News
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Breast Cancer Screening Is a Conversation for Every Specialty
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the guidance behind that conversation has moved in the last two years. Patients now arrive with questions about density notices, earlier screening, and what their insurance will cover. They bring those questions to every kind of appointment, not only primary care and OB/GYN. Here is what has changed…
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Referral Guide to SUD and Recovery Services
As Recovery Month closes out, here’s a current rundown of what’s available in the county, organized by level of care, to keep your referral list up to date. Where to start For patients who are uninsured or on Medicaid and don’t know where to begin, Montgomery County DHHS’s Access to Behavioral Health Services program is…
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AMA Update on MIPS
CMS Releases 2025 MIPS Final Scores- Physicians Have 60 Days to Contest Their Score The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance feedback and final scores for the 2025 performance year. 2025 final score determines the payment adjustment eligible clinicians (ECs) and group practices will receive in…
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MedChi Gender Pay Equity Subcommittee
Carolyn O’Conor, M.D. Former MCMS President Chair, MedChi Gender Pay Equity Subcommittee It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness If you are a regular reader of the MCMS Gazette you will have seen the issue on September 13 in honor of Women in Medicine Month. The lead article focused…
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Measles Is Back: A Warning We Should Not Ignore
Amar Duggirala, D.O., MPH, FAAFPMCMS Board Member This year has provided a stark warning of what can happen when misinformation about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases spreads unchecked. Declining vaccination rates, increasing global measles activity, and confusion surrounding changing vaccine guidance have created an environment in which diseases we once brought under control are again gaining…
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Have This Naloxone Conversation With Your Patients
September is National Recovery Month, which makes it a natural time to have a conversation that belongs in every visit anyway: have you recommended naloxone training to your patients? Not just the ones in active recovery or on opioid prescriptions, but anyone who might one day find themselves first on the scene. The training is…
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Housecall with Dr. Joseph C. Hsu, Pediatrician
Dr. Joseph Hsu, a longtime Germantown pediatrician who grew up in Rockville, sat down with Housecall host Dr. Steven Kariya to talk through what parents need to know about childhood vaccines, from how they work and get approved to Maryland’s school entry requirements. He also covers the CDC’s contested January 2026 schedule change (cut from…
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MDH Releases Vaccine Recommendations
The Maryland Department of Health has published 2026-2027 Vaccine Recommendations for Children and Adults. The recommendations can be found at health.maryland.gov/recommendedvaccines. Printable PDF for Childhood RecommendationsPrintable PDF for Adult Recommendations. Maryland releases 2026-2027 vaccine guidelines for children and adults Recommendations ensure Marylanders have access to science-backed, user-friendly guidance for upcoming respiratory season Baltimore, MD – The…
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What Medicaid Changes Mean for Your Patients
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed on July 4, 2025, and its Medicaid provisions are now rolling out on a tight timeline. The first major cutoff takes effect October 1, three weeks away. A second wave follows January 1, 2027. Statewide, up to 175,000 Marylanders are projected to lose coverage. At last week’s…
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What Maryland Physicians Earn and Why the Gender Pay Gap Persists
September is Women in Medicine Month, and it is a good time to look at a number that has not moved much. The physician gender pay gap is not a theoretical problem. In Maryland, it has been measured, published, and largely unchanged for years. Female physicians in this state earn more than 30% less than…
