A Publication of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society
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Mecklenburg County Medical Society • Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment Founders of: Bioethics Resource Group, Ltd., Hospitality House of Charlotte, Teen Health Connection, N.C. MedAssist, Physicians Reach Out Mecklenburg Medicine A Publication of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society | www.meckmed.org Nov/Dec 2013 • Vol. 43, No. 10 the year’s last, loveliest smile.” William Cullen Bryant “Autumn, “Autumn, “Autumn, “Autumn, “Autumn,
Transcript
Mecklenburg County Medical Society • Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and EndowmentFounders of: Bioethics Resource Group, Ltd., Hospitality House of Charlotte, Teen Health Connection, N.C. MedAssist, Physicians Reach Out
Mecklenburg MedicineA Publication of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society | www.meckmed.org
Nov/Dec 2013 • Vol. 43, No. 10
the year’s last, loveliest smile.”William Cullen Bryant
“Autumn,“Autumn,“Autumn,“Autumn,“Autumn,
2 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
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Contents
Nov/Dec 2013Vol. 43 No. 10
OFFICERSJanice E. Huff, MD
PresidentJames B. Hall, MD
President-ElectSimon V. Ward III, MD
SecretaryStephen J. Ezzo, MD
TreasurerMaeve E. O’Connor, MDImmediate Past President
BOARD MEMBERSLloyd L. Bridges, MD
Raymond E. Brown, PAJonathan A. Buice, MD
Scott L. Furney, MDHarold R. Howe, Jr., MDScott L. Lindblom, MDJohn P. McBryde, MD
Cheryl L. Walker-McGill, MDThomas N. Zweng, MD
EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERSGretchen Allen
President, Mecklenburg MedicalAlliance & EndowmentKeia V. R. Hewitt, MD
President, Charlotte Medical SocietyDocia E. Hickey, MD
NCMS Speaker of the HouseStephen R. Keener, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Mecklenburg CountyHealth Department
Darlyne Menscer, MDNCMS Delegate to the AMA
Douglas R. Swanson, MD, FACEPMedical Director, Mecklenburg EMS Agency
EXECUTIVE STAFFSandi D. BuchananExecutive DirectorTrisha G. Herndon
Director, Meetings & Special EventsStephanie D. SmithExecutive Assistant
Mecklenburg Medicine is published 10 times per year by the Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112 Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204. Opinions expressed by authors are their own, and not necessarily those of Mecklenburg Medicine or the Mecklenburg County Medical Society. Mecklenburg Medicine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted. Mecklenburg Medicine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Non-members may subscribe to Mecklenburg Medicine at a cost of $30 per year, or $3.50 per issue, if extra copies are available.
Classified Ads: Open to members, nonprofits and non-member individuals only; advance approval of the Managing Editor and advance payment required. Member rate is 0, non-members $20 for the first 30 words; $.75 each additional word.
Display Ads: Open to professional entities or commercial businesses. For specifications and rate information, call Mark Ethridge at 704-344-1980. Acceptance of advertising for this publication in no way constitutes professional approval or endorsement of products or services advertised herein.
We welcome your comments and suggestions:Call 704-376-3688 or write Mecklenburg Medicine, c/o Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112 Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204.
1112 Harding Place, #200, Charlotte, NC 28204704-376-3688 • FAX [email protected] 2013 Mecklenburg County Medical Society
Features6 Pills for the Pain Rx: Recognize the abuse of opioids and stop it ... before it kills our kids
11 Giving Thanks Physicians Reach Out Participating Providers
In This Issue ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 President’s Letter: The End — My How Time Flies!
8 Committee Highlight: Child Health Committee Promotes Healthy Snacks for Regional Athletes
10 MMAE
12 Charlotte AHEC Course Offerings for November
12 Member News
12 Upcoming Meetings & Events
13 New Members
13 Announcements
13 Welcome New Residents for 2013
14 Thank You to Fighting for Women with Fashion Sponsors
14 Navigators Offer Free Guidance on Health Insurance Marketplace
14 Volunteer Opportunities
15 At the Hospitals
18 National Health & Wellness Observances for November and December
18 Advertising Acknowledgement
Mecklenburg CountyMedical Society
4 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
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Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 5
A s my year as Mecklenburg County Medical Society president draws to a close, I instinctively think back to where we were 12 months ago and how fast this year has gone. Only a year has passed since the
2012 elections, which dramatically changed the political landscape in Raleigh. Another year has passed, and it seems the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 barely has gotten off the ground and remains controversial and poorly understood. Old acronyms and problems remain. Can SGR be fixed? Will ICD-10 be implemented in November 2014? New acronyms and programs are becoming familiar, such as ACO, “value-based” health care (isn’t that what we have been doing all these years?) and Health Insurance Marketplaces (yes, Exchanges already are passé). No one really was sure what the future held, and I don’t think we know any better today what the future will bring for health care reform. The only thing I know for certain is that J. B. Hall, MD, will write the next President’s letter for this magazine!
So, that is my first thank you and congratulations — to Dr. Hall for serving as your next MCMS president. Thank you to the board of directors, which has served this year and is in the process of determining how to take your Medical Society into the future. I would like to thank Sandi Buchanan, Trisha Herndon and Stephanie Smith for all their time and patience helping me as I recalled Charlotte’s medical history (for past magazine articles) and worked on other projects for the Society. We could not function as a Medical Society without these three people. It has been an honor to serve as your president, and I appreciate everyone’s support and welcome your feedback to help the Society continue to be the best in North Carolina.
Regardless of where we are in our medical careers — student, resident, building a practice or seeing retirement in our rearview mirror — and how we feel about the current state of health care, we never should lose sight of the gift we have been given. Professional athletes often speak of how lucky or blessed they are to make a living playing a game they love. We should approach medicine the same way (even if our “fans” don’t paint their faces or wear our colors). We are fortunate to be part of the most noble and altruistic profession. To care for others in their hours of need, and to have
unyielding trust placed in us, is a privilege few enjoy. Despite the regulations and restrictions that encumber us from
multiple sources — the government, insurance companies, drug formularies and EHRs — when the exam room door is closed and we are alone with a patient, it is critical to remember the core tenet of our profession: to ease suffering, to serve others
and to offer comfort. We owe nothing less to our teachers, patients, profession and ourselves. Technology will advance, payment systems and acronyms will come and go, but we and the patients will remain. We need them as much as they need us, so we should encourage our children to enter the field of medicine, remain engaged and advocate for the profession and our patients. Time truly does fly, and I hope the next year reminds us all why
we chose to enter the field of medicine, and why we should have many precious moments with our colleagues and patients.
“To live as a doctor is to live so that one’s life is bound up in others and in science and in the messy complicated connection between the two. It is to live a life of responsibility. The question, then, is not whether one accepts the responsibility. Just by doing the work, one has. The question is, having accepted the responsibility, how one does such work well.”1
1. Gawande, A. “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance.” Metropolitan Books, 2007.
President’s Letter
The End — My How Time Flies!By Janice E. Huff, MD, President
Election of New MCMS Officers, Directors and Delegates for 2014
Ballots for the election of MCMS officers, directors and delegates will be sent by e-mail to MCMS members who have an e-mail address on file with the MCMS office. Those who do not have an e-mail address on file will receive a copy by U.S. mail.
Return your marked ballot to [email protected] or by U.S. mail to Mecklenburg County Medical Society, 1112
Harding Place, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204. If returning by mail, write “BALLOT” on the outside of the envelope. Ballots must be received no later than December 1.
Ballots will be counted by an MCMS accountant and teller(s) appointed by the MCMS Board of Directors. Election results will be posted in the January issue of the Mecklenburg Medicine magazine.
Regardless of where we are in our medical careers — student, resident, building a practice or seeing retirement in our
rearview mirror — and how we feel about the current state of health care, we never should lose sight of the gift we
have been given.
6 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
A 15-year-old youth football player is rushed to the emergency room during practice, and the immediate suspicion is drugs. The coach tells the doctor he found a baggie of Percocet in his player’s gym bag. Dealing with neck pain, the teen had copped a few from his grandfather, who sang its praises for helping him cope with chronic back pain. Neither the ER physician nor the coach knows the boy downed two Red Bulls before practice.
The college junior is stressed over exams. She goes to a party to take a break from studying and someone passes her a “zanie” bar — the pop term for benzodiazepine, which students are stealing from their parents’ medicine cabinets to get a quick high. The euphoric feeling she gets from the Xanax disappears too fast, and she wants another. Within a month, she’s taking three or four pills a day and soon becomes addicted.
L ike most teens and young adults, these users were unaware of the dangers associated with the pills they were popping. The idea of addiction, withdrawal or even overdose never crossed their mind … because
they believed that stuff only happens to druggies who shoot-up heroin. Pills that are prescribed by doctors, they assumed, must be safe.
“The number of prescriptions for narcotics has skyrocketed in the last decade, and the medications are getting into the wrong hands,” says J.P. McBryde, MD, faculty at Carolinas Medical Center and professor of Emergency Medicine. “It’s time to recognize the problem
and understand the part we play in it.”
‘Legalized Heroin’Lethal drug overdoses are a serious problem. Nationally,
fatalities from drug poisoning (which have tripled over the past 10 years) now are the primary cause of accidental deaths — even exceeding deaths from auto accidents —according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Here, the N.C. Division of Public Health reports that more than 1,000 people now die from prescription drug overdose each year. Our State Bureau of Investigation’s Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit has seen a 400 percent increase in prescription drug-related cases over a five-year period.
The June issue of the N.C. Medical Journal addressed the issue in “Challenges of Chronic Pain Management: Public Health Consequences and Considered Responses” by James W. Finch, MD. The article reported that, in 2010,
some 16,000 overdose deaths were attributed to prescription opioids, while only 2,000 were related to heroin. And other controlled medications also have potentially serious overdose risks. There were nearly 400,000 emergency department visits and about 6,000 overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines in 2010, according to the article.
What’s worse? Prescription drugs are the second most-abused drug nationwide among young people ages 12-17. Nearly 9 million teens report they can get pills illicitly within one day, and 5 million say they can find the source of a fast high (or low) within an hour, according to the National Center on Addiction and Drug Use at Columbia University.
“We’ve essentially legalized heroin by putting it in pill form,” says McBryde. “Many physicians just don’t understand, or believe, that kids are getting their hands on the prescriptions we write.”
While treating chronic pain in adults is crucial, the abundance of significant narcotic prescription medications in today’s society — in homes, offices, schools and on the street — is chilling. “The pill culture is killing people,” believes McBryde.
Pills for the PainRx: Recognize the abuse of opioids and stop it … before it kills our kids
By Lee McCracken, Contributing Writer
J.P. McBryde, MD
Feature
Physicians are encouraged to:1. Read and educate themselves about the abuse and diversion of controlled substances.2. Recognize there is a problem.3. Determine to be part of the solution and talk with patients. 4. Consider writing for a small number of tablets with no refills. 5. Use the N.C. Controlled Substances database as a responsible prescriber.
Pause Before You Prescribe
Sid Fletcher, MD
Sid Fletcher, MD, chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine for Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center,
agrees the problem is extensive. “(Physicians) are dealing with the increasing demand for narcotics on many levels. We have been told we under treat pain by many national organizations, and patients and their families increasingly have become consumers.”
Fletcher adds, “People don’t think over-the-counter medications are adequate, but for many
conditions, Motrin and Tylenol may be entirely adequate.”
More Harm Than Good?Reflecting on the multitude of prescriptions written for anxiety and
stress, McBryde says many people don’t realize these medications can get into the wrong hands.
McBryde and Fletcher strongly advise family medicine practitioners to talk to their patients. Parents and grandparents need to understand the responsibility they have when there are bottles of pills in the house.
“They need to be locked up, and must be discarded when the patient isn’t using them any longer,” says Fletcher.
Obviously, children and teens aren’t the only culprits. Housekeepers, cleaning services and home repair/remodeling experts — anyone who is inside the home — cannot be allowed access to medications that are left out in plain sight, or even inside a cabinet or drawer.
“I have talked to many people who say they forgot about their pain medicine, then hurt themselves and went looking, only to find the bottle was mysteriously missing,” explains Fletcher.
But a physicians’ time is valuable and way too limited these days. The idea of taking an extra five minutes to talk with patients about the dangers of the pills being prescribed, as well as how to store their medication and keep track of it, might not seem feasible on an everyday basis.
“We MUST make the time,” says McBryde. “Otherwise, we’re not helping our patients; we potentially could be hurting them.” Noting the 7 million people across the country who are taking Loratab, McBryde says that’s a heavy burden, but one all physicians sign up for when they take their oath.
Educating patients about the risk of addiction also is important. “We know that many people who take narcotics — even for a short time — may become addicted,” says Fletcher. “And this is different than what most consider the sinister drugs … after all, these are PRESCRIBED by a doctor!”
While most people are thankful to walk out of their doctor’s office with a slip of paper that promises to provide relief, they don’t understand the pills often pack a lot of power. “The problem is, these prescriptions can be very harmful, and patients can die taking them,” says Fletcher.
Prescribe ResponsiblyThe diversion of prescription pain meds also is increasing.
Emergency medicine docs see it firsthand. The number of pill-shoppers is significant, and it continues to rise.
“We use the N.C. Controlled Substance Database to ensure
we know how many, and where, patients may have gotten other prescriptions,” says Fletcher. “We have a guideline now for how we treat chronic pain with narcotics. This has helped, but is difficult at times. These patients often are very resource intensive.”
Both Fletcher and McBryde say that when they do write a script for painkillers, it is for a very limited number. Yet, diversion still happens.
“We have had numerous times DEAs have then been forged later for high doses or higher volumes,” says Fletcher. “It’s a very undercover issue,” he adds. “The markup is enormous — a 50-cent hydrocodone goes for $5 or more on the street to a non-pharmaceutical salesman!”
Dealing with pill-shoppers in the emergency department is a delicate issue, according to McBryde. “The ER is not the place to treat chronic pain,” he says. “It’s difficult to confront the high-resource user in our department, because things can become tense.” The results of Patient Satisfaction Surveys are monitored closely by hospital administration, so physicians can feel trapped.
The CDC has called the misuse and abuse of prescription controlled substances an epidemic.
The North Carolina Controlled Substances Reporting System is helping. As of June, according to the NCMS, more than 100 million prescription records are in the system, with some 18 million new prescriptions being added each year.
Yet, the NCMS also reported that, as of March, only 30 percent of all prescribers and about 2,500 dispensers were registered to use the online system.
“Every physician must use the database responsibly as a prescriber,” says McBryde. “It’s our duty — not just to our patients, but also to their families and the community as a whole.”
The lack of understanding about the potential hazards of prescription medications among children and teens must be addressed within families and on school campuses. “This is a public health issue, and it must be recognized,” says McBryde.
Not only are students using and abusing pharmaceuticals, they’re also enticed to get in on the action of selling them. Bringing grandma’s Xanax to school is easy cash when the latest “gotta-have-it” gadget is in everyone else’s backpack.
“It’s a massive problem,” adds McBryde. “I’m hoping we, as members of the Medical Society, can mobilize forces to start a dialog and tackle the issue.”
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 7
The ABCs of Bennies
8 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
Child Health Committee Promotes Healthy Snacks for Regional AthletesBy Anne Walker, MD, Novant Health Walker Pediatrics
T ime and time again, we see young athletes finish a game and before they can even reach the parking lot, they have enjoyed a sugar-, fat-, and calorie-laden snack that has overshot all the calories
expended in their game or match. Parents get multiple individual packets of chips and think that a sugar-sweetened sports beverage may be important for the (myth of) “lost electrolytes” that we have been taught to believe are needed after vigorous play. The marketing of so-called sports drinks is intense and manipulative, targeted at young children and teens not savvy enough to guess how little good these serve. Perhaps we need to re-visit this all-too-common event to see if there might be a better way.
Over the last few months, the Mecklenburg County Medical Society’s Child Health Committee has composed a Healthy Snack letter that will be distributed widely to the coaches and athletic associations that serve the youth of our area. WATER is the best hydration before, during and after exercise. If a snack is to be offered after a game or event, it should be healthy. The following letter is a good resource to distribute to any athletic association or youth group in which MCMS
members, Alliance members or our children are playing. The main principle is to reduce total calories, and perhaps introduce our young athletes to something new and fresh that many may never have tasted before. Try some cherry tomatoes, bok choy, or Asian pears — there are many crisp alternatives that your striker might try eating just because the goalie says it is delicious!
The letter will be available online at meckmed.org. You can contact Stephanie Smith at [email protected] for a printable copy. The Child Health Committee plans to distribute the letter to many area youth athletic associations with the goal of encouraging parents of athletes to re-think what makes a good snack for their children. Here’s to your best health!
Anne Walker, MD, FAAP, is a pediatrician at Novant Health Walker Pediatrics practicing General Pediatrics, Adolescent and International Adoption medicine in Midtown Charlotte. She serves watermelon and bok choy to athletes around the county on soccer and baseball teams of her children Tom, 14, John, 13, and Yelena, 12.
“I served new and interesting fresh veggies and string cheese to the parents
of our swim team, working as lane judges and timers — a real departure from
the previous years’ fare of soft drinks and candy bars. Even the lifeguards
raved about the ice-cold baby carrots, broccolini and pretzel rods they
enjoyed while working their lengthy shifts. Now, even the adults are planning
to “top that” with fresh fruit skewers, etc.
We are becoming competitively healthy,
which is also FUN!”
— Anne Walker, MD
Committee Highlight
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 9
Mecklenburg County Medical Society1112 Harding Place, Suite 200Charlotte, NC 28204
RE: HEALTHY SNACKS
Dear Athletic Association Directors, Coaches and Parents,
Thank you for always being eager to improve the health of our student-athletes.The primary concern for young recreational athletes is to prevent dehydration during vigorous play. PLAIN WATER is the drink of choice for all athletes and should not only be given PRIOR to exercise, but be readily available during participation. Sugar-sweetened sports beverages have NO role in athletics and may provide calories that overshoot those expended during exercise.Consider eliminating a snack during or after play for the following reasons:• Electrolytes lost during exercise will be replenished at the next meal or with any snack.• Snacks, including juices or sports drinks, frequently balance out or exceed the calories an athlete• has just “burned.”
If you do plan to offer a group snack, consider selecting a HEALTHY snack from the suggestions below: DRINK: WATER is best! CHOOSE: Fresh fruits - oranges, grapes, watermelon slices, apples, bananas Vegetables - carrots, celery, bok choy, cherry tomatoes Raisins, dried apricots Low-fat dairy, such as string cheese Plain popcorn Baked chips or whole-grain crackers (limit portions) Low-fat granola bars AVOID: 100% fruit juices (empty sugar calories) Sugar-sweetened sports drinks Sugar-containing soft drinks High-fat chips, cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, candy
Energy bars (which are often full of sugar, caffeine and/or fat)If your team offers a snack, please plan these so they also enhance your athletes’ health!
Working with the community to improve the health of our youth,
The Child Health Committeeof the Mecklenburg County Medical Society
10 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
2701 Coltsgate Road | Suite 300 | Charlotte, NC 28211www.brackettflagship.com
We are pleased to announce we have broken ground on a 29,000 SF medical office building in Gastonia, NC.
If you would like to learn more about our development services, please contact us to learn how we can put our real estate solutions to work for your practice.
We would like to thank Carolina Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine for selecting Brackett Flagship Properties as their development partner.
MMAE
Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment Grant Applications for 2014
The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment will begin the process of receiving grant applications on January 3, 2014. The application period will be open until February 14, 2014. MMAE’s mission is to advocate for a healthier Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. Since 1982, when we established our non-profit 501(c)(3), we have granted more than $1 million to projects that improve the health and quality of life of the people in our community.
Only applications that promote health-related charitable, scientific and educational needs in Mecklenburg County will be considered. Visit www.mmaeonline.com for more information about application guidelines and the deadline for applying.
— Linda Kramer, Vice President, Grants and Disbursements
Community Health Luncheon — ONE MOM’S STORY
Thursday, Feb. 20
Myers Park Methodist Church | 1501 Queens RdHaving lost her son, in large part due to lack of communication, Patty Skolnik founded Citizens for Patient Safety. Ms. Skolnik is a patient
safety expert and advocate for shared medical decision-making.
Save theDate!Save theDate!
MMAE Membership— It’s For All Spouses of PhysiciansIf you are new to the Charlotte medical community, let me introduce the
Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment (MMAE). We are physicians’ spouses and community friends dedicated to promoting a healthier Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. Through our Endowment, grants are given to agencies each year that fulfill this mission. We invite you to join us!
Visit www.mmaeonline.com for more information about us and for a membership form.
— Gretchen AllenPresident, MMAE
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 11
T
Feature
Giving ThanksBy Katie Benston, Chief Program Officer, Care Ring
his Thanksgiving and all through the year, Care Ring thanks the 1,600 physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists and allied health professionals who volunteer their time and clinical expertise to see uninsured patients through Physicians Reach Out. We are so grateful for your tremendous contribution to ensure we have a stronger, healthier community. Thank you.
PHYSICIANS REACH OUT PARTICIPATING PROVIDERS
Internal Medicine/Family Medicine
Alfa Medical ClinicCabarrus Family MedicineCarmel Family PhysiciansCharlotte Medical ClinicCotswold Family MedicineDavidson ClinicEast Charlotte Family PhysiciansEastowne Family PhysiciansMatthews Primary CareMecklenburg Medical GroupMint Hill Primary Care North Charlotte Medical SpecialistsNorthcross Family PhysiciansNovant Health Ballantyne Medical GroupNovant Health Blakeney Family PhysiciansNovant Health Carolina Family PhysiciansNovant Health Cotswold Medical ClinicNovant Health Crown Point Family
PhysiciansNovant Health First Charlotte PhysiciansNovant Health Gilead Road Pediatrics &
Internal MedicineNovant Health Huntersville Pediatrics &
Internal MedicineNovant Health Lakeside Family PhysiciansNovant Health Matthews Family PhysiciansNovant Health McKee Internal MedicineNovant Health Meridian Medical GroupNovant Health Parker Internal MedicineNovant Health Pine Lake Family PhysiciansNovant Health Pineville Primary CareNovant Health Midtown Family MedicineNovant Health Presbyterian Internal
MedicineNovant Health Senior CareNovant Health South Park Family
PhysiciansNovant Health Steele Creek Family PracticeNovant Health University Family Physicians Randolph Internal MedicineRiverbend Family PracticeSouth Charlotte Primary CareSouth Providence Primary Care
Pediatrics
Arboretum PediatricsDavidson ClinicNovant Health Ballantyne Pediatric
AssociatesNovant Health Eastover PediatricsNovant Health Elizabeth PediatricsNovant Health Gilead Road Pediatrics &
Internal MedicineNovant Health Huntersville Pediatrics and
Internal MedicineNovant Health Matthews Children’s ClinicNovant Health Medical Plaza Pediatrics Novant Health Meridian Medical Group Novant Health Randolph Pediatric
AssociatesNovant Health Walker PediatricsSnitz PediatricsSouth Charlotte Primary CareSouth Lake PediatricsUniversity Pediatrics
Hospitals
CMC - MainCMC - MercyCMC - PinevilleCMC - University Carolinas Hospital Group PhysiciansNovant Health Charlotte Orthopedic
HospitalNovant Health Hemby Children’s HospitalNovant Health Huntersville Medical CenterNovant Health Matthews Medical CenterNovant Health Medical Group HospitalistsNovant Health Presbyterian Medical Center
Labwork
Solstas Lab Partners
Specialists
Advanced Respiratory & Sleep MedicineArthritis & Osteoporosis Consultants of the
CarolinasCarolina Asthma & Allergy Center
Carolina Digestive Health AssociatesCarolina Neurological ClinicCarolina Neurosurgery & Spine AssociatesCarolina Skin Surgery CenterCarolina Surgical Clinic of CharlotteCarolinas Hematology-Oncology AssociatesCarolinas RehabilitationCenter for Facial Plastic & Laser SurgeryCharlotte DermatologyCharlotte Eye Ear Nose and Throat
& OncologyNovant Health Bradford ClinicNovant Health Charlotte C & R Surgery
AssociatesNovant Health Dermatology SouthNovant Health Diabetes Resource CenterNovant Health Endocrinology &
Osteoporosis ConsultantsNovant Health Gynecologic OncologyNovant Health Heart and Vascular InstituteNovant Health Heart & WellnessNovant Health Huntersville OB/GYNNovant Health Imaging
Novant Health Neurology CenterNovant Health Nutrition CounselingNovant Health Pediatric CardiologyNovant Health Pediatric Gastroenterology
AssociatesNovant Health Physical Therapy & RehabNovant Health Providence OB/GYN Novant Health Pulmonary & Critical CareNovant Health Randolph OB/GYNNovant Health Rankin Women’s CenterNovant Health Sleep HealthNovant Health Total Spine SpecialistsNovant Health UrogynecologyOncology Specialists of CharlotteOrthoCarolina Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes
SpecialistsPediatric Urology AssociatesPiedmont Plastic Surgery & DermatologyPremier Plastic SurgeryPresbyterian Anesthesia AssociatesRosedale Infectious DiseaseSanger Heart & Vascular InstituteSouth Lake Ear Nose & ThroatSoutheast Children’s UrologySoutheast Radiation Oncology GroupSports Medicine and Injury CareSt. George Physical TherapyStillwater Plastic SurgerySurgical Specialists of CharlotteThe Women’s Center for Pelvic HealthVascular Solutions
Volunteer Clinics
Bethesda Health CenterCare Ring Low-Cost ClinicCharlotte Community Health CenterC.W. Williams Community Health CenterFree Clinic of Our Towns / Ada Jenkins
CenterLake Norman Free ClinicMatthews Free Medical ClinicPresbyterian Medical Center Community
Care Cruiser
Please contact Carolyn Donner, cdonner@Care RingNC.org, if you notice any errors or omissions, or to find out how you can participate. Thank you!
12 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
Member News
Upcoming Meetings & Events Meetings are at the MCMS office unless otherwise noted.Novembern
n Saturday, Nov. 9Charlotte Medical Society Gala.Charlotte Marriott Hotel.6 p.m.
n Tuesday, Nov. 12MedLink meeting.8:30 a.m.
n Tuesday, Nov. 12Charlotte Pediatric Society Membership and Elections meeting.The Duke Mansion.6 p.m.
n Wednesday, Nov. 13MCMS President’s Dinner and Board meeting.Myers Park Country Club.6 p.m.
n Friday, Nov. 15Child Health Committee meeting.7:30 a.m.
n Wednesday, Nov. 20MMAE Board meeting.10 a.m.
n Thursday, Nov. 21CAMGM.Myers Park Baptist Church Cornwell Center.Noon.
n Friday, Nov. 22January magazine deadline.
n Thursday-Friday, Nov. 28-29Thanksgiving Holiday — MCMS office closed.
DecemberNote: No MCMS Board meeting; no MMAE Board meeting.n
Tuesday, Dec. 3AAFP Quarterly meeting.Speaker, Topic and Location TBD.6:30 p.m.
n Tuesday, Dec. 10MedLink meeting.8:30 a.m.
n Thursday, Dec. 12Charlotte Medical Society meeting.Location TBD.
n Thursday, Dec. 19CAMGM Holiday Party.Location TBD.4-8 p.m.
n Friday, Dec. 20February magazine deadline.
n Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 23-25Christmas Holiday — MCMS office closed.
Charlotte AHEC Course OfferingsCharlotte AHEC is part of the N.C. Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program and Carolinas HealthCare System.
NOVEMBER 2013Continuing Medical Education (CME) 11/1 – 11/2 How to Treat IBS Effectively: Expert Update for Health Professionals 11/1 – 11/3 The Pain Society of the Carolinas Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions 2013 11/7 – 11/9 7th Annual Huntington Disease Clinical Research Symposium (HDCRS) Management of Neurocognitive Disorders: The Example of Huntington Disease 11/9 6th Annual Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) and Anti-Coagulation Conference11/9 – 11/10 North Carolina Academy of Sleep Medicine (NCASM) Annual Meeting 2013 11/15 Carolinas Medical Center’s 7th Annual Liver Conference 11/18 Skills for Building Relationship and Enhancing Communication in a Multi-Disciplinary Environment
For more information or to register for these courses, call 704-512-6523 or visit www.charlotteahec.org.
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 13
Member News
New Members Catherine E. Dodds, MDInternal MedicineNovant Health First Charlotte Physicians1401 Matthews Township Pkwy. #200Matthews, NC 28105704-384-6901Columbia University College of Physicians, 2010
Crystal D. Katz, MD*AnesthesiologySoutheast Anesthesiology Consultants927 East Blvd.Charlotte, NC 28203704-377-5772University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1991
Peter O. Simon, Jr., MDDiagnostic Radiology; Vascular & Interventional RadiologyCharlotte Radiology1701 East Blvd.Charlotte, NC 28203704-334-7800University of Virginia School of Medicine, 2004
V. Sagar Sethi, MD, PhD, has four videos on You Tube that went live on his website www.standardizingpsychiatriccare.com. These videos present a
model for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, not only for psychiatrists but also for primary care physicians and other doctors who prescribe psychiatric medicines. Because of the poor concordance of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness among physicians, these videos are very timely. Also, the V. Sagar Sethi, MD, Mental Health Research Award was presented this
year at the Annual Meeting of the N.C. Psychiatric Society in Asheville on September 21 to Charles Nemeroff, MD, PhD.
Dr. Sethi is with Carmel Psychiatric Associates at 7301 Carmel Executive Park, Suite 200.
14 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
Thank You to Fighting forWomen with Fashion Sponsors!
SILK SPONSOR:
n Carolinas HealthCare Systemn (Arboretum Pediatrics, Charlotte OB/GYN, CMC Women’s Institute, n Eastover OB/GYN, Mecklenburg Medical Group, NorthCross OB/GYN)
SATIN SPONSORS:
n Charlotte School of Lawn Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
LINEN SPONSORS:
n AAIR – Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Relief of Charlotten Bradley Arant Boult Cummingsn Carolina Asthma & Allergy Centern Charlotte Radiologyn Charlotte Women’s Barn Dixon Hughes Goodmann REACH – Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotten Robinson Bradshaw & Hinsonn University Pediatrics
DENIM SPONSORS:
n Abbie G. Baynes, Attorney at Lawn Carolina HealthSpan Instituten Cranfill Sumner & Hartzogn Essex Richardsn Katten Muchin Rosenmann Kennedy Law Associatesn Novant Health Mintview OB/GYNn Sodoma Lawn Tom Bush Law Group
A special thank you to Nordstrom, Foundation for the Carolinas, Erica Bryant, Best Impressions Caterers, Extravaganza, Little Dreamer Productions, US Airways, Doncaster Charlotte, Rebecca Simmons of Advocare, and all of our Silent Auction donors, for making this a very successful event!
Look for more details and photos from this October 1 event benefitting the Domestic Violence Shelter in the January issue of Mecklenburg Medicine.
Navigators Offer Free Guidance on Health Insurance Marketplace
With enrollment in the health insurance marketplace now open, local Navigator organizations are offering free guidance to Mecklenburg County residents looking to obtain health insurance. Nonprofits Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, NC MedAssist and C.W. Williams Community Health Center are providing free, unbiased advice to the residents of Mecklenburg County, helping families and individuals choose plans that are best for them within the health insurance marketplace implemented under the Affordable Care Act. The federally-certified Navigators are extensively trained in the insurance plan options offered by the marketplace and in cost-sharing reductions and premium tax credits eligibility that will help individuals and families better afford their health insurance. Enrollment is open until March 31, 2014, and for those who enroll before December 15, coverage will begin January 1, 2014. To schedule an appointment with a local Navigator, contact Legal Services of Southern Piedmont at 704-376-1600, NC MedAssist at 704-536-1790 or C.W. Williams at 704-405-9510. A statewide appointment hotline is available at 1-855-733-3711.
Member News
MedLink of Mecklenburg Forum
Save theDate!Save theDate!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Harris Conference Center | 216 CPCC Harris Campus Drive
Huntersville Primary Care has extra 4 exam rooms to rent — sharing waiting room — $2,750 per month, all inclusive. There is a ready-to-use fluoroscope (digital) available for $500 a month.Contact Chris Le at 704-806-6197 or [email protected].
Care Ring is seeking volunteer providers for its clinic. Physicians or mid-level
providers can see patients for four-hour shifts, morning or afternoons, Monday-Friday. Our patient profile is typically someone working a low or modest wage job without health insurance. Besides school/work physicals and sick visits, we see many patients for chronic disease maintenance. If interested, contact Katie Benston, Chief Program Officer at Care Ring, at 704-248-3723 or [email protected].
The following volunteers are needed for Matthews Free Medical Clinic: Medical Providers, RN’s, Office/Admin/Reception, Pharmacists and Translators. Matthews Free Medical Clinic provides quality health care to low-income, uninsured people in Mecklenburg and Union Counties.
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 15
At the Hospitals
n New Iris-Scanning Cameras Providen Additional Layer of Safety for Patients
Novant Health has a new patient identification technology: the iris camera. The iris camera reinforces patient safety by preventing duplicate medical records and limiting the threat of medical identity theft at the point of care.
Iris recognition cameras are part of M2SYS Technology’s RightPatient™ Biometric Patient Identification System that takes digital photographs of the patient’s iris and face. The photographs link to a patient’s profile in Dimensions, the Novant Health electronic health record. The cameras are installed at patient registration areas in acute care facilities.
“This recognition technology will become a part of the seamless experience that patients will encounter with Dimensions Acute Carefrom check-in to discharge and follow-up,” says Sheila Moore, Dimensions Acute Care program director.
Installed at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in July, this technology will be introduced at other Novant Health medical centers, as well.
When patients check in at any Novant Health acute care facility, their photos will be taken with the iris camera. If they previously enrolled in the program, the camera will recognize them based on their individual iris pattern. Patients will learn about the technology at check-in and can choose not to have their photo taken if they are uncomfortable for any reason.
Novant Health registration teams are receiving special education so they can address any patient concerns and explain how the new device will help protect patient identity. The camera requires no physical contact with patients, and there is no light or laser involved. It can be used on pediatric patients, as well.
n Da Vinci Single Incision Gallbladdern Removal: Safer, Easier andn Cosmetically Attractive
Surgeons at the Novant Health Robotics Center began performing single incision laparoscopic robotic cholecystectomies in March. An appealing benefit for patients is the hidden entry through the umbilical area
or a curving incision below the belly button. After the incision heals and scars, it virtually is invisible, compared with the traditional laparoscopic approach, which requires three to four entry ports, including the upper abdomen area.
More traditional single site laparoscopic cholecystectomies have been around for years but are being phased out because they require cross-handed detail work by the surgeon. The da Vinci Surgical System makes the procedure easier for surgeons and safer for patients because it features EndoWrist instruments, which provide a greater range of motion than the human wrist and more intuitive and precise movements. Also, the da Vinci system significantly enhances a surgeon’s vision with its high-definition, magnified 3D capabilities.
Familiarity with the da Vinci Surgical System will make it easier for surgeons to give once difficult laparoscopic cases the ease of an open case but with a minimally invasive robotic approach.
To learn more, visit www.NovantHealth.org and search for robotic surgery.
n Novant Health Launches Dischargen Program for Patients
Novant Health patients discharged from Presbyterian Medical Center and Forsyth Medical Center now experience a simpler transition from the hospital thanks to Ready At Home. The program’s team coordinates details around a patient’s discharge and at-home medications. If patients need medications or other healthcare supplies, the team’s transition specialists provide affordable solutions. Since discharge medications and supplies are not included in the hospital bill, Ready At Home helps make sure they are properly processed by the insurer. Nearly half of all Americans never fill their prescriptions, fill them but never take the drug, or don’t take the full dose. Ready At Home is addressing that problem. The program will be expanded to other Novant Health facilities in the future.
n Novant Health Matthews Medicaln Center Opens Wellness Center
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center recently opened a wellness center that offers comprehensive cancer, cardiac, vascular and pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients benefit from receiving a personalized prescription for
supervised group exercise, nutrition therapy and social support. For more information about Novant Health rehabilitation programs, call 704-316-3990.
n Survivor Education Seriesn Addresses Issues During and Aftern Cancer Treatment
Novant Health Cancer Care has launched a survivor education series to address the challenges survivors face both during and after cancer treatment. Fall 2013 topics include Cancer 101, Fear of Recurrence and Exercise and Symptom Management, with new programs being offered every quarter. To make attendance as easy as possible on patients and families, programs are offered in Charlotte, Huntersville and Matthews, and always are free of charge. Visit novanthealth.org/cancercalendar or call 704-384-4400 to register or learn more.
n Novant Health Leaders Earn Staten and National Recognition
Janet Smith-Hill, senior vice president of human resources at Novant Health, has been named to Diversity MBA Magazine’s list of “Top 100 under 50 Diverse Executive Leaders.” Leaders are recognized for contributions within their companies and communities. Diversity MBA supports business diversity by advancing understanding, validating best practices and rewarding leadership. Honorees are featured in Diversity MBA Magazine’s summer 2013 issue.
Amy Vance, senior vice president and COO at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, recently was named North Carolina Nurses Association Administration Nurse of the Year. Nurse administrators are selected for the award based on their use of innovative management strategies, excellence in leadership, ability to serve as a role model and positive impact on the work setting. She was honored at the NCNA’s awards luncheon at the organization’s annual convention on October 2 and was featured in the October-December issue of Tar Heel Nurse.
Pat Campbell, vice president of women’s and children’s services in the Novant Health greater Charlotte market, recently was appointed to the North Carolina Board of Nursing and its board of directors. The North Carolina General Assembly makes these appointments.
16 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
At the Hospitals
n Charles Bridges, MD, and Anthonyn Fargnoli, MS, to Present Abstractn on New Needleless Heart Failuren Procedure
An abstract submitted by researchers at Carolinas HealthCare System’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute was presented at the 2013 Heart Failure Society of America Conference in September as one of five finalists of more than 200 submitted abstracts for the Jay N. Cohn Young Investigator Award in Basic Science. The abstract presents a novel needleless liquid jet injection method used to treat heart failure patients as an alternative to the needle injection procedure.
Charles R. Bridges, MD, ScD, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Anthony Fargnoli, MS, research manager of the molecular and cellular cardiac surgery research group, authored the abstract, which demonstrates the benefits of using a liquid jet injection versus a needle injection. This innovative procedure would allow patients in cardiac gene and stem cell therapy trials to receive gene and cell therapy without experiencing an injection directly into the heart.
Carolinas HealthCare System is leading the development of needleless liquid jet injection systems. Dr. Bridges and Fargnoli are inventors of a needleless system to allow for global administration of genes or stem cells to the heart of patients with heart failure, for which a U.S. patent is pending.
n Carolinas HealthCare Systemn Physicians Among First inn World to Become Board-Certifiedn Urogynecologists
Kevin Stepp, MD, Michael Kennelly, MD, and Bernard Taylor, MD, from Carolinas HealthCare System, are among the first physicians in the world to become board-certified urogynecologists, specializing in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery as recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery is a subspecialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urology that treats urogynecological conditions, such as incontinence and pelvic prolapse. This subspecialty just obtained approval to offer board certification from the American Board of Medical Specialties in 2012, and in June of this year, Drs. Stepp, Kennelly and Taylor successfully passed the national exam the first time it was offered.
n Levine Cancer Institute to Expandn Hematology Oncology Programn Next Year
Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Cancer Institute is expanding its Hematology Oncology program and building a new hematologic malignancies unit to provide patients with aggressive types of blood cancer access to more comprehensive treatment options. The unit will open in January 2014 and will be the first of its kind designed to treat adult blood and marrow transplant patients in the greater Charlotte region.
The unit will provide a protected environment for transplant patients and will include 16 specialized beds, an apheresis unit for the collection of donor cells for patients and a unique cell processing lab. The program’s expansion also will support the development of new research at the Institute. By the end of this year, Institute physicians expect to begin enrolling patients in at least four new clinical trials.
Edward Copelan, MD, chairman of the Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders at the Institute, is overseeing the expansion. Dr. Copelan was recruited from Cleveland Clinic in 2012 and has made significant impacts in advancing research throughout the Hematology Oncology community. He and Belinda Avalos, MD, vice-chair of the Department of Hematology Oncology and Blood Disorders, recently had a study accepted by Blood, a leading hematology oncology medical journal, which demonstrates the efficacy of a new, less-invasive treatment option for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Under Dr. Copelan’s leadership, the Institute’s Leukemia, Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma programs
are managed by newly recruited and nationally renowned physicians. Saad Usmani, MD, FACP, is director of the Plasma Cell Disorders program and director of Clinical Research in Hematologic Malignancies. Dr. Usmani was recruited to the Institute from the University of Arkansas. Jonathan Gerber, MD, is director of the Leukemia program and was recruited from Johns Hopkins University. Michael Grunwald, MD, recently joined the Hematologic Malignancies and Blood Disorders Faculty and was recruited from Johns Hopkins University. Omotayo Fasan, MD, is director of Apheresis and was recruited from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
n Dr. Alegria joins Carolinasn HealthCare System as Charlotte’sn First Adult Congenital Heartn Disease Physician
Jorge R. Alegria, MD, joined Carolinas HealthCare System’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in September. Dr. Alegria is the first formally trained adult congenital heart disease physician in Charlotte and is one of only some 60 adult congenital heart disease specialists in the nation.
Over the past few decades, advances in surgical treatments have resulted in an increasing number of children with complex congenital heart disease surviving into adulthood, creating a need for specialists who can treat the condition in adults. Dr. Alegria will work closely with physicians at Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital to develop a transition program for all congenital heart disease patients once they reach 16 years old. The program will help these patients manage their condition as they grow, and supplement care from primary care physicians and cardiologists.
Prior to joining Sanger, Dr. Alegria practiced at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Dr. Alegria received his medical degree in Concepcion, Chile, and later completed his residency in Internal Medicine, along with fellowships in Interventional Cardiology, Cardiovascular Diseases and Adult Congenital Heart Disease, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 17
"Tomorrow's Technology for Today's Ears"
Randolph Audiology & Hearing Aid Clinic
704-367-1999Randolph Medical Park - Randolph Building
3535 Randolph Road, Suite 211Charlotte, NC 28211
www.randolphaudiology.com
Serving the Charlotte area for over 20 years
Wade Kirkland, M.A.,Audiologist
Who has hearing loss?• 1 in 10 Americans (More than 31 million people) • 30% of people over 60 • 15% of “baby-boomers” (age 46-65) • Ranks 3rd in public health issues in America today:
1. Hypertension2. Arthritis3. Hearing Loss
MS029067
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Advertising Acknowledgement
The following patrons made Mecklenburg Medicine possible.
December 1-7 . . . . . . . . . National Hand Washing Awareness Week
December 1-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Influenza Vaccination Week
Mecklenburg Medicine • November/December 2013 | 19
OneOne team. One mission: your health. Everything you need. Everywhere you need us. Our one connected system is built around you. Visit CarolinasHealthCare.org
20 | November/December 2013 • Mecklenburg Medicine
