August 1999
News for members of the American Academy of Family Physicians
Poster contest winner Matthew Stucky (above) of Moundridge, Kan., with his mother Gail Stucky.
Kelsey Caldwell (at left) of Memphis, Mo., creator of the second-place poster.
Kids do what Congress didn't
Say 'no' to tobacco
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On June 18, for the first time here, Tar Wars presented awards to fifth graders who participated in the annual Tar Wars poster contest. The ceremony, held in the shadow of Capitol Hill, was co-hosted by Rep. Karen McCarthy, D-Mo., and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
The students pictured here competed against 44 others, all winners of their state or territory contests.
The fifth-graders are doing what Congress has failed to do: take meaningful action to say "no" to tobacco. For the last few years, Congress has introduced tobacco control bills, and public support for them has been overwhelming, but no comprehensive tobacco control laws have been enacted.
For their part, fifth-graders across the country have participated in Tar Wars, AAFP's program to build students' awareness of attitudes about tobacco use, tobacco's effects on the body and the ways tobacco ads influence people.
Tar Wars posters are displayed in schools and community sites as alternatives to tobacco ads. Winning posters make their way not only to the annual national contest, but also are printed on T-shirts, computer mouse pads and book covers. For the Tar Wars curriculum and products, call the Academy at (800) TAR WARS -- (800) 827-9277.
Here's guidance about mercury in vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration is asking the pharmaceutical industry to remove mercury from vaccines or reduce the amount of it in vaccines because of a minimal, if any, risk to babies' health.
Some parents may draw wrong conclusions from news reports on the FDA action.
"The risk of devastating childhood diseases from failure to vaccinate far outweighs the minimal, if any, risk of exposure to cumulative levels of mercury in vaccines," says U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., a family physician.
The Public Health Service is asking family physicians for help in setting parents straight. Some tips:
First, thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury, helps prevent bacterial contamination when vaccine vials are opened.
Second, no known harm has occurred from vaccines used in the United States, but due to theoretical concerns, vaccines in the future will be made according to a broader measure of safety.
Third, the current immunization schedule should be followed, with two exceptions for the first dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. Namely:
- For infants born to Hepatitis B surface antigen-negative women, the first dose of Hepatitis B vaccine should be given at two to six months of age (instead of during the first two months of age, as currently recommended). This shift in schedule may be temporary, lasting only until Hepatitis B vaccines without thimerosal are available.
- Preterm infants born to HBsAg-negative mothers should receive hepatitis B vaccine when they reach term gestational age and a weight of at least 2.5 kilograms.
The above guidance, developed by the Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics, was approved by the AAFP July 8. AAFP's policy is online at www.aafp.org/policy/camp/20.html.
Assembly preregistration ends Aug. 11
The Sept. 15-19 Scientific Assembly in Orlando, Fla., may seem like it's just around the corner, but the advance registration cutoff date is even closer.
Take advantage of this chance to save money and to attend the CME features of your choice by registering before Aug. 11. Advance registration also will save you some time in Orlando. After Aug. 11, you'll have to register on-site.
This year, there are three ways to register: mail, fax and online. To register by fax or mail, simply fill out your registration form and fax it to (816) 333-0066 or mail it to AAFP Housing and Registration Department, 8880 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64114-2797.
Register online by going to www.aafp.org/assembly.
AMA delegates vote to create labor organizations
Contrary to advice from the AMA Board of Trustees, the AMA House of Delegates voted June 23 to have the AMA immediately develop national labor organizations for employed physicians, and for resident and fellow physicians where allowed by state law.
Later, if and when the law allows, the AMA will develop similar organizations for self-employed physicians and medical groups. Physicians who join the organizations would not strike or endanger patient care.
The house considered a report from the AMA board -- which recommended that the AMA not form or sponsor any labor organization -- and 17 resolutions, many of which favored collective bargaining.
The AAFP Board of Directors had voted earlier to support the AMA board report, preferring the expansion of AMA's private sector advocacy effort, which is only a few years old, as a next step. But physician frustration with the status quo pushed delegates to approve a substitute version of one of the resolutions instead.
The substitute resolution also directs the AMA to continue vigorous support for antitrust relief for physicians and medical groups, including continued support for federal legislation consistent with the Quality Health Care Coalition Act, H.R. 1304 (see "Call to Action" above). If this or a similar bill passed, then the AMA would develop the national labor organizations for self-employed physicians and medical groups.
The resolution also states that the AMA should continue advancing its private sector advocacy programs and other innovative strategies, including litigation, to "stop egregious health plan practices and to help physicians level the playing field with health care payors," and that all AMA activities in this area should "maintain the highest level of professionalism."
News from Headquarters
Call to action
Press lawmakers to back GME changes, negotiation rights
The dog days of summer have hit, and your federal lawmakers are probably home, taking a break from their Washington work.
If so, please pay them a visit. Ask them, face to face, to support the following legislation.
GME Technical Amendments. These amendments, S. 541/H.R. 1222, would remedy problems family practice residencies have had from unintended glitches in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The Academy and other family medicine groups helped draft the bills.
The amendments, for example, would expand caps on numbers of residents from those trained in hospitals in 1996 to include those trained in community settings, most of whom were family practice residents.
Encourage your lawmakers to include the GME amendments in omnibus bills to "fix" the Balanced Budget Act. For more information, access www.aafp.org/gov/keycontacts online.
The Quality Health Care Coalition Act. This bill, H.R. 1304, would allow physicians and other health professionals to jointly negotiate the terms of contracts directly with health plans and insurers. The bill precludes strikes.
The AAFP and other medical groups support the act, and it already has 124 bipartisan cosponsors. However, at press time, representatives from these states had not yet signed on as cosponsors: Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. If you live in one of those states, ask your representative to cosponsor H.R. 1304.
If you opt to write your lawmakers instead of visit them, please send a copy of your letter to Susan Hildebrandt in AAFP's Washington office at 2021 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
Candidates for Academy offices, Board seats
President-elect
Maryland AFP
Rose Mary Hatem
Bonsack, M.D.
Aberdeen
Wisconsin AFP
Richard Roberts,
M.D., J.D.
Madison
Colorado AFP
David West,
M.D.
Grand Junction
Speaker
Louisiana AFP
Michael Fleming,
M.D.
Shreveport
Vice Speaker
New Jersey AFP
Frank Kane,
M.D.
Newton
Illinois AFP
Carolyn Lopez,
M.D.
ChicagoBoard of Directors
Washington AFP
John Anderson,
M.D.
Cle Elum
Arizona AFP
Karla Birkholz,
M.D.
Glendale
N. Hampshire AFP
F. Burton Dibble,
M.D.
Kingston
Virginia AFP
Cynthia Romero,
M.D.
Virginia Beach
Florida AFP
Daniel Van
Durme, M.D.
TampaEleven Academy chapters have announced candidates for the AAFP officer or director positions noted here. All of the candidates either are or were delegates or alternates to the AAFP Congress of Delegates. Also, all are Academy Fellows and are certified by the American Board of Family Practice.
The Congress of Delegates will elect officers and three new directors Sept. 16 in Orlando.
For more information, check the Web site for candidate statements and curriculum vitae in early August.
Other News
Make plans now to attend Patient Education Conference
Take advantage of more than 80 workshops, seminars, lecture-discussions and showcase sessions at the 21st annual Conference on Patient Education Nov. 11-14 in Austin, Texas. This year's theme is Patient Education in the New Millennium: Capitalizing on the Challenges.
The conference, sponsored by the AAFP and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, will feature topics such as Internet resources for patient education, group visits for high-risk diseases, effective tobacco interventions, violence, motivational approaches, medication delivery systems to improve adherence, innovative residency program curricula, and complementary and alternative practices.
To receive a conference brochure, contact Pamela Rodriguez at (800) 274-2237, Ext. 5534; e-mail pec@aafp.org; or use the Academy's document-on-demand fax system (see box above for instructions).
Due for board recertification?
As a benefit to your membership in the Academy, we will provide the American Board of Family Practice with a list of all Active and Supporting members who have reported sufficient CME (as defined by the ABFP).
To ensure that your CME is up to date, check out your personal CME record at www.aafp.org/cme, or call 1-800-274-8043 and speak with a CMER representative.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department. Copyright © 1999 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
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