Western Carolina Medical Society: The Physicians' Voice for a Health Community
VITAL SIGNS
 Weekly e-News of the Western Carolina Medical Society 
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December 16, 2015
WCMS Circle of Friends: Van Winkle Law Firm & Johnson Prics Sprinkle, PA
Happy 
Holidays from the staff at WCMS! We hope you have a safe and warm holiday season! Next Vital Signs will be January 6th! 


In This Issue:
Sponsor Message: Van Winkle (left)
Register Now: WCMS Annual Celebration 1/31/2016
Your Year-End-Donation will be Doubled
Blue Ridge Bone & Joint Expands Hospital Care Options
New Family Health Center at Mill Spring Opens
WCMS Emeritus Holiday Luncheon
AllCare Clinical Associates Featured in Medical Group Management Association Report
Some Physicians Suffering Burnout over EHR Mandates
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
Job Board & Classified Ads
UPCOMING EVENTS 
 
Register Now: WCMS Annual Celebration 1/31/2016
The WCMS Annual Celebration is January 31st, 2016 at Highland Brewing from 6 - 8 p.m. We hope you'll join us for some great music from physician-led band Blues Crew, appetizers in the spirit of Chinese New Year, and an introduction to your new WCMS Board of Directors. 
Please RSVP today. 
LOCAL NEWS
 
Your Year-End-Donation will be Doubled
Give to the WCMS Foundation this holiday season and your gift will be doubled. Philanthropist and Chief Executive Officer of AllCare Clinical Associates, Alan McKenzie, has pledged to match every dollar you give to WCMS Foundation before December 31, 2015, up to $5,000. 
Click here to give.
Blue Ridge Bone & Joint Expands Hospital Care Options
HENDERSONVILLE - Blue Ridge Bone & Joint is joining Park Ridge Health's network of primary and specialty care physicians practicing in Western North Carolina, according to a news release from Park Ridge.
Click here to continue reading the Citizen Times article, and view the press release on our website here. 
New Family Health Center at Mill Spring Opens
Monday, December 14th
Springs Health Center closed on November 13, 2015, and will reopen in the same location on Monday, December 14th, as a new MAHEC practice. Trel Lowe, FNP, owner of Springs Health Center, will continue to see patients at the new Family Health Center at Mill Spring and feels the transition will provide more support and resources to the area.
This year, Lowe celebrates 40 years as a nurse practitioner and feels lucky to provide general healthcare to those who need it. MAHEC is currently recruiting for an additional provider to join Trel in the practice. The ultimate goal is to be able to serve more patients and provide open access scheduling so patients can get an appointment as soon as they need it.

"We feel this is a great match and another place where MAHEC can join forces with healthcare providers who share a passion for serving the people of our region. Trel provides a great service to the area. With this new relationship, she will have access to all the resources MAHEC offers so she can continue to provide excellent care to her patients."
- Dr. Jeff Heck, President and CEO of MAHEC.
WCMS Emeritus Holiday Luncheon

Emeritus physicians and their spouses enjoyed a delicious holiday buffet at the Asheville Country Club. We look forward to seeing you all next year!
ITEMS OF INTEREST
 
AllCare Clinical Associates Featured in Medical Group Management Association Report
AllCare Clinical Services, PA, was founded in 1971 and is one of North Carolina's largest private and physician-owned anesthesia groups. It provides anesthesia, pain management and perioperative services for nearly 80,000 cases each year. The practice employs more than 200 anesthetists, anesthesiologists, pain management clinicians and business
professionals. It serves private practices, pain management clinics, community hospitals and trauma centers.
Click here to continue reading. 
Some Physicians Suffering Burnout over EHR Mandates
In a 1,200-word story, the Chicago Tribune (12/12, Russell) discussed how the Federal government's "elaborate - or maddening and onerous - system of electronic health records" is affecting physicians. According to the Tribune, medical associations nationwide are attributing "increasing doctor burnout to the demands of clicking through page after page of records, whether the patient shows up for a physical, a quick follow-up visit, or treatment for chronic disease." Recently, "Mayo Clinic researchers, working with the American Medical Association, found that more than half of physicians felt emotionally exhausted." Contributing to that exhaustion are "heavier workloads and 'increased clerical responsibilities.'"
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
When Healthcare Quality Measures Fail Us All

Now that we are in the age of Pay For Performance ( P4P ) we are only beginning to learn how difficult it is to achieve the twin towers of
  • Patient Satisfaction
  • Quality Care
Patient satisfaction is a very controversial subject - with the counterintuitive "percent of top" as our measuring stick and the universal acknowledgement that patient demands should not always be honored carte blanche. ("I need my #90 Rx of Oxy for my fibro, Doc. The pain is awful.")
Click here to continue reading. 
Job Board & Classified Ads

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

WCMS is a thriving 700+ 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,

Photo: Miriam Schwarz, WCMS CEO
Miriam Schwarz


 

Miriam Schwarz signature




 

Miriam Schwarz, MPA

WCMS CEO/Executive Director