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The House has released parts of its budget proposal:
The state’s news media have been reporting on the portions of the House budget released thus far. NCMS staff in a preliminary look at the proposal for the Department of Health and Human Services, which pertains most directly to NCMS members, found concerns about certain provisions, but were pleased to see that no additional physician rate cuts in Medicaid were requested by the House.


Acronym(s) du Jour:
In case you’re feeling hungry for some new acronyms to sprinkle through your prose, here are a couple to whet your appetite gleaned from a recent CMS (that’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) announcement:
“The Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS) system will be retired, but current IACS user accounts will transition to an existing CMS system called Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM).”


NCMS’ Seligson to Continue as The Physicians Foundation Treasurer
The Physicians Foundation – a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower physicians to lead in the delivery of high-quality, cost efficient healthcare – announced that NCMS CEO Robert W. Seligson will continue in his role as treasurer for the Foundation. Walker Ray, MD, a retired pediatrician with more than 40 years of experience practicing medicine in Georgia and in many physician leadership roles, will serve as its new President.


What’s the most distinctive cause of death in NC?
‘Other’ nutritional deficiencies is the most distinctive cause of death in our state, according to Preventing Chronic Diseases. This is based on the ratio of age-adjusted death rate for each cause of death relative to the national age-adjusted death rate for each cause. Read the article and view the map to see what the most distinctive cause of death is in the other 49 states.