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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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 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.

NCMS President John R. Mangum, MD, Sanford, will address the House Saturday morning, providing a review of key accomplishments during the past year, including the highly successful initiative to gain medical liability and tort reform legislation during the 2011 legislative session.

NCMS President-Elect Robert W. Monteiro, MD, New Bern, will deliver his inaugural address to the House on Sunday. He will be installed as the 158^th President of the Medical Society on Saturday night, when the NCMS will also present its E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, Physician Community Service Award, John Huske Anderson Award and the Presidential Award.

Delegates will be considering eight Reports and ten Resolutions, along with any late Resolutions that might be filed during the first session on Saturday. Among the items is Report A – Restructuring of NCMS Annual Meeting and House of Delegates, which recommends changes designed to further streamline the governance process, control costs, and improve the efficacy of NCMS advocacy on behalf of physicians and their patients. These changes are also reflected in recommendations made in Report G – NCMS Strategic Plan, the organization’s primary guide to meet the current and growing needs of physicians in North Carolina.

A summary of HOD actions and highlights from the Annual Meeting will be featured in next week’s Bulletin and at http://www.ncmedsoc.org/. Updates will be available throughout the meeting @NCMedSoc on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/) and on the Doctor to Doctor Blog.

Click here to register online now for the meeting.

Download a schedule of events and registration form.

Hotel Accommodation Update:

If you have not yet made your hotel reservations for the upcoming NCMS Annual Meeting, you’re in luck! The deadline to make discounted room reservations at the Raleigh Marriott City Center has been extended to Tuesday, October 18.

Make your hotel reservations online here; or call the Marriott at 1-800-228-9290; be sure to mention that you are attending the NC Medical Society’s Annual Meeting to obtain the discounted rate. For more information on the hotel accommodations for the Annual Meeting, including directions and parking details, click here.

If you have not yet made your hotel reservations for the upcoming NCMS Annual Meeting, you’re in luck! The deadline to make discounted room reservations at the Raleigh Marriott City Center has been extended to Tuesday, October 18.

• Make your hotel reservations online here;
• or call the Marriott at 1-800-228-9290; be sure to mention that you are attending the NC Medical Society’s Annual Meeting to obtain the discounted rate.
• For more information on the hotel accommodations for the Annual Meeting, including directions and parking details, click here.

NCMS Annual Meeting Information:

• To obtain more information on the 2011 NCMS Annual Meeting and House of Delegates to be held from October 21-23, 2011, visit www.ncmedsoc.org/annualmeeting or contact Richard Skinner, rskinner@ncmedsoc.org, (919) 833-3836 ext. 158. 
• Click here to register online now for the meeting.
• Download a schedule of events and registration form.

The deadline for Resolutions has been extended to Monday, September 12, 2011.

All resolutions from component medical societies, sections or medical specialty organizations must bear the signature of two officers of each respective organization. Otherwise, the resolution will need to be submitted by an individual delegate. Resolutions arriving after the deadline will be considered late resolutions, and in order to be considered the business of the House will have to be presented by a delegate at the first session of the House of Delegates for approval by two-thirds of the delegates present at the meeting of the House of Delegates and meet the criteria for late resolutions (i.e., urgency and importance to the goals and objectives of the NCMS).

All resolutions should be mailed to Robert W. Seligson, EVP/CEO, NCMS, PO Box 27167, Raleigh, NC 27611 and submitted electronically to lcarter@ncmedsoc.org. For more information, contact Linda Carter at the headquarters office.