The Department of Public Health released new information this week regarding the use of “delegates” in the Prescription Monitoring Program. Delegates are non-prescribing or dispensing individuals who can perform PMP inquiries on behalf of a prescriber. There is no limit on the number of prescribers for which an individual can be a delegate; nor is there a limit on the number of delegates that a prescriber can assign. However, the DPH indicated that delegates will require separate log-ins for each prescriber. Additionally the delegate designation process requires notarization of the delegate's signature. The MMS is advocating for modifications to these requirements.

 

Details of the program and upcoming webinar training sessions can be found at the PMP website here. 

Governor Charlie Baker released his first budget this week. Saddled by deficits from the previous administration, particularly in MassHealth spending through the well-documented problems with the Connector, Gov. Baker was faced with significant challenges. 

Overall spending is up in MassHealth for Fiscal Year 2016. This is led by managed care line item increases with fee-for-service appropriations slightly down. Both these amounts are based on anticipated demand and projected to maintain access to covered services and maintain current rates. Chiropractic coverage is eliminated for a projected $300,000 saving.   Read more on the MMS blog here.

 

Related news:

The MMS Committee on Geriatric Medicine invites all members to its March 18 meeting featuring Scott Stonington, MD, PhD.  Jointly trained as a physician and anthropologist, Dr. Stonington will address cultural differences between the U.S. and Thailand in end-of-life care. He is a clinical fellow in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., presentation and discussion will begin at 7 p.m. Please pre-register by sending an email to csavage@mms.org or by calling (781) 434-7017.

Remember to renew your 2015 MMS Membership before March 13 at www.massmed.org/renew. By maintaining your membership, you will continue to have exclusive member benefits such as the New England Journal of Medicine, up to 50% savings on clinical, practical, and licensure required CME, free access to DocbookMD, and use of a massmed.org email account.

This year's Annual Meeting is scheduled to take place April 30 to May 2, 2015 at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston.  Please note these important deadlines:

If you would like to become more involved in the MMS, consider participating on a committee or the Member Interest Network Executive Council.  Committee appointments are for specific terms, usually three-year renewable commitments. The application deadline is March 6. For committee descriptions and an application form, contact Sandra Manchester at the MMS Executive Office at (800) 322-2303, ext. 7012, or email smanchester@mms.org

Choosing the EHR That’s Right for You on Wed., March 11 at noon

 

Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Practices and Providers  on Wed., March 25 at noon