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Eat & Educate (3/19, 11/12)
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2013 Buncombe County Doctors' Day Celebration tomorrow! (3/21)
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All Buncombe County physicians are invited to join us tomorrow, Thursday, March 21st (National Doctors' Day is March 30th) between 6:00-10:00am in the main lobby of Mission Hospital for the 2013 Doctors' Day Celebration for free breakfast, Labs (NPO after midnight), BP Checks, and PPD skin testing.
Also be sure to stop by the WCMS table to:
- Receive your free Health Reform Stress Buster
- Sign up for get free tickets to Kiss Me Kate.
- Complete the application process with our notary (please bring a copy of your driver's license) and gain access to the Controlled Substances Reporting System (CSRS).
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MAHEC PQRS Training (4/9)
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The Game is Changing Now:
New Changes for 2013 and Strategies to Ensure Qualification
MAHEC Biltmore Campus
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
8:00am-Noon
This event will provide a focused presentation of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) 2013 program changes. This workshop is intended for physicians, practice managers, case managers, health administrators, and those responsible for quality improvement in their respective care organizations. Public health administrators and providers, health plan administrators and health educators are also welcome.
Click here for more details and registration information.
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Women In Medicine - April Social (4/18)
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Save The Date! The next Women In Medicine Social will be held on Thursday, April, 18th at the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar (Upstairs) at the Grove Arcade in Downtown Asheville. Check on our website for updates about this event.
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| Help your patient quit tobacco use |
by Jennifer Mullendore, MD, Buncombe County Health Department
Your patients can quit tobacco use successfully with a little support from you. Studies show that brief advice from a trained health professional about quitting smoking can double, or sometimes triple, a patient's chances of quitting. You have an opportunity to make a difference and improve the health of your patients by helping them quit tobacco use.
The 5A's Cessation Counseling Method (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange), is a proven, evidence-based approach to help patients quit. It is a quick and easy way to support your patients in the cessation process.
The Buncombe County Department of Health can provide a brief educational session on the 5A's Method to you and your practice at no charge. The session will take 30 minutes, and we can come to your location at a time that is convenient for you. To schedule a session, please contact the Buncombe County Department of Health Tobacco Prevention Program at 828-250-5048 or Karen.caldwell@buncombecounty.org.
This information can also be found on the WCMS website.
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| Mission Health System Highlighted by Chief Medical Officer at WCMS Planned Giving Educational Program for Select WCMS Donors |
On March 14, a select group of 2012 WCMS Physician in Philanthropy (PIP) donors and Emeritus members were given the opportunity to hear an insider's perspective of healthcare from the Chief Medical Officer of Mission Health at a private...Keep reading.
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New for physicians--Cutting Edge Blog: Learn about Innovative Practices
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The Cutting Edge is a WCMS healthcare innovations blog, highlighting WCMS 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 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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Where can I find updates on important news on a daily basis?
| WCMS strives to keep you up to date weekly with Vital Signs, but there's more news than can fit into a weekly newsletter. If you want daily updates, check out our Twitter feed and our Facebook page.
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From the NCMS: Road map for NC Medicaid
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In response to a request for information (RFI) from the NC Department of Medical Assistance, the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) this morning submitted its road map to make North Carolina's Medicaid program the nation's flagship delivery model by focusing on improving quality of care while containing costs.
NCMS views this RFI as the starting point for a conversation between doctors, non-physician providers, hospitals and policymakers on the best path to follow to address the needs of our state's most vulnerable citizens. Our proposal takes a broad perspective, moving beyond this year's budget debates to look systemically at what needs to happen now and in the future to make the Medicaid program more predictable and sustainable over time.
The central assumption of our plan is that providing consistent, quality care for patients - some of whom have the most complex and chronic conditions - will ultimately stabilize the cost of the program. We build on existing infrastructure and proven models to save time and money in implementation.
Our proposition will require a significant change of mindset among all constituencies who serve patients. Change is never easy, but the health of our state and our state's citizens depend on us engaging in this important conversation. We hope as everyone shares their unique perspective, the plan will evolve and consensus will build among all members of the healthcare community. We invite your input.
http://www.ncmedsoc.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/NCMS-Response-to-RFI-Final.pdf
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Docs Must Lead the Charge for Real Reform
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BOSTON -- Practicing physicians will have to be the drivers of true healthcare reform, not outside forces or leadership, according to the former Medicare chief.
In order to lower health system costs and still deliver quality care, "you're going to need a kind of momentum from professionals -- the moral center of care -- to change with the proper ways; with the proper skills and models, and that's a much finer grained thing than changing a rule or a law," said Don Berwick, MD, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). "You're seeing [that momentum] a bit. I just think we need more of it." Continue reading at MedPage Today.
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Member Announcements
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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! Contact Nancy Caine, Member Services Coordinator at Nancy@mywcms.org.
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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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