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| Meet female colleagues at Women In Medicine - February Social (2/20) |
Please join us for wine and other refreshments at the next Women in Medicine social on Wednesday, February 20th at the home of Dr. Lorena Wade. All women physician members are invited to attend, and encouraged to bring physician friends or colleagues (regardless of their membership).
The WCMS's Women In Medicine section offers an opportunity for women physicians to meet, network, and share experiences common to their profession. The WIM socials are held bi-monthly.
Click here to RSVP you and your colleagues today!
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REGISTER YOUR FAMILY OR PRACTICE TEAM ONLINE (2/23)
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EXERCISE FOR HEALTH AND GIVE FROM YOUR HEART
Saturday, February 23 1-4 PM
Asheville Racquet Club (downtown location)
- Every Family Team has a chance to win 1/2 off an ARC Pool Membership ($275 value)
- This is our ONLY fundraising event for Project Access® and the Foundation in 2013
- Free childcare (ages 6 wks-12 yrs)
- Spinning & 30 min family-friendly classes
- Workout in the state of the art facility and/or swim
- Family and Practice Teams encouraged (max 5 to a team)
For more details, and to register go to:
LIKE the HeartStrings event on Facebook
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Introducing WCMS Circle of Friends!
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Miriam Schwarz, CEO and Donna Wiedrich, Director of Member Services are pleased to announce that The Van Winkle Law Firm is an inaugural member of the WCMS Circle of Friends Program. A by-invitation only opportunity from the WCMS members and approved by the WCMS Association Board, participation has many advantages, including numerous opportunities to spend time with physicians.
If, as a WCMS member physician, you'd like to recommend a company to join the Circle of Friends Program or have comments about companies in this program, please contact Miriam Schwarz, CEO/Executive Director of the Western Carolina Medical Society at Miriam@mywcms.org.
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Have you paid your dues yet?
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Attention WCMS members, if you have not yet paid your 2013 membership dues you will be receiving a second notice soon. 2013 dues renewals were due January 1. Please notify your practice manager to watch for the invoices. You may pay online here: http://www.mywcms.org/Membership/Pay-Dues- or you can simply mail your check payable to WCMS, 304 Summit Street, Asheville, NC 28803.
For an overview of your membership benefits visit our website at http://www.mywcms.org/Membership/Benefits. Thank you for your support!
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New for physician members--Cutting Edge Blog: Learn about Innovative Practices
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The Cutting Edge is a WCMS members-only, healthcare innovations blog, highlighting WNC physicians, practices and programs that are on the cutting edge of healthcare transformation. WCMS supports local physician members who are change agents by recognizing them and sharing among other WCMS members and the general community information about these local innovations.
Check out the new blog featuring Dr. Mark McNeill's practice, Trillium, and ask him questions! Click here: http://mywcms.org/Practice-Mgmt-Resources/CuttingEdgeBlog.aspx
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WCMS endorses NCMS letter to State legislators regarding Medicaid expansion
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WCMS added its name to NCMS' letter to legislators addressing the Medicaid expansion authorized in the Affordable Care Act. Click here for letter to House and Senate.
Quick Poll: Do you support Medicaid expansion? Tell us what you think.
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McCrory, GOP plan to stop NC Medicaid expansion
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Check out these new ACO toolkits from NCMS' "Toward Accountable Care" Consortium
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One year delay in roll out of the ACA's basic health program for low/moderate income families
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The Obama administration announced that the Basic Health Program -- created by the Affordable Care Act to help low- and moderate-income families who do not qualify for Medicaid gain coverage -- will not be implemented until 2015, one year later than scheduled in the ACA. (Source: Kaiser Health News' "Capsules," 2/7)
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Congress still at an impasse about the sequester
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Lawmakers in recent days have openly suggested that mandated spending cuts under sequestration -- including a 2% reduction to Medicare reimbursement rates -- will take effect in March, noting that they remain far apart on a deal. Some Democrats say the urgency to avoid the automatic cuts has been tempered by the fact that Medicaid is exempt. Meanwhile, some Republicans believe the across-the-board reductions would be preferable to any plan that includes raising taxes. Despite lawmakers' willingness to allow the sequester to take effect, the White House last week said it would not get involved in the negotiations and would defer to Congress on how best to reach a compromise. However, the Obama administration on Friday issued a warning about the effect of the sequester on the health care industry, particularly mental health care. (Sources: Modern Healthcare, 2/8; New York Times' "The Caucus," 2/8, Wall Street Journal, 2/8; Wall Street Journal, 2/10)
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Member Announcements
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Karen L. Dedman, MD Retires After 28 Years of Practice
Are you a WCMS Member who is opening a new practice? Are you a 100% Member Practice who has hired a new physician? Send us your announcements and we will post them for you in our new Member Announcements section of Vital Signs to keep other members informed about what's happening in our WCMS community!
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WCMS is a thriving 900-plus member professional association of the physicians of western North Carolina and a chartered component medical society of the NC Medical Society and the AMA. The WCMS is an organization run by physicians for physicians.
Our Mission
The WCMS is the physicians' voice advocating for the health of the medical profession, the health of the patient, and the health of the community.
Our Vision
To be a dynamic physician community dedicated to a healthy, vibrant Western North Carolina.
About WCMS
The purpose of WCMS is:
- To strengthen the voice of WNC physicians in advocating for the health of the medical profession, the health of the patient, and the health of our region
- To inform, educate and prepare physicians for rapidly occurring changes in health care at national, state, and local levels
- To share legislative and policy information and advocate on behalf of physicians in areas of mutual interest
- To share available resources in areas of mutual interest
- To promote physician-to-physician communication and dialogue in an open, honest and safe environment
We hope you enjoy our weekly e-newsletter. If you have questions or suggestions please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Miriam Schwarz, MPA WCMS CEO/Executive Director
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