March 2009

(03/30/2009)  --  Despite exhaustive negotiations by multiple stakeholders, the New York Medical College Brooklyn-Queens Family Medicine Residency Program has closed permanently, retroactive to Feb. 28. That news came earlier this month, after a proposed new sponsoring hospital and the New York State Department of Health, or DOH, failed to reach agreement on funding to cover the costs of operating the program at the projected new site. More

(03/30/2009)  --  Primary care is essential for a high-functioning health care system, according to the chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, who recently urged Congress to revise Medicare's payment policies to better recognize and reward the provision of primary care services. More

(03/30/2009)  --  Congress should strengthen the nation's primary care infrastructure by providing additional funds for Title VII primary care education grants and setting aside more money for primary care research, according to FP Jerry Kruse, M.D., M.P.H., of Quincy, Ill., who testified before a House appropriations subcommittee on March 18. More

(03/27/2009)  --  Heart to Heart International Inc., a global humanitarian organization based in Olathe, Kan., is sending a medical response team to North Dakota because of rising floodwaters. The Red River is expected to crest at catastrophic levels this weekend near Fargo, N.D. Thousands of people already have been evacuated, and state officials predict the number of evacuees may rise to 20,000 if the state's levees and dikes fail. More

(03/27/2009)  --  When Sharon Lee, M.D., of Kansas City, Kan., does physical exams on her adolescent patients, she launches her "rap." It's a talk about drugs, alcohol and sex, she says, and how it's up to the teen to make choices. But according to a recent study, she and her like-minded family medicine colleagues may be exceptions to the rule. More

(03/25/2009)  --  Comparative effectiveness research is an effective means of improving quality, reducing costs and enhancing access to care, according to AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho, who testified March 20 before an Institute of Medicine, or IOM, committee in Washington. More

(03/25/2009)  --  Together Rx Access, a prescription savings program sponsored by some of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies, has loosened its income eligibility requirements, thereby expanding the number of health consumers who qualify for the program. According to a March 19 announcement, the program now is available to nearly 90 percent of uninsured Americans. More

(03/24/2009)  --  On March 10, AAFP leaders converged on Capitol Hill, meeting with multiple lawmakers and congressional staff members to talk about the importance of giving primary care and the patient-centered medical home, or PCMH, a prominent role in health care reform initiatives. More

(03/24/2009)  --  The AAFP has issued a statement agreeing with recommendations laid out in a CDC health advisory disseminated in the wake of an ongoing nationwide shortage of Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, vaccine. In its statement, the Academy advises members who are having difficulty obtaining an adequate supply of Hib-containing vaccine to contact their vaccine suppliers and, if necessary, their state health departments. More

(03/19/2009)  --  In my 28 years of being a family doctor, I've never seen a time like this. Finally -- finally! -- there seems to be enough muscle and political will to power a home run for health care system reform. Already in 2009, more has occurred to change health care policy than in the past decade -- and the change is just beginning. This year, your active involvement in shaping reform is more critical than ever before. More (Members Only)

(03/19/2009)  --  After a slight uptick in 2008, interest in family medicine among U.S. medical students has returned to its 10-year decline, as a shaky national economy and the prospect of high medical school debt appear to be luring graduating seniors into specialties other than primary care. That's the scenario suggested by the results of the 2009 National Resident Matching Program, known as the "Match," say Academy leaders. More

(03/18/2009)  --  The recently passed federal stimulus package includes changes to federal health information privacy and security provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, that will affect physician practices. According to health care policy experts, however, the extent of that impact remains to be seen. More

(03/18/2009)  --  The AAFP's National Research Network, or NRN, is slated to receive a $805,000 research evaluation grant for its plans to adapt a successful peer mentoring program for patients with diabetes. The 32-month NRN project is one of eight proposals slated to receive a research evaluation grant from the AAFP Foundation's Peers for Progress program. More

(03/18/2009)  --  A new grass-roots, e-advocacy campaign launched by the Academy offers members "a historic opportunity to help improve health care in America and to promote the importance of primary care for our country," according to AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho. More

(03/17/2009)  --  The AAFP and four other primary care organizations have sent a letter to Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., the new administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, asking her to use money from the economic stimulus bill to double the funds for primary care training and education grants and to open a two-year cycle for primary care medicine training grants. More

(03/17/2009)  --  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., have introduced the Access for All America Act, a bill that would provide funding increases for the nation's community health centers, or CHCs, and the National Health Service Corps, or NHSC. If enacted, the legislation could strengthen and expand the nation's primary care infrastructure to accommodate health care reform efforts and meet the nation's growing need for primary care services, according to Dan Hawkins, policy director for the National Association of Community Health Centers, or NACHC. More

(03/16/2009)  --  Want some good news for a change? Here's some that blossomed in the middle of the nation's bleak economic woes: FamMedPAC, the Academy's federal political action committee, garnered a record $823,420 in donations during the last election cycle (2007-2008). That's more than double the amount donated in the previous election cycle -- and an impressive amount for a "baby" political action committee that's not quite four years old! More (Members Only)

(03/16/2009)  --  The AAFP is asking the National Board of Medical Examiners, or NBME, to make good on its promise that the board would do all in its power to ensure that a certification examination it offers to graduates of doctor of nursing practice, or DNP, programs would in no way be construed as being equivalent to physician licensing exams. More

(03/16/2009)  --  According to a recently released recap of HHS' efforts to date to assure the nation is prepared to meet a possible influenza pandemic head-on, the agency says it expects point-of-care influenza rapid test devices to be ready for prime time by the end of the year. Availability of such tests means that doctors and other health care professionals would be able to diagnose avian or any other potentially pandemic form of influenza quickly and easily. More

(03/12/2009)  --  CMS is moving forward with its Recovery Audit Contractors, or RAC, program, which seeks to recover Medicare overpayments to physicians and other providers. In response, the AAFP has compiled an online guide to help physicians better understand and cope with the program. More

(03/11/2009)  --  Reminder to family physicians who count Medicare beneficiaries among their patients: As of March 1, CMS began using a revised version of Medicare's Advance Beneficiary Notice, or ABN, form. The new ABN form replaces the ABN-G and the ABN-L. More

(03/11/2009)  --  The nation's medical schools could significantly increase the number of students who choose to go into primary care by admitting students from rural and medically underserved areas and providing them with long-term experiences in primary care settings. That's one of the conclusions of a recently released report by the AAFP's Robert Graham Center in Washington. More

(03/11/2009)  --  The FDA is requiring manufacturers of metoclopramide products to add a boxed warning to their product labels about the risk of long-term or high-dose use of the drugs, which are used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. FDA officials said in a Feb. 26 news release that chronic use of metoclopramide has been linked to tardive dyskinesia. More

(03/10/2009)  --  If you've ever doubted that the AAFP is an organization that listens to its members, this column will help you believe. It's all about a recent AAFP leadership decision, the resulting firestorm of member reaction, and what the AAFP decided to do in response to member concerns. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More (Members Only)

(03/10/2009)  --  This roundup includes the following professional development opportunities briefs: Sign Up for 2009 Residency Program Solutions; and WONCA Rural Health Conference Set for June More

(03/06/2009)  --  Health care coverage should be expanded to include everyone in the United States, but it's also essential to take steps to fix the nation's primary care workforce so patients actually have access to that care, AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho, told President Obama during a March 5 White House health care summit. More

(03/06/2009)  --  President Obama has released a $3.6 trillion spending plan for the 2010 fiscal year that would block steep reductions in Medicare physician payment rates that are scheduled to take place based on the sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula, during the next several years. More

(03/06/2009)  --  The Academy recently called on a Medicare contractor with operations in 16 states to be more inclusive in its list of acceptable medical conditions for coverage of vitamin D assay testing. In a Feb. 16 letter, AAFP Board Chair Jim King, M.D., of Selmer, Tenn., blasted National Government Services Inc. for providing a list of covered diagnosis codes "that is flawed and incomplete." More

(03/06/2009)  --  According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, some 46 million Americans -- including 9 million children -- are uninsured. And if one takes a look at today's news headlines, it doesn't require much of a leap to predict that a weakened national economy and growing unemployment likely will leave even more Americans without health insurance in the coming months. The foundation's annual Cover the Uninsured Week campaign -- planned for March 22-28 -- aims to spotlight the uninsurance crisis, while calling on legislators and health policymakers to find solutions. More

(03/06/2009)  --  A recent AAFP News Now story titled "AAFP Expresses Concerns About Revised Physician Sunshine Act" caught the attention of a number of Academy members. Read some of their comments, along with a response from AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D. More (Members Only)

(03/05/2009)  --  A family medicine residency program threatened by the closing of a bankrupt New York City hospital may get a reprieve of sorts, thanks to intense negotiations by the program director, the New York State AFP and other stakeholders. More

(03/04/2009)  --  Colonoscopies performed by primary care physicians have the level of safety and precision recommended by gastroenterology professional associations, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. That means primary care physicians could help meet the demand for endoscopic screening for colorectal cancer that gastroenterologists alone cannot fill, say FP experts. More

(03/03/2009)  --  The 62-cent-per-pack federal tax increase on cigarettes recently signed into law by President Obama will push the nation's average cost of a pack of cigarettes to approximately $5 when it takes effect April 1. That, say FPs interviewed by AAFP News Now, may prompt some smokers to consider kicking the habit. More

(03/03/2009)  --  The AAFP has retooled and reorganized its genomics resources, creating a new one-stop Web page dedicated to genetics-related issues and materials. The page features links to the Academy's clinical policies and resources related to genetic testing and such conditions as breast cancer and newborn screening. It also includes links to online resources from the federal government and other national organizations, many of which have partnered with the AAFP. More

(03/03/2009)  --  The $1.1 billion in comparative effectiveness research funding that is included in the recently enacted economic recovery legislation should lead to more studies to help public and private payers identify and adopt the most cost-effective and beneficial health care treatment regimens, said one FP expert recently interviewed by AAFP News Now. More

(03/03/2009)  --  A new study published in the Feb. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine concludes that physicians across all medical specialties override most medication alerts that are designed and built into electronic health record, or EHR, systems specifically to improve patient safety. More

(03/03/2009)  --  The enactment of a national health care reform plan that focuses on prevention, wellness and quality will result in significant cost savings, enabling the federal government to address the vexing problems of rising health care costs and the growing number of uninsured individuals. That's according to Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, who spoke during a health care forum sponsored by The Atlantic magazine on Feb. 11 in Washington. More

(03/02/2009)  --  The AAFP is soliciting applications from members for two vaccine science fellowships. The newly minted fellowship program is designed to develop a cadre of family physician experts who will assist the Academy in providing effective input into the deliberations and decisions of federal and state public health agencies that set vaccine policies. More

(03/02/2009)  --  Melinda Abrams, M.S., assistant vice president of The Commonwealth Fund, has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the board of managers of TransforMED LLC, the AAFP's wholly owned practice redesign subsidiary. More