Sponsor Message:
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WCMS Physician Directories - Blue Books Are In!!
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The Opioid Epidemic: The State of the State - Dr. Susan Kansagra
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Benchmarks Annual Meeting
November 2, 2017
Susan Kansagra, MD, MBA Section Chief, Chronic Disease and Injury NC Department of Health and Human Services
View Full Presentation
Here.
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Enrollment in Federal Health Insurance Marketplace Opens Nov. 1 and Ends Dec. 15
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Tips on how to put patients before electronic paperwork
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The 2015 IJMI study found that when physicians look at the computer, the patient's gaze usually follows. The study's authors describe this moment as a chance to use the EHR as a "shared artifact"-a way to gain the patient's attention. What happens next can be either a missed opportunity or a way to gain the patient's attention. Read more
here.
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Physician Compensation: Employed vs. Practice Owners
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Is there a huge gap between what employed physicians and physician practice owners bring in?
Not at all, according to the annual Physicians Practice Physician Compensation Survey. This year's survey - broken into two parts (part two to be released next Monday) explored the differences in compensation between physician practice owners, employed physicians at a hospital or health system, and employed physicians at an independent practice.
According to the survey, taken by 618 physicians across multiple specialties and employment models, 69.5 percent of physicians who own their practice bring home more than $200,000 in annual compensation. This compares to 75.3 percent of physicians employed by a hospital or health system and 60.7 percent of employed physicians at an independent practice. One negative for practice owners is nearly 8 percent bring home less than $100,000 income per year, whereas only 4.1 percent of hospital employed physicians or 3.6 percent of independent practice employed physicians can say the same. Read more
here.
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Why Burned Out Physicians Often Don't Seek Help
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It has long been known that physicians are at high risk of depression and suicide, and the problem is not getting better.
A study published this July
in Academic Medicinefound that suicide was the second leading cause of death among resident physicians from 2000-2014 (the first in males). And it's clear that burnout can contribute to the problem, experts say. When Michael Myers, MD, was researching his book Why Physicians Die by Suicide: Lessons Learned by Families and Others Who Cared, he interviewed surviving family members of physicians who had killed themselves. "What they described was straightforward burnout," says Myers, professor of clinical psychiatry at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and specialist in physician health. Read more here.
If your burnout has reached the point where you are suffering from depression, it's time to get help. And there are safe ways to do so. Healthy Healer Program
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Healthy Healer - This doctor isn't burned out. Here's her advice
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Recently, I took a few minutes to fill out a survey on physician burnout. A slew of studies offer estimates of physician burnout of up to 50 percent. In my field of primary care, the documentation and regulatory burdens may cause the number to soar even higher.
I am rounding out my fifth year in a busy suburban private practice and I am not burned out. These questions moved me to reflect more on burnout and identify some steps in training that may have had a protective effect. Many factors contribute to my lack of burnout: diet, exercise, family support, and sleep habits are huge players to be sure. Read full article
here.
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PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT CORNER
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Providing Strength in the Wake of Trauma
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Lessons in self-defense will teach a person how to stay calm, quickly assess the situation, and take appropriate action. Many of those same characteristics are required of PAs, which is why becoming one was a natural fit for Katie Thompson.
For the last 15 years, Thompson has worked as a self-defense instructor in Southern California, training women how to protect themselves against a physical assault. She also worked as an emergency medical technician for several years in South Central Los Angeles, but she always felt she needed to do more.
"I loved the quick thinking and problem solving aspects of being an EMT," Thompson said. "But I wanted to have a more personal connection with my patients, to help them through the entirerecovery process."
She began shadowing PAs and quickly realized it was the perfect career for her. Soon after graduating from MEDEX Northwest, the PA program at the University of Washington, Thompson accepted a position as a forensic examiner at the Center for Assault Treatment Services (CATS) in Van Nuys, California. Read more
here.
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WCMS Job Board
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If you are a 100% Member Practice, posting job openings here is FREE!
Click here
for more information.
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WCMS is a thriving 650+ member professional association of the physicians of Western North Carolina, and a chartered component medical society of the NC Medical Society and the AMA. WCMS is an organization run by physicians, for physicians. In 2017, WCMS opened membership to physician assistants.
Our Mission
WCMS Association: WCMSA is the physicians' voice advocating for the health of the physician, the patient, and the community, through strengthening the physician-patient relationship.
WCMS Foundation: WCMSF is the physician and community-led charitable arm of the medical society improving access to quality healthcare, decreasing disparities in health, and promoting health & wellness.
Our Vision
To be a dynamic physician community dedicated to a healthy, vibrant Western North Carolina.
About WCMS
The purpose of WCMS is:
- To strengthen the voice of WNC physicians in advocating for the health of the medical profession, the health of the patient, and the health of our region
- To inform, educate and prepare physicians for rapidly occurring changes in health care at national, state, and local levels
- To share legislative and policy information and advocate on behalf of physicians in areas of mutual interest
- To share available resources in areas of mutual interest
- To promote physician-to-physician communication and dialogue in an open, honest and safe environment
We hope you enjoy our weekly e-Newsletter. If you have questions or suggestions please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
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| Miriam Schwarz |
Miriam Schwarz, MPA
WCMS CEO/Executive Director
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