Western Carolina Medical Society: The Physicians' Voice for a Health Community
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February 24, 2016


In This Issue:
Sponsor Message: JPS (left)
Register Now: Women In Medicine 3/10/2016
Register Now: Emeritus Luncheon 3/16/2016
Register Now: Independent Physicians Affinity Group 4/4/2016
Register Now: Heart of the Healer Retreat 4/16/2016
Doctors' Prescriptions Fuel N.C. Drug Overdose Epidemic
Bowtie Briefing for February 19, 2016
NCMS KIPL Programs 2016/17 are Open for Registration
Key Election Dates
Important Meaningful Use Information
From WNCCHS: Will you please take a quick survey about HIV Care and Prevention in western NC?
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
Job Board & Classified Ads
UPCOMING EVENTS 
 
Register Now: Women In Medicine 3/10/2016
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)
Register Now: Emeritus Luncheon 3/16/2016
WCMS Emeritus members are invited to attend our first quarterly meeting of 2016 featuring Dr. Chad Haldeman-Englert who will be presenting 
"Fullerton Genetics Center: Clinical and Laboratory Genetics in Western North Carolina."

(please RSVP for accurate headcount)
Register Now Independent Physicians Affinity Group 4/4/2016
WCMS board member Dr. Gus Vickery, will present on his innovative practice, Synergy Health Solutions, at the first Independent Physician Affinity Group of the year on April 4, 2016 at the Asheville Event Center from 6-8 p.m. Dr. Vickery's model offers patients direct primary care outside the traditional payer model, increasing affordability and accessibility for the patient while reducing paperwork for his staff. 
Click here to read our full interview with Dr. Vickery.

(please RSVP for accurate headcount)
Register Now: Heart of the Healer Retreat 4/16/2016
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. The second event will build on what we learned last last year and delve deeper into various issues affecting burnout. 
  • 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 attend FREE
* Significant others invited. Childcare available. 

STATE NEWS
 
Doctors' Prescriptions Fuel N.C. Drug Overdose Epidemic
CHARLOTTE, NC (Fred Clasen-Kelly and Cleve R. Wootson Jr./ The Charlotte Observer)- The Charlotte woman didn't know her daughter was a drug addict until she heard a thud upstairs.
Click here to continue reading. 
Bowtie Briefing for February 19, 2016 - NC HIEA Update
NCMS Director of Legislative Relations, Chip Baggett, provides an update on the transition to the new NC Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA). Click here to view the video. 

NCMS KIPL Programs 2016/17 are Open for Registration
Registration for Leadership College 2017 and Health Care Leadership & Management 2017 are now open for registration. The two programs are quite different, although some similarities include small group-formats as well as being year-long and project-based. However, while the Leadership College Program focuses on leadership fundamentals to enhance physicians' and PA-Cs' core aptitudes to excel as leaders within organized medicine, hospitals, health care systems, medical staffs, group practices, as well as in the public policy arena, the focus of Health Care Leadership & Management is to provide a critical framework for physician leaders based on economics, finance as well as leadership development.

Both programs thus provide skill-building in the critical areas of leadership and management and further equips graduates to enhance their effectiveness to become more influential and effective as individual leaders. While Leadership College emphasizes advocacy, Health Care Leadership & Management emphasizes business skills.
To learn more about the programs, click here.
Key Election Dates
Thursday, 3/3/16: One stop early voting begins. See ncsbe.gov
Tuesday, 3/8/16: Last day to request a mail-in absentee ballot
Saturday, 3/12/16: One stop early voting ends
Tuesday, 3/15/16: Election day. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 a.m.
NATIONAL NEWS
 
Important Meaningful Use Information-Act Now
To ensure you remain eligible for meaningful use (MU)incentive payments, the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation's Director of Practice Improvement Terri Gonzalez strongly urges you to register your intent to submit data on the North Carolina Immunization Registry and the North Carolina Centralized Cancer Registry before the end of February. Register intent to submit via the NC DPH Meaningful Use Site for Registration of Intent.

To meet Stage 2 MU public health reporting requirements, providers must declare their intent to submit information electronically to two public health registries in the first 60 days of the year. That means practices would need to complete the process by Monday, Feb. 29 - a week from Monday.
The only specialized registry offered by NC DPH is the NC Centralized Cancer Registry, which accepts cancer reports from eligible professionals who diagnose or treat cancer.

Information about other specialized registries can be found here.

"The important thing is to show you tried or had the intent to register," Gonzalez said. "Then you'll have the paperwork to back you up and shouldn't miss this requirement to receive incentive payments."
For more information, please contact the N.C. DPH Meaningful Use Help Desk by email (ncdphmu@dhhs.nc.gov), or for questions related specifically to immunization reporting contact ncirdataexchange@dhhs.nc.gov
ITEMS OF INTEREST
 
From WNCCHS: Will you please take a quick survey about HIV Care and Prevention in western NC?
Please take the survey titled "2016 Care and Prevention Community Survey". This is a survey of providers in western NC who may be involved in any HIV care OR prevention efforts in a private practice setting, including all the Mission practices.

It is part of an 18-county needs assessment for western NC and is being required by the State. WNCCHS is coordinating the survey.
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
What is the #1 skill of a quality physician leader?
The answer may surprise you. This skill is fundamental to managing, motivating and tapping the power of your team ... whether you are a CMO in a mega-group or leading your clinical care team of nurse/MA/reception and other team members.

Remember we are all leaders. No matter what your position in the organization, there are people who look up to you for answers, guidance and wisdom ... and none of these are the mystery skill either.
You ready?
The highest quality physician leaders all have one thing in common
- they understand how to lead by asking questions ... rather than answering them
Bonus:
When you master this key skill your team will get their work done MUCH more effectively and you can stop working so hard.
Learn more in the week's Leadership Training Blog Post.
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