In response to member inquiries during the NCMS Annual Meeting in October and the installation of Reference Committee Report F-Professionalism in the Use of Social Media by the House of Delegates, here are two articles from Medical Mutual’s Fall Issue of MedNotes that will help physicians understand the proper uses of social media and e-mail communications in health care.  Both articles emphasize the importance of protecting patient information and maintaining a sense of professionalism while interacting with patients via the Internet. Follow the links below to read the articles in their entirety.

How to Safely Communicate by E-mail with Patients

Walking the Social Media Tightrope: Understanding the Risks That Surround Social Media

The NCMS will continue to inform its members about the effects social media and e-mail communications has on the health care profession.

During the NCMS Annual Meeting in October, the NCMS Foundation held its 3^rd Annual Community Practitioner Program (CPP) Meeting to showcase community care practitioners and their quality initiatives. Speakers included representatives from the NC Physician Institute for Quality Enhancement Surgical Fellows who presented to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and the Community Practitioner Innovative Practice Program who presented information to their practices and communities.

The “Team Based Approach to Health Care” educational seminar included speakers Brian Toomey, Chief Executive Officer Piedmont Health Services and Marianne Ratcliffe, Director Piedmont Health SeniorCare. The seminar was held following a luncheon that was hosted for over 90 people, including CPP participants, Board of Trustees, CPP Advisory Committee members and Schweitzer Foundation and NC Advanced Health Programs Bernstein Fellows. Chip Baggett, Director, Legislative Relations with the North Carolina Medical Society, and Dr. Eugenie Komives, VP and Senior Medical Director from Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina, also presented.

 Click here to view the Community Practitioner Program Meeting presentations.

The 2012 NCDA Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, January 13, 2012, through Sunday, January 15, 2012, at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club, Durham. Topics of discussion include FDA sunscreen guidelines, an update on Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma, hormonal therapy for acne, Lichen Planus, melanoma management, coastal and marine dermatology, meaningful use of EHR technology and AAD updates.

Registration is now open, and those who attend can receive 11.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ or AAD recognized CME credit(s). To register, contact NCDA at (919) 833-3836 to request a brochure; or download the brochure here, or register online.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on October 28, 2011, that current efforts to revalidate the enrollment of every Medicare provider and supplier will continue through 2015. The original deadline had been set for March 23, 2013, as CMS sought to carry out the program integrity screening provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

CMS’s decision to extend the time available for the physician revalidation effort came after the AMA expressed disagreement with CMS’ initial legal analysis of the ACA screening provisions. Click here to read the AMA’s September 23, 2011 letter on revalidation.

Palmetto GBA will be releasing a statement on this, which will be available this week at its website. Providers are still being instructed to wait until they are contacted by Palmetto GBA before beginning the revalidation effort. Those physicians that have already been contacted and instructed to begin revalidation should continue that process according to Palmetto GBA’s instructions.

Robert W. (“Charlie”) Monteiro, MD, was installed as President of the NC Medical Society during the 2011 Annual Meeting last weekend in Raleigh. Dr. Monteiro has been actively involved with the NCMS since he joined in 1995, the same year he began practicing internal medicine in New Bern with CarolinaEast Internal Medicine. He succeeds John R. Mangum, MD, who will continue to serve on the NCMS Board of Directors as Immediate Past President.

Dr. Monteiro received his medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega honor medical society. He completed his residency training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has served on several NCMS committees, including Ethical and Judicial Affairs, Finance, Legislative Cabinet, Nominating and Leadership Development, and Sports Medicine. In 2005, he was elected as the Region I Representative to the Board. He has served as Chair of the Legislative Cabinet for five consecutive years. In 1998, he was presented the NCMS Tobacco Control Physician Award for his work on educating teenagers on the dangers of tobacco use.

The House of Delegates (HOD) elected Michael P. Moulton, MD, of Wilmington, as President-Elect. He will be installed as the 159^th NCMS President at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Raleigh. Dr. Moulton is the Immediate Past Speaker of the HOD.

Your 2012 NCMS Board of Directors:

President (2012)*                                           Robert W. “Charlie” Monteiro, MD, New Bern

President-Elect (2012)                                   Michael P. Moulton, MD, Wilmington

Secretary-Treasurer (2014)                           Devdutta G. Sangvai, MD, Durham

Speaker, House of Delegates (2014)            Docia E. Hickey, MD, Charlotte

Vice-Speaker, House of Delegates (2014)    Palmer Edwards, MD, Winston-Salem

Immediate Past-President (2012)                 John R. Mangum, MD, Sanford

Executive Vice President, CEO                     Robert W. Seligson, MBA, MA

Board of Directors – Region 1 (2012)           Paul R.G. Cunningham, MD, Greenville

Board of Directors – Region 2 (2013)           Robert E. Schaaf, MD, Raleigh

Board of Directors – Region 3 (2014)           John L. Reynolds, MD, Charlotte

Board of Directors – Region 4 (2014)           Robert A. Yapundich, MD, Hickory

Board of Directors – At-Large (2014)            Mary Ann Contogiannis, MD, Greensboro

Board of Directors – At-Large (2013)           Stephen M. Herring, MD, Fayetteville

Board of Directors – At-Large (2012)           Michelle F. Jones, MD, Hampstead

 *Number in parenthesis indicates last year of term.

The NCMS House of Delegates took action on eight Reports and ten Resolutions during the 2011 Annual Meeting in Raleigh last weekend. Reference Committees I and II heard comments on the Reports and Resolutions on Saturday and submitted Recommendations that were considered by the House on Sunday.

Reference Committee I included Samuel S. Spicer, MD, Chair; Nancy S. Henley, MD; and Brian S. Kuszyk, MD. Serving on Reference Committee II were Timothy M. Beittel, MD, Chair; Arthur E. Apolinario, MD; and William P. Silver, MD.

To review a summary of HOD Actions on the Reference Committees’ Recommendations, click here.

More information about the individual Reports and Resolutions will be made available in future Bulletins and at www.ncmedsoc.org.

In conjunction with the NCMS Annual Meeting and House of Delegates, several membership sections met to discuss their activities and strategies for growth for the upcoming year.

The Women in Medicine Section, chaired by Katherine J. Pierce, MD, of Charlotte, hosted more than 30 women in its second annual meeting. Physicians, PAs, Residents and Medical Students were represented. Attendees were enthusiastic about promoting this new networking and educational group. The Section will host a guest speaker and reception at the 2012 Annual Meeting.  Members wishing to be added to the Section’s new list serve should email Shawn Scott at sscott@ncmedsoc.org.

The Physician Assistants (PAs) Section, chaired by Glen Combs, PA-C, will review the list of NCMS Committees and encourage PA member participation. The section will meet in February at the NC Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA) Winter Meeting.

The Residents-Fellows Section was represented by Chris DeRienzo, MD of Duke and Diane Miller, MD, of UNC. Members with involvement in residency programs can enroll all residency participants as NCMS members at no cost. For the enrollment forms, email Richard Skinner at rskinner@ncmedsoc.org.

Medical Students elected new officers for the year, including Carol Akers of the Brody School of Medicine as Chair. NCMS Medical Students will be represented at the upcoming AMA 2011 Interim Meeting in New Orleans.

The NCMS thanks all members who took time from their busy schedules to contribute to the meeting and encouraged their colleagues to get involved! Mark your calendar for next year’s meeting, scheduled for October 26-27, 2012 in Raleigh.

Three health care leaders received NCMS awards during the Inauguration Ceremony at the 2011 NCMS Annual Meeting in Raleigh on October 22, 2011.

Phillip Sellers, MD, received the E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, Physician Community Service Award for his outstanding leadership in medicine and compassionate care for the people in the Hendersonville community. He earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine (formerly Bowman-Gray).

Charles J. Riddick, Chief Executive Officer of The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCMS) received the 2011 John Huske Anderson Award for his positive impact on the medical profession and the public health in North Carolina. Mr. Riddick has served as CEO of CCME since 1983.

William E. Thornton, MD, received the NCMS Presidential Award for his accomplishments in medicine, space exploration and education. Dr. Thorton was the first astronaut from North Carolina, having been born and raised in Faison. He received his medical degree from the UNC-CH School of Medicine.

Carol Koeble, MD, executive director for the North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety (NC Quality Center), received the distinguished T. Reginald Harris Memorial Award in conjunction with the North Carolina Medical Society’s annual meeting on October 22, 2011. This year marks the thirteenth anniversary that the award, a plaque, and a monetary prize of $2,500, has been given by The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) in honor of the life and memory of T. Reginald Harris, MD, one of its founding members and Past President of the NCMS. During the event, Dr. Koeble donated the monetary prize to the North Carolina Hospital Foundation. The NC Hospital Association (NCHA) created the NC Quality Center in 2004. Dr. Koeble became the first executive director of the NC Quality Center in 2005.

NCMS EVP, CEO Robert Seligson says the NCMS is committed to being an effective organization for physicians.  ”You will see changes,” Seligson said,” that will help us achieve that goal,” speaking before the 2nd Session of the NCMS House of Delegates at the NCMS Annual Meeting in Raleigh on Sunday.  The changes include revisions to the NCMS Strategic Plan that will help the Medical Society to make the best use of limited resources in order to maximize its effectiveness on behalf of physicians.

Delegates were shown two videos, one highlighted the successful battle to win medical liability reforms, and the other provided an overview of the many ways the NCMS and its Foundation are helping to address and meet the needs of physicians and their patients.

NCMS Foundation Board President Darlyne Menscer, MD, provided the annual Foundation Report, which showed how the Foundation’s role has expanded to include providing support for EHR development, help improve practice efficiency, develop physician leadership, and address quality improvement in health care delivery.

A summary of Annual Meeting activities and actions will appear in the next Bulletin and on the NCMS webpage.

The NCMS’ 158th President Robert Monteiro, MD, called on the House of Delegates (HOD) today to help keep the NCMS strong “so we can be a clear voice for the House of Medicine.”  In addressing the 2n session of the HOD, Dr. Monteiro reflected on the successes of the Medical Society during the past year, “through it all, we had the strong and steady leadership of NCMS President Dr. John Mangum,” outgoing NCMS President.  He added that the NCMS remains strong financially, despite the economy. Dr. Monteiro said that as the NCMS moves forward, the Medical Society will help physicians understand the accountable care model and make better use of physician input and time through a restructuring of the Annual Meeting.

David Cook, MD, chair of the NCMS PAC Board is addressing the NCMS House of Delegates at the 2011 Annual Meeting. The NCMS PAC raised over $355,000 during the last election cycle and was recently ranked 2nd in the state in fundraising. 

Last year the NCMS PAC was able to give to candidates on both sides of the aisle and 5 NCMS members running for office in the NC General Assembly. Member support of the PAC only paves the way for improved health care policy and patient care in the state of North Carolina. To donate to the NCMS PAC click here.

The NCMS House of Delegates has approved the nomination of Michael Moulton, MD as President-Elect of the North Carolina Medical Society.

Dr. Moulton is an emergency room physician at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilimington. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and spent his residency at The Medical College of Pennsylvania, Department of Emergency Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. An active member of organized medicine, Dr. Moulton served as President of the New Hanover/Pender Medical Society in 2005, has been an alternate delegate to the AMA since 2001, and has been a member of the AMA since his medical student years.

Dr. Moulton lives with his wife, Frankie, and his young son and daughter in Wilmington.

Elizabeth Kanof, MD has taken the podium at the 2011 NCMS Annual Meeting to recognize the graduates of the NCMS Leadership College Class of 2011, including:

• Joanne Bell Allen, MD – Wrightsville Beach
• Sheila G. Allison, MD - Durham
• Holly Biola, MD – Durham
• Cynthia J. Brown, MD – Asheville
• Craig Burkhart, MD, MS – Chapel Hill
• Patti Forest, MD  – Durham
• Pankaj Gupta, MD, FACS – Cary
• Carmelo A. Hernandez, MD – Brevard
• Frank A. Hobart, MD – Wilmington
• Alfred Mina, MD – Lake Junaluska
• William L. Porfilio, MD – Burlington
• Smita Sampat, MD – Roanoke Rapids
• Jessica Scott, MD, JD – Raleigh
• Vipul Shah, MD – Cary
• Michael J. Thomas, MD PhD – Raleigh
• Paul Trani, MD – Hendersonville

The 2011 NCMS Annual Meeting is underway in Raleigh this weekend. Outgoing President John Mangum, MD is welcoming delegates to the House of Delegates and reflecting upon the year’s successes and issuing challenges for the future including improvement to quality and maintenance of the patient-centered medical home.  Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) offers unique model for the state of North Carolina to move forward in coordinated care for both primary care services as well as specialties. 

The development of a statewide Health Information Exchange will also prove meaningful in the future of medicine in North Carolina. Getting the HIE up and running in North Carolina with continue to be a priority of the Medical Society in the coming year to help better serve our patients and their needs in traveling across various points of care.

Finally Dr. Mangum discussed the 2010 Legislative Session with the House of Delegates. The passage of medical liability reform was a great success for the health care community this year, including the override of the Governor’s veto of SB 33 – Medical Liability Reforms. Key features include a cap on non-economic damages and provisions for actual medical evidence.

Dr. Mangum closed his remarks by challenging the physician community to continue to fight to maintain the gains of this year and move the NCMS forward in serving the community and the patients of North Carolina.