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

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January 8, 2014

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CircOfFriends VS
In This Issue:
The WCMS Physician Directory (Blue Book)
RSVP Now: WCMS Annual Celebration! (1/18/14)
NC Influenza Update
Join the Mobile Revolution with DocBookMD, a WCMS Benefit
New Mission/Pardee Health Campus in Fletcher
WNC Health Network Discontinues WNC Data Link
Physicians' Voice in the News
What is Accountable Care?
Member Announcements
Job Board & Classified Ads
The WCMS Physician Directory (Blue Book)
Have you ordered the new Physician Directories for your office yet? 

This is a comprehensive  directory of physicians, produced by WCMS that:
  • Includes physicians and practices from all 16 WNC counties
  • Is pocket size for easy access
  • Has a discounted price for practices with 100% members of WCMS! 
To place an order, go to www.mywcms.org/BlueBook and pay online or download an order form.

Have questions or need to know if you're part of a 100% member practice? Email us at membership@mywcms.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
RSVP Now: WCMS Annual Celebration!  (1/18/14) 
You are invited to the
2014 WCMS Annual Celebration

Saturday, January 18th,
6:00-9:00pm
at CarePartners
68 Sweeten Creek Rd
Asheville, NC 28803

 

Enjoy an evening of food, music, camaraderie with fellow physicians and a chance to meet your new WCMS Board leaders.

 

Register now. 


Sponsored by:
LOCAL NEWS 
NC Influenza Update
Click here to read a Flu Update by Dr. Jennifer Mullendore (Buncombe County Department of Health) as well as an official CDC Health Advisory.   
Join the Mobile Revolution with DocBookMD, a WCMS Benefit
Sixty of your colleagues have already signed up for this free benefit. They are using the DocBookMD app to send one another HIPAA-compliant text messages and photos. Message content can include diagnosis, test results, or medical history. Physicians can also add a high-resolution image of an EKG, an X-ray, lab report, or anything that can be photographed with a smartphone.

They are also able to search the Western Carolina Medical Society directory. Physicians can look up other physicians in WNC by first or last name or by specialty. Physicians can then contact other physicians by messaging, office phone, cell phone, or email.

Want to sign up? Here's how: http://www.mywcms.org/Membership/DocBookMD/#SignUp

Click here to see who's already using DocBookMD. 
New Mission/Pardee Health Campus in Fletcher   
"The new out-patient facility features urgent care for non-lethal emergencies, also X-ray, pharmaceutical and other services. It opened its 80,000-square-foot main building's first floor Sept. 25, and is due to open its second/top floor on Jan. 13, ... a second structure half as large will house a YMCA and physician and administrative offices, and is scheduled to open in mid-2014."

Read more. 
WNC Health Network Discontinues WNC Data Link  
Healthcare systems in western North Carolina will connect with other hospitals in the region along with ambulatory and physician practices using their existing system technology provider in 2014. Healthcare providers have the additional option to connect to the state Health Information Exchange.  As a result, WNC Health Network has made the decision to discontinue WNC Data Link, the region's health information exchange, on March 31, 2014.

Read more. 
Physicians' Voice in the News     
WCMS is proud to announce another high quality addition to the series of "The Physicians' Voice" media presentations aimed to showcase to the general public our physicians' world-class medical expertise and focus on patient/community health.  
  
Here is the latest release:
You can read all about The Physicians' Voice on our website.
ITEMS OF INTEREST 
 
What is Accountable Care?
Over 40 North Carolina medical societies and organizations- including WCMS- have joined together in a commitment to helping the medical community face the challenges of a changing health care environment, launching the Toward Accountable Care Consortium and Initiative. The Consortium was designed to provide the medical community with the knowledge and tools needed to understand, participate in, navigate, lead, and succeed in a value-driven health care system. The initiative will distribute resources to its members, such as user-friendly documents that contain relevant information for all physicians regarding accountable care; at least 20 specialty-specific toolkits; a merit-based, shared-savings pool distribution guide; a guide to negotiating bundled payments; related webinars and educational sessions; articles, podcasts, and short videos, and other print and social media.

This week: The Physician's Accountable Care Toolkit
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 kristina@mywcms.org   
Job Board & Classified Ads
Physicians  (Extended Care Physicians)
Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant  (Extended Care Physicians)
Bookkeeper/Administrator  (WCMS)
Interpreter Network Program Administrator  (WCMS)
Certified Application Counselor  (WCMS)

   

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