In this edition:

• Dr. Sandra Weber Elected President-Elect of AACE
• New Diabetes Resources Await You at the CC-AACE 2018 Annual Meeting
• (NC) NC HealthConnex: Are You Connected?
• (NC) NC DHHS: Fewer Opioid Prescriptions, Improved Access to Care

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Dr. Sandra Weber Elected President-Elect of AACE

Two CC-AACE Past Presidents were elected to key leadership positions in the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). Sandra L. Weber, MD, FACP, FACE (Greenville, SC) was elected AACE President-Elect and Elizabeth Holt, MD, FACE (Raleigh, NC) has been elected to a three-year term on the AACE Board of Directors.

Dr. Weber has been a member of AACE since 1994. She served as President of the Carolinas Chapter-AACE from 2006 to 2008. She has served on several AACE Committees, including Chair of the 24th Annual AACE Scientific & Clinical Congress Program Committee, ACE Funding Development Committee, Chapters Committee, Legislative and Regulatory Committee, Bylaws Committee, and more.

Dr. Weber currently practices endocrinology in Greenville, South Carolina, where she is one of the founding faculty at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville. Also, she is involved in the residency teaching program, is active in clinical research, and serves as Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Chair of Continuing Medical Education at Greenville Health System, University Medical Group.

Dr. Holt, who served as CC-AACE President from 2010 to 2012, practices at Raleigh Endocrine Associates. She is also an Assistant Consulting Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and a Co-Director for Taking Control of Your Diabetes. She has been named one of America’s Top Physicians by Consumers’ Research Council of America five times and has been recognized four times with a Patient’s Choice award in a survey of over 40,000 patients across America. In 2015, she was named Top Endocrinologist in Raleigh by International Association of Healthcare Professionals.

Dr. Holt graduated from Duke University, Magna cum laude and earned her medical degree at The Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University. She is board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Dr. Holt’s training includes Residency in Internal Medicine at The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC and a Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at The University of North Carolina, where she conducted clinical research in the field of osteoporosis.

Congratulations, Dr. Weber and Dr. Holt!

Sandra L. Weber, MD, FACP, FACE

Elizabeth Holt, MD, FACE

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New Diabetes Resources Await You at the CC-AACE 2018 Annual Meeting

As you know, the incidence and prevalence of diabetes are on the rise in the nation. The Carolina States are still among the states with high risk in diabetes. The Diabetes Advisory Council (DAC) of SC has recently launched National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP). The council has developed tool kits to help providers to either have access to the resource for patients’ referral to NDPP or have access to the training program to be certified providers for DPP themselves. Representatives from the DAC will be in attendance at the upcoming CC-AACE Annual Meeting, scheduled for September 7-9, in Kiawah Island, SC, to share tool kits and information about the NDPP.

The tool kits are part of the (DAC) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (DHEC) 2016-2021 Statewide Comprehensive Diabetes Prevention Plan for South Carolina aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes. Download the plan to learn more. 

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NC HealthConnex: Are You Connected?

North Carolina Physicians: The June 1, 2018 deadline for hospitals, physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners with an electronic health record (EHR) system to have initiated a connection to NC HealthConnex, North Carolina’s designated statewide health information exchange network, has passed. Providers with an EHR system who did not meet this deadline can request an extension for their connection.

To request an extension, providers must:

1. Complete and sign an NC HIEA Participation Agreement;
2. Have NC HIEA countersign the agreement; and
3. Begin the onboarding process to connect to NC HealthConnex.

Hospitals, physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who currently do not have an EHR system must connect by June 1, 2019. For complete details, visit the NC HIEA website.

NC HealthConnex is a secure electronic network that facilitates conversations between health care providers, allowing them to access and share health-related information across the state. Created by the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGS 90-414.7), NC HealthConnex is the state-designated health information exchange. It is managed by the North Carolina Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA), housed within the NC Department of Information Technology.

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NC DHHS: Fewer Opioid Prescriptions, Improved Access to Care

The NC Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that the oversupply of prescription opioids in the state is being reduced and North Carolinians' access to treatment and recovery services has increased. This data comes from a new NC DHHS-created data dashboard.

According to an NC DHHS press release, there were 20 million fewer opioid pills dispensed statewide in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to the same period the year before when 141 million were distributed. Data also indicate more people are receiving care through medication-assisted treatment, coupled with clinical treatment services, for substance use disorder.

"The opioid data dashboard is a powerful tool for health care providers, community coalitions and everyone involved in turning the tide of the opioid crisis in North Carolina," said DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. "While we are encouraged by these early metrics, our data show that we still have a lot of work to do."

More information, including instructions on how to use the dashboard, is available at the Opioid Action Plan Data Dashboard site. More details on the Opioid Action Plan and other steps being taken to turn the tide of opioid addiction in North Carolina are also available from the NC DHHS.

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