July 2005

(07/30/2005)  --  Louis Spikol, M.D., of Allentown, Pa., has accepted a part-time position as senior consultant for health information technology at the Academy's Center for Health Information Technology. More

(07/29/2005)  --  A multidisciplinary panel of experts convened by the CDC recently made an explicit exercise recommendation for American children: School-age youth should participate every day in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity that is enjoyable and developmentally appropriate." More

(07/29/2005)  --  Admitting she might as well wear a badge saying "M.D. activist," FP Darlene Lawrence, M.D., of Washington, D.C., issued a rallying call for future family physicians to embrace advocacy. More

(07/29/2005)  --  A new evidence-based clinical practice guideline from the AAFP recommends that certain women with a single previous cesarean delivery are candidates for and should be offered a trial of labor to deliver subsequent infants. More

(07/29/2005)  --  What to say or not to say when you're applying for a family medicine residency was the topic up for discussion by about 80 students during a July 28 workshop at the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students in Kansas City, Mo. More

(07/29/2005)  --  Contact your U.S. senators now. That's the message from the AAFP as family medicine increases its advocacy efforts to preserve Title VII, the federal program that provides funds to medical schools to increase the number of primary care professionals, particularly in rural and underserved areas. More

(07/29/2005)  --  Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. recently got the jump on a group of resolutions that last week got derailed on their way through the AMA House of Delegates. The issue: direct-to-consumer drug advertising. More

(07/28/2005)  --  If you want to stay up-to-date on medication and medical device safety alerts, get the news straight from the source you use to report adverse drug events -- MedWatch. Now you can sign up to have the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program deliver timely notifications to your e-mailbox. More

(07/28/2005)  --  July 7 marks the end of early-bird registration for AAFP's 2005 Scientific Assembly, to be held Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in San Francisco. Register by this date and save $100 on your registration fee. More

(07/28/2005)  --  For more than five years, the Academy and other medical groups have tried to convince Congress physicians would gladly report medical errors if their confidentiality were protected … if they could be assured the long arm of the law wouldn't come after them for their voluntary reports. The years of lobbying bore fruit July 27, when the House of Representatives passed the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, identical to a Senate-passed bill, S. 544. More

(07/28/2005)  --  The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, launched in April, marked its first 100 days with a progress report: About 600,000 Americans have found routes to no-cost or low-cost pharmaceuticals through the PPA. More

(07/27/2005)  --  A new Academy e-mail discussion list -- dubbed "Private Sector Advocacy" -- is now up and running. Trevor Stone, AAFP manager of private sector advocacy, said he pushed for the development of the members-only discussion list for multiple reasons. More

(07/27/2005)  --  While I certainly respect an individual's right to conscientiously object to any societal policy, we cannot forget that medicine in its ideal form is an institution that knows no political, religious or private beliefs. More

(07/27/2005)  --  Rosemarie Sweeney, AAFP's vice president for socioeconomic affairs and policy analysis, recently told an Institute of Medicine subcommittee on pay-for-performance that overlaying pay-for-performance -- also known as value-based purchasing -- onto the Medicare program must be done "thoughtfully and carefully." More

(07/27/2005)  --  Here's help for your patients with concerns about vision loss or other eye-related problems. NIHSeniorHealth.gov, a Web site for older adults developed by the National Institute on Aging and National Library of Medicine, recently added five vision-related topics to its menu of health issues. More

(07/27/2005)  --  A recent spike in orders for the meningococcal tetravalent conjugate vaccine, or MCV4, has led the vaccine's manufacturer to institute order limits among public- and private-sector vaccine providers. More

(07/27/2005)  --  At the request of its members, the Academy is offering a new board review course designed specifically for candidates eligible to sit for the American Board of Family Medicine's December exam. More

(07/27/2005)  --  Almost 60 percent of family physicians discuss healthy lifestyle topics with most of their patients, and more than half of patients consider their primary care physician a good source of information on physical fitness, nutrition and emotional well-being. More

(07/26/2005)  --  I am thankful that the (Robert) Graham Center was involved in the research described in the AAFP News Now story, "Health Improves in Areas NHSC Staffs, Says Study." More

(07/26/2005)  --  Congratulations to this year's Tar Wars national poster contest winner -- Miranda Lee Raynes of New Martinsville, W.Va. Miranda Lee, a fifth-grader, and other state and national poster contest winners were recognized July 19 at an awards ceremony in Alexandria, Va. More

(07/25/2005)  --  The 2005 Congress of Delegates will act on four proposed amendments to the AAFP Bylaws, as well as resolutions, when the Congress meets Sept. 26 - 28 in San Francisco. More

(07/25/2005)  --  Eleven candidates are seeking election or re-election to AAFP offices and the AAFP Board of Directors. The AAFP Congress of Delegates will elect officers and Board members Sept. 28 in San Francisco. More

(07/22/2005)  --  Family medicine residency programs have begun "talking the talk" of the new model of care described in the Future of Family Medicine report. But "walking the walk" has proved more difficult. That's because the new model of care doesn't exist. Yet. More

(07/22/2005)  --  The AAFP's quality improvement initiative known as METRIC -- Measuring, Evaluating and Translating Research Into Care -- has a second module online and ready for members to tackle. More

(07/22/2005)  --  In 2001, (then) AAFP President-Elect Warren Jones, M.D., urged students and residents at the (then) AAFP National Conference of Family Practice Residents and Medical Students to "Be connected to high-tech, but don't ever cease to be high-touch." Saria Carter, M.D. -- an FP just one year out of residency -- lives by that advice. More

(07/22/2005)  --  The AMA has adopted a policy that supports state laws allowing physicians to dispense medications that are unavailable from pharmacists who conscientiously object to filling a legally written prescription. More

(07/21/2005)  --  I'm writing in response to a story about Medicaid ("Physicians Will Face Dilemma as Result of States' Medicaid Budget Plans"; posted online May 19). We are accusing the government of making us look like the bad guys by (forcing us to request) a $3 co-pay. Isn't that exactly what we are doing to the government? Making it look like the bad guy? Something has to give with Medicaid. More

(07/21/2005)  --  We are delighted to see the AAFP News Now article, "Message From CMS: Help Us Reach Medicare Beneficiaries." The article could not be more appropriate or timely. The links to Web sites on various aspects of the Medicare prescription drug program will make the article especially useful to your membership. More

(07/21/2005)  --  Physicians and hospitals could compete for federal grants to help purchase or improve electronic health record systems under provisions of a bill that was introduced, debated and passed July 20 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. More

(07/21/2005)  --  Family physicians can now get a helping hand educating their patients about the upcoming Medicare Part D benefit. That hand comes in the form of the Medicare Rx Education Network, which AAFP, CMS and more than three dozen other organizations recently formed to provide a consistent message about the new prescription drug plan. More

(07/20/2005)  --  AAFP EVP Douglas Henley, M.D., met with key House and Senate staff July 14 and 15, continuing the many visits to federal lawmakers and their staff AAFP leaders have made this year. More

(07/20/2005)  --  A U.S. House subcommittee will hold a hearing July 21 on reforming physician payments under Medicare by moving to a pay-for-performance system, also known as value-based purchasing. More

(07/20/2005)  --  Is managing the business aspects of your practice your weak spot? If so, AAFP's Crash Course on Cash, Codes & Computers Sept. 26 - 27 in San Francisco might help improve your financial management skills. More

(07/19/2005)  --  In a typical busy family medicine practice, virtually any tool that can save time without sacrificing quality merits a closer look. A new clinical resource from the AAFP lets you minimize the time it takes to screen your patients for alcohol problems -- allowing you to focus your efforts on negotiating change with patients identified as at-risk drinkers. More

(07/18/2005)  --  HHS on July 14 announced an official call for nominations for representatives to the American Health Information Community, a public-private collaboration that will help develop standards and achieve interoperability of electronic health information systems. More

(07/17/2005)  --  All AAFP members can take a hand in shaping policy for the Academy. Here's how. First, plan to attend sessions of the Academy's highest policy-making body, the Congress of Delegates, Sept. 26 - 28 in San Francisco. More

(07/16/2005)  --  Family medicine residents say the 80-hour limit on duty hours improves patient care, reduces medical errors and allows better concentration during educational sessions. More

(07/15/2005)  --  Here's a good reason to make an online dash to the Academy's Center for Health Information Technology: access to a new tool that will help small to medium-sized medical practices compare costs of electronic health record systems. More

(07/15/2005)  --  If you'd like to learn how to better integrate patient education into your practice, the AAFP has a tried-and-true, step-by-step resource you'll no doubt find yourself turning to again and again. More

(07/14/2005)  --  NIH recently launched a national public education program designed to help families adopt healthier lifestyles. Titled "We Can!" ("Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition!"), the program targets parents and caregivers of children ages 8 to 13. More

(07/14/2005)  --  "Tracking down eligibility and benefits information costs provider practices in the United States millions of dollars each year," Robin Thomashauer, executive director of the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, said recently. "It's a significant problem, but it doesn't have to be." More

(07/14/2005)  --  FP John Brooklyn, M.D., was involved in buprenorphine research as far back as 1992 and was one of the first physicians in Vermont to take the required buprenorphine certification training. More

(07/14/2005)  --  The eight family physicians designated as Physician Clinical Support System buprenorphine mentors are listed below. Physicians with asterisks by their names may be contacted by e-mail through the AAFP Web site. More

(07/14/2005)  --  A physician mentoring program promises to help relieve the shortage of U.S. physicians prescribing buprenorphine, a drug the FDA approved in October 2002 for treatment of addiction to opioids, including pain medications and heroin. More

(07/13/2005)  --  HHS recently released a report summarizing responses from the private sector on how to move the country closer to the creation of a nationwide health information network. More

(07/13/2005)  --  Register today for the AAFP's Infant, Child and Adolescent Medicine course, a CME event aimed at helping you take the best possible care of your youngest patients. More

(07/13/2005)  --  More than one out of every four nonelderly women in the United States delayed seeking needed medical care or simply went without care last year because of concerns about cost. That statistic is among findings of a newly released report, Women and Health Care: A National Profile. More

(07/13/2005)  --  Family physicians, you spoke and your senators heard you. That fact became apparent July 12 when the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies voted to provide $90 million to support primary care training. More

(07/12/2005)  --  The AAFP currently has several members serving in leadership positions within the AMA. Chief among them is J. Edward Hill, M.D., of Tupelo, Miss., installed as the association's president during last month's annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, as reported in a previous AAFP News Now story. More

(07/12/2005)  --  I would like to commend you on the AAFP News Now article about direct-to-consumer marketing by the drug companies. More

(07/11/2005)  --  Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., R-Tenn., recently called for pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily forgo direct-to-consumer advertising of their new drugs for two years after the drugs hit the U.S. market. More

(07/11/2005)  --  Clinicians should screen all pregnant women -- not just those at increased risk -- for HIV infection, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. More

(07/11/2005)  --  The National Health Service Corps has sought to improve health and eliminate geographic health disparities in federally designated physician shortage areas for more than three decades. Is NHSC meeting its goals? Well, yes and no. More

(07/10/2005)  --  In an effort to accelerate the adoption of health information technology in the United States, HHS has announced the formation of a private-public collaboration called the American Health Information Community. More

(07/10/2005)  --  At long last, here's a glimmer of hope for kids' eating habits: A recently published study showed that preadolescent children can -- given the right instruction -- learn to make healthier dietary choices. More importantly, those diet changes seemed to stick, the study showed on three-year follow-up. More

(07/08/2005)  --  Mandatory cultural-proficiency training for physicians became law in New Jersey in April, and other states are considering similar requirements. In response, AAFP's Committee on Special Constituencies has reviewed and recommends the following programs to members. More

(07/08/2005)  --  Asthma is one of the most common conditions treated by family physicians. Keep current asthma guidelines as close as your PDA with a point-of-care asthma tool. The tool was developed by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. AAFP is a sponsoring member of the NAEPP. More

(07/07/2005)  --  The National Dairy Council has created a Family Physician Nutrition Resource Center on its Web site, complete with tools to help FPs teach patients about the benefits of dairy products. More

(07/06/2005)  --  Register now to attend Geriatric Medicine for the Family Physician, Sept. 14 - 18 in Tucson, Ariz. AAFP active members can save $80 by registering by August 15. More

(07/06/2005)  --  Physicians could qualify for grants to buy or upgrade electronic health record systems under a legislative proposal announced June 30 by Sens. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. More

(07/06/2005)  --  Elderly patients may lose access to health care if pay-for-performance legislation introduced June 30 passes unchanged, according to AAFP President Mary Frank, M.D., of Mill Valley, Calif. More

(07/06/2005)  --  Certified nurse midwives should be permitted to certify a woman's false labor only under the supervision of a licensed, practicing physician, said the AAFP in a recent letter to CMS. More

(07/01/2005)  --  A pay-for-performance policy adopted by the AMA House of Delegates June 21 could work against efforts to remedy a scheduled 4.3 percent reduction in physicians' 2006 Medicare payments. More

(07/01/2005)  --  A pay-for-performance policy adopted by the AMA House of Delegates June 21 could work against efforts to remedy a scheduled 4.3 percent reduction in physicians' 2006 Medicare payments. More