March 2006

(03/30/2006)  --  "Working Together for Health" is the theme on April 7 as World Health Day celebrates the contributions of health care workers and sounds an alarm about health professional shortages. More

(03/30/2006)  --  Family physicians who are asked to obtain certification in emergency medicine in order to staff emergency rooms may liken that requirement to a "keep out" sign hanging above the ER door. More

(03/29/2006)  --  Academy members can help close the health disparities gap affecting minority populations and raise awareness of family medicine as a career by encouraging young people in the minority community to become family physicians. More

(03/29/2006)  --  Family physicians applying for American Board of Family Medicine certification or recertification this year have not one, but four opportunities to participate in the AAFP's Board Review course before the calendar flips to 2007. More

(03/29/2006)  --  Passage of an amendment that would restore $7 billion to the 2007 federal budget could preserve Title VII, a program that has helped fund education for primary care physicians and launched innovative educational initiatives. More

(03/29/2006)  --  Grab a virtual front row seat at the National Press Club in Washington and join the Academy in its first live video webcast April 3, when TransforMED Inc., a division of the AAFP, announces the 36 practices that have been chosen to participate in a national demonstration project. More

(03/29/2006)  --  Family physicians interested in participating in CMS' physician voluntary reporting program, or PVRP, now can go online to register their intent to participate in the program. For those who decide to register, AAFP has developed online resources to help them integrate the program into their practices. More

(03/29/2006)  --  It's likely medical students soon will have the option of matching to combined family and emergency medicine residency programs as a result of guidelines recently approved by the American Board of Family Medicine and American Board of Emergency Medicine. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More

(03/29/2006)  --  Family physicians probably would continue to see their current Medicare patients, but they would be unlikely to accept new patients if Medicare were to impose future physician payment cuts, according to an AAFP member survey. More

(03/28/2006)  --  CMS has developed a software program that may help physicians get paid for Medicare claims faster. The software, Medicare Remit Easy Print, or MREP, will allow physicians to receive claims information back from Medicare electronically. More

(03/23/2006)  --  I am very concerned about the viewpoint expressed in the AAFP News Now article, "Budget Bill Could 'Lead to Poorer Health' for Medicaid Patients," which I feel is out of step with the mainstream thought processes of AAFP members and their patients. More (Members Only)

(03/23/2006)  --  Compared with the general population, Hispanic patients are disproportionately affected by diabetes and hypertension, two of the primary risk factors for kidney disease. Moreover, Hispanics are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to develop kidney failure, according to the NIH. More

(03/23/2006)  --  People who consume the most alcohol when they drink -- regardless of frequency -- have the poorest eating habits, according to a study conducted by researchers with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and U.S. Department of Agriculture. More

(03/22/2006)  --  The encouraging news for family medicine generated by the results of the 2006 National Resident Matching Program hasn't yet trickled down to third-year medical students. That's because for them, the so-called Match process is just starting. More

(03/22/2006)  --  The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was supposed to freeze Medicare physician payment rates for 2006 at 2005 levels, so why, asks a family physician from Marcellus, N.Y., am I seeing a reduction in my Medicare payments? More

(03/21/2006)  --  New members, including members from family medicine residencies, are making the AAFP National Research Network hum. More

(03/21/2006)  --  Practice-based research is becoming a two-way street. As family physicians and their staff members conduct research, they reap the rewards of providing better patient care; improving their office systems; and, sometimes, obtaining new equipment and expanded reimbursement. More

(03/20/2006)  --  Family medicine is in a prime position to guide health care policy, and FPs must help craft issue-specific solutions to the problems plaguing America's health care system. More

(03/17/2006)  --  Parents are a powerful influence in keeping teens free from risks involving drugs, alcohol, tobacco and sex, and family physicians can help strengthen that parental role by advising both parents and teens. More

(03/17/2006)  --  The National Resident Matching Program, known as the Match, placed 26 more candidates in family medicine residencies this year, giving the specialty a slight uptick in numbers for the third year in a row. "We're seeing a modest indicator of a turnaround in the numbers," says AAFP President Larry Fields, M.D., of Ashland, Ky. More

(03/17/2006)  --  FP Kenneth Olds, M.D., of Greeley, Colo., has the right stuff when it comes to managing health care contracts. In fact, his keen negotiating skills resulted in a 3 percent rate increase in many of his large health plan contracts last year. More

(03/16/2006)  --  In 2004, a record 45.8 million people -- 15.7 percent of Americans -- were uninsured, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of Americans with employment-based insurance dropped from 60.4 percent to 59.8 percent between 2003 and 2004. More

(03/16/2006)  --  Health care coverage for everyone in the United States and wide-scale reform of the health care system are the twin objectives of a new Academy task force. The AAFP Task Force on Health Care Coverage for All agreed at its Feb. 24-25 meeting to expand its scope beyond its title and address overall health system reform. More

(03/15/2006)  --  You have not one, but two chances to attend the AAFP's Procedural Skills: Hands-On Opportunities course. More

(03/15/2006)  --  Family physicians should warn their Medicare patients about the latest Medicare Part D scam. Called the "$299 Ring," the scam involves a con artist who calls Medicare patients and asks them to provide checking account information and to withdraw money -- usually $299 -- from their checking accounts to pay for a nonexistent prescription drug plan. More

(03/15/2006)  --  At their first face-to-face meeting at Academy headquarters, the AAFP and Humana Inc. found some common ground on a variety of issues important to family medicine and a willingness to air their views on others. More

(03/15/2006)  --  Monthly premiums. Copayments of as much as 20 percent of the cost of service. Health savings accounts for enrollees. Medicaid may start looking a lot like private insurance, thanks to provisions of the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2005. And that prospect could have implications for family physicians. More

(03/15/2006)  --  In an effort to optimize influenza infection control in health care facilities and prevent spreading the illness to seriously ill patients, the CDC recently published recommendations that call for immunizing all health care personnel in acute-care hospitals, nursing homes and other skilled nursing facilities, physicians' offices, urgent care centers, and outpatient clinics against the disease. Also targeted are home health care workers and individuals providing emergency medical services. More

(03/15/2006)  --  Thinking outside the box when it comes to making the business of health care better has generated a flurry of patient appointments, a little extra revenue and a good deal of excitement about what the future may hold at Bowdoin Medical Practice in Brunswick, Maine. More

(03/14/2006)  --  According to NIH statistics, 30 percent of U.S. adults have increased risks for physical, mental health and social problems because of their excessive alcohol consumption. Of that 30 percent, one in four currently has an alcohol abuse or dependency problem. More

(03/14/2006)  --  The Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance, a broad-based coalition seeking to improve health care quality and safety in the United States, recently announced it had selected six sites for a pilot project designed to test how to collect and report data on physician performance. More

(03/13/2006)  --  Colorado family physicians would get dramatic relief from insurance paperwork hassles under a bill that could become a model law for the nation. More

(03/10/2006)  --  Hospitals are looking high and low for family physicians. "More hospitals are actively engaged in recruiting family physicians than any other type of physician," says a recent report from Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, a leading physician search firm with headquarters in Irving, Texas. More

(03/08/2006)  --  Imagine Capitol Hill teeming with family physicians all rallying together for a single cause: to bring the voice of family medicine and patients to the nation's capitol. Now imagine yourself in the middle of it all. By registering online now for the 2006 Scientific Assembly, Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, in Washington, D.C., you can ensure you'll be there making your views known and, quite possibly, making history. More

(03/08/2006)  --  As federal funds for family medicine education programs dwindle, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine is urging teaching organizations to turn to philanthropic sources for funding. More

(03/08/2006)  --  The long-running TV comedy show Saturday Night Live lampooned former President Clinton during his 1992 presidential campaign by airing a sketch that showed a Clinton impersonator stuffing his face with McDonald's french fries while trying to connect with the American people on one of his daily jogs. More

(03/08/2006)  --  Consumer-directed health plans: Are they the American health care system’s great hope, as their supporters contend, or patients' great peril, as their adversaries warn? The verdict is still out, but family physicians need to be aware of how these plans can affect their bottom line. More

(03/07/2006)  --  Wal-Mart's recent announcement about plans to open more than 50 retail health clinics in Wal-Mart stores nationwide prompted CNBC TV's early morning news program Squawk Box to explore the quality and scope of health care delivered at these in-store clinics. More

(03/06/2006)  --  The Academy's federal political action committee, FamMedPAC, has launched "Club George," a program that recognizes members who contribute $365 a year, or a dollar a day, to support family medicine's advocacy efforts. The advent of the Club George program marks another milestone for the PAC, which already has generated considerable interest among lawmakers and lobbyists alike, according to Mark Cribben, J.D., FamMedPAC director. More

(03/03/2006)  --  The Indiana AFP announces the candidacy of Thomas Kintanar, M.D., of Fort Wayne for AAFP president-elect. More

(03/03/2006)  --  Still getting questions from patients about Medicare Part D prescription drug plans? CMS has published a fact sheet that describes which drugs are covered under the program and what patients can do when their Part D plans will not pay for a prescription. More

(03/03/2006)  --  At least nine states are considering requiring pharmaceutical companies to report the value of gifts they make to physicians, hospitals and pharmacists, according to a recent article in USA Today. More

(03/03/2006)  --  Family medicine educators, take note: A new Web-based resource from the Association of American Medical Colleges can help you locate peer-reviewed teaching materials that span the continuum from undergraduate to continuing medical education. More

(03/02/2006)  --  Women with breast cancer have the same health outcomes when they receive follow-up care from their family physicians as when they receive that care from a clinical oncologist. More

(03/02/2006)  --  Concerned about unfair physician payments stemming from a blended-rate payment policy, the Academy has formally asked CIGNA HealthCare to end the practice. More

(03/01/2006)  --  The AAFP was right. Slashing federal support for Section 747 of Title VII of the Public Health Services Act threatens the viability of the very programs touted as the solution to inadequate health care access. Moreover, continuing current policy could lead to a nationwide shortage of primary care physicians. More

(03/01/2006)  --  The emergence of retail health clinics has generated an entirely new prototype for providing acute care. Their hallmark characteristics -- completely open access to acute care services and a published price list for the services provided -- appeal to the public. More

(03/01/2006)  --  The 2006 FP Comprehensive CD-ROM -- a computer-based board review preparation tool -- is now available for shipping. The disc is a compilation of materials from the AAFP Home Study program. More

(03/01/2006)  --  Statistics showing reduced episiotomy rates and increased procedural skills levels highlighted the annual meeting of the Academy's Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics program International Advisory Board, Feb. 4-5 in La Jolla, Calif. More

(03/01/2006)  --  The emergence of retail health clinics has generated an entirely new prototype for providing acute care. Their hallmark characteristics -- completely open access to acute care services and a published price list for the services provided -- appeal to the public. More