2015 NCMS Annual Meeting: "Resilience in Challenging Times"
The 161st NCMS Annual Meeting & House of Delegates Meets This Friday!
October 23-24, 2015 at the Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC
Pre-registration for this meeting has now closed; if you are interested in attending any meeting events, you may register on-site at the NCMS Meeting Registration Desk at the Grandover Resort.
If you are a delegate and need to download the HOD packet materials, please visit www.ncmedsoc.org/hod. This section is password-protected; if you did not receive the email that provided this password, please contact Kristen Shipherd, [email protected].
For all other meeting details, please visit www.ncmedsoc.org/annualmeeting.
For questions regarding this meeting, please contact Nancy Lowe, [email protected].
Download the Meeting Schedule 
Download the On-Site Brochure
Bowtie Briefing for July 24, 2015
Get the latest update on two bills, one impacting physician assistants and the other on how you talk to your patients about guns in the home.
To sign up to receive this video briefing by email, please contact [email protected] and provide your name and email address, placing "Bowtie Briefing" in the subject line.
Interested in attending a White Coat Wednesday? Get more details or contact Chip Baggett.
Get your weekly advocacy "Bowtie Briefing" from NCMS Legislative Director Chip Baggett
To help you stay informed about what is going on at the North Carolina General Assembly and how it may affect your practice, Chip Baggett, NCMS Director of Legislative Relations, offers this 6-minute video update. Our intention is to offer these “Bowtie Briefings” each Friday for the remainder of the legislative session.
Please email us if you would like to continue to receive these videos each week, and we’ll add you to our Bowtie Briefing mailing list. Leave us your comments below.
2015 NCMS Photo Contest Now Underway
2015 NCMS Photo Contest Now Open
Deadline: July 31, 2015
Now in its seventh year, the NCMS Photo Contest is an annual tradition that has gained national recognition, and we want you to be a part of it! Submissions are currently being accepted for the 2015 contest. Think you have the perfect picture to send in? Check out the rules below (please note: some of the rules have changed from previous years!).
The rules:
- Contest participants are limited to current NCMS members (member physicians, PAs, residents, and medical students) only; the NCMS member must be the photographer of the image submitted.
- Submit one image by Friday, July 31, 2015. If you need ideas on what appeals to the judges, review the work of last year's finalists.
- There will be three categories in the contest this year. Please submit images that fall into one of these three and be sure to tell us under which category you are submitting your image:
- Nature (animals, plants, landscapes)
- North Carolina (images should be of locations within the state)
- Travel (send in your best vacation shots)
- Shots should be of landscapes, animals, or abstracts, preferably horizontal in layout; images of people/portraits are generally discouraged, as photo permissions are hard to acquire;
- Please state the title of your photo, where the photo was taken, and any other information you would like to include about the image;
- Photos may be in color or black-and-white;
- Please limit photo manipulation (i.e. Photoshop). Acceptable photo manipulations include minimal dodging/burning or color correction as well as cropping of the original image. The contest is based on photographic skills and highly altered images are not currently accepted.
- NCMS staff members will pick the 13 finalists whose work will be on display in the 2016 Member Calendar.
- The grand-prize winner and category winners will be chosen by a panel of NCMS staff and affiliated jury members;
- The contest finalists will also have their images voted on by the public, with a "Viewer's Choice" award going to the winner of online voting.
Prizes:
- Grand prize winner: $200 giftcard and placement on the cover of the 2016 NCMS Member Calendar
- Nature category winner: $100 giftcard
- North Carolina category winner: $100 giftcard
- Travel category winner: $100 giftcard
- Other finalists: $25 giftcard and NCMS gift pack
- All contest participants will receive an NCMS gift pack
How to Enter:
Send your high-resolution images (jpg, tif, eps, or png at least 300 dpi) sized at least to 8" x 10" by any method below:
- Email your file to [email protected]
- Upload your digital file
- Mail a CD/flash drive with your images to NCMS, PO Box 27167, Raleigh, NC 27611 Attn: Kristen Shipherd.
The top 13 photographs will be decided by August 17, when voting opens to the public to determine the "Viewer's Choice" winner.
Medical Mutual to Assume Policies from Healthcare Providers Insurance Exchange
Medical Mutual Insurance Company (MMIC) announced today that it will acquire the rights, title, interests in, and the policies of Healthcare Providers Insurance Exchange (HPIX). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“Joining Medical Mutual advances HPIX as the leading brand for medical professional liability insurance in the Mid-Atlantic and preserves the physician owned, customer centricity of HPIX’s insurance platform,” said Tom Gaudiosi, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HPIX. “With so much insurance M&A focused on cost, this transaction is unique because it is precipitated by a strategy to build worth and unlock value for our current and future members. Through an intense and diligent search, we found Medical Mutual to be the most symbiotic and synergistic partner. There is an obvious fit between HPIX and Medical Mutual that will be apparent to our policyholders as we deliver tangible benefits that will ensure their long-term success.”
“The addition of HPIX policyholders to Medical Mutual will provide benefits to both sides,” said Dale Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Medical Mutual. “The partnership expands Medical Mutual’s geographic footprint into the Mid-Atlantic States and continues the HPIX legacy of providing outstanding service, products, and resources to policyholders. Medical Mutual and HPIX share a culture and philosophy focused on serving physician members.”
Upon completion of the transaction, Medical Mutual will offer employment to a majority of current HPIX employees who are integral to the future growth and success of the organization. “We are delighted to welcome a very experienced and talented team of HPIX professionals, in addition to their clients, agents, and brokers, to Medical Mutual,” said Jenkins. “As we continue to witness the expansion and growth of regional physician practices throughout the country, we are excited to work with their agents and brokers to build upon the HPIX franchise and expand the reach of Medical Mutual into the Mid-Atlantic.”
The closing of the acquisition is subject to approval by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and North Carolina Department of Insurance, as well as other customary closing conditions. Pending those approvals, the acquisition is expected to close later this year.
Learning Opportunities
June 12, 2015, for Go SIMple, an opportunity to learn about the hottest trends in simulation education from experts. The training session will be held at Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lillington, NC.
Thursday, June 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a National Provider Call in which subject matter experts will present strategies and resources to help you prepare for ICD-10. Registration is open.
Thursday, June 18 - 9 to 11 a.m. – NCTracks Recipient Eligibility Verification training. Learn to use the Eligibility Verification System (EVS), which provides information regarding a recipient's eligibility for services in real time. At the end of training, providers will be able to submit an Individual Recipient Eligibility Inquiry, submit a Batch Eligibility Inquiry, and view an Eligibility Response. This course will be taught at the CSC facility in Raleigh. The course includes hands-on training and will be limited to 45 participants.
Register for these courses in SkillPort, the NCTracks Learning Management System. Log on to the secure NCTracks Provider Portal and click Provider Training to access SkillPort. Open the folder labeled Provider Computer-Based Training (CBT) and Instructor Led Training (ILT). The courses can be found in the sub-folder labeled ILTs: On-site, listed by topic.
Move to Value Summit, the ultimate primer on value-based health care will be held at Biotech Place in Winston-Salem Aug. 27-28. Hosted by CHESS Health Enablement Solutions and sponsored by Wake Forest Baptist Health and LabCorp, the Move to Value Summit is designed to provide you with a broad and deep understanding of what it takes to transform your fee-for-service-dependent organization to one rooted in pay-for-value. Learn more and register.
Registration is now open for NCHICA’s 21st Annual Conference & Exhibition with this year’s theme Transforming Healthcare from Volume to Value, is scheduled for September 13-16, 2015 at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC. The conference provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest developments and best practices in health IT and network with your peers. For further details, click here. The registration fee is $475 NCHICA members/$675 non-members. For further details, click here. Fees will increase after August 13, so please register early! NCHICA has a special group rate at the Pinehurst Resort of $205/night, which is good until August 13, 2015. For further details on how to register at the special rate, click here.
Practice in the Triangle? Come to the May 15 NCMS Mixer!
May 15, 2015 - DuBose House, Rizzo Center, Chapel Hill
Open House from 5:30pm-7:30pm
Physicians, PAs, and students in and around the Triangle area are invited to attend this informal mixer, where attendees can meet with NCMS Board members and mingle with peers.
Invite your spouse to come along to this free event and make it a date night! Dress is casual; drinks and hors d'oeuvres are on us.
Register today or learn more at www.ncmedsoc.org/mixer.
For questions regarding this event, please contact Will Barnett, (919) 833-3836 x 130, [email protected]. Future mixers are planned in other areas of the state; stay tuned!
Learning Opportunities
Diagnostic Error…It Happens! The NCQC Patient Safety Organization invites you to their May 5 webinar from 11 am – noon as Dr. Mark Graber, a national leader in the field of patient safety, addresses the reality of diagnostic errors. To Register: Click Here
NCTracks Training Courses Available in May 2015. Unless otherwise noted, all courses will be offered at the CSC facility in Raleigh and involves hands-on training. Enrollment will be limited to 45 participants. To register for these courses logon to the secure NCTracks Provider Portal and click Provider Training to access SkillPort. Open the folder labeled Provider Computer-Based Training (CBT) and Instructor Led Training (ILT). The courses can be found in the sub-folders labeled ILTs: On-site and ILTs: Remote via WebEx, depending on the format of the course. Refer to the Provider Training page of the public Provider Portal for specific instructions on how to use SkillPort.
- Tuesday, May 5 - 1 to 2:30 p.m. - Managed Care Referrals and Overrides shows authorized users how to submit Managed Care Referrals and inquire about Managed Care Referrals and Overrides.
- Thursday, May 7 - 9 to 11 a.m. - Recipient Eligibility Verification teaches providers to use the Eligibility Verification System (EVS), which provides information regarding a recipient's eligibility for services in real time.
- Monday, May 18 - 9 a.m. to noon - Provider Web Portal Applications Webinar (WebEx) will guide providers through the process of submitting all types of provider applications found on the NCTracks Provider Portal. This course is taught via WebEx and can be attended remotely from any location with a telephone, computer and internet connection. The WebEx will be limited to 115 participants.
- Wednesday, May 27 - 9:30 a.m. to noon - Prior Approval - Medical (Professional) will cover submitting Prior Approval (PA) Requests to help ensure compliance with Medicaid clinical coverage policy and medical necessity. It will also cover Prior Approval inquiry to check on the status of the PA Request.
- Wednesday, May 27 – 1 to 4 p.m. - Submitting a Professional Claim will focus on how to submit a Professional Claim via the NCTracks Provider Portal.
Several behavioral health training sessions are planned for May including:
- Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment: SBIRT Basics and Beyond on May 6, at the Community Health Center in Dunn. Register Here.
- Pain Management Updates for the Primary Care Provider on May 16, at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. Register Here.
The North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA) has several offerings this month to learn more about how good data can help you care for your patients.
May 8, 2015, 9:30-11:30 am, Forum on Connected Health and Patient-Generated Data, Research Triangle Foundation of NC, Research Triangle Park, NC Organizations must determine how to ingest, analyze, and produce meaningful insight with new forms of data, specifically patient-generated data. The panel will look at changes in access to care, recent trends in the market place, integration of patient-generated data into healthcare workflows, and the infrastructure (e.g., data lakes) needed to support these powerful new capabilities. Panelists are Matt Keating (Booz Allen Hamilton), Martin Sizemore (Wake Forest Baptist Hospital), and John Reites (Quintiles), and the moderator is Holt Anderson (Learning Health Strategies). The registration fee is $50 NCHICA members/$75 non-members/$25 students. Click here for further information and to register.
June 2, 2015, Predictive Analytics Workshop, The Research Triangle Foundation, RTP, NC
This one-day workshop will demonstrate how Accountable Care Organizations and others are using predictive analytics to support their goals of improving quality and reducing costs. Speakers include Shantanu Nigam (Jvion), Angela Diaz (CCME) and J.C. Layton (InfraScience). The registration fee is $199 NCHICA member/$299 non-member. Click here for further details and to register.
MAHEC's Spring CE offerings:
February 19th – May 28: “MAHEC Motivational Interviewing for Health Care”
May 6-8: “MAHEC Women’s Recovery Conference”
May 8: "Healthcare Express Track"
May 12: “You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t – A Unique Documentary About Living with Alzheimer’s and Post-Film Panel Discussion”
Save-the-Dates: June 3-6: “Southeast Pain Symposium”
A workshop on The Role of Coordinated Team Care in Improving the Health of Children and Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, will be held on May 20, and is an opportunity for medical and disability professionals to learn from one another and develop partnerships and plans promoting coordinated team care. Registration is $25, limited to 50 participants, and includes lunch, breaks and CMEs/CEUs. Contact Kelly Crosbie for more information.
Cleveland Clinic Florida’s 6th Annual Internal Medicine Review Board, May 30, 2015 – June 3, 2015 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Sunrise, Florida, assists Internal Medicine physicians and residents who are preparing to take their boards. More info.
Save the date -- June 12, 2015, for Go SIMple, an opportunity to learn about the hottest trends in simulation education from experts. The training session will be held at Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lillington, NC.
SGR Repeal Passes Senate
Tonight, on a bipartisan vote of 92 to 8, the Senate passed H.R. 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” or MACRA.
Although six amendments were considered on the floor, none reached the threshold required for passage. As a result, the Senate passed bill was identical to the version that passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming 392-37 margin on March 26.
We expect the bill to be sent to the White House tonight, where President Obama has said he would sign it into law.
Medicare should begin processing claims tomorrow for services provided in April at the rates that were effective before the 21 percent cut was scheduled to take effect. Under the provisions of H.R. 2, the fee schedule conversion factor will be increased by 0.5 percent on July 1, 2015, and by another 0.5 percent on January 1, 2016.
Many thanks to all of you who participated in an overwhelming and ultimately successful grassroots advocacy campaign to eliminate the SGR once and for all. Medicine’s united voice was instrumental to our success. We encourage all of you, in turn, to express your appreciation to Senators and Representatives who voted for H.R. 2. It is a complex bill that reflects bipartisan compromise, so for many of them the vote was not an easy one. Your recognition of their effort will be appreciated.
State Senate Bill Filing Deadline Brings Flood of Health Care Legislation
Bill filing deadlines always bring a flood of legislation. Yesterday the North Carolina Senate's bill fling deadline was no exception; it brought a deluge of health care related legislation on almost every subject important to our profession. Over 300 bills were filed this week! Among others, the following bills of importance to physicians have been filed:
- SB 118: Naturopathic Doctors Licensing Act (Bingham)
- SB 240: Define Scope of Practice of CRNAs (Davis)
- SB 317: Strengthen Controlled Substances Monitoring (Hise, Clark, Tarte)
- SB 319: Chiropractor Co-Pay Parity (Hise)
- SB 542: Decriminalize Direct Entry Midwifery (Rabin, Sanderson, Krawiec)
- SB 543: Home Birth Freedom Act (Rabin, Sanderson, Krawiec)
- SB 568: North Carolina Health Care Modernization (Tarte)
- SB 574: 2015 Medicaid Reform (Jackson, Pate, Tucker)
- SB 609: Mandate Use/Controlled Substances Reporting System (Davis)
- SB 688: 2015 Tort Reform (Hartsell)
- SB 695: Modernize Nursing Practice Act (Hise, Pate)
- SB 696: Medicaid Modernization (Hise)
- SB 701: Discontinue Medicaid Contract for PCCM (Brown, Hise)
- SB 702: Repeal CON and COPA Laws (Apodaca)
- SB 703: Medicaid Transformation (Berger)
The Medical Society staff is analyzing this wave of filings and will provide a more detailed analysis in next week's Bulletin.
Honor a Special Physician for NC Doctors’ Day 2015!
Join in the NC Doctors’ Day fun by sending the outstanding physician in your life a NC Doctors’ Day tribute card. For donations of $10 and $15, the NCMS Foundation will send an e-card or traditional mailed greeting card to a physician you think is “AHHSOME”! The cards have a great new look this year and can be ordered online through our simple, secure process. Check them out at www.ncdoctorsday.org/#donate.
Proceeds from the tribute cards benefit the NCMS Foundation and its work to improve access to quality health care for North Carolina’s most vulnerable patients. This past year, the Foundation’s Community Practitioner Program assisted 38 primary care providers located across NC. These physicians, PAs and NPs provided $350 million in care for the under- and uninsured in the past year alone.
With the purchase of a tribute card you will not only make a physician’s day a little brighter, but you will also play a key role in making sure all North Carolinians have a doctor in their own hometown! To purchase a card, visit www.ncdoctorsday.org/#donate today!
NC Ob/Gyn Society To Honor Dr. Harold C. Pollard, III
Harold C. Pollard, III with its 2015 Distinguished Service Award for his remarkable contributions to women’s health care on Saturday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. The banquet honoring Dr. Pollard is in conjunction with the society’s annual meeting. Learn more about the meeting and register here.
Dr. Pollard was born and raised in Burlington, NC. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar and graduated with a BA in Chemistry and Religion in 1970. In 1973, he graduated from the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine. In 1972, he did an obstetrics/gynecology externship at Kings College Hospital in London, England. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1977 and did a pelvic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in 1978. In 1978, he joined Lyndhurst Gynecologic Associates in Winston-Salem. Dr. Pollard is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Ob/Gyn at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Pollard served as President of NCOGS in 2005-2006, and he has served as ACOG Legislative Liaison.
Congratulations Dr. Pollard!
"Operation Medicine Drop" This Saturday in Cary
The Town of Cary Police Department joins the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and SafeKids North Carolina twice a year to sponsor local pill take-back events called Operation Medicine Drop. These events provide sites to safely and legally dispose of unused and outdated prescription medication.
There will be four Operation Medicine Drop sites in Cary on Saturday, March 21, which will run from 10:ooam-2:00pm:
- Christ the King Lutheran Church, 600 Walnut Street, Cary
- Senior Center at Bond Park, 801 High House Road, Cary
- Cary Fire Department 3, 1807 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary
- Cary Police/Fire Station 8, 408 Mill Park Drive, Cary
Please share this information with your patients so that they may take advantage of this opportunity. For more information or to find other drop boxes in your area, visit http://www.ncdoi.com/osfm/safekids/Operation%20Medicine%20Drop.aspx?sec=omd.
What CME Sessions Do You Want at the 2015 NCMS Annual Meeting?
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