(09/01/2010)  --  The creation of state-based health insurance exchanges under the recently enacted health care reform act will give federal and state governments the opportunity to move from a volume-based to a value-based health care system by putting in place measures to better reward the provision of primary care services. That was one of the main messages delivered by AAFP President Lori Heim, M.D., of Vass, N.C., and other speakers who participated in an HHS panel on Aug. 30. More

(09/01/2010)  --  In 2009, the nation experienced double-digit increases in the percentage of U.S. teenagers who had received at least one dose of two of the three vaccines routinely recommended for adolescents, according to the results of a survey released Aug. 20 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. "There's been steady incremental uptake in vaccination rates among teens," said Doug Campos-Outcalt, M.D., M.P.A., the AAFP's liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. "It would be nice to be doing better than we are, but it is improving." More

(09/01/2010)  --  Beginning next year, Medicare will pay for tobacco cessation counseling for all tobacco users covered by the federal benefit program. Under the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, certain preventive care services, such as tobacco cessation counseling, will be covered by Medicare at no cost to beneficiaries. The new benefits, which also include annual physical exams and certain screenings, take effect Jan. 1. More

(09/01/2010)  --  The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, or ICMJE, has updated its uniform disclosure form, which journal article authors use to report potential conflicts of interest. More

(09/01/2010)  --  This roundup includes the following news briefs: CMS Launches Official Site Detailing EHR Incentive Programs, Illinois Creates State-run Health Information Exchange, AHRQ Report Outlines Quality Measures for Medicaid Services, and New Web Tool Makes Searching for Coverage Options Easier. More

(08/30/2010)  --  Physicians testing a woman's cholesterol levels may need to take into account the phase of her menstrual cycle, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. In a study of more than 250 women ages 18-44 years, researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that levels of HDL rose in concert with estrogen levels, peaking at the time of ovulation. More

(08/31/2010)  --  A number of AAFP members received various honors and awards this past month. More