WORD TO THE WISE
Newsletter: September 2017 - Volume 17, No. 9
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In this issue:
- Executive Director Message: Join us for the upcoming Opioid Abuse Symposium and any Board meetings
- Members on the Move: CMS election and Manguso service
- Upcoming local events
- Other events
- Ideas for a getaway: CMS Annual Meeting, Sept. 15-17 in Breckenridge
- News: Medicaid payment delays, Medscape survey results
- News from COPIC: Apply for a Humanitarian Award
- News from CMS: Read the special issue of Colorado Medicine on opioids
- News from AMA: Tools to avoid 4% Medicare pay cut
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MESSAGE
Join us at our upcoming events!
The Pueblo County Medical Society Board of Directors and I have been working hard to re-engineer our events and maximize their value and importance to members.
- Don't miss our 2017 Opioid Abuse Symposium coming up on Saturday, Oct. 14. It's going to be an educational and collaborative event to bring together stakeholders to find solutions to this grave epidemic. RSVP here.
- All members are also invited to attend our upcoming board meeting (see information below) and any of the 2018 board meetings (click here to view the 2018 schedule). Remember members, this is where our leaders gather to steer our society, discuss and debate issues of importance to our members, and hear about member concerns!
We would love to have you at all of these events. Join us!
Yours sincerely,
Cheryl
719-281-6073 (mobile) / cheryl.law@pueblocms.org
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MEMBERS ON THE MOVE
This section of the PCMS newsletter highlights members who are making a difference in our community or medical field.
Share your news with us
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PCMS president elected to CMS leadership
Election results are in! PCMS President Henrique Fernandez, MD, FACP, was successful in his campaign for Colorado Medical Society alternate delegate to the American Medical Association. During his two-year term he will travel to AMA meetings and work with other members of the Colorado delegation to advocate for physicians and affect national health policy. Congratulations!
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Former PCMS board member enjoys family time and service
My wife Rose and I had a wonderful visit with our daughter, Elizabeth, who was home from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is in her junior year. She asked if we wanted to go for a “walk” – it started at 9 in the morning and ended at 5 in the afternoon...a 15-mile hike with a 4,000 foot elevation change. Challenging but amazing and a memory we will have forever.
(Pictured at right.) The next weekend we participated in a fundraiser for the Special Olympics – a team tug-of-war with a 164,000 pound airplane at DIA. Over $100,000 was raised. Elizabeth and I were part of a 25-member team that competed against 67 other teams. (My wife’s job was taking photos.) We all had a great time. We didn't win but we did pull the airplane 12 feet in less than 8 seconds. After facing the mountain and the airplane, all of our usual Monday activities seemed less challenging!
Robert Manguso, MD
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Bob and Rose Manguso attended a fundraiser event for Special Olympics at Denver International Airport.
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Their 25-member team competed against 67 other teams to pull an airplane the longest distance.
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MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND the PCMS Opiate Symposium
, Oct. 14, 2017
Click
here
or the image below to RSVP or for more information
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Upcoming PCMS board meeting
Join us Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017 for our next board meeting at 5:30 p.m., Parkview Residents Conference Room, 315 W. 15th St.
RSVP by Friday, Sept. 22 to
events@pueblocms.org.
Seating is limited!
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Free SBIRT training - Oct. 5, 7 - 9 p.m.
The Pueblo City-County Health Department is hosting a no-cost training on SBIRT, an alcohol-and-other-drug-use screening tool. The training, presented by Peer Assistance Services, will take place at the health department – 101 W. 9th St., Pueblo, CO 81003 – on Thursday, Oct. 5, 7 - 9 a.m.
Click here to view additional information.
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Improve your mindfulness with "Mindful Me" eight-week program, Sept. 25-Nov. 13
Research shows that mindfulness helps with an array of health issues. The St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center will host an eight-week mindfulness meditation course Sept. 25-Nov. 13. Learn how to actively engage in health and well-being, and be present with an open mind and heart. Registration is $25. To register or for more information, contact Judy LaFollete, M.Div., B.C.C., at 719-557-5205 or
judithfollette@centura.org.
Click here to view an informational flyer.
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Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) seeking volunteers for free mass dental clinic Oct. 13-14 at the Colorado State Fair Grounds
The Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) seeks volunteers – with or without a medical background – for their mass dental clinic in Pueblo Oct. 13-14 at the Colorado State Fair Grounds. They expect to provide free oral health care services to 1,500 patients. If you are available to volunteer during this event please contact Vanessa Brazee, Pueblo City-County Health Department at (719) 250-5394 or
vanessa.brazee@pueblocounty.us.
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2017 “Pueblo Youth Awareness Week” – Sept. 24-30
The second-annual Pueblo Youth Awareness Week will be held Sept. 24-30, 2017, and the Pueblo County Department of Social Services invites your business to host an event that introduces and spotlights your youth- and family-related services to our community. The purpose of this week dedicated to Pueblo’s youth is to highlight the positive Pueblo youth influence in our community, and to recognize the outstanding community organizations that direct Pueblo’s youth towards healthier lifestyles and healthier life choices. This weeklong series of events will also provide an opportunity for community dialogue and collaboration in areas of concern and risk involving Pueblo youth, and more importantly recognize the positive contributions and aspects of Pueblo’s youth culture.
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Huntington disease training opportunity – Nov. 4
The Huntington Study Group is holding a CME training for physicians and other health care professionals to learn the latest treatment options for people with Huntington disease on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Convention Center.
Click here to view the invitation letter and
here to view the flyer.
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Renew, recharge and refresh in Breckenridge
It's not too late to join the Colorado Medical Society for the annual meeting this weekend, Sept. 15-17, at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge. Breckenridge offers activities for all ages: spa time, history, guided hikes, a saloon tour, ghost tours, gold mine hikes and panning, the Mountain Top Children’s Museum, the Edwin Carter Discovery Center… the list goes on and on! Registration is free and includes all programs and meals for members and a guest. Go to
www.cms.org/events/annual-meeting for more information and to register!
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Medicaid payment update: PCMS signs onto CMS letter to HCFP director
On Sept. 1, the Colorado Medical Society and 16 other state and regional physician organizations – including the Pueblo County Medical Society – sent a letter to Sue Birch, MBA, BSN, RN, executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing expressing doctors’ frustrations with lengthy payment delays for the care and treatment of Medicaid enrollees. The physician groups ask for payment as soon as possible plus interest payments on overdue amounts, citing statutes to support this request.
Director Birch responded on Sept. 6, apologizing for the billing problems doctors have experienced and committing to resolving these issues as it is the agency’s responsibility to provide timely reimbursement for properly submitted claims. The letter leaves unanswered questions, however, and CMS plans to submit a response asking for clarification and additional information.
PCMS/CMS will keep physicians informed of the proceedings related to these issues, and will continue to pursue penalties and interest payments to physicians for denial of clean claims.
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2017 Medscape physician compensation report
The Medscape Physician Compensation Report is the most comprehensive and widely used physician salary survey in the United States. Over 400,000 U.S. physicians have used this report to access not only salary information but also important factors affecting income, such as hours worked, time spent with patients, what they find most rewarding and challenging about their jobs, and more.
View an informational slideshow here.
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Nominate a physician for the COPIC Humanitarian Award
Each year, COPIC honors a Colorado physician for his or her volunteer medical services and contributions to the community outside of their day-to-day lives. If you know a worthy candidate, please nominate him or her for this award.
The recipient of the award receives a $10,000 grant from the COPIC Medical Foundation to be provided to a 501(c)(3) organization of the recipient's choosing (on his or her behalf) to fund ongoing efforts to deliver and/or improve health care.
We established this award in remembrance of Harold E. "Hal" Williamson. His encouragement and active participation led to the establishment of the COPIC Medical Foundation.
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NEWS FROM THE COLORADO MEDICAL SOCIETY
Read the latest Colorado Medicine, special issue on opioid epidemic
The September-October issue of Colorado Medicine is now available online and will be delivered to all CMS members' mailboxes soon. This special issue delves into the opioid epidemic in Colorado and gives physicians tools and resources to help patients.
Access the virtual issue today!
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NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Get ready for Medicare payment's biggest change in decades; the AMA has worked to enable physician success under QPP and MIPS
Click here to view tips to avoid a 4% pay penalty.
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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.
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Board Officers:
President: Henrique Fernandez, MD; President-Elect: Thomas Greidanus, MD; Secretary: Ross Patrick, MD; Treasurer: Lev Asherov, MD; Past-President: Alfredo Vargas, MD; CMS Representative: TBD |
Directors:
Teresa Braden, DO; Donald Luebke, MD; Julie Newburg, MD; Robert Tonsing, MD; Atul Vahil, MD |
Executive Director:
Cheryl Law, MA, MNM
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This newsletter is intended for the members and interested persons of the Pueblo County Medical Society. If you have received this and wish to opt-out call 719-281-6073 or use the “unsubscribe” link below.
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