http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now.html The family physician's trusted source for news -- ANN is the official news publication of the American Academy of Family Physicians. en-us Copyright 2012 American Academy of Family Physicians http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120208preventsvcstool.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120208preventsvcstool.html On Jan. 1, a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act kicked in that requires certain preventive services family physicians provide for their Medicare patients to be covered without patient deductibles or coinsurance payments. To help ensure members get paid for providing these services, the Academy has created an online tool that reviews these services, which include alcohol screening, depression screening, behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections, counseling to reduce cardiovascular disease risk and counseling for obesity. sporter@aafp.org Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:10:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20120208ppiasthma.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20120208ppiasthma.html An acid reflux drug frequently prescribed for children with poorly controlled asthma does not improve asthma control if the child has no symptoms of acid reflux, according to a recent study published in JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association. In such cases, the treatment actually increases the risk of sore throat, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. "The study demonstrates that this recently advocated treatment is not effective and reminds us to focus on evidence-based practice in real-world settings," said family physician Kurt Elward, M.D., of Charlottesville, Va., the Academy's liaison to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. ann@aafp.org Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:10:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20120208contraceptrecall.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20120208contraceptrecall.html A packaging error has prompted New York-based Pfizer Inc. to recall multiple lots of oral contraceptives after an investigation by the company indicated the error could leave women "without adequate contraception and at risk for unintended pregnancy." In a Jan. 31 press release, Pfizer, which manufactures the products, said that it recalled 28 lots of tablets because some of the blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert and active ingredient tablets. In addition, said Pfizer, the tablets might be out of sequence. ann@aafp.org Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:40:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/government-medicine/20120208bendertestifies.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/government-medicine/20120208bendertestifies.html Congress should mandate adoption of the patient-centered medical home on a nationwide basis to improve the overall quality of care and to help reverse escalating costs that are burdening the American taxpayer. That was the gist of testimony given by family physician John Bender, M.D., during a Feb. 7 hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The PCMH "is now being proven and adopted in the private sector," said Bender, CEO and medical director of Miramont Family Medicine in Fort Collins, Colo., and a past president of the Colorado AFP. jarvantes@aafp.org Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:55:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/news-in-brief/20120208wklynewsbrfs.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/news-in-brief/20120208wklynewsbrfs.html This roundup includes the following news briefs: CPCI Webinar Now Available in Archived Version, GE Healthcare Discontinues 'Centricity Advance' EHR System, Packaging Problems Continue to Plague Novartis Facility, Contaminated Prep Pads Spur Recall Follow-up, Study Sheds Light on Physician Communication With Patients, and CMS Says Delayed Demo Projects Scheduled for June Startup. ann@aafp.org Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:05:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120206nisttool.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120206nisttool.html Thanks to the efforts of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a free toolkit now is available to help physicians understand and implement requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. The security rule, which went into effect in 2005, sets national standards for protected electronic health information that is created, transmitted or maintained by a variety of entities, including physician practices and their business associates. The NIST toolkit is intended to help practices of all sizes, regardless of their level of expertise in security. However, it was created as a self-assessment tool and does not guarantee that a practice is in compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule, according to NIST. sporter@aafp.org Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:05:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120203ahrqgeodata.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20120203ahrqgeodata.html Family physicians are the most likely of any physician specialty or subspecialty to practice in rural areas and the most likely to be geographically distributed in the same proportion as the U.S. population, according to a one-page fact sheet published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on Feb. 3. The data, which are based on research by the AAFP's Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care, found that 22.5 percent of family physicians practice in rural areas, compared with 9.7 percent of all physicians who do so. ann@aafp.org Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:35:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/201202032dbarcodes.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/201202032dbarcodes.html For family physicians who count immunizations as one of the many services they provide, the CDC is funding a two-dimensional (2D) vaccine barcoding pilot project that is scheduled to begin in August. The pilot is gearing up to begin installing scanning equipment and training participants, but there is still time to enroll. According to Erin Kennedy, D.V.M., M.P.H., a medical officer in the CDC's Immunization Services Division, "2D barcoded vaccines have a number of potential public health benefits, which include decreasing errors in recorded immunization information and improving patient safety." The sign-up period for the project, which will assess the challenges and determine best practices for documenting vaccine encounters using 2D barcodes, comes to a close in late February. mbrown@aafp.org Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:35:00 CST AAFP News Now http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/inside-aafp/20120207people-awards.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/inside-aafp/20120207people-awards.html A number of AAFP members received honors and awards this past month. ann@aafp.org Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:10:00 CST AAFP News Now