EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MESSAGE  

Thank you for a wonderful year!

PCMS has had a wonderful year and we have you -- our members! -- to thank for it. We presented thoughtfully planned programs like the Opioid Symposium and Annual Meeting/Social, promoted great education and member achievements, built partnerships with community organizations and worked closely with the Colorado Medical Society.

We are stronger than ever going into a new year and look to further these gains in 2018. Don't hesitate to reach out to me at any time and I extend warm holiday greetings to each and every one of you. 

Cheers,

Cheryl

719-281-6073 (mobile) / cheryl.law@pueblocms.org

ANNOUNCEMENT

Resignation of president, appointment of new president and change of authorized representative



The Board of Directors of the Pueblo County Medical Society announces that effective Nov. 16, 2017, Henrique Fernandez, MD, resigned from his seat as president of the Board of Directors, and President-Elect Thomas Greidanus, MD, succeeds to the board presidency to serve the remainder of his term, and may be re-appointed upon the expiry of his term. Dr. Fernandez has ceased to act as the authorized representative of the Society upon his resignation as president, and Dr. Greidanus has accepted the position as the authorized representative of the Society for the purpose of Chapter 3: Section 2 of the current Bylaws. 

While we are sad to see Dr. Fernandez step down, we are excited about his acceptance of a prestigious medical position out of state. We’d like to thank Dr. Fernandez for his contributions to our organization, which included advancing our society by participating in strategic planning and establishing our mission and vision statements. 

Dr. Greidanus has been with the society for five years, holding the position of president-elect this past year, proving himself to be a highly committed society advocate. Dr. Greidanus played a key role in our strategic planning transition and 2017 signature events. Dr. Greidanus adds energy and enthusiasm as a thought leader and expert in the field of medicine. In our April 2017 e-newsletter, he expressed a strong desire to “reenergize and revitalize our society, and get our physician members involved.” His background gives him an overall understanding of how to improve member satisfaction, and an ability to motivate a team to success. He is an emergency medicine physician with Parkview Medical Center, and member since 2004. He served in the U.S. Army from 1997-2001 as a brigade surgeon and general medical officer. Dr. Greidanus thus brings a wealth of experience to the PCMS Board of Directors, and we are excited about his new role. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Greidanus on his promotion, and welcoming him as our new society President!

This means that we have the position of President-Elect open on the Board of Directors, and are looking for energetic candidates who want to take our Society to the next level. The Board of Directors will be meeting Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, and one of the items of discussion will be applications for the position to hopefully fill that seat as soon as possible. For those “Active” members who are interested in the Board Member position, please contact Cheryl Law at Cheryl.law@pueblocms.org or 719-281-6073 (mobile) regarding the application process. 

Dr. Fernandez, on behalf of the Board of Directors and Pueblo County Medical Society, thank you, once again, for your service!

PRESIDENT'S CORNER  

A quick check-in from Dr. Tom Greidanus

The Pueblo County Medical Society has a proud 136-year history. The 2017 Annual Meeting/Social was hosted by board member, Dr. Teresa Braden on Nov. 16. The event was well attended, and members and spouses mingled in a relaxed setting and her beautiful house, enjoying free drinks and appetizers compliments of our caterer, A'viands and our generous sponsor, ENT Credit Union. (See photos below.)

Executive director Cheryl Law and myself reviewed the past year’s accomplishments and our direction for the future. PCMS completed strategic planning this summer. We reviewed our mission and vision statements (see below) and asked those present what value they saw in the society and what they expected from the society moving forward.

MISSION: Facilitate meaningful collaboration of medical professionals in Pueblo County.

VISION: Create a medical society that serves as a venue for collaboration for the betterment of healthcare in Pueblo County. The Society’s efforts will improve the practice of medicine and life of medical professionals.

There was lively discussion about the social aspect of the society and what “meaningful collaboration” meant to the members. There was discussion about how we can help recruit and retain physicians in our county, help local premed students get into medical school, and how we can take a leadership role in advocacy efforts. We discussed how our physician directory this year was much improved and how to make it even better in 2018.

The board approved funds to improve our website, which will have an online membership directory with a web page for each member.

PCMS membership is on the rise and our opioid abuse symposium was well attended, much appreciated, and is getting statewide attention. Our advocacy efforts are ongoing and improved by the efforts of PCMS board member and newly appointed Colorado Medical Society board member, Dr. Brad Roberts.

Our focus this fiscal year will continue to be on the opioid epidemic, which has hit our community twice as hard as the rest of the state. Next fiscal year, we plan to turn our attention to physician wellness.

Thank you for your membership in PCMS. We look forward to a great 2018. As a reminder, all members are welcome to attend board meetings. Hope to see you at meetings and events in 2018!

NEWS FROM THE PUEBLO CITY-COUNTY HEALTH DEPT.

New opioid information cards available

The Pueblo City-County Health Department has free patient opioid information cards available for providers to give to patients. These cards educate patients on the possible risks and side effects of taking prescription opioids, provide information about nonpharmacological options for pain relief, and provide the location for the safe disposal of unused medication. Please contact Tessa Lewis, project specialist with the Pueblo City-County Health Department, at lewist@pueblocounty.us for more information.

Webinar: Improving Team-Based Opioid Management in Primary Care: An Important Strategy for Addressing the Opioid Crisis

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

There has been widespread overuse of prescription opioids to manage chronic pain. The majority of patients taking opioids for chronic pain are managed by primary care providers and their staff, who are often unprepared to manage these patients safely. With support from an AHRQ grant, Michael Parchman, MD, MPH, and his study team developed and tested a structured systems-based approach to improve the management of patients on chronic opioid therapy: the Six Building Blocks for managing opioids among patients with chronic pain. In this presentation, they will describe this approach, present early findings from their application of this intervention across 20 rural primary care clinics, and discuss lessons learned. Dr. Parchman is a primary care physician and director of the MacColl Center for Healthcare Innovation within the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. For over 25 years his work has focused on practice redesign to improve chronic illness care in primary care settings.

When it's time, join the meeting using this link. Meeting Number: 999 897 563; Password: CQuIPS1 Audio Connection: 2027742300 (Meeting Server Main Number); Access Code:

999 897 563

Webinar: "Do I Need This Pill?" Understanding Pain and Prescription Drugs

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Whether acute or chronic, poor pain treatment is a contributing factor to today’s opioid crisis. Please join the HHS Partnership Center when we host David Thomas of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to present on a webinar designed especially for faith-based and community leaders about the nature of pain, as well as new and healthy strategies for pain management. Increase your knowledge about how pain works, how opioids work for pain, and why these drugs are so addictive. Dr. Thomas will also talk about the influx of dangerous synthetics that are increasing the risk of overdose for youth and other vulnerable populations.  Register here.

Things go well when meetings are run well; learn how to make your meetings more effective and productive

Attend the final CMS Physician Leadership Skills Series program on Dec. 9

Would you rather have a root canal than attend certain meetings? Have you ever been to a meeting where a participant hijacked the agenda or where you as the leader could not keep everyone engaged? Why are our meetings so painful? Would you like to lead meetings that are more productive or effective? To advance our work, we must meet, and there are effective ways to make those gatherings productive and even enjoyable.

 

Make plans today to attend the final program in CMS's Physician Leadership Skills Series (PLSS), "Best Practices in Meeting Management." This highly interactive workshop will be held Dec. 9, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the CMS offices in Denver. This series is exclusive to CMS members only. Get more information here. Register now!

Webinar: Opioid Prescribing: Safe Practice, Changing Lives

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

We now know that overdoses from prescription opioids are a driving factor in the 15-year increase in opioid overdose deaths. Since 1999, the amount of prescription opioids sold in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled, yet there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans report. This comprehensive course, developed by experts from Collaborative for REMS Education (CO*RE), incorporates all six units outlined in the FDA blueprint for safe opioid prescribing. Attend this webinar to learn more about: counseling patients and caregivers about safer use of opioids; strategies for diagnosing and managing opioid-addicted patients; and practicing techniques for safe opioid prescribing. Register here.

2018 another transition year for Quality Payment Program

As Medicare moves to the second year of its Quality Payment Program (QPP), 2018 will largely serve as another transition period. Most physicians and other health professionals who bill Medicare won’t have to participate in 2018 and hardly any are projected to receive a penalty that will affect their payment in 2020.

In the 2018 QPP final rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tripled the low-volume threshold for participation to the point where the agency estimates that only 37 percent of clinicians who bill Medicare will be required to participate in the QPP’s Medicare Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The federal CMS also released its final rule for the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Read more in AMA Wire.

Get help from the Colorado QPP Coalition; visit their website for helpful resources and webinars: www.cms.org/coqpp.

Amid the opioid epidemic, physicians are taking action

A coordinated public health approach is needed to combat the evolving challenges presented by the opioid epidemic that kills nearly 180 Americans every day. Yet there are clear steps that physicians and health care organizations can take to reduce opioid-related harm while providing effective and compassionate care. This article from AMA Wire gives examples from the University of Chicago Medicine system and their Pain Stewardship Program.

"No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic" - Article from The Atlantic

There are several gateways to opioid addiction. Some suffer a physical injury, and slowly develop a dependency on prescribed painkillers. Others self-medicate for mental ailments using whatever substance is available. Because the brain is so adaptable while it’s still developing, it’s highly susceptible to dependencies, even from non-opioids such as today’s newly potent marijuana strains. Read this article from The Atlantic.

"U.S. approves monthly injection for opioid addiction" - Article from the Associated Press

U.S. health officials on Thursday approved the first injectable form of the leading medication to treat patients recovering from addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids. The FDA approved once-a-month Sublocade for adults with opioid use disorder who are already stabilized on addiction medication. Read this article from the Associated Press.

NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Top stories from the 2017 AMA Interim Meeting

Hundreds of physicians, medical students, residents and fellows gathered at the 2017 AMA Interim Meeting in Honolulu to consider a wide array of proposals designed to help fulfill the association’s core mission of promoting medicine and improving public health. Top stories included policies against harmful changes to Medicaid, for more help for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and urging responsible media involvement. See the top stories from the meeting here, on AMA Wire.