Physicians key to cutting stigma of opioid addiction
Patients who struggle with a substance use disorder deserve stigma-free access to care similar to that available for other patients with chronic disease. This was the message conveyed by Patrice A. Harris, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees, last week at an interdisciplinary symposium on opioids at Northwestern University ’s Pritzker School of Law. Though physician efforts have begun to change the landscape of the opioid epidemic, vigilance is still required to ensure patients with chronic pain maintain access to treatment they need.
Between 2013 and 2015, the number of prescriptions dispensed nationwide for opioi...
Source: AMA Wire - October 26, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Jef Capaldi Source Type: news
Nuanced approach needed to assure senior physician competency
The growing number of seniors in the physician workforce and increasing expectations for physician accountability are bringing attention to the question of whether age-based competency screening may be necessary to assure safe and effective practice. A recent article in theJournal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (JCEHP) notes several challenges to establishing a national screening standard. These include designing an evidence-based screening process, determining the appropriate body to administer the screening and striking the right balance between patient protection and fairness to senior physicians.
Th...
Source: AMA Wire - October 25, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
Rising teen obesity rate sparks push for healthier schools
The overall childhood obesity rate has been stable over the past decade, but obesity among the nation ’s teens is still on the rise. A recent report calls for early-childhood and school-based policies and programs to accelerate the progress in helping kids achieve and maintain healthy weights.
About 17 percent of the nation ’s children are obese, a rate that has held steady the past 10 years, according to “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, ” a 143-page report issued by the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health. When data is broken down by age groups, each group is seeing a little som...
Source: AMA Wire - October 25, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
Identifying superbugs: HHS offers $20 million for faster tests
Antibiotic resistance is reaching dangerously high levels in all parts of the world, making infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and blood poisoning more difficult —and sometimes impossible—to treat. To combat this global epidemic and help health care teams more quickly diagnose patients with infections, two agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a prize competition for new rapid, point-of-care laboratory diag nostic tests for drug-resistant bacteria.
TheAntimicrobial Resistance Diagnostic Challengewill award $20 million in prizes from the National Institutes of Hea...
Source: AMA Wire - October 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
Med school lends an ear to those at risk of suicide
Educating patients, identifying those at high risk for disease and taking preventive action are key parts of physician practice. Those methods also are proving essential to one medical school ’s efforts to spot depression and thwart suicide. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine’sHealer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) program helps spot people at risk of suicide and depression through self-assessment and offers access to counseling for UCSD medical students, residents, fellows and faculty.
Sobering statistics tell the tale of why such an effort is needed, as thesuicide rate among ph...
Source: AMA Wire - October 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Podcast series explores new Medicare quality program, pay models
The Quality Payment Program (QPP) starts in January, so physicians still have time to educate themselves and prepare for its implementation. A podcast series produced by ReachMD in collaboration with the AMA features interviews with industry experts and physician leaders who take doctors “Inside Medicare ’s New Payment System. ” The series delves into key aspects of the program and provides tips on what physicians can do now to get ready.
Several podcasts will be added as the experts learn more about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ’ (CMS)final rule on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Ac...
Source: AMA Wire - October 21, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Physician voice shapes Medicare pay reform final rule
An AMA Viewpoints post by AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, MD
With the issuance of its final rule on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created a new Medicare payment system called the Quality Payment Program (QPP).
CMS issued itsfinal rule last week and our initial review shows Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt was true to his comments, first made in January, thatCMS would be listening to physicians as development progressed. I would like to thank him for being a sincere partner during the process.
Throughcomment letters and conversations with CMS...
Source: AMA Wire - October 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
PDMP access among residency-related proposals at 2016 Interim Meeting
The upcoming AMA 2016 Interim Meeting will see several resolutions up for consideration that could affect graduate medical education (GME) training programs. Learn about three of these GME-related proposals and how you can get involved in shaping them ahead of the meeting.
At the2016 AMA Interim Meeting which runs Nov. 12-15 in Orlando, Fla., the AMA House of Delegates will consider proposals that address key issues encompassing the breadth of U.S. medicine.
Here are three resolutions that could affect residency:Universal prescriber access to prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP).Resident and fellow physicians mad...
Source: AMA Wire - October 19, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Hotspotting: 10 steps to help patients hospitalized most
As a rule, health care systems are designed to work for the typical patient. Yet it ’s well known that a small proportion of patients with complex, hard-to-manage needs and chronic conditions drives much of the cost in U.S. health care. So what’s being done to change this at the community level? One technique identifies these outliers individually, maps the constellation of pro blems they encounter, organizes resources around their needs and designs interventions to improve their care.
The approach, dubbed hotspotting, aims to fashion a system of multidisciplinary, coordinated care that in large part seeks to meet pat...
Source: AMA Wire - October 19, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
How three boards are changing MOC Part III
The Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part III examination process is experiencing changes within the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) specialty boards. Though some board-certified physicians are satisfied with their current MOC process, several boards have responded to physician concerns by making meaningful changes to learning and assessment that are transforming the way physicians stay up on the constantly evolving medical landscape.
The American Board of Anesthesiology has recently initiated apilot —the MOCA Minute™ program—that could ultimately change their MOC examination process. The pilot enable...
Source: AMA Wire - October 18, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
Weigh in on pressing health care issues by November 7
How do you think the practice of medicine should be improved in the United States? Share your thoughts on important health care topics —and have a chance to shape AMA policy—via theAMA Online Member Forums. They ’re open in advance of the2016 AMA Interim Meeting, taking place Nov. 12-15 in Orlando.
The forums will be open until the start of the meeting, but comments posted after Nov. 7 may not be captured in the summaries shared with reference committee members.
Online forums allow AMA members to weigh in onkey policy issues facing medicine at the convenience of their own schedules. By participating in the forums, ...
Source: AMA Wire - October 17, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
5 things to know about HIPAA and cloud computing
Protecting patients ’ health information is critical to the future of data collection that informs population health. But how can physicians make sure they are in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations when using cloud computing?
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently issuedguidance on HIPAA and cloud computing that confirms cloud services providers (CSP) are business associates under HIPAA.
If you are currently using a CSP or are planning to soon, the guidance offers detailed direction on the nature of cloud computing, business...
Source: AMA Wire - October 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Hotspotting: 10 steps to help patients who are hospitalized most
As a rule, health care systems are designed to work for the average patient. Yet it ’s well-known that a small proportion of patients with complex, hard-to-manage needs and chronic conditions drives much of the cost in American health care. So what’s being done to change this at the community level? One technique identifies these outliers individually, maps the constellation of problems they encounter, organizes resources around their needs and designs interventions to improve their care.
Hotspotting is a movement toward a system of multi-disciplinary, coordinated care that seeks to meet patient needs in large part by...
Source: AMA Wire - October 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
CMS finalizes historic Medicare reform law
Afinal rule released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) details the final regulations for implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the historic Medicare reform law that repealed the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula last year.
The AMA will now pore over and dissect the final regulations in the coming days to make sure you know exactly what the rule contains and how it will impact your practice.What we know already
CMS made some significant changes in the proposed rule issued last spring, demonstrating that they took physician input into consideration, anno...
Source: AMA Wire - October 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
3 ways to get ahead financially even if you're not an expert
Younger physicians can struggle to adequately prioritize saving for retirement, as starting a family and servicing student loans may seem more urgent. But simple strategies like “paying” one’s retirement first can provide budgeting clarity and reduce much of the stress of juggling life goals. A new report notes the complex financial needs of physicians and provides concrete advice to help you get ahead of schedule in preparing for life after practice.
It ’s well known that physicians have unique personal finance needs. They start their careers eight to 10 years later than many other professionals, carry $150,000 ...
Source: AMA Wire - October 13, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Timothy Smith Source Type: news
