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VITAL SIGNS
 The Weekly e-News of the Western Carolina Medical Society 

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April 17, 2013

CircOfFriends VS
In This Issue:
Deerfield Retirement Community Sponsor Message (Left)
Women In Medicine - April Social (4/18)
Public Health Alert from Buncombe Co. Dept. of Health: Measles cases in NC
2013 WCMS Foundation Annual Campaign
Western Highlands board reviews options
WCMS issues letter to Governor McCrory regarding his Medicaid proposal
WCMS launches new group in Linked In: WCMS' Communication Hub!
Mission Health named a Top 15 Health System for second consecutive year
QuitlineNC Offers Nicotine Replacement Therapy at No Cost for a Limited Time
Arkansas rejects alternate Medicaid expansion proposal
Get Medicare Payment for your work transitioning patients
Job Board & Classified Ads

UPCOMING EVENTS  

 
Women In Medicine - April Social (4/18)

It's hard to believe, but the Women In Medicine section of the WCMS is a year old! Join us for wine/refreshments and hors d'oeuvres as WIM celebrates its first anniversary tomorrow, Thursday, April, 18th at the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar (Upstairs) in the Grove Arcade in Downtown Asheville. Click here to RSVP or check on our website for updates about this event.  

 

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. 
LOCAL NEWS 

Public Health Alert from Buncombe Co. Dept. of Health: Measles cases in NC

2013 WCMS Foundation Annual Campaign

HELPING OUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATE HEALTHCARE CHANGE

 

Compass Click here to read Physicians in Philanthropy Message from Dr. Bill McCann and Emeritus Chapter member Message from Dr. Simon Braun.   

 

$50,000 Goal. We Need Your Help - Donate Now 

 

Become a 2013 Physicians in Philanthropy (PIP) today.  

Western Highlands board reviews options 

ASHEVILLE - The Western Highlands Network could become part of a pilot program integrating mental and physical health services for Medicaid recipients. Go to Asheville Citizen-Times to read article.  

WCMS issues letter to Governor McCrory regarding his Medicaid proposal 

WCMS' letter is posted here: http://www.mywcms.org/Legislative/Legislative-Issues

WCMS launches new group in Linked In: WCMS' Communication Hub!

This group offers western North Carolina physicians an opportunity to network, share information, engage in learning from one another, and build collegiality. To join WCMS' Communication Hub, you'll need to establish a Linked In account and then join our group here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4935272

Mission Health named a Top 15 Health System for second consecutive year

Asheville, N.C. (April 15, 2013) - For the second consecutive year, Mission Health was named today as one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. The Truven Health study identifies the nation's 15 best health systems and is the only study that aggregates both individual hospital and health system-level performance to allow health system leaders and consumers to understand how to identify and compare leaders in clinical quality and efficiency. Keep reading at Mountain Xpress.
STATE NEWS  

QuitlineNC Offers Nicotine Replacement Therapy at No Cost for a Limited Time

RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is providing extra help for North Carolina tobacco users who want to quit for good. QuitlineNC, the state's toll-free telephone and online support service to help tobacco users quit, is making nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or lozenges) available at no cost while supplies last for North Carolina residents who enroll in quit coaching. Read more.
NATIONAL NEWS  

Arkansas rejects alternate Medicaid expansion proposal  

The Arkansas House voted 69-28 to reject an alternate Medicaid expansion proposal that would transition low-income, Medicaid-eligible residents into private coverage through the federally run insurance exchange. The proposal -- by Gov. Mike Beebe (D) -- was the first of its kind to receive tentative HHS approval in February. Since then, the private coverage option has been widely considered as an alternative for Republican governors who are resistant to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. (Sources: The Hill's "Healthwatch," 4/15; AP/Modern Healthcare, 4/15; Reuters, 4/15; Washington Post's "Wonkblog," 4/15)  

Get Medicare Payment for your work transitioning patients

CMS is paying physicians and other qualified health care providers for coordinating Medicare beneficiaries' care transitions following discharge from hospitals or skilled nursing facilities to their homes or assisted living facilities. Read more here.

ITEMS OF INTEREST  
Member Announcements 

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 [email protected].     

Job Board & Classified Ads

Asheville Anesthesia: Operations Director 

 

Asheville Anesthesia: Resolution Specialist  

 

Asheville Family Practice: FN/NP 

 

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital: Advanced Practitioner  

 

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital: Excellent Dental Career Opportunity 

   

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital: Family Practice Physician  

 

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital: Internal Medicine 

 

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital: Urologist      

 

BRCHS: Associate Medical Director 

 

BRCHS: Dentist 

 

BRCHS: Family Nurse Practitioner 

 

BRCHS: Physician Assistant 

   

To find out how you can post a Job or Classified Ad Click here.

 

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

 

Miriam Schwarz signature




 

Miriam Schwarz, MPA

WCMS CEO/Executive Director