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

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October 9, 2013

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In This Issue:
Meaningful Use Stage 2 Training (10/16)
WCMS Early Career Physicians' Section (10/17)
Join us for the 2013 WCMS Fall Conference (11/13)
2013-2014 Physician Directory "Blue Book"
Western Highlands/Smoky Mountain Center Merger
Mission Health Announces New Collaboration with Western Carolina's Women's Specialty Center
"History of Medicine in Asheville" Debuts
Millions of Americans Want to Get Covered
NC's Cost of Obstinance on Obamacare
Who Will Heal the Doctors?
Member Announcements
Job Board & Classified Ads
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
Meaningful Use Stage 2 Training (10/16) 
On Wednesday, October 16th, MAHEC will conduct a training on Meaningful Use Stage 2: Advanced Concepts + Patient Portals.

View the event brochure or go to reservation information.


WCMS Early Career Physicians' Section (10/17) 

If you are a WNC physician within your first 10 years of practice, come out and join the WCMS Early Career Physicians' Section on Thursday, October 17th at 6pm at The Wedge Brewing Company in the River Arts District. All early career physician members are invited to attend, and encouraged to bring physician friends or colleagues--regardless of their membership. Residents and fellows are welcome!

 

Click here to RSVP!

Join us for the 2013 WCMS Fall Conference (11/13) 
Thriving in Leadership:
Skills for Changing Times

WCMS is pleased to be partnering with the WNC Medical Managers Association once again on our 2013 Fall Conference and this year they are merging their November luncheon with our Fall Conference. This year's event will focus on Leadership, how to thrive in changing times.

Date: November 13, 2013
Time: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton- Biltmore

Our keynote presenter, Dr. Grace Terrell of Cornerstone Healthcare, will discuss what it means to be a leader in today's healthcare environment.  Other topics include an update on the Affordable Care Act, a PCMH Panel and more!

ACMPE credit hours will be available.
 
Please visit our website here for full details and to register!

Many Thanks to our Sponsors!
LOCAL NEWS 
2013-2014 Physician Directory "Blue Book" 
The 2013-2014 "Blue Book" is ready for ordering!  This comprehensive directory of physicians, produced by WCMS, now includes physicians and practices from all 16 WNC counties. If you would like to place an order, you can do that quickly and easily online.

(If you have a question or need to know if you're a 100% practice to get the discounted price, contact [email protected])

Western Highlands/Smoky Mountain Center Merger 

Follow this link to read about the management of services in the eight counties formerly served by WHN, and the change in mobile crisis services provider for those counties. 
Additional information: If there are specific topics of interest that you'd like to hear about, let me know at [email protected]. SMC has offered to prepare targeted articles to address your questions.

Mission Health Announces New Collaboration with Western Carolina's Women's Specialty Center

"History of Medicine in Asheville" Debuts 

ASHEVILLE - Grateful Steps Publishing House has released "The History of Medicine in Asheville," Freeman Irby Stephens' meticulously researched book covering two centuries of local medical history, 1800-2000.

Stephens took on the project after retiring from his career as a pioneer specialist in internal medicine in Asheville. He died not long after completing the manuscript, which the Western Carolina Medical Society then undertook to have published.

Read more.

To order your copy, contact Grateful Steps Publishing House at 828-277-0998 or www.gratefulsteps.org. 
NATIONAL NEWS 
 

Millions of Americans Want to Get Covered 

Date: October 7, 2013

"We are continuing to experience tremendous demand at HealthCare.gov during the first week of Open Enrollment. We know some of you are having trouble getting to the application and we are sorry for any delays. Thanks for your patience, and please keep trying!"

Continue reading.  
ITEMS OF INTEREST 
 
NC's Cost of Obstinance on Obamacare 
"The state's decision not to participate in "Obamacare" means Goodwin's department was barred from setting up a more nimble exchange focused on North Carolina's needs. It also meant forgoing $27 million in federal money that would have supported efforts by the Department of Insurance to educate and assist more than a million North Carolinians who are expected to shop for insurance on the exchange"
Who Will Heal the Doctors?
"The greatest of all stresses does not come from a lack of sleep or time," she observes. "It comes from believing deeply in one set of values and finding that you are trapped into living by another set."

In The Healer's Art, she says, she envisions "enabling people to recognize the gap between doctors' professional service values and the values of the health system, so that it becomes more possible for doctors to speak out on behalf of patients, and rise up as a community and simply say, 'You know, when people are in pain and facing something unknown and potentially life altering, being told that you have seven minutes to understand their unique issues and strengths in order to find effective ways to help them is just wrong. It is simply unethical - and I am not doing this anymore." 

Read the full piece.
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 Kristina Isenhour, Member Services Coordinator at [email protected]   
Job Board & Classified Ads
Asheville Family & Sports Med: Medical Assistant
Pardee Hospital: Multiple Opportunities
WNC FQHC: FNP
GYN Practice: Temporary Phone Triage Nurse
Asheville Internal Medicine: PA or FNP

Carolina Spine & Neurosurgery: Physician Extender 

ECP: Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant 

ECP: Physicians

Sisters of Mercy: PRN Physicians 

Sisters of Mercy: PRN PA or FNP   

   

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