Western Carolina Medical Society: The Physicians' Voice for a Health Community
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October 19, 2016

In This Issue:
Register Now: Hepatitis C Academic Mentorship Boot Camp
Register Now: Women in Medicine Affinity Group 11/2/16
The Physicians' Voice in the News
Order Now: 2016-17 Physician "Blue Book" Directories
WCMS "Get Out the Vote" Materials Available Now
MIPS Breakdown: 7 Must-know Parts of the MACRA Final Rule
BREAKING: Final MACRA Rule Expands Exemptions, Flexibility
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
Job Board & Classified Ads
UPCOMING EVENTS 
 
Register Now: Hepatitis C Academic Mentorship Boot Camp 10/27/16
Registration is now open for the Hepatitis C Academic Mentorship Boot Camp brought to you by NC Hepatitis C: Test, Link, Cure (TLC). Training is supported by the collaborative efforts provided by the North Carolina Division of Public Health, Communicable Disease Branch; the University of North Carolina, and Duke University.
Click here for more information. 
Register Now: Women in Medicine Affinity Group 11/2/16
The final Women in Medicine affinity group of 2016 is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2nd. The theme of this event will be alternative medicine and we will be joined by local female practitioners from various fields for a Q&A. We will kick off the evening with a short tai chi session led by WCMS member, Dr. Sharon Sweede. The event will be at the Asheville Event Center from 6-8pm. Drinks and appetizers will be served. Space is limited, so please register if you wish to attend. 
LOCAL NEWS
 
The Physicians' Voice in the News
WCMS is proud to announce another high quality addition to the series of
"The Physicians' Voice," a series of media presentations for the general public that showcase physicians' world-class medical expertise and focus on patient/community health.

Dr. Rachel Raab is a hematologist/oncologist with Cancer Care of Western North Carolina with an expertise in breast cancer. She is a member of the Western Carolina Medical Society. She sees patients at both the SECU Cancer Center and Hope Women's Cancer Center. The article is titled "Know and Reduce your Breast Cancer Risks"

Excerpt:
"As a breast medical oncologist, patients ask me on a daily basis why they developed breast cancer and what they can do, in addition to recommended treatment, to reduce their risk for recurrence. Many patients are shocked by their diagnosis, as they are the first person in their family to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer, following non-melanomatous skin cancer, is the most common cancer in American women. About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. I explain to my patients that there are many factors that contribute to development of breast cancer but that many women with risk factors never develop breast cancer."
Click here to read the full article. 
Order Now: 2016-17 Physician "Blue Book" Directories
The 2016-17 Physician Directory listing over 1,600 WNC Physicians is now available.  Order yours now!

Remember, the price is discounted if you are a 100% Member Practice. Contact membership@mywcms.org if you're not sure. 
Get Your WCMS Medicaid Expansion Materials
WCMS is excited to announce that we have prepared some materials to help you educate your patients and staffs about the very important issue of Medicaid Expansion. We have a poster for exam/waiting rooms as well as bookmarks that a consumer may take with them.

Click the image to preview the materials.
Contact membership@mywcms.org to request materials for your practice
NATIONAL NEWS
 
MIPS Breakdown: 7 Must-know Parts of the MACRA Final Rule
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act final rule is here. As industry experts begin to dig into the 2,400-page document released Friday, a few details are emerging that will be critical for providers who plan to practice fee-for-service medicine in 2017.

Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified registered nurse anesthetists who bill more than $30,000 a year or provide care for at least 100 patients under traditional, fee-for-service Medicare will be subject to MACRA's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System beginning Jan. 1.
Click here to continue reading. 
BREAKING: Final MACRA Rule Expands Exemptions, Flexibility
Nearly a third of physicians could be exempt from Medicare's new merit-based incentive payment system under a final rule the CMS issued Friday for implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. The CMS also signaled it would broaden the opportunities for physicians to participate in alternative models that make them eligible for bigger rate increases and bonuses. 
Click here to continue reading. 
ITEMS OF INTEREST
 
Preventing Burnout: Finding Joy in Medicine
"Physicians, disillusioned by the productivity orientation of administrators and absence of affirmation for the values and relationships that sustain their sense of purpose, need enlightened leaders who recognize that medicine is a human endeavor and not an assembly line. Health planners need to be aware of human limitations-physical, cognitive,and emotional-when layering increasing demands on individual physicians. Health-care organisations should move beyond a culture of endurance, which overvalues stoicism and dismisses complaints as signs of weakness, and help clinicians be better at selfcare than they are at present."
Click here to continue reading. 
Job Board & Classified Ads
Payment Posting Specialist - Allergy Partners
Nurse Practitioner - Asheville Head, Neck and Ear Surgeons
Part Time Medical Assistant - Grace Evins, MD
Medical Assistant - Vickery Family Medicine
Physician Wanted - Western Carolina Community Health Services

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