Western Carolina Medical Society: The Physicians' Voice for a Health Community
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April 13, 2016


In This Issue:
Sponsor Message: JPS (left)
Become Burnout-Proof - A few spaces remain at our Saturday retreat...Click here
Early Career Affinity Group 4/27/16
Your Patients Might Qualify for WIC
Pills, Lack of Behavioral Health Treatment are Biggest Threats
Mission, Angel Medical Aim to Attract More Doctors to Rural Areas
Medicaid Reform Listening Session in Asheville Draws a Packed House
MDs and RNs Debate Nursing Role at the Legislature
Bowtie Briefing for 4/8/16
White House, HHS Expand Fight Against Opioid, Heroin Abuse
A New Path for Primary Care
Drs. Campbell and Stone Earn Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification
NC Physicians: Share Your Thoughts with the Physicians Foundation and Be Entered to Win
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
Job Board & Classified Ads
UPCOMING EVENTS 
 
Become Burnout-Proof - A few spaces remain at our Saturday retreat
Click here for more information and registration. Bring your spouse or significant other. Lunch is on us!
Early Career Affinity Group 4/27/16
WCMS is hosting an Early Career Affinity Group on Wednesday, April 27th. This will be a casual mix and mingle event that provides early career physicians an opportunity to connect with each other. The event will be held at the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company in North Asheville from 5:30-7:30pm. Beer and appetizers are on us. Staff members from Johnson Price Sprinkle, PA, a WCMS Circle of Friends member, will also be joining us for this event. If you'd like to attend, please register here.
LOCAL NEWS
 
Your Patients Might Qualify for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Supplemental Nutrition Program
 Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program is designed to improve the health and well-being of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk.

Buncombe County WIC staff have been distributing outreach materials to local provider offices this month in an effort to increase participation in WIC. Many families do not realize that they can receive WIC services until their child turns 5 years old. Please encourage your Buncombe County families with young children to make a WIC appointment by calling (828) 250-5000. If your office did not receive WIC materials but would like them, please contact Sarah Bennett, BCHHS Nutrition Program Manager, at (828) 250-5000.

Who is WIC for?
* Children up to 5 years of age
* Infants
* Pregnant women
* Breastfeeding women who have had a baby in the last 12 months
* Women who have had a baby in the last 6 months

What does WIC provide?
* Healthy foods
* Health care referrals
* Breastfeeding support
* Eating tips for you and your child

Am I Eligible for WIC?
To be eligible, you or your child must:
* Live in a household with income at or below WIC guidelines (if receiving Medicaid or Food Assistance, a person automatically qualifies).

WIC Income Guidelines (effective June 1, 2015)
Family Size Annual Income Monthly Income
1 $21,775 $1,815
2 $29,471 $2,456
3 $37,167 $3,098
4 $44,863 $3,739
5 $52,559 $4,380
Pills, Lack of Behavioral Health Treatment are Biggest Threats 
Prescription drug abuse and poor access to mental health services are the biggest threats to the health of Henderson County residents, a new countywide health assessment says.
Click here to continue reading. 
Mission, Angel Medical Aim to Attract More Doctors to Rural Areas 
Macon County residents will see fresh faces at local clinics as a rural health initiative brings students and young doctors into rural communities.
Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) received $8 million in the most recent state budget to create new residency programs in general surgery and psychiatry, and to expand its existing family medicine and OBGYN programs and Mission Health clinics, including those in Franklin.
Click here to continue reading.
Medicaid Reform Listening Session in Asheville Draws a Packed House
About 200 people attended the Medicaid Reform listening session at A-B Tech on April 8, 2016. Attendees included consumers, advocates, and health care providers. Over 30 people spoke. Almost all speakers emphasized the critical need for Medicaid expansion. Over a dozen physicians offered constructive feedback and advice regarding Medicaid Reform, including standardization across plans, administrative burdens, inclusion of physician leadership and input in the roll-out, adequate reimbursement for services, meaningful metrics/outcome measures, and the need to integrate behavioral services into primary care sooner rather than later. All spoke to the need for Medicaid expansion. Samantha Read-Smith, MD, President of WCMS, spoke passionately and emphatically about the need for consumer protections in the NC law, as well as expanded Medicaid coverage for NC citizens in need. 
STATE NEWS
 
MDs and RNs Debate Nursing Role at the Legislature 
Lawmakers say they're ready to give the rules around nursing practice a vote. Is the health care community ready?

..."There are benefits for team-based protocols. Team-based protocols require physician-supervised care in the most effective way for maximizing patient safety," Docia Hickey, a neonatalogist who heads the board of directors for the N.C. Medical Society, told the committee.
Click here to continue reading. 
Bowtie Briefing 4/8/16

Chip Baggett provides an update on the DHHS Listening Sessions on Medicaid Reform and also highlights upcoming committee meetings at the General Assembly that occur before the short session begins on April 25.
Click here to view the video. 
NATIONAL NEWS
 
White House, HHS Expand Fight Against Opioid, Heroin Abuse
...The North Carolina Medicaid program, administered by the nonprofit Community Care of North Carolina, subsequently adopted the project and, since 2012, has been in the process of rolling Project Lazarus out to all of the counties in North Carolina...
Click here to continue reading. 
A New Path for Primary Care
CMS yesterday announced a program that will test a new way for primary care physicians to provide care. Physician practices that participate in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model will be required to provide 24/7 access to care and preventive services to all patients. CMS will pay incentives to participating practices, but providers could have to return those payments if their performance falls short of certain metrics under the program. CMS CMO Patrick Conway said the new primary care model will "give doctors the freedom and flexibility to practice medicine the best way they know how, to return to what matters most to doctors and their patients." (Sources: The Hill, 4/11; MedPage Today, 4/11; Modern Healthcare, 4/11; NPR's "Shots," 4/11; Politico, 4/11)
ITEMS OF INTEREST
 
Drs. Campbell and Stone Earn Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification

Ladd M. Campbell, DO and Bradley A. Stone, MD of AllCare Clinical Associates recently received Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification from the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). The pediatric anesthesiology examination is a comprehensive four-hour exam administered once a year by the ABA. To be eligible to test for this anesthesiology subspecialty certification, physicians must have a medical degree, hold a current license to practice medicine, be a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and have completed fellowship training or have practice experience in pediatric anesthesiology.
Dr. Campbell received his Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Oklahoma State University of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma and completed his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Campbell completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia at Children's Hospital Boston in Massachusetts.
Dr. Stone graduated with a Medical Degree from the Medical College of Toledo in Ohio and completed his residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida.
Anesthesiologists are licensed medical doctors who specialize in anesthesiology after completing medical school and extensive residency programs. AllCare Clinical Associates Anesthesiologists supervise CRNAs and the anesthesia care provided to patients, prepare anesthesia care plans, and administer nerve blocks and post-op pain catheters.

AllCare Clinical Associates, has been serving patients for 45 years and provides anesthesia services and perioperative care for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers of all sizes.

NC Physicians: Share Your Thoughts with the Physicians Foundation and Be Entered to Win
Have a strong opinion about physician independence or employment? What about quality reporting? Or EHRs? Now is your chance to be heard and for media and policymakers to take note. By taking just a few minutes now to complete this survey, you are joining your colleagues in letting the world know what health care trends are playing out in North Carolina and what sets North Carolina physicians apart.

This is the fourth biennial Physicians Foundation survey. The goal is to have at least 20,000 physicians nationwide take part to make the data scientifically valid. Past surveys have brought the physicians' perspective to articles, policy initiatives and white papers. This is an important way for the public to know what doctors are thinking. Please complete the survey now.
As an added incentive you'll be entered in a contest to win one of five $500 Amazon gift cards and one $5,000 Amazon gift card.
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
Compassion Fatigue, Physician Burnout and Your Emotional Bank Account

For anyone in the helping professions, Compassion Fatigue is a common occurrence.

Here is the origin of compassion fatigue, its relationship to physician burnout and what you can do when you recognize it in yourself.
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