(05/14/2008)  --  The National Conference of Special Constituencies, or NCSC, adopted several key resolutions at its recent meeting in Kansas City, Mo., including proposals calling for the Academy to advocate changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA; promote dental care as a part of family medicine practice; support legislation prohibiting insurance company discrimination; and create a database to help military reservists care for patients while they are away on assignment. More

(05/14/2008)  --  A series of measles outbreaks in nine U.S. states recently triggered a reminder from CDC officials that although the disease is no longer considered endemic in the United States, the measles virus still can be imported from other countries. According to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report article published May 1, of a total of 64 cases reported to the CDC between Jan. 1 and April 25 -- the highest tally reported for this period since 2001 -- 54 have been associated with importation of the virus from foreign countries. More

(05/14/2008)  --  At an April 16 stakeholders meeting in Washington, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, or PCPCC, of which the AAFP is a founding member, unveiled four project centers it has formed to integrate the patient-centered medical home into public and private payer systems. More

(05/14/2008)  --  Peers for Progress, an initiative sponsored by the AAFP Foundation in partnership with the AAFP, recently announced a collaborative relationship with the American Association of Diabetes Educators, or AADE. More

(05/12/2008)  --  The AAFP has joined the AMA and 35 other national medical organizations in urging HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt to delay a fast-approaching deadline that would require Medicare providers to file Medicare claims using only their National Provider Identifier, or NPI, number. In a letter dated May 1, the medical organizations cited their growing concerns about the ability of physician practices, clearinghouses and commercial insurance payers to meet the May 23 deadline. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More

(05/09/2008)  --  Delegates to the 2008 National Conference of Special Constituencies, or NCSC, urged the Academy to step up its advocacy efforts with government agencies, third-party payers and other private-sector stakeholders to ensure family physicians get their fair share of the reimbursement pie. That message came through adoption of resolutions on a range of payment issues. More

(05/08/2008)  --  This month, the Academy emerged from an intensive, difficult and ultimately successful restructuring process designed to achieve a balanced AAFP operational budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, which begins June 1. More (Members Only)