The AMA is hosting educational webinars on Nov. 21 and Dec. 6 to help physicians understand what the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) final rule means to their practice and how to prepare for it. Register for the Nov. 21 webinar here and the Dec. 6 session here. These sessions will cover the same material.

The National Harm Reduction Coalition and NC Harm Reduction Coalition is presenting a webinar on syringe exchanges in North Carolina on Monday, Nov. 21, from 1-2:30 p.m. Sign up here.

The NC Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) is hosting additional provider webinars about the OPR and CCNC-CA changes effective Nov. 1, as outlined in previous Bulletin articles and the DMA’s September Medicaid Special Bulletin. Providers are encouraged to attend one of the webinars. Here are the upcoming webinars with the registration link.

  • Tuesday, Nov. 29, 10-11:30 a.m. Register here. Call in information: Toll: +1(510) 365-3231; Access Code: 363-646-861.
  • Thursday, Dec. 8, 10-11:30 a.m. Register here. Call in information: Toll: +1 (510) 365-3331; Access Code: 123-659-766.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 13, 10-11:30 a.m. Register here. Call in information: Toll: +1(510) 365-3332; Access Code: 928-827-899.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Model Expansion call on Wednesday, Nov. 30 from 1:30 to 3 pm. The CY 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule includes the expansion of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) Model beginning Jan. 1, 2018. During this call, CMS experts will provide a high-level overview of the finalized policies and what you need to know now to prepare your organization for enrollment into Medicare as an MDPP supplier. To register or for more information, visit MLN Connects Event Registration on cms.gov website. Space may be limited, register early. Learn more about the rule here.

The 43rd Annual Williamsburg Conference on Heart Diseases will be held Sunday, Dec. 4 to Tuesday, Dec. 6 in Williamsburg, VA. Learn more about this conference and register here.

MAHEC, working with the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, The Governor’s Institute on Substance Abuse and Project Lazarus: A Project of CCNC, is offering A Guide to Rational Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain, an online education course. The course is designed for all prescribing health care practitioners who are interested in an overview of the rational prescribing approaches for persons with chronic pain disorders. It will fulfill the North Carolina Medical Board’s requirement of at least one hour of continuing education designed specifically to address prescribing practices for chronic pain management. The course cost is $15 for the first 6 months. Offers 3 hours of AAFP, AMA/AAFP Equivalency, and CDE; www.mahec.net/opioid

NCTracks has Computer-Based Training (CBT) courses on a variety of topics available to providers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Anyone who is a registered user with NCID access to the NCTracks secure Provider Portal can access and take a self-paced course. A list of courses available can be found here and under Quick Links on the NCTracks Provider Training page of the public Provider Portal.