State's Deaths from Accidental Overdose Continue to Spike

Maine's Attorney General Janet Mills announced last week that overdose deaths are up 50% over the same time last year. In the first six months of this year, 189 Mainers died as a result of a drug overdose.

Maine had a record 272 overdose deaths in 2015 following 208 such deaths in 2014. The number of deaths in both 2014 and 2015 were records numbers at that time. This year's deaths are on track to reach 378 which would be a new record. The overdose numbers are the result of a preliminary analysis by Marci Sorg, PhD., a University of Maine anthropologist who analyzes overdose deaths under a contract with the office of the Attorney General. The data comes largely from the office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Annual Session CME Program Features Program on Resilience
The Saturday (Sept. 10) program features four physicians and a PA who have extensive experience in resilience and burn-out prevention.  Dr. Jo Shapiro serves as Chief, Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.  She was one of the first women division chiefs and was recently named as a finalist for the Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award.  Dr. George "Joe" Dreyer, knowing what a habit of mindfulness brought to his life and career at Maine Medical Center, started offering a Mindful Practice of Medicine course and helped create a medical staff subcommittee on provider health and resilience.  Dr. Christine Hein, who is the medical director of the MMC Emergency Medicine workgroup, knows first-hand the pressure doctors face in their daily work and how important self-resiliency strategies can be in maintaining ideal standards of care for patients.  Ben Tipton, PAC, has been working to improve resiliency at the MidCoast Hospital and has built a Mindfulness-based stress reduction program which is providing training for an increasing number of staff.  Dr. David Strassler is the chair of the Martin's Point Provider Resiliency Team and has recently undertaken a drive to reduce burdensome paperwork.

Renew Your Joy & Passion in Medicine. Sept. 9-11 in Bar Harbor.

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Resolutions on Marijuana Legalization and Health Care Reform to be Debated at Annual Session

MMA members will have an opportunity to consider and debate two important Resolutions during the General Membership meeting on Saturday morning, September 10th at the Harborside Hotel & Marina.  

Resolution #1, regarding Legalization of Marijuana comes from the MMA Board of Directors and it would put the MMA on the record publicly in opposition to legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. This issue is the subject of Question 1 on Maine's General Election ballot on November 8, 2016. MMA recently conducted a SurveyMonkey poll on this topic and, while it is clear that physicians have mixed views on this topic, a majority of respondents replied that the MMA should take a position on Question 1 and that the appropriate position for MMA would be to "oppose" the legalization. You can find Resolution #1 on the MMA web site here.

Resolution #2, regarding Maine Medical Association Statement on Reform of the U.S. Health Care System comes from the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform through the MMA Board of Directors. This Resolution proposes an updated policy statement on health care reform, replacing a 2002 Resolution and a 2003 White Paper that was reaffirmed in 2009. You can find Resolution #2 on the MMA web site here.

MMA members are encouraged to become familiar with the content of these Resolutions and to come to the General Membership meeting to participate in the debate of them.

If you have questions about these Resolutions, please contact Gordon Smith, EVP at gsmith@mainemed.com or 622-3374, ext. 212.  [return to top]

Baystate Financial to sponsor Nancy Hathaway presentation at MMA’s 163rd Annual Session
In continuing their joint initiative with the MMA to help meet the Financial Wellbeing needs of our members, Baystate Financial has agreed to sponsor our Sunday speaker, Nancy Hathaway, who will be presenting and leading a discussion on Simple Mindfulness Applications to Cultivate Joy & Passion in Work & Life.

For the past three years, Baystate and the MMA have joined together to create the Fiscal Fitness for Life initiative. From supplying speakers for our meetings, sponsoring semi-annual seminars and providing timely articles in our quarterly Maine Medicine newsletter, Baystate has been active in providing Financial Education opportunities to our members. “With so much now being written about the negative impact financial stress has on our emotional and physical wellbeing, we believe that being able to sponsor Nancy Hathaway’s presentation is a natural fit for us” says Lawrence Perry, CLU,ChFC,CLTC of Baystate Financial. Perry continued, “Increasing stress in the workplace is challenging enough, no one needs to bring the added pressure of financial matters into the daily responsibility of patient care.”

Similar with our Fiscal Fitness for Life initiative we hope Nancy’s valuable insight and practical strategies will have a beneficial impact on the overall wellbeing of Maine’s physician community.”

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MMA Endorses DrFirst for Electronic Prescribing of Opioids Required July 1, 2017

The Maine Medical Association has selected DrFirst as its exclusive partner in providing electronic prescribing of controlled substances solutions to MMA members. DrFirst will market its products to MMA members in partnership with the Association and MMA will be paid a royalty in connection with each successful sale. 

The new state law limiting prescribing of pain medication requires the electronic prescribing of opioid medication as of July 1, 2017 and DrFirst is one of the vendors certified by the DEA to meet the federal regulatory requirements for sending a prescription for a controlled substance to a pharmacy.

Members wishing to receive a call or visit from representatives of the company may contact Rick Friedman at (301) 231-9510  ext. 2975, or rfriedman@drfirst.com . Representatives of the company will also be exhibiting at the MMA Annual Session Sept. 9-11 in Bar Harbor.

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AAP Recommends Elimination of Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions

The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a new policy statement, “Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care and School Attendance,” which recommends that only medical exemptions be allowed for vaccine requirements for child care and school attendance. Along with that policy statement the AAP also published a new clinical report, “Countering Vaccine Hesitancy,” which urges pediatricians to have compassionate dialogues with parents about vaccine misconceptions, safety, and importance.

The policy statement discusses the public health effects of immunization exemptions, pointing out that higher rates of exemptions correlate with higher rates of vaccine-preventable illnesses and disease outbreaks. These outbreaks are exacerbated because of the fact that families with similar sociocultural beliefs often live near each other or attend the same schools, which in turn results in population clusters with lower immunization rates leading to significantly decreased community immunity.

In its policy statement the AAP recommends supporting:

·         laws requiring certification of immunization to attend child care or school;

·         medically indicated exemptions to specific immunizations as determined for each individual student;

·         use of state public health authority to eliminate nonmedical exemptions;

·         compliance with immunization requirements by all child care centers, schools, and other covered entities; and

·         provision of information about immunization rates in child care centers, schools, and other covered entities by public health authorities to their communities in order to determine risks to community immunity.

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Data Breach Workshop September 14th in Wiscasset

Data breaches and identity theft are being focused more and more on small businesses and professional practices. In addition to the substantial costs of dealing with the direct effects of such incursions, medical practices must also face the fact that a data breach is also a HIPAA violation.

On Wednesday, September 14th, Maine Identity Services will present a 4 hour workshop on data breaches and identity theft. The workshop will focus on how a practice can continue to function during and after a data breach, and will address what you and your employees can do before a breach that will make an enormous difference if you have a breach. 

The workshop is specifically designed for managers who aren't technology savvy but who need to know:

• How do we put a plan together?

• How do we continue to function during a breach?

• Do we have to notify anyone? How quickly?

• Are we supposed to offer credit monitoring?

• What will it cost?

• What resources do we need?

Faculty will include experts who know what it’s like to have a breach and how to respond to the public and the press: 

• Special Agent James Corbett, FBI, Boston Division

• David B. McConnell, Litigation Department Chair, Perkins Thompson Attorneys and Counselors at Law

• Diana Ichton Nelson, Award-winning television journalist and public relations expert

• Rob Oakley, HIS Manager, Bucksport Regional Health Center

• Jane Carpenter, Founder, Maine Identity Services

Date: September 14, 2016

Time: 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon

Place: Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission, 297 Bath Road, Wiscasset

Cost: $100 for businesses, $75 for nonprofits

Seating is limited and all ticket sales are in advance on Eventbrite at:  DATA BREACH: DAY ONE!

For more information, contact Maine Identity Services, LLC at (855) 463-4343 or info@meidhelp.com  [return to top]

ICD 10 Grace Period Ends October 1st

When the new ICD-10 coding requirement was established, CMS allowed clinicians a one-year grace period (called the year of "ICD-10 flexibilities") during which they could continue to use the unspecified ICD109 codes even when a specific one is warranted by the medical record. That grace period, intended to allow physicians to ease into the more specific coding requirements, comes to an end on October 1, 2016.

During that time CMS accepted claims so long as they were coded with a valid ICD-10 code from the right family, three-character codes referring to broad categories of diagnoses. The policy is so generous that it even allows for errors as long as they are within the correct code family.

All that will change on October 1st. As of that date, physicians will need to select the exact, correct code supported by evidence in the medical record in order for claims to be approved. So much as you would like to focus simply on treating your patients with the highest degree of medical knowledge and skill, after October 1 you will also have to make sure your coding is specific and directly supported by the specificity of your patient's medical record in order to be paid. Don't be an audit victim! [return to top]

Louisiana State Medical Society Establishes Disaster Relief Fund

In light of recent devastating flooding in Louisiana, the Louisiana State Medical Society has created a disaster relief fund to which any person, company, or other entity can contribute. The LSMS has been inundated with calls of concern of how to best help Louisiana’s people in need, specifically the medical community. These funds will be used to assist with the needs of the affected communities through parish medical societies.

“In the Baton Rouge area, things are far from normal for many but they are making progress and each day it gets a little bit better,” according to Jeff Williams, Executive Vice President and CEO of the LSMS. “It’s been fantastic watching the overall relief efforts from individuals, churches, small businesses, large corporations, and others.  Maybe we’re not as bad off as a society as many people would have us believe.” 

Please click below if you wish to donate to the LSMS Disaster Relief Fund. If you would like to donate directly and immediately, please make checks payable to LSMS ERF, 6767 Perkins Road, Ste. 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.

For more information or questions regarding the fund, please contact Kayne Daigle, kayne@lsms.org. 

Healthcare 4 ME Announces Fall Conference

Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Health Care for Maine Conference, sponsored in part by Consumers for Affordable Health Care, the Maine Medical Association, the Maine Primary Care Association, the Maine Children’s Alliance and others.

Logistics:

Friday, September 30, 2016, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Augusta Civic Center

76 Community Drive, Augusta

The conference theme is Health as a Human Right: Exploring the Right to Health. This year's conference will offer two interchangeable tracks: an Advocacy Track and an Enrollment Track. The Advocacy Track will explore what it means to have the Right to Health and how to address the underlying social determinants of health. The Enrollment Track will explore information enrollment professionals will need or want to know. 

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Andrea S. Christopher, MD, MPH. Dr. Christopher is a General Internal Medicine Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance whose passion for social justice motivates advocacy and research addressing disparities in access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Discounted registration fees are available through September 1st.

Register Now!

Upcoming Events

MPCA HPV Summit: Improving Rates to Reduce Cancer in Maine 

August 24, 2016 

10:00am - 2:00pm 

Bangor Saving Bank (Dirigo Conference Room) - Augusta, ME

We hope you will join us for a half day summit to discuss promising practices in completing the HPV series through collaboration between state agencies, schools, medical providers and community partners. We are excited to showcase the work in Rhode Island for their Vaccinate Before you Graduate program, in addition to sharing the most up to date evidence around the HPV vaccine and its effectiveness in preventing cancers in both men and women.  

Registration: http://www.cvent.com/d/pvqj10                   Fee: $25

Agenda

10:00-10:30:    Welcome, CDC “You Are the Key Presentation”  

   - Jessica Reed, GNP-C, American Cancer Society

10:30-11:00:    What to know about HPV Related Cancers

11:00-12:00:    Perspectives from the Field: Practice-based strategies for improving HPV rates

-  Theresa Knowles, FNP-C, Penobscot Community Health Care

-  Jessica Reed, GNP-C, American Cancer Society 

12:00-12:45:        Lunch (provided)

12:45- 2:00:         Innovative Programs in New England: Vaccinate Before You Graduate – Rhode Island

-   Randall Linn, CEO, The Wellness Company

-   Lesa Volpe, Vaccinate Before You Graduate, The Wellness Company

2:00 PM                Thank You and Evaluations

This Summit is being offered through a partnership of the American Cancer Society and the Maine Primary Care Association, with support from the Maine AHEC Network.

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Maine Medical Association’s Council on Continuing Medical Education and Accreditation (MMA CCMEA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. UNECOM has requested that the AOA Council on Continuing Medical Education approve this program for 3.25 hours of AOA Category 1B CME credits.  Approval is currently pending. 

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163rd Annual Session

  September 9-11, 2016

Harborside Hotel - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Risk Adjustment Documentation & Coding Seminar

  September 15-16, 2016

Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel - Portsmouth, NH

Do you contract with a Medicare Advantage Organization or other payer using a risk adjustment methodology? Are your coders accurately capturing chronic health conditions? Does the thought of risk adjustment coding keep you up at night?

Join the Baker Newman Noyes (BNN) revenue cycle team, including certified risk adjustment coders (CRC™), for a two-day seminar for healthcare professionals interested in risk adjustment documentation and coding. While risk adjustment has been around for a long time, a solid understanding is essential for proper documentation of a patient's overall health status. BNN has put together a hands-on program to ensure an understanding of risk adjustment coding, the importance of documentation, how to optimize and improve overall risk scores, and much more.

We are excited to offer this comprehensive two-day workshop that will also help in preparation for the Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC™) examination offered through the AAPC.

   For more information and to register click here. Act now to take advantage of early bird pricing.

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15th Annual Downeast Ophthalmology Symposium

Topics include Glaucoma, Cataract, and Uveitis.  Michael X. Repka, MD, MBA will deliver the Keynote address on Ophthalmology in an Era of Health Care Evolution.  There will also be time to enjoy the beautiful area!

For more information and to register visit: https://maineeyemds.com/symposium-home or contact Shirley Goggin at 207-445-2260 or sgoggin@mainemed.com.

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MaineGeneral Medical Center's 2016 Geriatric Symposium

October 6, 2016 

7:45am - 4:30pm

Alfond Center for Health - Augusta, ME

MCMI Training Programs - Level 1 and Level 2

October 25, 2016

When and where held:  On October 25, 2016, the Maine Concussion Management Initiative will present Level 1 and Level 2 Training as the Youth Concussion Track at the Brain Injury Association of America-Maine Chapter's 7th Annual Conference on Defining Moments in Brain Injury in Portland at USM.

Training Programs:             

Level 1 – An Introduction to Concussions and Concussion Management

Speaker: Deb Nichols, CPNP or Peter Sedgwick, MD or Bill Heinz, MD

Level of Difficulty: beginner

Content:  The Diagnostic and Return to Play Dilemma, How Concussion Occurs and Pathophysiology, Concussion Signs and Symptoms, Concussion Evaluation Tools, Concussion Treatment, Recovery Epidemiology, Return to Function – Academics and Play, Risk Factors and Protective Equipment, Short and Long Term Sequelae, Neurocognitive Testing, Concussion Sideline Assessment, Key Points

Level 2 – Advanced Concussion Management (Level 1 is a prerequisite for taking Level 2)

Speaker: Paul Berkner, DO

Level of Difficulty: intermediate

Content: Updates from Zurich 2012, Using ImPACT Testing in Concussion Management, Interpreting   

ImPACT Test Results, Concussion Case Reviews

Schedule: Conference - 7:30pm to 4:30pm

MCMI Level 1: 9:30am to 1:00pm

MCMI Level 2: 1:30pm to 4:30pm                                                   

Registration:

Fee: $100 for all participants for the entire day

How to register: online atwww.biausa.org then click on BIAA-Maine (in the menu on the left)

CMEs will be provided. Exact contact hours not determined at this time

For more information contact:

Jan Salis, PT, ATC, MCMI - Membership and Education Committee - Chair

jsalis@aol.com or (207) 577-2018

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Maine Health Management Coalition and Maine Medical Association's 2016 Symposium

Thursday, October 27 

Holiday Inn By The Bay, Portland

About the Symposium

For this year's symposium we will be continuing to highlight and explore actionable strategies that each of us can take to help improve health and lower costs.  Our keynote speaker, David Blumenthal, MD, President of The Commonwealth Fund, will share examples of how organizations around the country are getting more value from their health care dollars, and breakout sessions will dive into the details to highlight individual efforts that organizations in our state can emulate.  There will be presentations on tackling prescription drug abuse for providers and employers, alternative payment arrangements being tested through employer/provider partnerships, and overview of how MACRA will impact the payment landscape in our state, and more!

When: Thursday, October 27, 2016, 8am - 5pm

Where: Holiday Inn By The Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland ME 04101

Register at  https://www.cvent.com/events/mhmc-mma-annual-symposium/registration-2518042715b34604b410c658a1a32973.aspx

Job Openings

Maine Medical Partners is seeking a PT BC/BE internal medicine physician for their Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. 

The Clinic is the primary outpatient teaching site for Maine Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Residency Program and is the medical home for a culturally diverse population.  The ideal candidate will have an interest in residency education and international/immigrant patient care.  The clinical portion of the position involves a mix of direct patient care and the precepting of Internal Medicine Residents. 

Maine Medical Center has 637 licensed beds and is the state’s leading tertiary care hospital, with a full complement of residencies and fellowships and an integral part of Tufts University Medical School. 

For more information please contact Alison C. Nathanson, Director, MaineHealth Physician Recruitment Center at (207) 661-7383 or nathaa@mainehealth.org.

9/5/16

FAMILY MEDICINE/OUTPATIENT INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN  

The Maine Highlands offers great outdoor adventures, historic and cultural experiences, many culinary delights and unexpected entertainment opportunities.  KVHC’s newest clinic, Brownville, is located in the Maine Highlands and Katahdin Region.  As a result of this continuous growth, Katahdin Valley Health Center is recruiting a Family Medicine/ Outpatient Internal Medicine Physician that is committed to providing quality health care services to the people in the Brownville/Millinocket Maine regions.   KVHC’s clinics are outpatient only and offers a four day work week with a competitive salary and benefit package which includes: a 10% of first year salary sign on bonus, generous amounts of paid time off and $2500 annually toward CME. Physicians who join KVHC are eligible to apply for NHSC Loan Repayment.  

To learn more about KVHC and Practitioner Opportunities, please contact Michelle LeFay at mlefay@kvhc.org or visit our website at www.kvhc.org.  KVHC is an equal opportunity employer.

8/29/16

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