UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - August 9, 2022/EDUCATION
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to FMCHtuesdaytalk@umassmed.edu.
Table of Contents
Message from the Chair
Focus of the Week - Education
Announcements
Faculty Presentations/Publications
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Clinical Services Spotlight
Message from the Chair

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Josephine Fowler, our Vice Chair of Clinical Services, for her graduation from Dallas Baptist University with her MBA degree on August 5th!  To see her walk across the stage, check out https://www.dbu.edu/commencement/ at 2:48:38.
 
We have re-launched a Practice Based Research Network, the UMass Ambulatory Research Consortium (UMass ARC website). The first round of pilot awards to support 1-year projects has been announced. A 2-page letter of intent is due Sept 16. Please note that projects should be led by a dyad that includes a health services researcher and a practicing clinician or clinician-educator. Details about the selection criteria and submission process can be found at https://www.umassmed.edu/arc-pbrn/pilot-award-application/call-for-app/
Focus of the Week - Education

Upcoming Events

Grand Rounds
FMCH Grand Rounds relaunches after the summer hiatus for the academic year 2023 on August 30th with: "Integration of Doulas into Maternity Care Settings: Overcoming Barriers and Bolstering Facilitators to Teaming with Doulas and Improving Health Equity" presented by Christina Gebel, MPH, Birth Doula (DONA), LCCE.

Putterman Lecture: SAVE THE DATE
Please join us for Grand Rounds on September 20th for our annual Putterman Lecture.
"Building Alliances and Sharing Power for Health Equity and Racial Justice" presented by Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH.

Upcoming Conferences

The annual Family Medicine Education Consortium meeting is September 16-18 in Arlington, VA. The residencies will be represented at the recruitment fair, and many faculty, residents, and students will be presenting their great work. Find more information here: 2022 Annual Meeting (fmec.net) Medical student scholarships are available. Consider encouraging enthusiastic students.

Additionally, there will be an evening celebration on Thursday September 15th for Larry Bauer, the founding CEO of the FMEC. If you are interested in joining, please contact Stacy Potts, she will be sponsoring a table for department members. 

Undergraduate Medical Education
VISTA Curriculum to launch for the UMass Chan Medical students class of 2026 this month. After an incredible amount of work by many, the innovative new curriculum will launch later this month. Congratulations to the leadership, including our own Trish Seymour, on this incredible milestone. Much appreciation to the countless number of our faculty who have been involved in the development of this exciting next chapter for UMass Chan medical School.

Graduate Medical Education
Congratulations to all our GME learners as they settle into their new roles.

Calling All Fellows and Chief Residents
The FMCH Fellows and Chief Residents are invited to a dinner gathering and get to know each other on September 29th, 2022, 6:30 - 8:30pm. Location TBD.
Please RSVP through your Outlook invite or contact Erica White at Erica.white@umassmemorial.org

FMCH GME Leadership Team
The quarterly FMCH GME Leadership meeting will be September 7, 2022 at Peppercorn’s Grille and Tavern. Please RSVP through your Outlook invite or contact Erica White at Erica.white@umassmemorial.org

Point of Care Ultrasound Workgroup
Thank you to the faculty who have reached out with interest in the POCUS development for our department. Anyone else who has interest please contact Erin Cathcart at erin.cathcart@umassmemorial.org. Much appreciation to Erin for leading this initiative.  
Announcements

ARC Call for Applications
We are pleased to announce the re-launch of a Practice Based Research Network at UMass. The UMass Ambulatory Research Consortium (ARC) is a collaboration of the Departments of Family Medicine and Community Health, Medicine and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, and the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). The goal of the PBRN is to accelerate health services research and improvement science and to serve as a learning laboratory for discovery that improves the delivery and outcomes of ambulatory care. We welcome submissions for initial pilot project awards:  up to $25,000 for 1 year. (see attached flyer for additional information)

The Admissions Office is recruiting for MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) raters to assess the applicant pool to UMass Chan Medical School. As a volunteer, you interview applicants during a 3-hour, scheduled window. To sign-up for the training please go here: https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/eERjZKWa or contact Brenda Fusaro, MMI Coordinator at Brenda.Fusaro@umassmed.edu.

Information for members of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
To report CMEs on the AAFP website, search activity number 95264 for a listing of all 2022 FMCH Faculty Development sessions, 91384 for a listing of all 2021 FMCH Faculty Development sessions, and 88033 for a listing of 2020 FMCH Grand Rounds.
Faculty Presentations/Publications

Congratulations to Lisa Gussak, MD, her submission titled "Shattered" has been chosen as the Visual Arts Award Winner in the 2022 FMEC “Visual Arts” award competition. The award will be announced later this summer and presented during the 2022 FMEC Annual Meeting (September 16-18, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Arlington, VA).

Lisa Gussak, MD, had a recent publication in Pulse titled "The Oddball".

Hydery T, Shields S, Hen E, Rizzo P, Sullivan K, Savageau JA. The Impact of Local Education and Resource Distribution on Maternal Health Behaviors. Maternal and Child Health Journal 2022;26:1676-1688. doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03416-3.
Frankly Speaking Podcast

A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.

Please join us for an overview: Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. An estimated 500 million cups are consumed per day in the United States. As testimony to this, count the number of coffee shops available-most with drive-through access-the next time you are out for a drive. A growing body of evidence indicates that moderate coffee consumption (2-3 cups per day) is associated with reduction in all-cause mortality. What hasn't been looked at closely is the effect of coffee with sugar and artificial sweeteners on these measures. Join us while we discuss recent evidence regarding consumption of coffee-with or without sweeteners-and its association with all-cause mortality. Guest: Susan Feeney, DNP, FNP, presents: "A Spoonful of Sugar in Your Cup of Joe-Does It Affect Your Health?". - Frankly Speaking Ep 288.
Clinical Services Spotlight:
CLINICAL UPDATES

Long COVID: Common in the US
  • 1 in 13 have long COVID symptoms. The US estimate is 7.7 to 23 million cases in the US.
  • Long COVID is defined as symptoms occurring 3 or more months after contracting the virus; symptoms vary.
  • Older adults > 80 years old have less long COVID than adults 50-59 years old; more common in women than men.
  • Currently, there is no specific management for long COVID.
  • The Biden administration has set a research agenda and a plan to care for those patients with long COVID. 
 
COVID-19 in the US
  • Total cases in US: 93,897,604; total deaths: 1,058,726.
  • BA.5 is the most prominent variant. 
  • The most common symptom is a lingering cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion. Fatigue is also common.
  • The states with the highest number of COVID cases include California, Texas, Florida, and NY.
 
COVID-19 in MA
  • Total confirmed cases: 1,977,503; deaths: 21,224.
  • In the last 7 days, there were 9,646 new cases.
  • The 7-day average of percent positivity was 7.97%.
 
COVID-19 UMMMC
  • The prior 7-day average percent positivity is 11.5%. This is an increase of 3% since last week.
  • 38 in-house patients are COVID positive (71% are fully vaccinated.)
  • 37% of the patients have primary COVID.
 
MonkeyPox in the US
 
AMA Advocacy Update August 2022
  • The AMA is working to remind Congress not to cut physician Medicare payments.
  • Advocating for you: Fix prior authorizations.
  • "The improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2022" (H.R. 8487) legislation has been successfully marked and passed by House Ways and Means Committee. Components include:
  • Require Medicare Advantage plans to implement electronic prior authorization plans.
  • Mandate that Medicare Advantage plans issue accelerated prior authorization decisions for all services in Medicare part C.
  • Enhance transparency by requiring that Medicare Advantage report to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the extent of their use of prior authorization and the rate of approvals and denials.
  • Source:https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/prior-authorization/big-step-bill-streamline-prior-auth-medicare-advantage.
 
News for Inpatient Medicine
  • CMS released its annual Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule on August 1, which raises Medicare payment rates for acute care hospitals. The rule will go into effect on October 1.
  • Acute care hospitals that report quality data and are meaningful users of EHRs will receive a 4.3 percent increase in Medicare rates in the fiscal year 2023.
  • CMS will add 3 health equity measures to the Hospital Inpatient Reporting Program.
  • The final rule will establish a "birthing friendly " hospital designation in 2023, to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Wellness Resources

The Caring for the Caregiver Program provides resources such as the Caregiver Support Line (508-334-HELP) and The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers a variety of services and supports (including virtual peer support and wellness tips. EAP can be accessed at 866-263-3525, or www.LiveandWorkWell.com, [company code UmassMemorial]. More information is available on the Caring for the Caregiver page.

Wellness
You are invited to become a member of the Department Wellness Committee. Key goals for this year include improving the efficiency of use with the Electronic Health Record. Watch your email for future training sessions.
Working on Wellness
Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban

Classes have resumed!!

Great time to join!
This is a great time to join, new members always welcome. Start your mid week with some relaxing yoga! 

Please join for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting ID: 923 9393 3653 Passcode: 764113
Zumba with Dr. Anna Zheng

ZOOM Zumba, Thursdays at 6:00am.
Meeting ID: 557 899 5952
Passcode: 123456

Please join department members Thursday, early mornings at 6:00am. Please note details and any changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/. Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. New to the class? Please email Dr. Zheng at ZumbawithAnnaZheng@gmail.com to register, complete brief health screen if it's your first class and the ZOOM link.