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| Donna Sullivan, MD |
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President's Letter - Summer
In the third-quarter president's letter, NCMS President Donna Sullivan, MD, gives an update on NCMS events, the wellness survey, the opioid epidemic, Medicaid reimbursement, Banner outreach and more. She also invites you to attend upcoming events: a fundraiser for SOCI on Sept. 30, the CMS Annual Meeting Sept. 15-17, and the opioid summit Aug. 14-15. Read more here.
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Maria Medina, EdD
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Executive Update - Mid-year check in
There are many things to be happy about as we reach our midpoint of the year. We are making great progress in many areas and have heard from more members at this point this year than last year - through attendance at events, comments on Facebook, personal emails, and through an extremely successful one-on-one outreach and contact update mailed piece. Read more here.
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| Lesley Brooks, MD |
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The opioid epidemic: What northern Colorado physicians need to know
Lesley Brooks, MD, of Sunrise Community Health, talks about her experience managing chronic pain patients in the primary care setting with (and without) opioids, and what is happening in northern Colorado to address the opioid epidemic. She encourages physicians to seek training to build strong assessment and communication skills, understand the policies of their local emergency departments, and seek training to recognize opioid use disorder in the outpatient setting. Read more here.
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Prescribing opioids safely: How to have difficult patient conversations
While opioids are effective pain medications when used in the proper setting, concerns arise when the patient's condition lasts longer than three months, and prescribing more medication does not necessarily result in better pain control. Building a strong doctor-patient rapport can help facilitate tough conversations with patients about opioid prescriptions and reduce risks. Read these tips for safe prescribing by Roneet Lev, MD, Chief of Scripps Mercy Emergency Department. Read more here.
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You're invited: Key strategies to address the drug epidemic: Region VIII Opioid Summit - Aug. 14-15
This one-and-a-half-day summit will gather federal and state stakeholders from Colorado and other bordering states to address opioid prevention-treatment-recovery. Attendees will learn about available resources, identify opportunities for technical assistance and establish collaborative next steps. The agenda will include presentations from state leadership as well as speakers and discussion focused on prevention, crisis services, clinical practice, recovery and workforce development. Registration is required but there is no cost to attend. No food or beverages will be provided. Space is limited. Read more here. Or go directly to registration here.
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Summer social: Members praised good food, drinks and fun at the Budweiser Brewery
NCMS members and guests enjoyed perfect weather, an interesting brewery tour, delicious food and a variety of beverages at the 2017 NCMS Summer Social at the Budweiser biergarten and brewery on Saturday, July 15. View the event video and read more
here.
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CMS Annual Meeting brings physicians together for fun, collegiality and CME in Breckenridge Sept. 15-17; register today!
Make plans to join your northern Colorado physician colleagues and peers from around the state at the 2017 CMS Annual Meeting, Sept. 15-17 in Breckenridge. Registration, programming and all social events are free for members and a guest. And physician members can earn up to 9.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ and COPIC points. View the agenda, register and sign up for free childcare on the CMS website: www.cms.org/events/annual-meeting.
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A Day on the Ranch: A Fundraiser for Advance Care Planning Services, Sept. 30
Encouraging advanced care planning is one of NCMS's 2017 strategic goals. We have teamed up with the Northern Colorado Independent Practice Association (NCIPA) to support SOCI (Systems of Care Initiative). SOCI provides care coordination coaching in the home setting to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. Save the date, Sept. 30, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., for this fabulous family-friendly event at the Gillespie-Wagner ranch in Nunn, Colo. A Day on the Ranch will give attendees an inside look into a working 6,000-acre cow-calf ranch. It will include seeing newborn calves, working border collie demonstrations, hiking, hayrides, grilled hamburgers and an auction. Registration will open later this month. Read more here.
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NCMS 2017 wellness survey shows 69 percent of respondents sometimes or often have feelings of burnout
NCMS surveyed all actively practicing members to gauge levels of burnout among northern Colorado physicians, get a sense for what wellness resources large practices and hospital systems are providing, and ask what NCMS can do to help reduce burnout. Of note, 53 percent of respondents described their professional morale and feelings about medicine as "somewhat positive/optimistic," while 40 percent answered "somewhat negative/pessimistic." When asked about burnout specifically, 36 percent reported they "sometimes have these feelings," 33 percent "often have these feelings," and 24 percent "rarely have these feelings." The national average of reported physician burnout is 54 percent. Read more here.
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New Medicare cards with new numbers: 3 changes you may need to make
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to remove social security numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. The federal CMS began mailing new Medicare cards with a new Medicare number (currently called the Medicare Claim Number on cards) to patients in April 2018. You may need to change your systems. Read more here.
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Summary of 2017 CMS/NCMS legislation: Promoting health plan reform to benefit patients and physicians
The Northern Colorado Medical Society joined the Colorado Medical Society in promoting bills in the 2017 legislative session to achieve important health plan reforms to benefit patients and physicians. The CMS lobbying team secured sponsors and educated legislators on the power that health plans have over physicians and how they wield that power. This messaging resonated with the legislators and led to success on many fronts, creating new rights for physicians. Read more about the bills and how they help you on our advocacy page (scroll to the middle of the page).
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Free from the NCMS library, claim antique books!
The Northern Colorado Medical Society is giving away 100 historical books from our storage unit! Publication dates range from 1900-1990. They are first-come first-served. View the list here.
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Like NCMS on Facebook!
Your Northern Colorado Medical Society has joined Facebook
to keep our membership better informed and in touch with social events. We invite all members to "like" our page. Please accept our invitation if you have received one, or add us at
www.facebook.com/nocomedsoc.
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Welcome, new members!
We welcome our new members to NCMS, the third largest component chapter of the Colorado Medical Society. Your membership connects you to your colleagues and a host of benefits through NCMS and CMS. Go to
www.nocomedsoc.org or
www.cms.org to learn more.
- C Eliz Albritton-McDonald, MD, Family Medicine
- Lance E Barker, DO, Internal Medicine
- David R Blatt, MD, Neurological Surgery
- Ray K Bradford, MD, Radiology
- Brooke A Caufield, MD, Dermatology
- Morgan L Cline, MD, Internal Medicine
- Brandon W Farmer, MD, Emergency Medicine
- Beth A Gibbons, MD, Neurological Surgery
- Barbara E Hager, MD, Psychiatry & Neurology
- Michael R Hobaugh, MD, Pediatrics
- Phillip S Kick, MD, Urology
- Karen A Landmeier, MD, Pediatrics
- Ammon J Larsen, MD, Dermatology
- Joseph V Lillis, MD, Dermatology
- Claire E Murphy, MD, Pathology
- Patrick R Quigley, MD, Occupational Medicine
- Jennifer J Rogan, MD, Pediatrics
- Megan A Traxinger, DO, Family Medicine
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Upcoming COPIC Seminars
- 8/16: Communicating Electronically with Colleagues and Patients; noon-1 p.m. at Parkview Medical Center (qualifies for 1 COPIC point)
- 8/22: The Fastest 20 Seconds in Surgery; 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Memorial Hospital North Campus (qualifies for 1 COPIC point)
- 9/7: Physician Stress/Physician Self Care; noon-1 p.m. at Penrose Main Hospital (qualifies for 1 COPIC point)
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