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WSMA President Visits SCMS BOT Meeting
Dr. "Nick" Rajacich, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with MultiCare in Tacoma and the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) President for 2013, visited the March SCMS BOT Meeting to share highlights of the WSMA activities for this year. Jennifer Hansom, the new WSMA CEO, also participated in the conversation. They both highlighted the significant legislative advocacy role that WSMA performs on behalf of physicians in Olympia and in WA D.C. with the support of the local medical societies. Dr. Rajacich also emphasized his and WSMA's focus this year on collaboration and partnerships with the county medical societies to raise the value of membership for physicians in Spokane County and across the State. The program WSMA's Know Your Choices - Ask Your Doctor campaign, is an example of that effort and promotes the national Choosing Wisely campaign to reduce unnecessary ED visits and help patients prepare for the end of life. This is a significant activity on behalf of all physicians in the state. Know Your Choices - Ask Your Doctor promotes conversations between physicians and patients on the necessity of various tests and procedures, the appropriate place for care, and advance care planning for the end of life to support the WSMA's goals of increased access to care, improved care delivery, and patient safety. WSMA's four (4) strategic goals and how SCMS and WSMA can work together to achieve them were also noted by Dr. Rajacich and Jennifer Hanscom: #1. Promote Quality and Care Improvement; #2. Medical Practice Transformation; #3. Professional Needs; and #4. Organizational success. For further information on WSMA and SCMS activities you can link to the WSMA website or continue to review the SCMS newsletter, events, CME and other information on this site relevant to physicians and physician assistants in Eastern Washington. (4/2/2013)
New Videos from the DOH's Prescription Monitoring Program
The Department of Health's Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) has created new education videos for healthcare providers and law enforcement. The videos are designed to help the two groups:
* Understand the prescription drug abuse problem
* Learn about the program's history, purpose, goals, and basic operations
* Know how to successfully register for and use the system
Videos available for each group are:
* A PowerPoint presentation with voice-over giving a general overview of the program
* Tutorials on how to use the system (step-by-step video directions with voice-over)
* A compilation video with the overview and all the tutorials
The goal is to make the information available wherever a user has Internet access. That provides more opportunities for PMP education and training. Users can learn about the program and get help with using the system when it best fits their schedule.
Click here to view available videos. If you have any questions, please contact Program Director Chris Baumgartner, 360-236-4806 or chris.baumgartner@doh.wa.gov (4/2/2013)
Washington HealthPlanFinder
Washington was one of the first states in the nation to take steps to establish a state-based Exchange under national health care reform, under leader-ship by then Gov. Gregoire and the Legislature. By moving forward, we have set the stage to create an online health insurance marketplace that will meet the unique needs of the thousands of uninsured residents of Washing-ton State. Through ongoing engagement and feedback - from our commit-tees and Board, to our industry partners and consumer stakeholders - we know that the Washington HealthPlanFinder will be something we can truly call our own. PLEASE Note the section on the Small Business Options Program (SHOP) for small businesses with 2 to 50 employees.
Read the Complete February HealthPlanFinder Newsletter: http://wahbexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/WAHBEX-February-2013-Newsletter-.pdf
Courtesy of Richard Onizuka, Chief Executive Officer (3/5/2013)
Step Up and Go Program Distills Eating and Exercise Advice Into Easy-to-Digest Advice
Health advice comes from all directions – doctors, media, friends, school, work. Sometimes, said Emily Fleury, a director at Inland Northwest
Health Services, we get so much advice about staying healthy – and sometimes seemingly conflicting advice – that many people file it in their minds as junk mail. They ignore it all. That’s why INHS and other organizations behind the 2-year-old Step Up and Go program created a program that distills eating and exercise advice into easy-to-digest bites. The 85210 program offers five daily guidelines – one per digit – for preventing obesity. >Read More (courtesy of Spokesman.com, 11/9/2012)
Supreme Court Upholds Healthcare Reform
The Supreme Court justices today voted to keep the individual mandate as a tax, in its ruling of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). According to the Supreme Court blog, the entire PPACA is upheld, with the exception that the federal government has the power to terminate states' Medicaid funds. more> (Courtesy, CMIO.net, 6/28/2012)
WSMA Press Statement: The Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) Responds to Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Affordable Care Act
AMA Response: Supreme Court Decision Protects Much-Needed Health Insurance Coverage for Millions of Americans
Congratulations to Our 1000th Leadership Spokane Graduate!
On Thursday, June 7 more than 300 people joined together in celebrating the Graduation of the Leadership Spokane Classes of 2012. Dr. Terri Oskin (Columbia Medical Associates/President, Spokane County Medical Society) was the 1000th Leadership Spokane graduate to walk across the stage. (6/28/2012)
Adolescents and Young Adults with Mental Health Disorders at Risk of Long-Term Opioid Use
Patients ages 13 to 24 who are given opioids for pain are more than twice as likely to become addicted if they have mental health disorder, according to a study by Dr. Laura Richardson, UW associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics, and a team of investigators at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the UW. The study, “Mental Health Disorders and Long-term Opioid Use among Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Pain,” was published in the June 2012 Journal of Adolescent Health. Read more>
(courtesy of UW Medicine Online News, 6/22/2012)
Please also view the Pain Management Resources section in the Main Menu under Members for a comprehensive list of resources.
A Place to Share Your Opinion
We'd love to hear your comments on topics of interest published in our monthly newsletter "The Message". Click here to go to the SCMS Opinion Page and post your comment. Articles available for comment are listed in the right column, arranged each month by date of publication. Please read "Our Comment Policy" for more information. (note: we review all submissions before they are posted)
