Presentations (PDF):

Michael W. Brennan, MD
Comprehensive Ophthalmologist; Co-Chair, NCMS Leadership College

Doctors With Borders: Professionalism as a Volunteer

Dr. Brennan instructed the Scholars on issues involved in volunteerism, such as cultural awareness and teamwork.  He also shared qualities of a strong physician volunteer.

Susan Mims, MD, MPH
Mission Children’s Hospital Executive Medical Director
NCMS Leadership College Faculty/Advisory Committee Member and Class of 2007

Leadership PEARLS

Scholars enjoyed a presentation by Dr. Mims, which focused on leadership through the acronym PEARLS (Partnership / Empathy / Apology-Acknowledgement / Respect / Legitimization / Support).  

Chip Baggett
Director of Legislative Relations, North Carolina Medical Society

Legislative Advocacy 101 | Part 1 – Part 2

Chip Baggett presented an overview of what is happening in the NC legislature in regards to healthcare and how to be involved in the political and regulatory environment.  He also provided a review of statewide politics.

Louise Winstanly, LLB, MS
Adjunct Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; Associate Faculty, UNC Center for Genomic and Society; Assistant Professor, Union Graduate College, Center for Bioethics and Clinical Leadership

Medical Ethics and Physician Leadership | Part 1 – Part 2
VIDEO OF PRESENTATION | CBS END OF LIFE CLIP

This presentation on Medical Ethics and Physician Leadership provides                                                                identification and clarification of how ethics applies to medicine.

Sam Cykert, MD
Associate Director for Medical Education, NC AHEC; Clinical Director of the North Carolina Regional Extension Center for HIT; Professor of Medicine, UNC

Emerging Clinical Practices for the Physician Leader: HIT, Meaningful Use and Patient-Center Medical Home

Through the use of case studies and practical advice, Dr. Cycert’s presentation provided an overview of AHEC projects, HIT Meaningful                                                                    Use and PCMH and further understanding of ACOs.

Leadership College Scholars Plan to Implement the Following From the Winter Session:

• Ethics & Leadership PEARLS
• Encourage colleagues to consider giving to NC PAC
• Leadership skills to implement projects successfully, i.e. Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
• Share understanding of how Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) will affect sub-specialties
• Recognition that dealing with tough issues is a part of patient care and improved ability to address them
• Take communication skills back to practice and communicate more effectively with partners and staff
• Additional motivation to reach Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) goals as a practice

View Photos from the Meeting on Facebook!

“Starting just after Thanksgiving, we worked about 120 hours per week for the three weeks leading up to our submission date,” practice co-owner Elizabeth Riley, MHS, PA-C, said. “In addition to our staff, we received tremendous help from Terri Gonzalez, Practice Technical Coordinator at the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation, and Denise Kirkman, President, P4P Consultants, a Cary-based company that helps practices meet the requirements for health care reform physician incentive programs. There was just no way to accomplish this without their help.”

The PCMH designation is a result of the Obama Administration’s health care reform law. It establishes requirements and standards for physicians and their practices as they incorporate Electronic Medical Records and utilize health information technology to meet what is known as “meaningful use.”

“As a patient centered medical home, we provide all-encompassing care for patients, starting with their initial visit and including referrals, lab work and other services,” Riley said. “It’s helpful for the patient because it makes us a better practice and provides a better outcome for the patient.”

Mrs. Riley recently completed the Community Practitioner Program, which is directed by the NCMS Foundation. The CPP helps to recruit and support physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in medically underserved communities. Taineisha Bolden, MD, and Tami Lee, PA-C, both providers at Roxboro Family Medicine, are currently participating in the CPP.

The following limitations apply:

1. The donor must be age 70 ½ or older.

2. The charitable donation must be distributed directly from a traditional or Roth IRA.

3. $100,000 is the annual rollover maximum.

4. All IRA rollovers must be made by December 31, 2011.

Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to support the work of the NCMS Foundation via a tax-free, direct rollover from your IRA.  To arrange a donation via an IRA rollover, please contact your financial advisor this month to begin the transfer.   For more information on IRA Charitable Rollovers or other types of gifts to the NCMS Foundation, contact Maggie Sauer at 919-833-3836.

 For each tax-deductible contribution of $35 per physician assistant (or $100 for three), the Foundation will send a personalized card notifying the honoree(s) of your gift.  A list of honored physician assistants will be posted on the Foundation website.

Not only will your gift show how much you appreciate their commitment, it provides much-needed support to the Foundation and its mission to improve access to quality health care for all North Carolinians.  To learn more about the work of the Foundation or to give your gift in honor of a special physician assistant, please click here. To send your gift by fax, mail or email, download a gift form here.

Not only do physician assistants help improve patients’ understanding of their health care, they also help to increase overall access to health care services, especially in rural areas.   Please help us honor them by submitting your donation gift form before October 12, 2011.

The PCMHC project is focused on helping the physician community respond effectively and appropriately to PCMH and accountable care organizations (ACO) provisions in the recently-passed federal health care reform law.

The proposed NCMS Foundations web-based educational and technical assistance effort will include:

• Resources for analyzing the business case for PCMH interventions
• A “toolbox” of programs and actions to reduce hospitalizations or other high utilization services
• Providing training in process improvement techniques through NCMS Foundation’s PractEssentials program.
• Helping physician practices understand the value of developing patient registry and other systems (especially electronic health records) that track populations of patients

This project will serve as a catalyst to help the North Carolina medical community continue to improve the patient care delivery system and serve as an important state model for patients, providers and public and private policy makers.

For more information, please contact Terri Gonzalez, Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, North Carolina Medical Society Foundation at 919-833-3836 or tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org.

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized as a mentor, role model, or leader in their profession or in their communities? For a tax-deductible contribution of $35 per honoree (or $100 for three), the Foundation will send a personalized card from you to the physician(s) you wish to honor.

Your gift will help support access to quality health care for all North Carolinians by supporting the Foundation operations and programs.

Download a gift form (PDF), and say thank you to a special physician today!

Franklin is assisting Premier Women’s Health Professionals in the development of a marketing plan, the reworking of the practice website and brand identity. He is also helping the practice achieve their Meaningful Use criteria and assisting with interim management services. Franklin’s assistance is part of the services offered by the Foundation’s PractEssentials program, which offers practice management services at a reduced cost for members of the North Carolina Medical Society and at no charge for participants in the Foundation’s Community Practitioner Program (CPP). Premier Women’s Health Professionals is a participating CPP practice providing access to quality care to underserved, rural North Carolina communities. Netasha McLawhorn, MD (featured on the front page of the NCMS Foundation website) is an obstetrician and has been practicing at Premier Women’s Health Professionals since 2002; she has been a participant in the Community Practitioner Program since 2007. Read more about Dr. McLawhorn here.

The program gave doctors an opportunity to meet with legislators and discuss current issues that affect them, their patients and their practices. Doctors also watched legislators at the climax of the session, with many bills up for vote as the General Assembly was preparing to adjourn later in the week.

Leadership College scholars met with Senator Thom Goolsby, JD (R, New Hanover), Representative Tom Murry, JD (R, Wake), Senator Jim Forrester, MD (R, Gaston), Senator William R. Purcell, MD (D, Scotland), Representative W.A. “Winkie” Wilkins (D, Person), and Representative Larry Hall (D, Durham). They also spoke with lobbyists: Dave Horne, JD, with Smith Anderson, who represents the NCMS, and Rob Lamme, who represents the NC Dermatology Society, with Rob Lamme and Associates.

Following the legislative visit, the scholars were briefed on NC Medical Board (NCMB) activities by NCMB President Janice Huff, MD and General Counsel Thom Mansfield, JD. The scholars also discussed the mission and activities of the North Carolina Physicians Health Program with Medical Director Warren Pendergast, MD, and A. Clark Gaither, MD. Click here to learn more about Leadership College.

Leadership College scholars participating in White Coat Wednesday 2011, from left to right: Holly Biola, MD, Jessica Scott, MD, JD, Elizabeth P. Kanof, MD (Program Chair), Vipul Shah, MD, Paul Trani, MD and Mike Thomas, MD, PhD.

In order to avoid the 2012 e-prescribing penalty, physicians will have an opportunity to attest through an on-line web portal that they should be eligible for one of the following exemptions:

• Physician’s practice is located in a rural area without high speed internet access.
• Physician’s practice is located in an area without sufficient available pharmacies for electronic prescribing.
• Physician is registered to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program and has adopted certified EHR technology.
• Physician is unable to electronically prescribe due to local, State or Federal law or regulation (e.g. prescribes controlled substances).
• Physician infrequently prescribes (e.g. prescribe fewer than 10 prescriptions between January 1 – June 30, 2011.
• There are insufficient opportunities to report the e-prescribing measure due to program limitations.

Physicians will have to apply for an exemption from the 2012 e-prescribing penalty via the web-portal tool by October 1, 2011.

Click here to view the proposed rule under “Related Links Outside of CMS”.