates hospitals in nine adult procedures and conditions. The top 20 point-getters make up the national honor roll, which has a maximum total of 480 points. Mass General is ranked fourth on this list with 354 points. Brigham and Women's is 20th with 177 points.  

Assisted living group opposes Question 1 (State House News)

"Assisted living has flourished over the past three decades as increasing numbers of older adults value the opportunity to live in a community-oriented environment built on a model of independence, dignity and choice," Brian Doherty, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association (Mass-ALA), said in a statement. "We are concerned that this ballot measure, which could dramatically reduce the availability of nurses beyond hospitals, would create new barriers to care for residents and erode the gains we have made as a Commonwealth in supporting seniors."

NFL Players Association invests in Boston ACL repair startup (Boston Business Journal)

MIACH Orthopaedics Inc. is testing a bioengineered sponge it hopes will stimulate healing of torn anterior cruciate ligaments. ACL tears generally cannot heal themselves, leading to repeat tears and arthritis when treated with surgery and often ending professional sports careers. The company's device, the Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair, or BEAR, is a sponge enhanced with the patient's own blood cells that stimulates the ligament to heal, while also acting as scaffolding.