Maine Quality Counts Podcast

QC Executive Director Lisa Letourneau, MD, MPH and a panel of experts explore the intricacies of how PCMH practices can transition to the new MIPS value-based payment system from Medicare. Recorded at the final Maine PCMH and Health Home learning session on September 29, 2016.

To develop an effective clinical response to the rampant misuse of opioids, it is helpful to understand the differences between opioid dependence and opioid addiction - and to consider the implications of those differences. Participants in this webinar will learn to identify risk factors and distinguish the difference between opioid dependence and addiction, as well as how to best respond to patient needs across these clinical presentations.  We will review techniques for screening, assessment, and diagnosis as well as strategies for patient engagement and motivational enhancement for implementing the safest plans of care.  

Telehealth technology has a relatively long history of being applied to mental and behavioral health treatment, particularly in under-resourced rural areas. But what’s the state of telemental health today – and how can we use it to help fill our current gaps in substance use disorder treatment? These questions will be answered, and more, during this webinar co-presented with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.  We will cover ethical and legal issues, current best practices, how to find resources, and tips for getting started in telemental health. 

On June 3rd, 2016, Quality Counts hosted a Learning Session which highlighted the presentation of Allegra Hirsh-Wright and colleagues on understanding and addressing compassion fatigue in health care.  Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we were unable to showcase this presentation to a number of our Learning Session sites.  We’d like to present to our attendees and other interested parties a recording of this presentation for your team to view.

As Maine's opioid crisis deepens and options for treatment decrease, it's becoming increasingly important for primary care providers to step up and begin providing Medication Assisted Treatment to their patients experiencing opioid use disorder. Offering MAT in primary care can be a daunting prospect, but practices don't need to go it alone.  Support is available from the medical neighborhood - particularly from substance use treatment centers and specialists. During this webinar, learn how treatment specialists and primary care providers in Maine are supporting each other, and patients, through an innovative shared treatment model called Hub and Spoke.

This month's BHH webinar highlighted work done by MaineCare with the Muskie School of Public Service. They have developed a library of resources to help build and strengthen competencies and knowledge of Health Home Coordinators as it relates to their work in the field. We wrapped up with conversation from BHH Health Home Coordinators in the field and heard their experiences providing services to their clients.

Earlier this year, the Board of Licensure in Medicine and the Maine Board of Pharmacy approved a joint rule for creating collaborative practice agreements between Pharmacists and health care providers to offer patients Collaborative Drug Therapy Treatment (CDTM).  Once established, CDTM would allow Pharmacists to initiate, monitor, modify and discontinue a patient's drug therapy. Please join us to learn about the implications of CDTM, learn how CDTM is being adopted by providers and pharmacists in Maine, and explore the process of entering into a CDTM agreement.

Spreading Choosing Wisely is meaningfully engaging consumers/patients in transforming care and build patient-provider partnership.  This initiative seeks to reduce unnecessary use of tests and treatments. David Koffman, MD discussion focused on lessons learned in engaging providers/practices in Choosing Wisely at St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor, Maine.   Learning Objectives: Determine best practices for Choosing Wisely integration in practice. Understand positive impact of Choosing Wisely on building the patient/health care team partnership and improving patient/team satisfaction. Identify tools to help patients with questions about costs of care. Danielle Hersey, BSN, RN also announced that in alignment with the President's Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB), will be providing learning sessions and direct assistance to outpatient providers in order to implement best practices in antibiotic stewardship as defined by the Centers for Disease Control.

The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is an evidence-based process that allows people with a life-limiting illness or advanced frailty to talk with health care providers about their treatment choices so that their wishes can be translated into actionable medical orders. Join Elizabeth Hart, MD, co-founder of the Maine POLST Coalition, to explore the POLST Paradigm, investigate how providers in Maine are incorporating it into their practices and consider its effectiveness in your practice setting.  This webinar is appropriate for those considering the use of POLST and those who are already using POLST but haven't had extensive training in the model.

Annual Wellness Visit Door to Geriatrics Care, 08/24/2016 {Dr. Roger Renfrew} [PCMH] [HH]

Implementation of Medicare's new Quality Payment Program (QPP) under MACRA may seem far away, but the time to prepare is now.  Most Maine providers paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will be required to participate in the QPP's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) with an initial performance period that begins in January 2017 - just a few short months away! This webinar will provide an overview of how the QPP is likely to roll out in Maine, based on current information, and suggest steps to take both now and in the near future to position your practice for success under MIPS. Passed in April 2015 as an alternative to the unpopular "Sustainable Growth Formula", MACRA (Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act) is one of the most significant pieces of health care-related federal legislation in over a decade and holds enormous potential for transforming Medicare payment and health care delivery.

The BHH Monthly webinar was held on Tuesday, August 9th featuring speaker Carol Cortes, RN. Carol is a consultant for Maine Quality Counts. She presented on best practices of Nurse Care Managers. In addition, we had guests from BHHOs talking about thier experience from the field along with best practices of their own they employ every day.

Numerous studies indicate that employee health programs are a powerful tool for decreasing health care costs and improving workplace productivity.  Several Maine companies have received national attention for their innovative employee health programs, including Bath Iron Works.  During this webinar, join BIW's Manager of Integrated Health Services, Michelle Probert, to explore the evolution and success of their program, including working with partners to extend diabetes prevention efforts beyond the shipyard gates and out into the community.

Maine state law will soon require all prescribers to consult the State's Prescription Monitoring Program when prescribing opioids and benzodiazepines. Join us for an inside look at the PMP and to learn how this new requirement will impact your practice. We'll also explore Diversion Alert, a service to help providers access drug arrest data in the effort to identify and respond to patients at risk for overdose, in need of treatment, or engaged in illegal prescription drug distribution. The PMP's Heather Skolfield and Diversion Alert's Clare Desrosiers present with contributions from Peter Michaud of the Maine Medical Association.