Please note - our registration process has changed and is now exclusively online. If you experience any difficulty with the registration process, please contact the WVPCA at 304.346.0032.

High blood sugar levels affect how quickly and how well the body heals wounds, according to the American Diabetes Association. For one, high blood sugar can hinder the immune system's ability to fight off infection. High blood sugar may also cause arteries to stiffen and grow more narrow, reducing blood flow through those arteries, especially in the feet and lower legs. With less blood, those areas get less oxygen and fewer nutrients critical to wound healing. Additionally, individuals with diabetes can lose sensation in affected areas due to a condition called diabetic neuropathy, which occurs when the nerves in your extremities are affected by decreased blood flow.

 

As a result of all these factors, approximately 15 percent of people with diabetes experience foot ulcers, open wounds that typically form on the bottoms of the feet, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These foot ulcers can be slow to heal and may require amputation if left untreated, so identifying and treating them with dressings and topical medication as quickly as possible is key.

Did you ever meet a stressed out zebra? Many animals in the wild live with the ongoing challenge of being the next meal for some other animal. That high intensity stress doesn't have the lasting effects for animals like it does humans. Why? There have been several books written on how animals have learned to shake off the stress and dissipate its effects so they can get back to living in the present. We as humans are very aware of what happens when there is a repeated activation of the stress response.   It contributes to many health issues such as such as cardio vascular problems, depression and even addiction. Learn how in engage in tension and trauma release exercises by clicking here.

On and after October 17, 2018, West Virginia Medicaid will begin to deny all claims for prescriptions written by any prescriber not enrolled with West Virginia Medicaid. This includes hospital residents and interns, advanced practice nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists who administer vaccines.   Even though the facility you are employed by (clinic, hospital or pharmacy) is currently enrolled, individual prescribers must also be enrolled. Failing to enroll with West Virginia Medicaid as a prescribing provider could cause serious consequences for your patients.

The requirement for prescribers to enroll is a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. All prescribers serving Medicaid patients MUST enroll and their name and national provider identifier (NPI) must be recorded on claims for prescription medications submitted for Medicaid members on and after October 17, 2018. Providers may enroll as a billing provider or an "ordering, referring, or prescribing" (ORP) provider." "ORP only provider" is a category for prescribers who write orders, refer, or prescribe medications, but do not actually submit claims to Medicaid for their services. "ORP only providers" may not bill Medicaid for services.

If you are not already enrolled, you may go to the website of the West Virginia Medicaid claims processor, Molina Medicaid Solutions, at https://www.wvmmis.com and enroll online as a billing provider or as an "ORP only provider." The quickest enrollment option is the ORP-only online application process, if applicable. Provider application approval is 5 days from receipt of a completed application. All required documentation can be uploaded to the portal.

A paper application can be requested by calling Molina Provider Enrollment at 888-483-0793.

To prevent interruptions in Medicaid members' access to needed prescription medications, prescribers must make sure they are enrolled with West Virginia Medicaid.

For questions, please contact Molina Provider Enrollment at 888-483-0793 or the Molina Pharmacy Help Desk at 888-483-0801.

Sister Jane Harrington, a former chair of the WV Oral Health Coalition, recently celebrated her 60th Anniversary with the Congregation of St. Joseph. 

Please join the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the "Opioids Misuse: Increasing access to transportation in rural communities" workshop. The USDA and FTA have agreed to provide a workshop at WVSOM that will cover the resources and options available to communities to assist with transportation needs.  Participants are welcome to join us here at the school, but in case you cannot, the workshop will be livestreamed nationally.  In addition, the workshop will be taped and will be made available online. If you want to ask questions through livestream, be sure to set up for a free livestream account - it is the only way you can ask questions remotely.

 

In addition to USDA, FTA and SAMHSA officials, invited guests include HRSA, DOJ, and DHHS federal partners.  Please pass on the livestream link to anyone you think would be interested.  There will be an opportunity for Q & A.

 

Where: WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, 400 Lee Street N. Lewisburg, WV  24901

When: September 20, 2018

Time :  9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Livestream:   Yes.  | https://livestream.com/accounts/10067614/

Log on at the time of the event.

 

In addition, following the Workshop, from 2:00-4:00pm, Judge Will Thompson will facilitate an Opioid Community Forum: Judiciary and Medical Partnerships. Panelists include:

The purpose of this forum is to engage community in the discussion of how the judiciary and the medical community can work together to significantly reduce substance abuse in West Virginia.  Everyone is welcome to stay and provide input and engage in the discussion.

WV Project ECHO would like to invite Community Health Centers to participate in the newest WV Project ECHO on Endocrine. This new ECHO is an expansion of the WV Project ECHO program which will utilize multi-point video conferencing to bring specialized Endocrine education to providers all across West Virginia.

 

For more information on participating, please do not hesitate to contact Jay Mason or Kayetlyn Edinger.  Please click 

here 

for the Participation Agreement and additional information. 

There is still time to register for the Appalachian Addiction & Prescription Drug Abuse Conference: Pain & Addiction, Best Practices & Proper Prescribing. The conference will be held October 18-20 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston, West Virginia. 

Room reservations at the Embassy Suites are discounted until October 1st.  Use Code AAC when reserving online at www.EmbassySuitesCharlestonWV.com or call 1-800-EMBASSY.
 
Conference registration deadline is October 12th.  You can register online here.  
           
The program meets the 3-hour CME Best Practices Prescribing of Controlled Substances requirement for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists and dentists under West Virginia law. 19.25 CME/CEUs/CLEs approved for: MOC-American Board of Addiction Medicine; MOC-Internal Medicine & MOC-Family Practice;Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Pharmacists, Dentists, Social Workers, WVCBAPPP-Addiction Professionals, Psychologists, LPC & Lawyers (23.30 MCLE credits, including 7.5 Ethics/Office Mgmt/Substance Abuse/Elimination of Bias Credits).
  

Meeting Topics Include :

• West Virginia - The Current "STATE" of Affairs
• The Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis - 2018 Update on Proper Prescribing
• Obesity, Sugar and Addiction
• Luncheon Program: Spirituality in Medicine and Recovery
• Extended Release Naltrexone
• WV Laws, Rules & Regulations and the CSMP
• ASAM Patient Placement Criteria & Continuum
• Adolescent Addiction - Where it all Starts
• Addiction and the Older Adult: An Epidemic of Misuse and Abuse with the Ethical Duty to Prudently Treat Pain
• Luncheon Program: Mindfulness as a Super Power
• Self-Care: Stop Preaching & Start Doing
• Sex Addiction:  The "Silent" Concern
• Lost in the Weeds:  Making Sense of Medical Marijuana
• Opioids, Addiction & the Treatment of Pain:  Uncoupling a Deadly Triad

Practitioner Diversion Awareness Conference  When:  September 29 & 30 Where:  Charleston Marriott, Town Center What :  For more information, click  here.

26th Annual WV Rural Health Conference When: October 17-19 Where: Pipestem State Resort What:  Registration is available  here .

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), with financial, scientific, and educational support from Merck, developed a suite of resources, downloadable and free, to assist doctors and other clinicians who want to improve medication adherence with better communication and patient education.

Why We Need to Communicate Better

According to a 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, nonadherence related expenses are estimated to be $100 to $300 billion per year in medical costs.

The reasons patients give for why they may be not taking their medications are broad-ranging and multifaceted. They include patients not understanding the benefits of medication, forgetfulness, believing medications were not working or no longer needed.

Medication Education Resources for Your Team

The research-based tools identify processes that, when implemented, may help improve how clinical practices identify and address medication non-adherence. The aim is to provide patient-focused tools to foster communication about medications, what they are for, and how to take them properly. The resources provide practical tips to assist providers who want to improve how they talk to patients about their medicines. It includes and a checklist for patients, too.

 The suite of resources includes: