Posted on January 20th, 2012 by Erica Noonan
The state Board of Registration in Medicine notified physicians this week of new regulations that require them to complete CME courses in pain management and end of life care during the license renewal or obtaining a new license. Pain management: Effective Feb. 1, physicians who prescribe controlled substances (Schedules I through VI) must complete at [...]
Filed under: Board of Medicine, CME, End of Life Care | No Comments »
Posted on January 12th, 2012 by Frank Fortin
We learned today that the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine is notifying physicians by email that effective Feb. 1, it will require continuing medical education (CME) credits on two specific clinical topics as a condition of licensure and re-licensure: pain management and end of life care. It will require three hours of CME credits [...]
Filed under: CME, End of Life Care, Palliative Care | 3 Comments »
Posted on December 20th, 2011 by Frank Fortin
Starting Jan. 1, every physician applying to renew or obtain a new Massachusetts license must complete at least three credits of education and training in pain management and opioid education. According to state regulations, such education includes “but is not limited to, training in how to identify patients at high risk for substance abuse and [...]
Filed under: CME, Palliative Care | No Comments »
Posted on November 3rd, 2011 by Erica Noonan
Too often, palliative care experts say, physicians are unable to carry out their patients end-of life wishes because they were contained in a document that was incomplete, too vague, not legally binding, or simply misplaced by family members. Massachusetts is poised to join more than 14 other states with formal Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment [...]
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Posted on October 18th, 2011 by Erica Noonan
An estimated 75 percent of patients will be unable to make some of their own medical decisions at the end of their lives. More physicians and clinicians are now finding that advanced directives and living wills are often too vague or unenforceable to ensure optimal care for dying patients. To ensure patients receive the end-of-life [...]
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Posted on August 18th, 2011 by Frank Fortin
In the recent New England Journal of Medicine article Launching Accountable Care Organizations- The Proposed Rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, Dr. Donald Berwick noted that “a critical foundation of the proposed rule (on ACOs) is an unwavering focus on patients.” The best way to focus on patients is to ensure that decisions are [...]
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Posted on August 4th, 2011 by Frank Fortin
Recently, some physicians and health care administrators have expressed doubts about the viability of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Does this viewpoint stand up to scrutiny? If you’re talking about the Medicare ACO program, as proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this past spring, the naysayers probably have a point. The proposed regulations [...]
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Posted on April 4th, 2011 by Frank Fortin
Numerous studies and surveys conducted throughout the past 10 years have determined that physician burnout is high, and physician morale is low. This conundrum creeps into the daily practice of medicine and ultimately into patient/physician relationships and physician/physician communication. Has the “art of medicine” gone by the wayside? All physicians are artists in their own [...]
Filed under: CME | No Comments »
Posted on March 18th, 2011 by Frank Fortin
In 2009, nearly 22 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users. This included seven million people who used a prescription drug non-medically. Yet many physicians fail to regularly ask patients about their drug use. Why should physicians and other health care providers regularly screen their patients for substance abuse? [...]
Filed under: CME, Drug Abuse | No Comments »
