September 2020 -- Volume 19 | Issue 98
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Index:
New Publication Coming Next Month -- College Launches ACOEM Quarterly Newsmagazine
ACOEM 2020 Digital Sessions Available
Drug Testing Offerings for MROs
- Webinar to Address Impact of Marijuana Laws on Workplace Drug Testing
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Subscribe to MRO Update -- ACOEM’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Newsletter
- MRO Course in Virtual Format/Live Discussion
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Cheryl S. Barbanel, MD
1950-2020
ACOEM Past President
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JOEM Spotlight -- Highlights from September Issue
Members-Only Webinar on Hepatitis B -- October 20
VA to Review Impact of Burn Pits on Health of Deployed Veterans
AMA Guides on Mental & Behavioral Disorders Proposed
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New Publication Coming Next Month – College Launches
ACOEM Quarterly Newsmagazine
ACOEM‘s brand new newsmagazine – the ACOEM Quarterly will debut next month! This quarterly publication will be mailed to all ACOEM members in mid-October. It will feature the most up-to-date news on all aspects of ACOEM – governance, component and section activities, education offerings, advocacy, publications, and most importantly, articles and insights from you, our members! Learn about ACOEM’s new developments and follow the latest news in occupational and environmental medicine.
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ACOEM 2020 Digital Sessions Available
Need the most up-to-date information on topics varying from telemedicine and benchmarking to myofascial pain and independent medical evaluation among others? Check out ACOEM’s 2020 Digital Sessions! Ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours, these sessions will provide you with information you can immediately apply to your job. AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for each session. Explore topics here…
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Drug Testing Offerings for MROs
More than 70% of large private employers require drug and alcohol testing. And, mandatory alcohol and drug testing is required of commercial driver's license holders, and other transportation workers in joint government agreements. This testing is conducted by medical review officers (MROs). ACOEM has long been the educational provider of choice for MROs through its courses, webinars, and renowned newsletter. Here's what we have to offer:
Webinar to Address Impact of Marijuana Laws on Workplace Drug Testing
Mark your calendar for October 13, 2020, at 12:00pm CDT, when ACOEM will offer a free-to-members-only webinar on Marijuana Part II: The Saga Continues. The program will provide an overview of federal, state, and local marijuana laws that impact workplace drug testing including recreational marijuana laws, medical marijuana laws, laws prohibiting certain types of marijuana testing, and laws requiring certain types of written notice when an employee tests positive for marijuana. In addition, a review of recent studies on impairment and tools to assess impairment with cannabis use will be included. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Register today...
Subscribe to MRO Update -- ACOEM’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Newsletter
A powerful resource for providers of workplace drug testing, MRO Update newsletter provides clear, concise articles on topics such as split specimen procedures and alternative specimen screening; urine, oral fluid, and hair testing; direct observation and privacy issues; prescription drug abuse and illicit drug use; marijuana – including federal and state issues; and more! Published 10 times a year, a subscription is $220 for ACOEM members/$245 for non-members. Subscribers can earn complimentary CME/MOC by participating in the accompanying online CME activity – acquire 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ per issue or 10 free annually! Subscribe today or call ACOEM at 847/818-1800.
MRO Course in Virtual Format/Live Discussion
Register today for ACOEM's highly acclaimed Medical Review Officer (MRO) Course now available in an online format with live discussion. The course includes 30 on-demand content recordings, 90 self-assessment questions, and self-study of the course materials. Also included are live Q&A and content review sessions with course faculty. The course has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and fully meets the DHHS and DOT MRO Qualification Training requirements to take the MRO certification exam administered by MROCC. (To register for the exam, email MROCC or call 847/631-0599.) Enroll today...
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JOEM Spotlight -- Highlights from September Issue
September Includes RTW Guidance During COVID-19
ACOEM's Safely Returning America to Work Part I: General Guidance for Employers has been published in print and online in the September issue of JOEM. This important document provides return-to-work guidance for both employers and the OEM physicians who will be supporting businesses to implement safe return-to-work strategies. Part II will be published in JOEM early next year.
The guidance was prepared by the ACOEM Return to Work (RTW) Work Group under the auspices of the Council on OEM Practice. The authors are: Tanisha Taylor, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOEM; Rupali Das, MD, MPH, FACOEM; Kathryn Mueller, MD, MPH, FACOEM; Glenn Pransky, MD, FACOEM; Jennifer Christian, MD, MPH, FACOEM; Robert Orford, MD, MPH, MS, FACOEM, and Robert Blink, MD, MPH, FACOEM.
ACOEM/NTCA Joint TB Guidance to Be Highlighted at NTCA’s Virtual
TB Conference
ACOEM and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) published joint guidance on Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of US Health Care Personnel in the July issue of JOEM. The guidance is intended to assist with implementing CDC's/NTCA's Recommendations for Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of Health Care Personnel, United States, 2019. Now you can join several of the authors for a 2-hour session at the NTCA’s Virtual 2020 National Tuberculosis Conference on October 14 at 2 pm CDT. After a brief overview of the collaboration to write this companion document, this session will present transition experiences of an academic medical center, a large city health department, and a state TB program, followed by an open forum with the speaker panel and participants. Register today...
Study Addresses Prevalence of Burnout in U.S. Occupational Physicians
To have the most positive impact on patients, health care professionals, including occupational medicine practitioners, must be functioning at their fullest capacity. However, burnout threatens to seriously diminish that capacity. A study in the September issue of JOEM, Prevalence of Burnout in Occupational and Environmental Medicine Physicians in the United States, shows that although occupational medicine practitioners do not suffer the highest rates of burnout compared to some medical specialties, on average 38% do suffer burnout, and in some practice settings (government/military, private medical center) the rates are even higher (46-48%). Therefore, the authors recommend that personal and organizational strategies to cope with burnout, such as resiliency training, be considered for occupational medicine practitioners especially those in high-risk practice settings. This article is also designated for CME.
CME/MOC Available Through JOEM
JOEM provides 3 CME/MOC in each issue -- 36 CME/MOC per year. And, the September JOEM CME articles are now available! For information on obtaining CME/MOC through JOEM, visit the ACOEM store.
And, coming in the October issue, a new study will address What’s the Best Filter for Homemade Masks in Healthcare Settings?
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Taking ABPM’s October Certification Exam? Register for ACOEM's Board Review Course!
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Members-Only Webinar on Hepatitis B -- October 20
Do you want to have a better understanding of current immunization options and other strategies to prevent transmission of hepatitis B in the workplace? Join us on October 20, 2020 at Noon CDT with Sally Foster-Chang, DNP, ANP-BC, COHN-S, for
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VA to Review Impact of Burn Pits on Health of Deployed Veterans
On September 11, 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released the consensus report Respiratory Health Effects of Airborne Hazards Exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations. The report concluded that new approaches are needed to better answer whether respiratory health issues are associated with deployment. "The current uncertainty should not be interpreted as meaning that there is no association — rather, the issue is that the available data are of insufficient quality to draw definitive conclusions,” said Mark Utell, MD, FACOEM, professor of medicine and environmental medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who chaired the committee that wrote the report. “However, the committee believes it is possible today to conduct well-designed studies that will provide more clarity to veterans who are seeking to understand the respiratory problems they are experiencing.”
The report also recommends that the VA conduct an updated analysis of mortality among Southwest Asia theater veterans, since the last analysis was done in 2011. Future mortality studies should compare veterans exposed to higher and lower levels of airborne agents, rather than comparing all veterans to the general population. The VA's Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry allows eligible veterans and service members to document their exposures and report health concerns through an online questionnaire. The VA is currently reviewing this report.
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Eligible to apply for Fellow status -- the highest membership classification within ACOEM? To find out, visit acoem.org/fellowship or email Elizabeth DeWolfe for information. Apply by November 1, 2020, to be considered for the Fellow Class of 2021!
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AMA Guides on Mental & Behavioral Disorders Proposed
A proposal to update the AMA Guides Mental and Behavioral Disorders content was approved during the September 17 AMA Guides Editorial Panel meeting. A public comment period began on September 18 and continues through October 16. To begin the process, contact guidesproposals@ama-assn.org. Intent to comment must be declared by October 5. Read more about the public comment period and approved editorial change proposal.
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In Memory of Cheryl S. Barbanel, MD, FACOEM,
ACOEM Past President
ACOEM was deeply saddened to learn of the death of past president Cheryl S. Barbanel, MD, MBA, MPH, FACOEM, on September 1, 2020, at age 70, after a long illness. Dr. Barbanel,
of Chestnut Hill, Mass., served as ACOEM's president from 2005-2006.
Dr. Barbanel received her MD from New York University, and her MBA and MPH from Boston University. She was an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. She was also the director of Boston University Occupational Health Center and director of Boston University Medical Center Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Barbanel was certified by the ABPM in occupational medicine.
A leader in occupational and environment medicine (OEM), Dr. Barbanel joined ACOEM in 1992, and was elevated to Fellowship in 1995. She was elected to the Board in 1998, and served as a director and officer. She received the President’s Award in 1997 and 2007.
In addition to her service to ACOEM, Dr. Barbanel was a past president and long-time member of the New England COEM. She was also an active member of the Ramazzini Society, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Preventive Medicine from 1998-2007.
A distinguished ACOEM President, a role model for young physicians, a pillar of support for women in OEM, and an ambassador for our specialty, Dr. Barbanel was instantly recognizable by her smile, wit, determination, knowledge, and professionalism.
She touched all of us who knew her as evidenced by the outpouring of tributes when we learned of her passing. One colleague and friend said it best when they wrote, "I carry the memory of her generosity and kindness with me. She is one of the reasons I have always felt strongly the sense of fellowship and connection in OEM."
Dr. Barbanel attributed her successful career to her many friends, mentors, and the love and support of her family. She is survived by her mother Rose Barbanel, her husband of 44 years, Dr. Kenneth B. Miller, her children, Phillip, Rachel, and Marisa Miller, and her brother Joshua Barbanel, and sister Lori Barbanel.
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Occupational Medicine Sales & Marketing - Touchpoints for a No Touch World
ACOEM members: register for this virtual conference kicking off Tuesday, October 27, 2020. Use discount code acoem2020 in the coupon code field at check out to save an additional $100 off the enrollment fee. Hurry! Early bird pricing expires September 30!
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25 Northwest Point Blvd, Suite 700
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, 60007-1030
Phone: (847) 818-1800
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