Education and Open Voting to Headline State Physician Meeting

May 4th will mark the first ever Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Medical Society where voting in the House of Delegates will be open to any and all dues-paying members. This new policy, enacted in 2012, allows every physician an opportunity to have a say in the Society’s direction. Members are encouraged to come out and discuss policy, vote on resolutions and elect leaders. The meeting will be held on May 4 at the DoubleTree hotel in Little Rock from 1:30 – 3:30 pm in conjunction with the Society’s Annual Meeting. To register, or for more information, visit: www.arkmed.org/news/ams-meetings.

The meeting will also feature three educational programs that you will not want to miss:

•  Arkansas’ Payment Initiative (Sat May 4): Arkansas Medicaid Director Andy Allison will target episodes of care that are already in the reporting period and will provide updates across the initiative, episode explanation and an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
• Arkansas Prescription Drug Monitoring (Sat May 4): An expert panel will address the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which became fully operational on March 1, 2013, to help prevent the misuse, abuse and diversion of controlled substances. Speakers include Fran Flener, Arkansas Drug Director, Denise Robertson, P.D., Prescription Monitoring Program Administrator, and Dr. Gene Shelby, 2012/2013.
• SVMIC”s “Preparing the Physician for Deposition and Trial”  (Fri May 3): this seminar will focus on preparing the physician defendant for deposition and trial in a medical malpractice lawsuit. A seasoned defense attorney will discuss the deposition and trial process using “good” and “bad” video examples. Register online at www.svmic.com.

A full schedule of events and registration form can be found at www.arkmed.org/news/ams-meetings. 

CME Information for AMS Educational Events:

Jointly Sponsored by UAMS College of Medicine and Arkansas Medical Society.

The UAMS College of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. The UAMS College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians (Provider #0000298).

This activity has been planned and implement in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine and Arkansas Medical Society.  The UAMS College of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  

It is the policy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all sponsored or jointly sponsored educational activities. All individuals who are in a position to control the content of the educational activity (course/activity directors, planning committee members, staff, teachers, or authors of CME) must disclose all relevant financial relationships they have with any commercial interest(s) as well as the nature of the relationship. Financial relationships of the individual’s spouse or partner must also be disclosed, if the nature of the relationship could influence the objectivity of the individual in a position to control the content of the CME. The ACCME describes relevant financial relationships as those in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. Individuals who refuse to disclose will be disqualified from participation in the development, management, presentation, or evaluation of the CME activity.

Target Audience:  This activity is designed for Arkansas physicians, residents and medical students.  Clinic managers and other healthcare professionals will also benefit from this program.