COPIC’s Risk Management Consultant for Health Information Technology Dr. Michael Victoroff discusses all aspects of artificial intelligence including it's social and economic impacts, healthcare industry applications, fears and regulatory aspects, and what we need to prepare for in the future.  COPIC is a diamond sponsor for the Northern Colorado Medical Society and provides an array of resources to our members.  You can learn more on their website: https://www.callcopic.com/  We're hosting our 2024 NCMS Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 22nd in which Ascertain CEO Dr. Mark Michalski will be our featured speaker presenting on "AI Implementation in Healthcare Systems."  If you're interested in attending, please register here: https://www.nocomedsoc.org/event/2024-ncms-annual-meeting/

SB23-144 was recently passed to address the barriers on care for people with chronic pain and risks of opioid tapering.  Find out what you need to know regarding this new legislation.  Our guests include Kate M. Nicholson, J.D. who is the founder and Executive Director of the National Pain Advocacy Center. She is a civil rights attorney and a nationally recognized expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She was a Senior Fellow at Dartmouth College and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.  She was joined by Kenny Maestas who is currently the Legislative Coordinator for The Colorado Cross Disability Coalition where he actively works supporting legislation to improve the lives of People with Disabilities in Colorado. Kenny is very active in Health Equity and is a Colorado Health Commissioner serving on the Health Equity Commission (HEC). In addition, he also serves on the Disability Funding Committee and participates in the Colorado Outdoor Equity Coalition which helps underserved youth in Colorado have access to the beautiful outdoors.  For more information about the bill please go to the Colorado Medical Society Advocacy page: https://cms.org/advocacy/tapering-studies

I interviewed NCMS President and Hospital Neurologist Dr. Sean Pauzauskie and UC Health Stroke Program Manager Amanda Werner, BSN, RN, ONC, MEDSURG-BC, SCRN. May is stroke awareness month. It's the leading cause of serious long-term disability and reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors aged 65 and older. Learn more about the latest screening techniques, treatments, and community programs UC Health offers to educate physicians, patients, and first responders. They'll be hosting events throughout the month of May. Most notably will be the Life After Stroke Support Group Art Show on May 18th in which stroke survivors have created art work to benefit the cause and showcase their creative talents.

The City of Fort Collins Senior Recreation Coordinator Ashley Ruffer has been with the recreation department for over 12 years.  Her goal is to provide opportunities for older adults who want more socialization and opportunities to work with their peers and build relationships.  She talks about many Senior center programs including Silver Sneakers, aqua aerobics, an inclusive group called the Rainbow Club, an acting troupe,  live music, and more.   You can check out all of the recreational programs the city of Fort Collins offers at https://www.fcgov.com/recreation/

The Director of Medical Education for COPIC's Patient Safety and Risk Management department Eric Zacharias, MD gives you an overview of medical malpractice.  Learn best practices when dealing with a lawsuit, differences in risk areas for procedure-based and cognitive-based care, and COPIC's practice quality review option.  Eric Zacharias, MD is also the Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado.

Certified Financial Planner Brad Conover discusses the current market and how that's effecting investments along with tips on financial planning from medical school through retirement.  SHJ Wealth Advisors are a Platinum Sponsor of NCMS and will be hosting an event June 15th, 2022 at Old Elk Distillery.

Executive Director Cyndy Luzinski from Dementia Together discusses local resources for patients and medical providers.  Cyndy has taken her own life experience to leverage it for a greater good.  She has diligently studied with the Contented Dementia Trust in England for the past 12 years and is the first and only credentialed SPECAL (pronounced SPECKLE) Practitioner in North America.  She is currently mentoring 5 other SPECAL coaches and soon-to-be practitioners, leading the way in the United States to introduce this family driven dementia care model throughout Northern CO and beyond. Cyndy is a leading voice in dementia-friendly community initiatives and innovative dementia care approaches. 

Steven Haden is a mental health and social justice advocate with a focus on the disproportionate burden behavioral health concerns have on marginalized communities, especially those that identify as LGBTQ+. In 2018, Steven co-founded Envision:You, an initiative that works to improve behavioral health outcomes by addressing the disparity in care that LGBTQ+ individuals encounter every day. In this episode, learn about statistics surrounding substance use disorder in the LGBTQ+ community, trauma and stress to be aware of in this patient population, and what you need to know as a physician to be an LGBTQ+ competent provider. 

Hear from Eric Zacharias, MD the Director of Medical Education at COPIC as he discusses one of the hottest topics that our physician members have been yearning to hear:  A quick 101 overview of medical malpractice, and how YOU can avoid this bombarding your career and life. 

Learn about the components to a medical malpractice lawsuit, strategies for physicians to avoid them and how to bring joy back into the practice of medicine by finding “your secret sauce”. 

Learn more about cloud solutions, HIPPA compliance integration into all of your technology, AND the questions YOU should be asking when it comes to finding the right technology service/IT company for you and your practice.  

A big thank you to Raintech for their annual support, making the NCMS mission possible!

Episode resources:
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stethoSCOPE was founded on the vision of giving NCMS members a new outlet to stay up to date with their colleagues and provide information about resources that are positively affecting NCMS members. COMPAC is the nonpartisan political action committee of the Colorado Medical Society made up of physicians and medical students. Our goal is to support and elect pro-physician, pro-patient candidates on the state level. 

Hear from NCMS Board of Directors member, Sean Pauzauskie, MD and CMS Director of Government Affairs, Emily Bishop about the most recent work of COMPAC, an exciting fundraising challenge and how YOU can be involved.

Click here to get more involved & donate

Notes: 

• Be sure to include Sean Pauzauskie, MD in your referral. 
• There is a $625.00 limit on COMPAC donations in any two-year election cycle. If you believe you may have reached or be approaching this limit please contact our office before contributing.

Hear from Alexion sponsored physician, Dr. Irene Stanciu, as she closes out our two-part sponsored series with great information that helps put the rare disease, hypophosphatasia, into context. She provides real-life examples of how to evaluate and properly diagnose your patients. By listening to this important episode, you will be able to walk away with a better understanding of symptom markers and screening processes!

Thank you to Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. for their annual support, making the NCMS mission possible. 

Hear from Alexion sponsored physician, Dr. Eric Rush, who gives us an introductory episode to a two-part sponsored podcast series by NCMS annual sponsor, Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Learn stats on how many people actually have a rare disease, when rare disease hypophosphatasia was discovered and how community physicians can be more aware of rare diseases to better impact community health in Northern Colorado.

Dr. Anna Euser joined the Maternal Fetal Medicine division at the University of Colorado in 2016 and shares amazing both scientific and first-hand knowledge on maternal fetal medicine, specifically discussing the COVID-19 vaccine and why women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant should feel safe to receive it. Hear about her experience in receiving the first dose of her vaccine at 32 weeks pregnant and advice she has for women who may be deliberating the vaccine. 

CARR Inc., specializing in health care real estate,  has helped many physicians throughout Northern Colorado make the important decision to either lease or purchase office space. In this episode, you'll  hear about the resources CARR Inc. can offer from NoCO expert Phillip, as he shares his approach that is NOT one size fits all, and how he can support you. This episode also features special guests Dr. Holly McCoppin and Dr. Ammon Larsen with Monarch Dermatology who share their experience with CARR Inc. while offering pertinent advice for any of their colleagues who are embarking or thinking about embarking on a new lease or purchase. 

Thank you to CARR Inc. for helping physicians across our state and for helping make the Northern Colorado Medical Society mission possible!

During this episode learn about the "art" of deprescribing medication from Dr. Rebecca Jackson, who specializes in geriatric care. She shares some great tactics and information on what “deprescribing” medication is and how it will play a role in the future of medicine. Later she dives into exploring new scope and practice methods that allow us to keep our elderly population healthier in NoCO.

Learn about the new University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado State University from Assistant Dean Dr. Christie Reimer. Hear about the honest struggles medical students have faced through COVID-19 and how this may be shaping medicine into the future.    

Learn more about the Good Samaritan Society, their work, but more importantly, how we can work together to better impact our elderly patient population in Weld and Larimer County. This episode’s purpose is to open a way for physician members to hear a collaborative conversation surrounding elderly patient population care, giving insight to the great work physicians are already doing and how we can continue this great care in new ways.

Hear from Dr. Frank Dumont, who took a step away from Estes Park Medical Center to Virta Health, where he serves as one of the medical directors. 

Virta Health Corp. operates as an online medical clinic. The Company offers clinically proven therapies by combining advanced biochemistry, clinical expertise, data science, and digital tools for treatment and reversal of type two diabetes.

Listen to this intriguing discussion on how carbohydrate restriction can help with diseases like diabetes, in some cases eliminating the need for insulin, as well as how this nutritional approach is related to more tangential areas of medicine such as fueling athleticism.

Hear a great, dynamic conversation with Dr. Bernard Birnbaum, NCMS 2020-2021 Physician of the Year, about National Doctors’ Day, how we should be celebrating NoCO physicians, and questions we should all be asking to continue to improve not only the medical profession but health care. 

Hear an emotional, passionate conversation with Mark Wallace, MD, former Director of Public Health and Environment for Weld County, that was given a surprising award created by the opinion staffers at the New York Times 

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed physical health forever, it has changed behavioral health forever. Hear Janis Potorff  from North Range Behavioral Health discuss how COVID-19 will impact behavioral health in your community and what physicians need to know. 

If you ever need to speak to someone about your mental health or you are looking to refer a patient to services, you can refer them to the crisis hotline at 844-493-TALK and/or refer them to the North Range Behavioral Health Warm line at 970-347-2120.

This episode features Sarah Rowan, MD who started an amazing movement of portraits at the beginning of the COVID-19  pandemic in April. Hear about her and her story as she brings healthcare heroes of color and their brave faces to the forefront of recognition. 

In this episode, Samantha Mack, MD discusses the hot topic of convalescent plasma (CCP). Dr. Mack is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic and clinical pathology, pediatric pathology, and blood banking/transfusion medicine.  She received her MD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center then completed anatomic and clinical pathology residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  She subsequently pursued a fellowship in pediatric pathology at Boston Children’s Hospital then finished her training with a fellowship in blood banking/transfusion medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Bonfils Blood Center (now Vitalant), and Children’s Hospital Colorado. 

Listen in on this insightful conversation and learn more about CCP and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Joseph Gregory, MD, the physician executive for the western region of Banner Medical Group, provides the breath of fresh air we all need as  we finish out 2020 and move into 2021. 

Dr. Gregory provides insight to many questions, including better patient care, where primary care may be headed, and his personal experience leading a team through COVID-19. 

He discusses that primary care physicians are suffering the loss of relationships with their patients, and that a cultural erosion in primary care is among us. He challenges physicians to learn that a response is needed to this disruption. 

In discussing leading a team through COVID-19, he specifically walks us through a strategy that started out as something small that ended up being exactly what his team needed- a daily "huddle".

Listen to this insightful conversation that leaves you with the appropriate word for this year, "grace".