New Hospital Safety Grades Find Significant Improvements in Patient Experience Reports and Health Care-Associated Infections | |
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit driving a movement for patient safety, released its spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades, assigning an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to nearly 3,000 general hospitals on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Nationally, patient experience—a set of measures using patient-reported perspectives on hospital care—indicates significant signs of improvement since the fall 2023 Safety Grades, and preventable health care-associated infections show a sustained drop after unprecedented rates during the height of the pandemic.
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Source: The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade
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Mammograms Should Start at Age 40, New Guidelines Recommend | |
A rise in breast cancer among younger women prompted the U.S. Preventive Task Force to issue new screening guidelines. They recommend mammograms every other year, starting at age 40.
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Source: Health News Florida
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STD Surge: Florida Hits Record High Rates, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Levels | |
Sexually transmitted disease rates in the state are on the rise, surpassing pre-COVID levels. In particular, Florida ranks 14th on the CDC's national list when it comes to congenital syphilis.
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Source: Health News Florida
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Walmart Will Close All 51 of its Health Centers | |
Walmart is closing all 51 of its health centers throughout the United States, citing rising operations costs and reimbursement challenges that have made running them unsustainable.
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Source: USA TODAY
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A Long Flu Season Winds Down in US. Officials Say It Wasn't Too Severe. | |
Springtime upticks in flu are possible. But other indicators, like hospitalizations and patient testing, show low and declining activity.
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Source: Health News Florida
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What Consumers Should Know as Philips Agrees to $1.1 Billion CPAP Settlement | |
Millions of CPAP sleep apnea machines made by the medical device maker Philips and a subsidiary were found to have a dangerous problem, triggering consumer lawsuits and a massive recall in 2021. Now, Philips has reached a $1.1 billion deal to settle claims from people who say they were injured. A portion of the funds will also go toward medical monitoring.
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Source: Health News Florida
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DeSantis Signs Bill on Regulating Vape Products Geared Toward Children | |
The bill (HB 1007), signed on Friday, sets up a process for Attorney General Ashley Moody to go after illegal electronic-cigarette manufacturers and sellers. The bill focuses on single-use electronic cigarettes and will allow Moody’s office to set up a registry of products deemed off-limits, after an administrative process.
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Source: Health News Florida
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Judge Gives the Go-Ahead to Medicaid Class-Action Lawsuit Against Florida | |
U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard rejected arguments by the state that the case should not proceed as a class action and denied a state request for a continuance of a trial set to start May 13.
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Source: Health News Florida
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Opportunity to Support the 2025 CMS Membership Directory | |
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The Capital Medical Society will publish its 2025 Membership Directory early next year. It will be distributed to all members. We have once again partnered with E&M Consulting to produce the directory. The publication will be available in both print and digital formats. E&M will be contacting our members over the next few months about advertising opportunities in the directory. E&M will manage all the advertising sales, creative design, and formatting of the publication for us. This is a very professional group with experience in publishing association directories.
To view the ad rates/options and sign-up online, please visit: https://reserveyourad.com/CMS
If you have any questions or would like to advertise, please contact an E&M sales associate at 800-572-0011 ext. 0104 or advertising@eandmsales.com. Please be responsive and help support this directory. Remember, it will include our entire medical community.
CMS will provide the content - including photos of our members. If you have an updated photo - please send it to us!
Please feel free to call us if you have any questions - and thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The CMS Staff
(850) 877-9018
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"More Than Refrigerators: Energy Star for the Entire Office & Home" - My Green Doctor | |
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We all recognize the Energy Star logo on refrigerators and other appliances. But Capital Medical Society readers may not know that Energy Star is a great tool for the entire healthcare office to save energy and money. This month, the Capital Medical Society’s My Green Doctor explains in a ten minute blog how to use the new Energy Star tools created for healthcare: “More Than Refrigerators”.
My Green Doctor is a free money-saving membership benefit from the Capital Medical Society. Members use the “Meeting-by-Meeting Guide” to learn how to adopt environmental sustainability, save resources, mitigate climate change, and help create healthier communities. The program adds just five minutes to each regular office staff meeting or weekly office “huddle”, making small changes at each meeting that over time really add up. Everyone in your practice can register as Partner Society members at www.MyGreenDoctor.org or at www.MyGreenDoctor.es (si, en espanol). Use the discount code MGDCMS to get full free access to My Green Doctor, save $60 instantly, and save $1000s in the first year. Register today and watch the “Three Minute Video” that explains how easy it is to add My Green Doctor to your next agenda. You can do this!
Source: My Green Doctor
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CMS Lunch and Learn: "Get Talent to Swipe Right and Stay!" - May 15, 2024 | |
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Time: 12 Noon to 1:30 PM (Seminar starts at 12:30 PM)
Place: CHP Auditorium, 2nd Floor, 1491 Governors Square Blvd.
Cost: $12 per person, per seminar (includes lunch)
For more information or to RSVP, contact Rosalie Carlin at rcarlin@capmed.org.
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FSU PrimaryHealth Building Dedication & Community Health Event In Memory of Daniel J. Van Durme, M.D. | |
CMS MEMBERS: Inaugural CMS Pickleball Clinic - Friday, May 31, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - REGISTER TODAY! SPACE IS LIMITED! | |
2024 Capital Health Plan Walk with a Doc Tallahassee | Please join Capital Health Plan for Walk with a Doc Tallahassee - an event where the members of our community come together to speak with our physicians as we stroll through our local parks and greenways. | |
CMS Foundation Physician Wellness Program is Here for Physicians and TMH Residents | |
Overloaded? Stressed? You're Not Alone.
Does your workday start before dawn and end well after dusk? Do you go to bed tired and wake up the same way? Maybe it’s time you talk to someone who can help you make positive changes for a healthier, happier life and lifestyle. The CMS has five professional counselors who are available to you - free of charge - free of worry. This program remains one of the few in the state that serves all local practicing physicians and TMH Residents, without cost, without question. Six sessions annually are completely confidential and autonomous.
WELLNESS COACHES:
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Paul Deitchman, Ph.D.
313 Williams St., #5
Tallahassee, FL 32303
850-878-3571
UNIVERSITY: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
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Tracey Morse, Ph.D.
1114 E. Tennessee St.
Tallahassee, FL 32308
850-556-7944
UNIVERSITY: SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – CARBONDALE
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Stephen Wright, Ph.D.
313 Williams St., #7
Tallahassee, FL 32303
850-222-3045
UNIVERSITY: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
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SPECIALTY AREA WELLNESS COACHES: | | |
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Jane Marks, LFMT, LMHC
3325-C Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
850-385-8222
UNIVERSITY: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
For five decades, Jane Marks has helped countless families navigate the challenges in life. As a Licensed Family & Marriage Therapist, she will bring a thoughtful approach to wellness for those seeking individual, family or marriage coaching through the CMS Foundation’s Physician Wellness Program.
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Brenda Rabalais, Ph.D.
216 Lake Ella Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32303
850-841-7733
UNIVERSITY: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Brenda Rabalais, Ph.D., specializes in providing counseling services to those who are struggling with a loss or a trauma. Examples include; divorce, abandonment (foster care, adoption, service families), abuse, suicide, homicide, crime, loss of functionality, loss of home or job, long-term illnesses, other life transitions, as well as death. Brenda founded Lee's Place, a grief, loss and trauma counseling center, in 2000 and has been a practicing therapist as well as the Executive Director for those 21 years.
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Special thanks to the MagMutual Foundation and the TMH Medical Staff for helping the CMS fund this program. | |
Informational Correspondence with the Capital Medical Society | |
In this digital era, we strive to keep you updated with the latest in information. Please let us know when your emails and contact information change. We want you to be part of this Society and be active in your practice networking. Patients seeking provider referrals and providers seeking provider referrals keep your practice flourishing. If your membership information is old and you would like to contact us about relocating, new staff changes, or if you haven’t heard from us in a while, your information may not be current. Your personal contact information is kept confidential but is our way of reaching out to you about meetings, medical updates, license requirements, legalities in medicine and patient privacy and care, Journals, newsletters and more.
Tom Block, Executive Director, 850-321-1648, tblock@capmed.org
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Are You One of our Members on the Move? |
If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, we want to know more!
· Is your practice expanding? Are you adding staff members?
· Do you have a new practice administrator/office manager?
· Have you changed or added locations?
· Have you changed your email/phone/fax?
· Have you added a new specialty or passed your Board Certification(s)?
· Have you retired within the last six months?
Subject line: Member Updates
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Updated Physician Headshots |
The CMS website is your link to our physician member database. The CMS has been actively working on each provider search. Please take the time to search the listing. If you find there is any inaccurate information or an outdated headshot, please reach out to CMS to update your information. Let us know as soon as possible to make sure your information is current.
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Electronic Version of May 2024 Cap Scan | Click here to view the May 2024 Cap Scan. | |
Save the Date for Upcoming CMS Meetings/Events | |
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May 14, 2024
CMS Membership & CME Meeting
“New Interventions for Acute Strokes”
Presenter: Narlin Beaty, M.D.
6:00 pm
Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks
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Here's Another Connection for CMS Members: Healthcare Lawyer On Call |
The CMS has had a long-standing relationship with Jeff Cohen and The Florida Healthcare Law Firm. Did you know that you can tap into a program called Healthcare Lawyer On Call through Jeff and his firm? That's right! On-Call is different than what you may be used to and doesn't mean that you'll find an attorney at 3 AM to answer a question, but what it does mean is that you can call and speak with someone at The Florida Healthcare Law Firm for 15 minutes at no charge! Please remember that any purely verbal discussion on legal matters is simply the lawyer’s best (and unconfirmed) understanding. Another benefit of being a CMS member!
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Accredited Education Courses to Meet DEA Training Requirement
The Doctors Company offers 6.75 hrs. that meet the DEA requirement for free. These hours can be combined with previous opioid education the physician may have completed to achieve the 8 hr. requirement. This, and all The Doctors Company CME, is available for free to any physician. They do not have to be a The Doctors Company insured.
https://www.thedoctors.com/patient-safety/education-and-cme/accredited-education-courses-to-meet-dea-training-requirement/
FreeCME.com
Easy to use web portal makes it easy to find courses and track credits. Accredited activities for over 30 medical specialties; Over 100 active courses at any given time; Activity accreditations include ACCME, ANCC, AANP, ACPE, and more; Content is always current, and always free.
CME - From Brain Disorders to Brain Health
Free 1-hour online CME opportunity!
University of Florida's Department of Epidemiology
Raising awareness for Alzheimer's disease and increasing screening for cognitive impairment. This CME has a focus on primary care physicians but is applicable to all physicians who may encounter patients with cognitive impairments.
On-Demand CME by The Doctors Company
Prevention of Diagnostic Error in Primary Care
Diagnostic error continues to be a top patient safety concern, a global burden, and cause patient harm from treatment delay, testing, or misdiagnosis. “Prevention of Diagnostic Error in Primary Care” is an on-demand CME activity that features patient safety expert Jeffrey A. Gold, MD, professor of medicine, vice chair for quality and safety, for the department of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University. This program highlights major contributing factors of diagnostic error along with the diagnostic process of care framework with additional focus on strategies to mitigate risk of patient harm in the primary care setting.
On-Demand CME by The Doctors Company
Telemedicine to Telehealth: Trends and Emerging Risks
1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Explore the challenges and risks associated with telehealth. Concerns regarding privacy, security, licensure, and technology that might instigate a malpractice claim are discussed.
On-Demand CME by The Doctors Company
Safe Opioid Prescribing for Physicians and Dentists
2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ or 2.5 ADA CE Credits
Opioids play an important role in pain management—both in acute and chronic care settings—but overuse, misuse, and diversion have contributed to an opioid-related epidemic leading to addiction and death. Our on-demand program provides a useful and informative examination of the epidemic’s prevalence and effects.
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National Human Trafficking Hotline |
If you suspect human trafficking, please call:
National Human Trafficking Hotline
1 (888) 373-7888
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Suicide Prevention Hotline |
Reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line by Phone and Text
By Phone:
Call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline today. 988 is not a nationwide calling code right now.
Veterans should Press 1 to be connected with the Veterans Crisis Line.
By Text:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available today through online chats. 988 is not a nationwide texting code right now.
Service members, Veterans, and their families can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by texting 838255, and through online chats at veteranscrisisline.net.
Source: Federal Communications Commission
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PAP Machine Donations Needed! |
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A PAP (Positive Airway Pressure) machine is an electronic respiratory ventilation device used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. Capital Medical Society Foundation, Inc.'s We Care Network program assists low-income, uninsured adults, whose income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level, with obtaining these potentially life-saving medical devices, when prescribed by a pulmonologist. Thanks to our partners at Desloge Home Oxygen and Medical Equipment, Inc., we are able to provide refurbished CPAP, AutoPAP, and BPAP machines for eligible We Care Network patients in Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties. We Care Network also accepts unused, unopened supplies for PAP machines, such as masks, nasal cannulas, and tubing. We Care Network coordinates over $5,000,000 in donated specialty medical and dental care annually.
Machine donations can be dropped off at Capital Medical Society Foundation's office at 1204 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. Donations to Capital Medical Society Foundation are tax-deductible within IRS guidelines Federal Tax I.D. #: 59-2104510. For additional information, please call 850-942-5215 or email dbixler@capmed.org.
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Check Out the Latest CMS Member Benefits | | | | |
