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PAMED UPDATES
PAMED’s House of Delegates Conference The 2016 House of Delegates (HOD) Conference and Educational Conference was held on the weekend of October 21-23 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The delegate conference deals with policy concerning public health, quality of patient care, medical education and reimbursement. This year’s conference was historic because it will directly affect the practice of medicine and medical education. A special “Committee of the Whole” was called to address the important issue of Clinically Integrated Networks (CIN). Discussions and educational sessions were held throughout the conference to explain the intent of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. At a special session on Sunday morning, the House of Delegates voted with majority approval for this landmark resolution along with a management services organization and to allocate up to $15 million to support this landmark Practice Options Initiative. To learn more about the Practice Options Initiative, contact Mr. Dennis Olmstead, Senior Advisor of Health Economics and Policy at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, through the website KnowledgeCenter@pamedsoc.org or 855-PAMED4U (855-726-3348). The Maintenance of Certification (MOC) was also an issue of major importance at the conference. The Pennsylvania Medical Society initiated the national vanguard to pursue a more efficient and less burdensome time and cost process for certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). Resolutions were passed to petition the American Medical Association to ask for analysis of the finances of ABIM. This was further supported through a similar resolution at the interim meeting of the AMA in November. Additional resolutions were adopted at the House of Delegates acknowledging
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alternate specialty boards for the maintenance of certification. See www.pamedsoc.org/MOC. The national opioid crisis was addressed via resolutions whereby PAMED will work with statewide organizations and counties for the increased delivery of Naloxone and to assist patients with addiction treatment. See www. pamedsoc.org/OpioidInfo. Other significant issues addressed by resolutions were:
Reimbursement Advocacy for standardization and transparency by insurers for observation status Standardizing the development of clinical pathways Ending retrospective payment denial of medically appropriate testing and procedures See pamedsoc.org/Advocacy
Public Health Opposing tobacco usage in Pennsylvania Opposing legislative interference with facilities giving standard of care reproductive services for women Exploring the health effects and limiting future fracking Eliminating the barriers for the use of sunscreen in schools