Western Carolina Medical Society: The Physicians' Voice for a Health Community

VITAL SIGNS

Weekly e-News of the Western Carolina Medical Society

Sponsor Message:

QUICK LINKS

Newsroom

Preferred Vendors

Project Access

WCMS Interpreter Network

Boards of Directors

January 21, 2015

WCMS Circle of Friends: Van Winkle Law Firm & Johnson Prics Sprinkle, PA

In This Issue:

Quest- Sponsor Message (Left)

Annual Celebration

Ward and Smith Roundtable Lunch

2015 WCMS Boards of Directors

Women in Medicine Affinity Group

Mission Health Says Competition Not Part of Haywood Expansion

The WCMS Physician Directory (Blue Book)

New WCMS Member Benefit

Medicaid Bill Draws Critics

Wos Says ACOs Must Be Legislative Session Priority

The Key to Medicine is to Love our Patients

The Secret Lives of Doctors

Job Board & Classified Ads

UPCOMING EVENTS

Annual Celebration (1/25)

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

Sunday, January 25th

6pm - 9pm

Highland Brewing Company in Asheville
Entertainment provided by Blues Crew (Dr. Andrew Hart's blues band)

RSVP Here.

Thanks to our Sponsors:

Ward and Smith Roundtable Lunch (2/4)

Ward and Smith, P.A. is hosting quarterly healthcare roundtable discussion groups to their healthcare clients and friends in Western North Carolina. Ward and Smith attorneys serve as the facilitators of these discussion groups, which are comprised primarily of healthcare practice administrators and managers. In past meetings, we have discussed healthcare "hot topics" such as Accountable Care Organizations, the Affordable Care Act, the Certificate of Need law, HIPAA, managed care contracting, and the Stark law.

Click here for more information about the Feb. 4th lunch.

Ward and Smith, P.A. is a WCMS preferred vendor.

LOCAL NEWS

2015 WCMS Boards of Directors

Thanks for voting for your 2015 Association and Foundation Boards of Directors! The slates have officially been approved and we look forward to a great year with these leaders.

View your new Boards here:
2015 Association Board
2015 Foundation Board

Women in Medicine Affinity Group

Ten female physicians gathered in the home of Rebecca Bernstein on January 15th for the first WCMS Women in Medicine Affinity Group of 2015. "Women in Leadership" was the topic, and an energetic discussion ensued. Many valuable comments and insights were shared on issues such as work/life balance, the differences of working within hospitals versus independent practice, and coping with the continuous changes in the healthcare system. WCMS looks forward to continuing to support and foster this group.

Mission Health Says Competition Not Part of Haywood Expansion

The facility is the latest outpost under the not-for-profit company's My Care Plus brand... This is the first in Haywood County, a community of about 60,000 Mission says is lacking six primary care providers.

"We don't think in terms of 'competition,' which is an emotional term with many different meanings to many different people," [CEO Ron Paulus] said. "In organizing Mission Health, we think about service."

Read full article.

The WCMS Physician Directory (Blue Book)

The 2014-2015 "Blue Book" is ready for ordering! 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!

Practice and physician information changes frequently, so this directory has hundreds of updates from when the last book was published.

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.

New WCMS Member Benefit

Open Enrollment Two (OE2) for the Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) began November 15th and will close on February 15th, 2015. WCMS has a limited number of days on which member physicians can host at their practices one of our Health Access Counselors between now and Friday, February 13, 2015 to help your patients enroll in either the HIM, Medicaid, Medicare or Project Access� as eligible.

Alternately, you can download, print and post an informative flyer about OE2 in your waiting- and exam rooms which encourages your patients to call and make an appointment with one of our Health Access Counselors here at WCMS.

Click here to download flyer and/or informational video.

To contact WCMS staff about getting help for your uninsured patients, call 828-274-6989 or email cac@mywcms.org.

STATE NEWS

Medicaid Bill Draws Critics

"The bill, unveiled Thursday by a Program Evaluation Oversight subcommittee, would hand over much of legislators' direct responsibility for Medicaid to a seven-member Human Benefits Authority made up of industry experts."

One critic said "Doesn't this (bill) separate the accountability too far from the elected officials who are responsible for overseeing taxpayer funds and needs?"

Read article.

Wos Says ACOs Must Be Legislative Session Priority

"In the upcoming legislative session, the North Carolina General Assembly must pass a new Medicaid plan, one that utilizes accountable care organizations, Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Aldona Wos said Tuesday...

The idea of using ACOs to run Medicaid has found a mixed reception in the General Assembly. During the 2014 budget session, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that approved the use of ACOs, while the Senate was in favor of an alternate system that would open the door for private managed care organizations to reduce the state's Medicaid spending."

Read article.

FINDING JOY IN MEDICINE

The Key to Medicine is to Love our Patients

"The key to medicine, to being a beloved physician, is to love our patients.

This can be a tall order. Human beings are remarkably difficult to love. So how do we do it?

We want love to be a feeling we have, when in fact, love must be an action we show..."

Continue reading.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The Secret Lives of Doctors

"Recently, when my parents came for a visit, our conversations led me to realize something important: I have been a doctor for more than 20 years, and yet my parents have no idea what my daily life is like. It then occurred to me that if they have no idea, then surely my patients have no idea either.

So, if you're a patient who's ever wondered what medicine looks like from where doctors stand, here goes..."

Continue reading.

Job Board & Classified Ads

Job Board:

Medical Assistant (Trillium Family Medicine)
Receptionist/Patients Account Rep (AllCare Clinical Assoc)
Chief Medical Officer (Blue Ridge Community Health Services)
Bilingual Nurse or Certified MA (French Broad Pediatrics)
Orthopedic-Joint Replacement Surgeon (Pardee Hospital)
Medical Interpreter (WCMS)

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

WCMS is a thriving 750 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
WCMS Association: WCMSA is the physicians' voice advocating for the health of the physician, the patient, and the community, through strengthening the physician-patient relationship.

WCMS Foundation: WCMSF is the physician and community-led charitable arm of the medical society improving access to quality healthcare, decreasing disparities in health, and promoting health & wellness.

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, MPA

WCMS CEO/Executive Director