Champions of Healthy Michigan Plan

The Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) President, Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, dFACN, was featured in an opinion piece in the Oakland Press. Dr. Piccinini was lending his voice as a Champion of Healthy Michigan.

In 2013, bi-partisan leaders in Michigan's Legislature worked together to expand insurance coverage in Michigan through the Healthy Michigan Plan. In December 2015, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services negotiated a second waiver to continue Medicaid coverage for 600,000 low-income adults. According to Crain's Detroit Business "Because Healthy Michigan, or Public Act 107, covers expenses for people who had received services previously paid for by the state general fund, the state is projected to save $983 million from 2014 to 2023, according to a report by the Ann Arbor-based Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation."

Healthy Michigan encourages self-sufficiency by requiring adults with income
levels between 100 and 133 percent of the poverty level (about $12,000 annually for an individual) who have been enrolled for four years to buy private insurance or pay higher copays and contribute more to health savings accounts. The overall goal of the Champions of Healthy Michigan is to increase legislative support of the Healthy Michigan Plan and educate the public on the success of Healthy Michigan.

Links:
Healthy Michigan Plan
Dr. Piccinini's Oakland Press Opinion Piece
DO Day on the Hill

The annual DO Day on the Hill provides an exciting opportunity for DOs and osteopathic medical students to visit Washington, D.C. and use their time to educate members of Congress and their staff on who DO's are, and why osteopathic medicine is so important.
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a group of osteopathic medicine advocates

U.S. Senator Gary Peters with osteopathic medicine advocates
U.S. Representative John Moolenaar with osteopathic medicine advocates
Pamela Kolinski, President of the American Advocates with U.S. Representative Mike Bishop

The Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) was represented by Executive Director, Kris Nicholoff, who serves on the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of State Government Affairs.
"It was an honor to be part of the process as osteopathic students from all over Michigan gained exposure to the legislative process.The students were engaged and energetic. In terms of our legislative advocacy in the future, we are in good hands," said Nicholoff.

Links:
DO Magazine "White coats converge on Capitol Hill"

DO Magazine: DOs, medical students educate nation's lawmakers on pain management

The 117th Annual Spring Scientific Convention will be May 12-15, 2016. Join us in Dearborn to reconnect with colleagues and meet new friends. To learn more about the line up of speakers and the options for attendees, click HERE
MOA Proposed Bylaw Changes  

To Members of the Michigan Osteopathic Association:
At the May 12, 2016 House of of Delegates (HOD), the proposed changes to the Bylaws will be voted on by the HOD. An email was sent to all MOA members through the MOA website and member database. The Bylaw changes for 2016 are available as a PDF file by using this link:
https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/domoa.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/HOD/2016BYLAWS_Change_CIR.pdf

Mac, iPhone and iPad users: Please note Adobe PDF reader within Safari does not immediately allow viewing a PDF file. Without configuring your Safari settings, the link provided above will not display the PDF document. If you have any issues accessing the information, a PDF file can be emailed directly to you. Simply email tross@domoa.org, with a subject line of "Bylaw Changes"
Dr. Stephen R. Bell Receives Humanitarian Service Award

Apr 12 - Stephen R. Bell, DO, has received the 2015 Humanitarian Award from ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital. The award recognizes Dr. Bell's service to the Monroe County Substance Abuse Coalition. Dr. Bell is chair of the Michigan Osteopathic Association's (MOA) Safe Opioid Use Task Force and also served on Governor Rick Snyder's Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force.

"It is an honor to receive this award, but knowing I have helped in our community is the real reward. There has been a lot of work and we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go until this crisis is averted. The importance of using best practices when prescribing narcotics could not be more critical" said Dr. Bell.
National Osteopathic Medicine Week - April 17-23


The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is promoting National Osteopathic Medicine Week (NOM) April 17 - 23rd. The AOA is looking for people to share their NOM Week moments using the hashtag #NOMWeek2016, #DoctorsthatDO or #ProudDO. Share them on the AOA Facebook wall (Osteopathic Physicians), tweet them to @AOAforDOs or email them to: NOMweek@osteopathic.org

IT News
Ransomware Attack: Restore If Possible, Pay, or Lose Patient Information
Healthcare providers are becoming a greater target for criminals who attack databases and hold the information hostage, Known as "ransomware," this practice can result in the loss of patient information, loss of business and damage to reputation. Especially concerning is that a ransomware attack can also pose a liability risk.

Craig Musgrave, Senior Vice President of Information Technology for The Doctors Company, has written a great piece on the best practices and your options in case of a ransomware attack.

Sparrow Health System with a Heart-warming Story
Sparrow Patient Story

Our friends at Sparrow Health System have a wonderful platform for news in video format (www.sparrowtv.org). A recent post offered an amazing story of a four-year old patient and the innovative approach by the Sparrow health team. The young boy had the symptoms of a stroke. He had lost  the mobility of his arms and legs, forcing a physician to make an urgent, potentially life-saving decision. 
Henry Ford Health System Installs "Wrap" Ads on Elevators

Henry Ford Health Systems has installed unique displays on their elevators. The wrap displays - an adhesive graphic applied to vehicles and other surfaces - are being used to put a personal face on patients and physicians.

One of the four images features Jasper Yung, DO, President of the Oakland County Osteopathic Association (OCOMA).
 
2015/2016 Modified Meaningful Use Rollout Schedule: 
From Michigan Health IT: CHAMPS will accept AIU registrations and attestations without interruption from now until April 30, 2016 at 11:59PM ET. Modified Meaningful Use Stage 2 registrations and attestations for the 2015 program year will be open to providers beginning February 14, 2016 through April 30, 2016. More

Student-led effort wins MSUCOM Outstanding Advancement in Osteopathic Medical Education Award:
A cooperative effort among two students and two faculty members to enhance medical students' mental health won MSUCOM the 2016 Outstanding Advancement in Osteopathic Medical Education Award. More
 
Beaumont Children's announces $1 million funding from Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: For almost 30 years, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has supported programs for children at Beaumont Health System.  Now, with the formation of Beaumont Health, the reach of this partnership is expanding for the first time to support Beaumont Children's programs across Metro Detroit. On April 15, Beaumont Children's announced $1 million in Children's Miracle Network Hospitals funding for pediatric programs at Beaumont Health's hospitals, through a series of events held in Royal Oak, Troy and Dearborn. More
 
If you have an article or online resource you would like to share with the DO Family, please contact: Todd Ross, Manager of Communications 517.827.0615 - tross@domoa.org

In Memoriam






Feb. 15, 2016 saw the passing of Howard Rossman, DO
 
Feb. 4, 2016 saw the passing of Gerald Reznick, DO
Click here for a local obituary
 
Feb. 4, 2016 saw the passing of Jack Lighton, DO
Click here for a local obituary
 
Feb. 3, 2016 saw the passing of Norman Decker, DO
 
Jan. 26, 2016 saw the passing of Wayne Meech, DO
 
Dec. 11, 2015 saw the passing of Joseph T. Rogers, DO
 
Dec. 1, 2015 saw the passing of William A. Athens Sr., DO
 
Nov. 22, 2015 saw the passing of Jesse J. Cardellio, DO

To see a list of all Michigan Osteopathic Association members who have passed, click HERE.
NMOA Summer CME 
The Northern Michigan Osteopathic Association's 2016 Summer Conference will be June 16-19, 2016, at the Mission Point Resort on beautiful Mackinac Island. Registration is open. 

The MOA Pulse is a member benefit for sharing news and events. If you have any news items you would like to share, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact:
Todd Ross
Manager of Communications
Michigan Osteopathic Association
517/827-0615
Michigan Osteopathic Association | 800.657.1556 | www.domoa.org