AAFP News Now
The family physician's trusted source for news -- ANN is the official news publication of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Updated: 43 min 42 sec ago
2010 Tar Wars Winner Trumps Brother's Achievement
Jared Gorthy wasn't the first member of his family to be selected a state winner in the Colorado AFP's annual Tar Wars poster contest. That honor went to his brother Derek, who won the state contest and finished seventh at the Tar Wars National Conference in 2007. Jared, however, fared even better than his older brother and was named the winner of the AAFP initiative's 2010 national poster contest July 26 during the national conference in Washington, D.C.
Financial, Technical Support Are Keys to Health IT Adoption by Small Physician Practices
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or ARRA, will spur the adoption and use of health information technology, or health IT, among small physician practices by giving them much-needed financial and technical support to implement health IT systems. Without this kind of assistance, many small physician practices will find it difficult, if not impossible, to adopt health IT and electronic health records, or EHRs. That was one of the main messages delivered by AAFP President-elect Roland Goertz, M.D., M.B.A., of Waco, Texas, and other witnesses who testified July 27 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health.
News Briefs: Week of July 26-30
This roundup includes the following news briefs: Study Examines Students' Intentions to Serve the Underserved; PCPCC Releases Guides on Payment Reform, Medication Management; AHRQ Launches Website on Medical Home; AHRQ Releases 2009 'State Snapshot' Report with New Features; HHS Extends Comment Period for Proposed Rulemaking on Financial Conflicts; State Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Physicians, Health Care Professionals; NIH Appoints Guttmacher Director of NICHD; Varmus Sworn in as New NCI Director; and HHS Seeks Suggestions for National CER Database.
Health Care Reform Law Will Increase Demand for Preventive Services, Say Experts
The recently enacted health care reform legislation, which calls for eliminating financial barriers for many preventive services, likely will create a greater demand for these services and give physicians a better opportunity to provide preventive care, according to analysts interviewed by AAFP News Now. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require new health plans (i.e., plans that are established on or after Sept. 23, 2010) to cover and eliminate copays, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for preventive services rated "A" or "B" by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Provisions in Health Care Reform Law Lay Out Role of Primary Care, Family Physicians
Recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was only a starting point in reforming the health care system in the United States. As guidelines and regulations are developed, many health policy experts note that actual implementation of the law will not work without the ability to bend the health care cost curve. And that cannot be accomplished without a greater emphasis on prevention and primary care, making these two components essential to the ultimate success of health care reform.
FDA Warns Docs, Consumers About Unapproved IUDs
The FDA is warning physicians and consumers about risks associated with the use of unapproved intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and intrauterine systems, or IUSs. The agency said in a July 22 letter to physicians that the items in question include unapproved versions of various FDA-approved products.
Expanded Tax Relief on State Loan Repayment, Forgiveness Programs Benefits Physicians, Medically Underserved Individuals
Physicians who have received student loan forgiveness as an incentive to practice in medically underserved areas of their states may be eligible for some relief from federal income taxes on those loan amounts. Under Section 10908 of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, an existing tax exclusion has been expanded to include health professionals in 16 states who are enrolled in these types of state loan repayment or loan forgiveness programs.
Operating Costs, Medicare Pay, EHRs Top 2010 'Challenges' List
Keeping a U.S. medical practice afloat in 2010 is still a struggle, according to new survey data collected by the Medical Group Management Association, or MGMA. However, the specific day-to-day challenges of running a practice have shifted somewhat when compared with similar MGMA surveys conduced in 2008 and 2009. MGMA collected responses from 1,798 medical group practices across the country for this year's survey, dubbed "Medical Practice Today 2010: What Members Have to Say."
Robert Graham Center to Study 'Social Mission' of Teaching Hospitals, Health Centers
The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation has awarded a two-year, $409,410 grant to the AAFP's Robert Graham Center and George Washington University, or GWU, both in Washington, to study how well teaching hospitals and teaching health centers are meeting the health care needs of the public. According to Robert Phillips, M.D., M.S.P.H., director of the Robert Graham Center, the upcoming study will examine two aspects of the medical workforce.
Pair of Studies Link Vitamin D, Cognitive Ability in Seniors
Two recent studies indicate that vitamin D intake can have a significant effect on the cognitive abilities of the elderly. Unfortunately, more than half of older Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D, according to David Llewellyn, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School, United Kingdom. Llewellyn presented data on this topic from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III, during the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010, July 10-15 in Honolulu.
Internal Medicine Groups Seek Medicare GME Financing Reform
Declaring that Medicare graduate medical education, or GME, financing reform is long overdue, a consortium of five academically focused specialty organizations known as the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, or AAIM, has developed principles and recommendations to guide the U.S. Congress, think tanks and advisory panels in restructuring the GME system.
STFM, AAFP Offer Online HIPAA Resources for Students, Preceptors
The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, or STFM, in collaboration with the AAFP, has developed resource materials on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, rules for medical and premedical students and others who are invited to shadow family physicians in their offices.
NFID Initiative Aims to 'S.T.O.P. Meningitis!'
With the start of a new academic year looming, physicians who administer school physicals and wellness checkups for 11- and 12-year-olds should be aware of free resources from S.T.O.P. (Share. Teach. Outreach. Protect.) Meningitis! -- an initiative of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, or NFID.
Primary Care Initiatives Help Save State Medicaid Program Millions
By incorporating concepts from two complementary programs that emphasize patient-centered primary care and chronic disease management to reduce costs and improve the quality of care, the Illinois state Medicaid program was able to save a total of $500 million in fiscal years 2008 and 2009. That's according to Margaret Kirkegaard, M.D., M.P.H., of Downers Grove, Ill., a family physician and medical director of Illinois Health Connect, or IHC, which runs the Medicaid medical home program.
News Briefs: Week of July 19-23
This roundup includes the following news briefs: FDA Looking at ARBs, Cancer Link; FDA Sets Requirements for Infusion Pump Recall; and ACCME Releases Annual Report on CME Enterprise.
AAMC Report Offers Guidelines for Managing Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Care
The Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, is urging U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies to manage financial relationships between physicians and industry to avoid any potential influence on patient care. The organization also says specialty societies and professional medical associations have a responsibility to be free of conflicts of interest because of their role in providing CME and developing clinical practice guidelines.
Study Finds Consumers Need Education Regarding Evidence-based Care
A study in the July issue of Health Affairs indicates that many consumers may be skeptical about the benefits of health care that uses an evidence-based approach -- which is the approach that forms part of the basis of recent efforts to reform the U.S. health care system overall.
ABFM Announces Further Enhancements to MC-FP
2010 can be considered a banner year for the American Board of Family Medicine, or ABFM, for at least two reasons. First, this year marks the completion of the staged, seven-year transition of all ABFM diplomates into the new recertification paradigm, Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians, or MC-FP. And second, the ABFM just announced it will introduce some major changes to MC-FP beginning next year.
CMS Creates Online Resources to Assist Physicians
CMS is aiming to quell confusion in the physician community surrounding new Medicare enrollment requirements that are embedded in the recently passed health care reform legislation by offering physicians targeted guidance to help them through the process.
Check Out Free CMS/ONC Audio Conference on July 22 for EHR Answers
Family physicians who have questions about the recently issued final rules that define and support "meaningful use" of electronic health records, or EHRs, can listen in from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT on July 22, when CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, will host a free online audio training conference on the topic.