December 2008

(12/24/2008)  --  Fewer than one-third of U.S. adults surveyed in a nationwide poll had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza as of mid-November, and more than half of those remaining said they had no intention of getting the vaccine. More

(12/24/2008)  --  CMS has released a report that examines participation data from its 2007 Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI, and also addresses physicians' frustrations with the program. More

(12/24/2008)  --  A recent opinion piece by Jonathan Glauser, M.D., M.B.A., in the December issue of Emergency Medicine News created a loud outcry of "foul" from primary care physicians around the country. More (Members Only)

(12/24/2008)  --  Merck & Co. Inc. has stopped production and sales of its monovalent vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. The manufacturer instead plans to focus on its combination vaccine, MMRII. More

(12/23/2008)  --  The New America Foundation has formed a coalition of health care leaders to accelerate the pace of national health care reform efforts and to create a system of care that improves quality, enhances access and reduces costs. More

(12/23/2008)  --  Physicians who say they can't afford to purchase an electronic health record, or EHR, system may want to evaluate new research that suggests physician practices that use EHRs have fewer paid malpractice claims. More

(12/18/2008)  --  Family physicians now have a resource on their side when it comes to tweaking -- or retooling -- their practices to make them more efficient, quality-minded, patient-centered and profitable. More

(12/17/2008)  --  A recently released report from the Institute of Medicine, or IOM, recommends new restrictions on medical residents' duty hours and workloads, with the goals of minimizing fatigue and maximizing patient safety while maintaining "the rich educational experience necessary to achieve professional competence in the complexities of diagnosis and treatment of patients." (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More

(12/17/2008)  --  For the first time since the inaugural annual report on cancer was published in 1998, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing for both American men and women. That's according to the most recent annual report from the American Cancer Society, or ACS; the CDC; the National Cancer Institute, or NCI; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. More

(12/16/2008)  --  The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, is considering adopting a recommendation that would call for a 1.1 percent increase in physician payment rates in 2010. MedPAC, which advises Congress on physician payment rates and other issues, said the possible recommendation is based on an expected 2.4 percent increase in the inflation rate and a 1.3 percent productivity growth offset. More

(12/16/2008)  --  AAFP Board Chair Jim King, M.D., of Selmer, Tenn., personally delivered a message to CMS recently: Fix Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, known as PQRI, or physicians may not agree to participate in the program. More

(12/11/2008)  --  Chlorofluorocarbon inhalers are down to their last gasps -- literally. Changes mandated by the federal government in 2005 take effect Jan. 1, meaning physicians are running out of time to transition patients from albuterol metered-dose inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, as propellants to inhalers that use the more ozone-friendly propellant hydrofluoroalkane, or HFA. More

(12/10/2008)  --  Cough and cold season has arrived, and many parents -- and some physicians -- are left wondering what their treatment options are for ailing infants and toddlers. Their consternation stems, in large part, from two announcements made earlier this year -- one by the FDA and the other by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, or CHPA, a not-for-profit association representing the manufacturers of OTC medications and nutritional supplements. Although both announcements agree that these products should not be used in young children, they differ on exactly how young. More

(12/10/2008)  --  Based on the Oct. 8 article, "MedPAC Testimony Faults Residency Programs for Lagging Behind Patient Needs," in my opinion, the AAFP has been negligent in addressing the needs of the American people, and we're already in a crisis that will take years to improve. More (Members Only)

(12/09/2008)  --  Although the economic meltdown in the United States has forced many patients to regularly delay or even forgo health care, family physicians may not be as severely affected by the economy as subspecialists and other health care professionals. Family physicians' ongoing relationship with their patients provides a bulwark against the economic downturn in many cases, said FPs recently interviewed by AAFP News Now. More

(12/09/2008)  --  The CDC is stepping up its surveillance for Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, disease in the wake of a continued shortage of Hib conjugate vaccine. Accordingly, the agency is asking physicians to contact their local health departments when invasive H. influenzae disease is suspected. More

(12/08/2008)  --  CMS has a new Internet-based system -- the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, or PECOS -- that allows physicians in 15 states and the District of Columbia to spend a little less time on Medicare paperwork. The Web-based PECOS allows registered users to electronically manage Medicare enrollment information. More

(12/05/2008)  --  High expectations, but more than a touch of anxiety -- that's what I felt during the meeting of the AMA House of Delegates last month as delegates debated and prepared to vote whether to support the Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More (Members Only)

(12/05/2008)  --  Several AAFP members received awards, promotions or other honors this past month. More

(12/04/2008)  --  Elderly patients and small children, who are at especially high risk for complications from influenza, could be exposed to the illness during holiday gatherings, warn public health officials. That is part of the reason why the CDC is encouraging physicians to continue providing influenza immunizations through "December and beyond." More

(12/03/2008)  --  The AAFP has moved quickly to acknowledge the importance of a health care reform proposal put forth by the chair of the Senate Finance Committee that emphasizes prevention and primary care services as a way to overhaul the nation's health care system. More

(12/03/2008)  --  CMS is looking for input from physicians as it prepares to transition from using a payment system that focuses on quantity and consumption of resources to one that rewards quality and efficiency of care. As part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 enacted last July, HHS must submit its recommendations on how to transition to a value-based purchasing program to Congress by May 1, 2010. More

(12/03/2008)  --  Family physicians may wish to add a new resource to their influenza armamentarium: a Web-based tool from online search giant Google. Dubbed "Google Flu Trends," the tool can provide estimates of seasonal influenza activity in geographic areas faster than CDC surveillance reports by examining data from search-engine queries about flu-related topics. More

(12/02/2008)  --  Here's a reminder for family physicians who certified or recertified with the American Board of Family Medicine, or ABFM, in 2005: If you want to continue on the path to earning a three-year extension on your certificate, you only have until Dec. 31 of this year to complete the first stage of ABFM's Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians, or MC-FP, 10-year certification option. More

(12/02/2008)  --  The AAFP has laid out an aggressive legislative agenda for next year, identifying several key issues that are vital to moving the concepts of primary care and the patient-centered medical home, or PCMH, forward on the national level. That was one of the messages delivered by Kevin Burke, director of the AAFP's Division of Government Relations, during the AAFP's state legislative conference here last month. More

(12/01/2008)  --  In accordance with the AAFP Bylaws, the Academy is posting its annual financial summary, which has been certified by a public accountant. More (Members Only)