What You Need to Know About State Health Plan Contracting

Open Enrollment begins this year   Aetna® will be the new third-party administrator for the North Carolina State Health Plan beginning January 1, 2025. Open enrollment begins in the fall of 2024, which is when members will select a primary care provider (PCP). Here are the steps you can take to get ready: Step 1: Join the Aetna Network The North Carolina State Health Plan will use…

AMA Center for Health Equity: Applicants for the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship Needed

  The AMA Center for Health Equity seeks applicants for the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship program’s 2024-2025 cohort. The program is administered through a partnership between the AMA and the Morehouse School of Medicine’s Satcher Health Leadership Institute. Using an anti-racist, equity-centered learning framework, fellows engage with equity experts and trailblazers. The…

Join NCMS in Charlotte for a Meeting (UN)like Your Typical Gathering!

  Real talk: Nobody actually likes meetings. UNTIL NOW! So, this is the NCMS Un-meeting! You'll probably learn a little. You'll definitely have fun! Here is what's coming at the NCMS Un-meeting: Free drinks, food and socializing A special welcome from Carolina Complete Health NCMS CEO Chip Baggett Getting to know NCMS and making new friends REGISTER NOW!…

We Want to Hear YOUR Prior Authorization Stories!

Are you frustrated with administrative headaches and how they impact your patients? Have you faced denials for a care plan within standard practice for a patient?   We want to hear your story! As NCMS continues to push for passage of HB 649 in the coming legislative session, we need to hear how you and your patients have been impacted by prior authorization. We are looking for stories…

Capitol Chronicle: NCMS Physician Leadership Take Heartfelt Message to Capitol Hill on Valentine’s Day

  The North Carolina contingent, participating in the American Medical Association’s 2024 National Advocacy Conference, delivered an urgent call for action to the offices of each North Carolina US Senate and US House representative on numerous health policy issues.  Making the trip to Washington were NCMS President Dr. Eileen Raynor, NCMS Board of Directors member Dr. Karen Smith, NCMS…

Thinking of Running? Space Available for 2024 AMPAC Candidate Workshop

Do you ever wonder how doctors get elected to Congress or your state legislature? Considering a run for office for yourself? The AMPAC Candidate Workshop will teach you how to run a winning political campaign.   2024 AMPAC Candidate Workshop will be held in-person, March 22-24 at the AMA offices in Washington, DC. The deadline to register is March 1. The Candidate Workshop is…

NC Medicaid Update: Clinical Coverage Policy for Substance Use Disorder

The 1115 Demonstration Waiver Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Medicaid withdrawal management policies have been rescheduled to promulgate on May 1, 2024. The delay in promulgation is provided to allow service providers the opportunity to align with new and amended policies and applicable licensure rule waivers. This update applies to NC Medicaid Direct and NC Medicaid Managed Care. The…

Registration Open for the 2024 Addiction Medicine Conference

If you plan to attend in person or virtually, there's a ticket for you!   The 15th annual Addiction Medicine Conference is set to take place in Asheville, on Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th and is slated to be the best yet! Key Areas of Focus: Emerging drugs/drug use patterns and the associated clinical challenges Digital therapeutics Perinatal substance use…

NCDHHS Livestream Fireside Chat and Tele-Town Hall: Support Your Heart Health is Tomorrow

  The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, February 20, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss how to support and improve heart health as well as prevent and manage heart disease. Panelists will discuss the following: Ways to support and improve heart health Where to find heart health resources and support…

CDC Considering Spring Covid Booster

  Will Your Patients Be Getting Another Booster This Spring? Your most vulnerable patients-- older people and those with weak immune systems--may be able to receive a spring COVID booster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering whether to recommend another Covid booster shot this spring, especially for people most at risk for severe complications of the illness.……

The Changing Landscape of Contraception Access. A New Webinar Offers Guidance.

Register Now for Tomorrow's Webinar February 20, noon - 1:30pm The National Academies Standing Committee on Reproductive Health, Equity, and Society will organize a public webinar to examine pressing issues around the accessibility of contraception. Healthcare providers and researchers will talk about the role of healthcare professionals in providing contraception, adolescent access issues, and…

First Child Cured of Brainstem Glioma ‘Offers Real Hope’

New Breakthroughs Are Raising Hope for Terminal Children New breakthroughs are raising hopes of a cure for at least some children diagnosed with the rare brain tumor DIPG (Fred TANNEAU) (AFP - Isabelle Tourne and Daniel Lawler) -- When Lucas was diagnosed with a rare type of brain tumor at the age of six, there was no doubting the prognosis. French doctor…

Improve Identification and Referral of Children with Disabilities with This Quick Study

  SRI International is conducting a survey to gather information from medical professionals who work with children under age three. The survey seeks to understand their practices for monitoring children’s development, their referral practices, and their familiarity with early intervention services for infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities in North Carolina. Your…

Wake County Medical Society Meeting: “History at High Noon” – March 19

Tuesday, March 19 | 222 N. Person Street, Raleigh History at High Noon: The Intersection of History and Medicine On Tuesday, March 19, at the NCMS Headquarters building in historic Oakwood, Michael Soboeiro, MD will take us on a case-based journey, looking at the medical care of three US presidents. He’ll discuss how the care they received varied from current standards and, in some cases, the…

NC Health System Receives Gold-level Accreditation for Geriatric Emergency Care

  CARY, N.C. (February 14, 2024) – WakeMed Cary Hospital is now Wake County’s first Level 1 accredited Geriatric Emergency Department. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recently awarded the hospital a Gold Level 1 accreditation — the highest designation possible — for the comprehensive, patient-centered emergency care it provides to older adults. ACEP’s Geriatric…

New Cases of MPox Reported in NC

  New Cases Lead to Call for Vaccinations to Those at Risk Wake County Public Health (WCPH) announced three new confirmed cases of mpox within the last six weeks and is encouraging those at risk of the virus to get vaccinated. Symptoms Mpox is a rare, but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms. According to the CDC, symptoms of Mpox can include:…

Keto Flu, VO2 Max, Bed Rotting. Some New Words Are Being Added to the Dictionary!

There's A Word For That! Girl dinner, skiplagging, range anxiety, sound bath, shacket!  These are just a few of the new words introduced this year and many of them are from the medical field. by Nick Norlen, Senior Editor, and Grant Barrett, Director of Lexicography It’s 2024, and the pace of language change is as rapid as it has ever been. Our lexicographers are updating the…

New CDC Study: Chronic Fatigue More Likely in COVID Patients

COVID patients are 4.3 times more likely to develop chronic fatigue A new study COVID-19 patients are at least four times more likely to develop chronic fatigue than someone who has not had the virus. Between February 2020 and February 2021, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers looked at more than 4,500 patients with confirmed COVID-19 electronic health records from…

Nominations Now Open for John Huske Anderson Award!

  The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is accepting nominations for the John Huske Anderson Award, given annually to a layperson whose contributions have had a positive impact on the medical profession and public health. The award honors Mr. Anderson’s service to medicine and the Society, having served as NCMS legal counsel from 1937 until his retirement in 1983. All nominations…

Nobody Actually Likes Meetings … (UN)til Now!

  Real talk: Nobody actually likes meetings. UNTIL NOW! So, this is the NCMS Un-meeting! You'll probably learn a little. You'll definitely have fun! Here is what's coming at the NCMS Un-meeting: Free drinks, food and socializing A special welcome from Carolina Complete Health NCMS CEO Chip Baggett Getting to know NCMS and making new friends REGISTER NOW!…

Join Durham-Orange County Medical Society at the University Club!

Join the Durham-Orange County Medical Society for their upcoming meeting at the University Club! "Reproductive Health Access After Senate Bill 20: Implications for Clinical Practice" University Club 3100 Tower Boulevard, Suite 1700 Durham, NC 27707 Wednesday, February 21, 2024 6:00pm - 8:00pm Speakers include: Dalia Brahmi, MD, MPH | Senior Medical Director, VaxCare Avanthi…

Grant Delivers Better Healthcare to Underserved Farmworkers

  A grant from The Leon Levine Foundation is helping the Campbell University Community Care Clinic (CUCCC) deliver crucial healthcare services to farmworkers in Harnett, Duplin, Johnston and Sampson counties in eastern North Carolina. “We are their only source of medical care,” Dr. Joseph D. Cacioppo (DO), chair of CUCCC’s Department of Community and Global Health, said in a press…

MEDTalks 2023: Dana Point, MD – Rare Diseases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og4h4TU0pIA Dana Point, MD, a urologist in Wilmington, NC, shares his Leadership College and personal project, "Bolstering Awareness of Rare Disease through a Novel Approach."

MEDTalks 2023: Carla Holder, MD, MPH, FAAP – Diabetes Care

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1X76Vs3WdE Carla W. Holder, MD, MPH, FAAP, a pediatrician working with Centene Corp. in Charlotte, shares her Leadership College project, "Knowledge is Power: Effective Strategies for Delivering Evidence-Based Diabetes Care to African Americans."

Rising Child Gun Deaths in US Outpace Research Funding; NC S.A.F.E. Focuses on Protection

Rising pediatric firearm mortality rates, decades of inaction on research, and a hopeful program in NC (CNN Health, Deidre McPhillips with NC Pediatric Society, NC S.A.F.E, and NCDHHS) -- More children die from guns than anything else in the United States, but relatively little funding is available to study how to prevent these tragedies. From 2008 to 2017, about $12 million in federal research…

Early In-Person Voting Begins Tomorrow. Do You Know Where to Go?

Below are the in-person early voting dates for the 2024 primary election: Begins Thursday, February 15, 2024. Ends 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 2024. The primary election is on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. See the full 2024 Primary Election schedule here. Find an early voting site in your county by clicking here. Your Vote, Your Voice!

Nominations Open for E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, Physician Community Service Award

The North Carolina Medical Society is accepting nominations for the E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, Physician Community Service Award. This award is to provide recognition for the many and varied services rendered by physicians to their communities apart from their practice of medicine. The recipient must be a physician licensed in North Carolina; must not have received the award previously; and…

Mark Your Calendar! Registration Now Open for 2024 NCS-ACOFP Winter CME Conference

  Real-World Treatment of Obesity - Case-Based Presentations March 2, 2024 8 am until 1 pm   On March 2, 2024 the North Carolina Society for the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (NCS-ACOFP) will host a CME event in Raleigh at the Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. The theme of the conference is Real-World Treatment of Obesity - Case-Based…

NCMS CPP Elevates Healthcare in Dare County and Neighboring Counties Through New Preceptor Hub

NCMS Preceptor Hub is partnership with Manteo Community Health Center in Manteo, Engelhard, and Ocracoke (photo: The Coastland Times) Improved Healthcare Coming to Dare County   The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) in conjunction with the Town of Manteo Healthcare Task Force is happy to announce the formation of a Preceptor Hub in Dare County.  Initially, the Hub will be a…

Take the Health Employer Workforce Demand Survey Today!

The NC Health Talent Alliance has released its Annual Workforce Survey. The goal of this survey is to gather detailed employer demand for jobs critical to health care operation. The survey will also gather demand projections. This is the first statewide effort to capture real-time employer demand. Please take a moment to complete this important survey. The Health Talent Alliance will use this…

Make an Impact! Secure Your Spot at the NCMS Advocacy Summit Today!

  Don't Miss the upcoming NCMS Advocacy Summit in March! Don’t forget to register for the NCMS Advocacy Summit - a gathering of healthcare leaders and policy experts dedicated to fostering meaningful discussions around legislative developments crucial to our profession. The event is March 23rd, so register now as space is limited! Why Attend? Stay informed about critical…

New NCMS Member Perk with an Exciting Bonus!

If you need another reason why it's good to be an NCMS member, this is it! Get a discount on the premiere state magazine and a donation will also be made to NCMS. Click here to go to Our State Magazine. Don't forget to use promo code: DSMDS

NCMS Past President Dr. Arthur Apolinario Featured in AMA Medicare Ad as AMA Advocacy Conference Begins

Dr. Arthur Apolinario Joins AMA Campaign to Fix Medicare Former North Carolina Medical Society President Dr. Arthur Apolinario adds his voice to the fight to fix the Medicare payment system in a new ad. In the advertisement currently running on social media, Apolinario says, "You have all the physicians of the United States speaking as one voice and making sure the message gets heard." The…

Higher-Dose Naloxone Spray Increases Side Effects But Not Benefits

New Spray Does Not Save More Lives In a recent study, researchers concluded a new, higher-dose Naloxone nasal spray for reversing opioid overdoses did not save more lives than the previous standard dose but did cause more side effects, which were significantly more common in the patients who got the higher-dose sprays. The 8-milligram naloxone spray is twice as potent as the highest dose…

2024 NCMS Candidate Series – David Hill, MD

2024 NCMS Candidate Series Featuring Dr. David Hill The 2024 North Carolina Medical Society Candidate Series has an exclusive interview featuring Dr. David Hill who is running for North Carolina Senate District 7. In this episode, Dr. Hill outlines what motivated him to run for office and his most important legislative issues. He discusses how he will address disparities in healthcare in North…

NCDHHS Looking to Hire Organization to Help Manage Children and Families Specialty Plan

  The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is seeking requests for proposals to hire the organization that will help manage the Children and Families Specialty Plan (CFSP), a first-of-its-kind statewide health plan designed to ensure access to comprehensive physical and behavioral health services for Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and families served by the child…

NCMS CEO Chip Baggett Gives Advocacy Update to NC Chapter of American College of Physicians

  Chip Baggett Addresses American College of Physicians   RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Medical Society CEO Chip Baggett addressed the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Friday in Raleigh.  His advocacy update focused on making it easier for physicians to care for patients, making sure physicians have a choice of where and how to practice, and a…

CDC: Syphilis cases at highest levels since 1950s

Skin lesion with syphilis bacteria (Treponema pallidum) under microscope (1000x magnification) Getty Images Racial and Ethnic Minorities Disproportionately Affected The number of syphilis cases in the U.S. are on the rise. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases increased by nearly 80% to more than 207,000 between 2018 and 2022. Rates increased…

New Guidelines Published for Treatment of Neuroblastoma

First Recommendations Ever from NCCN The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers— has published its first ever set of treatment recommendations pertaining to neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a type of solid tumor cancer that typically occurs in early childhood, with the majority diagnosed before age five. It's also the most common type of solid…

Medicaid Changes Could Make More North Carolinians Eligible for Health Care

Expansion Means those 19-64 are Eligible, Including Some With Higher Incomes The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is mailing letters to 534,840 North Carolinians based on information provided to HealthCare.gov that indicates they may be eligible for NC Medicaid. With the expansion of Medicaid, more people are eligible, including those ages 19 through 64 years with higher incomes.…

Latest Trends in Health Technology from 2024 Consumer Electronics Show

Healthcare’s Transformative Technologies at CES 2024 (Caroline Scott, Consumer Technology Association Contributing Editor) --  In recent years, and as was seen at CES 2024, the healthcare industry has benefited from a significant transformation furthered by the integration of digital technologies. The advent of digital technologies across the healthcare landscape has revolutionized the way we…