Maine Quality Counts Podcast

January 2017 Maine Opioid Law Chapter 488 Gordon Smith and Mac McCall

MQC Lunch & Learn: Maine Lung Cancer Coalition - Working Together to Reduce Lung Cancer in Maine Featured presenters include:  Paul Han, MD Neil Korsen, MD Kathleen Fairfield, MD Natalie Morse Jessica Reed, MSN, APRN Leo Waterston, MA

Adrienne Carmack talks on the topic of “Fostering Care in ME: Improving the Health Care of Children in Foster Care in Maine, " Thursday, June 8, 2017, from  12-1 pm via zoom online webinar. Objectives: Updates on the state of foster care in the US and in Maine Become familiar with the medical and mental health needs of children in foster care and how medical providers can help improve the health of children in foster care. Become familiar with the systems and processes for caring for children in foster in Maine, through the Maine AAP and other stakeholders

Do you ever suspect that your older, cognitively impaired patients may be experiencing abuse or exploitation? With an estimated 33,000 cases of elder abuse reported in Maine in 2015, your suspicions are well-founded. But how can a busy clinician act quickly to help? In this special QC Geriatrics Series webinar, we’ll explore how to identify red flags that might signal abuse or exploitation, learn how to engage your care team in identifying and responding to cases, and identify readily available sources of referral so that you, too, can join the fight against elder abuse. With Judith Metcalf and Judith Shaw

How Can We Actively Address the Opioid Epidemic in Maine: Starting with Prevention and Substance Abuse Screening in Adolescents?

How Can We Better Identify and Manage High Risk Youth? Youth Suicide Risk in Primary Care Settings

The pharmacists responsible for VA Maine’s successful Opioid Safety Initiative will provide an overview of this education and training program that was instituted system-wide in 2015.  They will discuss the challenges and achievements during the implementation of this program as well as outcomes and strategies for maintaining an effective program.  They will provide practical tools that can help guide the implementation of safe opioid prescribing programs in practices and health systems.

Dr. Amarendran addresses the issue of benzodiazepine prescribing, including the risks associated with concurrent use with opioids. In 2014 Maine, one in three overdose deaths included benzodiazepines. He discusses why it is important to avoid starting benzodiazepines and highlight how to safely taper patients from benzodiazepines.

"Where are we going next for screening? Developmental Screening,  Social Emotional Screening, and Trauma Screening Pilots happening in the State," presented by Sue Mackey Andrews, Maine Resilience Building Network, Steve DiGiovanni, MD, and Rebecca Hoffman-Frances, LMFT, Maine Behavioral Healthcare

A Primer: The Wisdom of the Ages. Healthcare costs are rising and our population is aging.  Using the same outdated care delivery patterns to address an escalating need for patient centered care and the promotion of health is failing, futile and foolish. Evidence based care must be delivered in old and expanded ways. This delivery must be valued, accessible and reimbursable. This session begins an exploration of the opportunities and barriers to integrating Mind Body Medicine into coordinated primary care, with a focus on the older adult. We look at care delivery and patient engagement that is intrinsic and empowering rather than extrinsic and limiting.  And as such, can serve as a means to develop resiliency for the patient, caregiver, provider, team and community. Presenter: Rhonda Selvin, APRN, C-NP, QTTP Medical Director, Maine Quality Counts Immediate Past President, MNPA Practicing Primary Care Provider Certified Therapeutic Touch Practitioner Advocate for Evolved Geriatric Care

In Lincoln, Maine, a powerful partnership has been forged to help overcome the opioid overdose epidemic. Health Access Network (HAN), the local Federally Qualified Health Center, and Penobscot Valley Hospital (PVH), the local independent hospital, are working together to align their prescribing, offer Medication Assisted Treatment and treat chronic pain.