Sponsor Message:
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Take WCMS' Opioid Prescribing/Pain Management Survey
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Miriam Schwarz, along with medical student Anne Cotter and Drs. Richard Bunio (Cherokee Indian Hospital) and MaryShell Zaffino (Blue Ridge Community Health Services), are participating in the 2017 NCMS Leadership College. The NCMS Leadership College Program "builds and enhances physician and PA leadership skills and equips graduates to become more influential in motivating and inspiring their peers to be leaders in their medical settings and their communities." Dr. Bunio, Anne and Miriam are carrying out their 2017 leadership project as a team. Their project involves collecting data about physician attitudes and practices related to opioid prescribing and pain management.
Please fill out this quick survey (less than 10 minutes) so that we have a robust data set to analyze and share with you. |
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Register Now: MMMP HOPE Banquet 5/25/17
| On May 25, 2017, the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), Mission Health, the Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) will host the annual Minority Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP) HOPE Banquet.
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Register Now: WCMS Emeritus Luncheon 6/7/17
| Join us for the second quarterly luncheon of the WCMS Emertitus group. Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, Medical Director, Buncombe County Health Department. She will present on current public health topics facing western North Carolina.
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Register Now: Legislative Update from NCMS in Asheville 6/15/17
| NCMS Lobbyist Chip Baggett will be in Asheville Thursday, June 15 at 6 p.m. to report current legislative activity in Raleigh and do a Q & A for WCMS members.
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Innovative Practices: Surgical Specialists of North Carolina - Dr. Jerimiah Mason
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Dr. Jerimiah Mason is an independently practicing physician in Asheville who specializes in minimally invasive procedures for abdominal and GI surgeries, as well as vein disease treatments.
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Public Input Session on Medicaid and NC Health Choice Transformation Draws Big Crowd in Asheville
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On Friday May 12, the NC Department of Health and Human Services hosted a public input session on Medicaid and NC Health Choice Transformation. Well over 100 people filled the Ferguson Auditorium at AB Technical College to listen and provide input on the future of health care in North Carolina. Any attendee who wished to speak was allowed 2 minutes at the podium to advocate for changes they'd like in the state's health care system. Speakers included patients, doctors, nurses, medical residents, physical therapists, local health care advocates and key community members, among many others. A majority of those who spoke emphasized problems with the current Medicaid system and the need for universal healthcare. Many also advocated for addressing health disparities, reducing administrative burden on physicians, and better systems for those suffering from addiction.
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How Health Care Policy Is Shaping Services In Rural North Carolina
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Mission Health, a hospital system in Western North Carolina, announced this week that it would close its maternity ward at Angel Hospital in Franklin, North Carolina. The hospital serves a mostly low-income, rural population. Mission Health said it cut the hospital's labor and delivery services to remain solvent in the face of low reimbursement rates.
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NC Residents Get Less from Republican Health Care Plan
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ASHEVILLE - Federal spending to help lower- and middle-income wage earners buy health insurance would drop dramatically in North Carolina under the health care law winning approval in the U.S. House last week.
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Bowtie Briefing with NCMS' Chip Baggett 5/12/17
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Cyber-alert from the AMA
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The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has received multiple reports of 'WannaCry' (also known as 'WannaCrypt') ransomware infections in several countries around the world and in the United States. Some of these infections are impacting patient access to care. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users' access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Individuals and organizations are discouraged from paying the ransom, as this does not guarantee access will be restored.
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CMS Ruling: Prolonged Services Without Direct Face-to-Face Patient Contact Separately Payable Under the Physician Fee Schedule
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Healthy Healer
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EHRs, Hectic Work Environment Drive Family Doctors' Burnout
Workplace factors like electronic health records and a hectic environment are major factors for family physicians with job burnout, according to a new survey.
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WCMS Physician Members have FREE Access to the DocBookMD App
| If you are a WCMS member physician, then you have access to the DocBookMD smartphone app that allows physicians to:
* Send HIPAA-compliant text messages and photos. Message content can include diagnosis, test results, or medical history. Physicians can also add a high-resolution image of an EKG, an X-ray, lab report, or anything that can be photographed with a smartphone.
* Assign an urgency setting to outgoing text messages. Physicians can assign each message a 5-minute, 15-minute, or normal response time
* Enable enhanced notifications. The email feature will send a weekly reminder to view DocBookMD messages.
* Search the Western Carolina Medical Society directory. Physicians can look up other physicians in their region by first or last name or by specialty. Physicians can then contact other physicians by messaging, office phone, cell phone, or email.
* Search a local pharmacy directory. Users can also create a "favorites" list of physicians or pharmacies.
Join the mobile revolution and sign up for your DocBookMD account today. Questions? Contact us.
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WCMS Job Board
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If you are a 100% Member Practice, posting job openings here is FREE! Click here for more information.
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WCMS is a thriving 650+ member professional association of the physicians of Western North Carolina, and a chartered component medical society of the NC Medical Society and the AMA. WCMS is an organization run by physicians, for physicians. In 2017, WCMS opened membership to physician assistants.
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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