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ASAM’s Officers and Board of Directors define the strategy and direction of ASAM and ensure our policies, programs, and services align with ASAM’s mission. This year we are selecting who will represent our chapter on the ASAM Board as regional director. This is an important election and I encourage everyone to participate.
The individuals elected represent YOU and speak as the voice of addiction medicine for ASAM. Make your voice heard by casting your electronic vote TODAY for ASAM’s 2021 Officers and Regional Directors.
Physician members should have received a special email from ASAM’s election vendor Survey & Ballot Systems with your unique, encrypted, ballot link. Check your email and vote today! Click here to preview this year’s nominees.
**If you do not have your election login information, please click on the link below, enter your email address that is on file with ASAM, and your election login information will be emailed to you. https://www.directvote.net/asam/sendID.aspx
Early lessons from maternal mortality review committees on drug-related deaths - time for obstetrical providers to take the lead in addressing addiction Marcela C. Smid, MD, MA, MS; Charles W. Schauberger, MD; Mishka Terplan, MD; Tricia E. Wright, MD
The problem: In the United States, maternal mortality review committees are providing compelling data that drug-related deaths are emerging as a leading cause of pregnancy-associated death (death during pregnancy or up to a year postpartum). Recommendations from the maternal mortality review committees consistently highlight screening all pregnant and postpartum women for drug use and improving access to evidence-based substance use disorder and mental health treatment. Unfortunately, many providers lack the confidence, skills, and necessary resources to screen for substance use, provide basic behavioral health services, or facilitate referral to high-quality services in their clinical settings. Our profession’s collective lack of response to a leading cause of maternal death represents a missed opportunity for potentially life-saving interventions.
A solution: We call on our fellow obstetrician-gynecologists to incorporate the lessons learned from maternal mortality review committees and integrate addiction assessment and treatment into prenatal and postpartum care. However, provider-level integration of behavioral health services is insufficient to fully address the magnitude of drug-related maternal deaths in the United States. Therefore, we ask our colleagues to address the structural and systemic barriers to care identified by the maternal mortality review committees. By doing so, we can prevent drug-related maternal deaths.
CNBC | Sam Meredith
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 among those without evidence of prior infection, hailing the development as “a great day for science and humanity.”
I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla told CNBC’s Meg Tirrell on “Squawk Box.” “I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance in the last 100 years, if you count the impact this will have in public health, global economy.”
The announcement comes as drugmakers and research centers scrambled to deliver a safe and effective vaccine to help bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 1.2 million lives worldwide.
Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, while White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has said one that is 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable.
Read more.
Wisconsin Health News
Wisconsin had the largest drug take back collection in the country this year during a national daylong event in late October, Attorney General Josh Kaul said Monday.
The state collected 89,982 pounds of unused and unwanted medications on Oct. 24.
Kaul said in a statement that the “efforts help with the fight against substance-use disorder by ensuring that those unused medications won’t be diverted.”
Across the state, 230 law enforcement agencies hosted events and collected drugs from 485 permanent drug disposal boxes.
Financial planning now available to WisMed members
In order to help Wisconsin Medical Society members be secure, the Society has launched WisMed Financial, Inc. “Helping members with their finances can change the direction of a family and is a tremendous responsibility. WisMed Financial will have a meaningful and positive influence for our members,” said Mark Ziety, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. And the data supports it. Fifty percent of physicians under age 40 who use a professional financial advisor are ahead in savings, emergency funds and retirement tools according to a report.
To ensure the client’s interest always comes first, the company follows a no commission, fee-only model and is held to the fiduciary legal standard. According to The White Coat Investor®, it is estimated that 80% of doctors need, want and should use a financial planner and/or an investment manager. So it was important to put these high standards in place at the company’s creation.
Providing top-notch service and products is critical, too. The firm is partnering with TD Ameritrade, RightCapital and other industry leaders. In addition, Mark Ziety brings more than 15 years of experience, he is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Accredited Investment Fiduciary®.
The company helps members invest and plan for retirement, eliminate student loans, reduce taxes, plan for their family (wills and trust), charitable strategies, college funding and other personal financial matters. Mark can be reached at mark.ziety@wismedfinancial.org or 608.442.3750.
Packers, other state pro teams join WisMed in COVID coalition
The Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks have joined the ever-growing coalition of health care, business and government advocacy organizations urging the public to help control the spread of COVID-19. The Stop the COVID Spread! coalition also released another public service announcement statewide on October 26 featuring the Packers’ Adrian Amos, Kenny Clark and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. This new message follows on the heels of another PSA featuring former Wisconsin Governor and current UW System President Tommy Thompson.
The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is a founding member of the coalition, helping to launch the campaign earlier this month.
“The Packers playing in an empty Lambeau Field really drives home the point of what can happen when a pandemic hits our state,” Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA, said. “I know we all miss getting together with our family and friends to do things like watch the Packers play, so we hope the message of masking, hand washing and social distancing coming from some of Green Bay’s finest themselves will grab people’s attention.”
The Society is also using its social media accounts to help share these safe behavior messages; Society members are encouraged to share, retweet and post those messages on their own personal accounts.
Contact Society Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.
SARS-CoV-2 CME series begins next week with Virus Biology and Vaccine Development
Scott S. Terhune, PhD, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and Biomedical Engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), kicks off the first of five sessions in the Wisconsin Medical Society’s SARS-CoV-2 CME Town Hall Series* with the presentation Virus Biology and Vaccine Development.
Terhune received his PhD from Northwestern University and his postdoctoral training at Princeton University. He participates in both graduate student and medical student education at MCW focusing on virus replication and infection. Research in the Terhune laboratory focuses on defining how human cytomegalovirus manipulates human cells and alters networks of interactions to support infection.
This webinar is free for Wisconsin Medical Society members, but registration is required to attend.
Session topics and schedule for the entire series are listed below. All live presentations will be held from 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. To view the sessions and to register click here.
November 4, 2020: SARS-CoV-2 Virus Biology and Vaccine Development November 11, 2020: The Current State of Therapeutics November 18, 2020: Communicability and Public Health Response November 25, 2020: The Convergence of Seasonal Flu and SARS-CoV-2 December 2, 2020: Combating COVID-19 Challenges in Disadvantaged Populations – a Case Study
Please email education@wismed.org with any questions.
*This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.
Governor’s prescription costs task force releases final recommendations
Governor Tony Evers’s Task Force on Reducing Prescription Drug Prices released its final recommendations October 21 on potential future state law and policies that could improve prescription drug accessibility and affordability. The task force membership included 21 people from diverse backgrounds, including members from the state executive and legislative branches and private citizens with health care, insurance and consumer experience. Wisconsin Medical Society member Michael Goldrosen, MD, was a task force member.
The task force divided their recommendations into separate tiers: those with support from a majority of the task force, issues for further consideration and issues that came up but weren’t discussed thoroughly. Among the top-tier items:
The entire 156-page report is available here, along with information about the task force’s activities and membership. An executive summary is here. It is likely that some items in the report could be included in Governor Evers’s next biennial budget proposal, which will be unveiled in the winter of 2021.
In partnership with American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) is providing courses to help providers, who care for pregnant women, obtain their X-Waiver and feel more comfortable with management of substance use disorders during pregnancy.
They are also offering a question + answer session to focus on more specific, provider-driven concerns and to offer mentorship.
Please share on your networks!
Here is the link: https://www.asam.org/education/live-online-cme/waiver-qualifying-training/ob-gyn-focus
Wisconsin DHS
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges in healthcare for those who may be at greater risk for adverse health outcomes such as people who use drugs or people who have a substance use disorder. To better facilitate provision of care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) organized a COCA Call on Thursday, October 22 to help improve understanding among clinicians of the concerns of people who use drugs and people who have a substance use disorder. The COCA Call featured speakers from CDC, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
During the COCA Call, subject matter experts highlighted existing resources and exceptions for clinicians who prescribe medications for opioid use disorder, increased awareness of existing community-based linkage to care resources, and discussed the outpatient telemedicine experience from a front-line provider perspective.
If you were unable to attend the live COCA call, the recording and slide set will be available for viewing on the COCA Call webpage a few hours after the live event.
Free Continuing Education (CE) will be offered for the COCA Call.
WISAM has joined the Vote Safe Wisconsin 2020 Coalition! We are committed to sharing with our community partners about encouraging safe voting. We encourage you to vote absentee, early, or with a mask and social distance at the polls! Join us and learn more: https://www.wpha.org/mpage/VoteSafeWisconsin2020
WISAM is pleased to share these updates from our partners at the WI Medical Society
As Governor extends statewide mask order, the Society urges proactive public behaviors
As Governor Tony Evers declared a new public health emergency and issued a new face covering mandate on September 22 due to increases in the state’s COVID-19 case rate, the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) took the opportunity to remind the public how they can take proactive measures to help reduce the spread of the virus, regardless of any government action related to the pandemic.
In a media statement sent statewide the afternoon of the Governor’s announcement, Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA, emphasized how mask wearing, physical distancing and regular hand washing are proven effective strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “If we all agree to take simple steps, we can reduce the spread of the pandemic and protect our state’s physical and economic health,” Dr. Chumbley said in the statement. “We strongly urge everyone to wear masks, maintain social distancing and continue to wash hands often and thoroughly,” Dr. Chumbley said. The statement also emphasized that with seasonal influenza season looming, getting a flu vaccination is another action individuals can take that helps protect themselves and the public.
The statement is the latest in a series of actions the Society has taken to help remind the public of their important role in helping stem community spread, including three public service announcements that have been aired on statewide television and on the Society’s various social media channels.
Contact Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.
Medical Examining Board concerned over possible proposal to change nursing collaboration requirement
Many physician members of the state’s Medical Examining Board (MEB) raised concerns at its monthly meeting on September 16 over a potential Board of Nursing (BON) proposal that would repeal a requirement that Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers (APNP) work in collaboration with at least one physician or dentist. While the MEB does not have jurisdiction over how nurses are regulated, numerous MEB members were concerned that such a proposal would have negative impacts on Wisconsin’s high-quality health care system.
The MEB’s concerns rose from a BON meeting on Sept. 10, which included initialization of the process used to change the administrative code: preparing a proposed “Scope Statement” laying out the desired change. The specific scope statement proposal, which requires approval from the Governor before it can be developed further, was included in yesterday’s MEB agenda for discussion.
State MEB administrative staff indicated that the BON may be withdrawing or further modify the scope statement and said a BON subcommittee will be discussing the issue Sept. 18. The Society will attend that subcommittee meeting and has already been in contact with other physician-centric advocacy organizations to ensure all are aware of the possible attempt to alter the collaboration requirement.
In other action, the MEB unanimously approved its own scope statement for a regulatory update that would extend the current requirement for physicians holding a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration number to complete controlled substance education as part of the 30 hour biennial license requirement.
That statement will now be sent to the Governor for review; the Board will further develop the rule following the Governor’s likely approval.
Society's COVID-19 Task Force asks physicians to review DHS alert on antigen testing
The Wisconsin Medical Society’s (Society) COVID-19 Task Force recommends that Wisconsin physicians review a COVID-19 Health Alert on antigen testing issued today, September 24, by the state’s Department of Health Services’ (DHS) Bureau of Communicable Diseases.
Calling this testing an “important and evolving topic,” DHS Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases Ryan Westergaard, MD, PhD, MPH, provides important information regarding various aspects of this type of testing, including considerations for using antigen tests in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic patients, the characteristics of the antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 currently available and a list of antigen tests currently authorized for use in the U.S.
The Society’s COVID-19 Task Force continues to meet biweekly as Wisconsin battles the pandemic, and regularly updates relevant information on the Society’s COVID-19 Resources webpage.
Contact Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD, MBA with any questions for the COVID-19 Task Force.
Virtual Trivia – October 8
Join your fellow Wisconsin Medical Society members for a virtual WisMed Meet Up! Trivia nights provide an opportunity to connect with your peers across the state from the comfort of your home.
The Society will create trivia teams, or you are welcome to invite colleagues to create a team of your own by emailing Jess. (Maximum of 4 people per team).
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2020 Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Register here!
Gift cards will be awarded to the winning team! Please contact our Membership Specialist at jessica.schreiter@wismed.org with any questions.
Thanks to Exact Sciences for sponsoring this member exclusive event!
The Wisconsin Elections Commission encourages every eligible citizen to vote and to become involved in the election process. One way to get involved is to become an Election Day poll worker, also known as an election inspector).
Citizen involvement is essential to conduct open, accurate and fair elections in Wisconsin. And, Addiction Medicine Physicians as well as other healthcare providers are uniquely positioned given the comfort level with PPE.
There are several different jobs at polling places in Wisconsin, all of which are appointed by municipal clerks. Learn more at elections.wi.gov.
Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine563 Carter Court, Suite B,Kimberly, WI 54136
