Sponsor Message:
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Register Now: Women In Medicine 3/10/2016
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All female physician members are invited to our next Women in Medicine Affinity Group meeting. This is a chance to connect with each other, enjoy a time of collegiality/networking and discuss relevant content to women in the practice of medicine.
When: Thursday, March 10th from 6pm-8pm
Where: Samantha Read-Smith's home in North Asheville
Topic: "Avoiding the Superwoman Complex" with Dr. Nicole Swiner
Dr. Swiner is a family medicine/general medicine expert, covering a broad spectrum of both medical and mental health issues. As a wife and mother of two, she uses real-life experiences to clearly communicate keys to better health and wellness for mind, body and spirit. Through straight talk, anecdotes and humor, Dr. Swiner captivates diverse audiences with candor and grace.
(please RSVP for accurate headcount)
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Register Now: Heart of the Healer Retreat 4/16/2016
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This retreat will equip physicians with practical and field-tested tools to prevent and treat burnout in themselves and their colleagues. WCMS' first Burnout-Prevention Retreat in August 2015 was a resounding success and this event will build on that momentum.
- Improve work-life balance
- Prevent burnout
- Reconnect with your Joy in Medicine
- Earn 4.5 hours of CME
When: Saturday, April 16th from 10am-4pm.
Where: Montreat Conference Center
* WCMS members and Mission employees attend free.
* Significant others invited. Childcare available.
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WCMS' Strategic Update for 4th Quarter 2015
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WCMS is committed to providing quarterly updates to our key partners and full membership. Click here to view our fourth quarterly report for 2015.
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| WCMS Annual Celebration Was a Huge Success |
 The 2016 Annual Celebration was a lot of fun this year. WCMS staff decorated in the theme of Chinese New Year, and the Asian inspired appetizers from the Colorful Palate were festive and healthy. Dr. Andrew Hart's band, Blues Crew, were back this year and played bluesy rock n' roll for the 85 guests. WCMS CEO Miriam Schwarz provided updates on the 2016 Strategic Plan, and inspiring speeches were given by 2016's new Association Board President, Samantha Read-Smith, and Foundation Chair, Dr. Todd Wallenius.
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BCDH Health Alert: Severe Influenza Illness Reported in US
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Click here to read this important advisory from WCMS Member Dr. Jennifer Mullendore.
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WCMS Helps Uninsured
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WCMS is here to help the uninsured sign up for Health Insurance. Listen to Brandon's story here.While Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace closed on Jan 31st, some people may be eligible for a special enrollment period. Call WCMS today to schedule a free appointment with one of our Certified Application Counselors at 274-6989.
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2015 Success in Numbers
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In 2015 the WCMS Foundation was able to help our community become a healthier place for our neighbors in need. The benefits of healthcare for an individual and the value of reducing health disparities in a community can be intangible. While our success is often told through stories, these numbers from 2015 speak for themselves.
* 2,690 low-income and uninsured people were enrolled in Project Access®
* $8.9 million of healthcare services was donated to Project Access® patients
* 101 people enrolled in health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace
* 4867 appointments with trained medical interpreters were provided in 14 different languages
* 6 scholarships were given to minority high school students to help them pursue a career in medicine
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February 3rd is National Women Physicians Day
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In honor of the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, MD. Dr. Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree having done so in 1849.
Please join me in celebration of all of the women physicians who have followed in her footsteps and yet, let us not fail to consider the following:
2. Half of female physicians are likely to spend 16 minutes or more with a patient, compared to 42 percent of males. What's more, female physicians' communication style tends to be more patient-centered. 3. Female doctors have a better record of persuading patients to make lifestyle changes. One study found that men with male doctors were nearly four times more likely than men with female doctors to disagree with them about nutrition; men with male doctors were twice as likely to disagree about exercise; and female patients agreed with male doctors about weight-loss advice only 85.5 percent of the time, compared to 93 percent of the time with female doctors. 4. Female physicians earn significantly less than their male counterparts, with the gap now exceeding $56,000 per year. Pay disparities persist even in studies controlled for specialty, work hours and other factors. 5. Seventy-one percent of women physicians are the breadwinners in their family, earning 75 percent or more of their family's household income, according to a 2015 report from AMA Insurance. 6. Female physicians have higher rates of divorce than male physicians overall. Odds of divorce rise further among women who work more than 40 hours per week.
7. On average, 43 percent of female physicians are working mothers with children under 18 at home, noted the AMA report.
8. Married female physician-researchers with children spend 8.5 more hours per week on parenting and domestic activities than their male counterparts, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. 9. Maternity leave (36 percent), personal sick leave (21 percent) and unemployment (18 percent) are the three most common income disrupters for women physicians, according to AMA Insurance.
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Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
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"If almost every doctor needs to effectively manage a team, why don't medical schools and residency programs teach students the skills they'll need to oversee medical staff? For one thing, it's hard to see where formal management training could fit in, since the four years of medical school and three years of residency are jam-packed with clinical education. But, according to Dike Drummond, a former primary care physician who now coaches doctors and blogs at the Happy MD, the problem goes deeper than that. "Why don't they teach this in medical school?" he says. "It's a blind spot." Even worse, medical school and residencies can inadvertently teach doctors how to be bad managers."
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10 Rules Every Primary Care Doctor Should Read
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Primary care medicine is intense and chaotic, a constantly mutating kaleidoscope of data, emotions, goals and obstacles. It is designed to confuse and distract, and will find and magnify any tendencies towards ADD in even the most organized clinician.
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From Wake Forest School of Law: North Carolina Medicaid Expansion Issues
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Job Board & Classified Ads
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To find out how you can post a Job or Classified Ad click here.
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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,
 | | Miriam Schwarz |
Miriam Schwarz, MPA
WCMS CEO/Executive Director
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