September 2007

(09/28/2007)  --  The AAFP's National Research Network, or NRN, is looking for family physicians and other health care providers interested in participating in a new study that examines the prevalence of and association between alcohol and sleep problems in primary care patients. More

(09/27/2007)  --  The nearly 50 family physicians of Methodist Physicians Clinic in Nebraska and Iowa are generally enthusiastic supporters of CMS’ Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI. More (Members Only)

(09/27/2007)  --  When CMS rolled out its Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI, in 2007, I elected not to participate. Here’s why. More (Members Only)

(09/26/2007)  --  Increased practice efficiency and reduced expenses are at your fingertips, courtesy of the AAFP's partnership with OfficeMax. Your AAFP membership entitles you to discounted prices on office products and equipment, furniture, computer products, and printing services. In addition, the OfficeMax Health Care Solutions program offers many more health care-related items at reduced prices. More

(09/26/2007)  --  Recent reports of episodes of Guillain-Barre syndrome, or GBS, following administration of quadrivalent human papillomavirus, or HPV4, vaccine have led the CDC to investigate whether a connection exists between the two events. More

(09/26/2007)  --  Under a bill recently passed by the Senate, health insurers would be required to provide the same level of coverage for the treatment of mental illnesses as they do for physical ailments. More

(09/25/2007)  --  Family physicians looking for the latest information on software certification criteria for electronic health records, or EHRs, will want to download and review a free copy of the "2007 Physician's Guide to Certification for Ambulatory Electronic Health Records." More

(09/25/2007)  --  The patient-centered medical home soon could receive another boost on Capitol Hill. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin, R-Ill., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., plan to introduce a bipartisan bill within the next few weeks that would give states money to establish patient-centered medical home demonstration projects for Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs, or SCHIPs. More

(09/24/2007)  --  Primary care physicians in North Carolina might want to prepare for an uptick in patients seeking influenza immunizations. For the first time, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, and WellPath Select Inc. have partnered with the North Carolina Medical Society, or NCMS, in a campaign to encourage patients to visit their primary care physicians for influenza immunizations beginning Oct. 1. More

(09/21/2007)  --  Sinusitis affects one in seven adults in the United States and is responsible for more than one in five antibiotics prescribed for adults, according to the authors of a clinical practice guideline recently released by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, or AAO-HNS. The guideline, developed by a multidisciplinary panel that included two family physicians, presents evidence-based recommendations to aid physicians and other health care professionals in diagnosing and managing this condition. More

(09/21/2007)  --  House and Senate conferees have agreed to not include a Medicare physician payment increase as part of a bill to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. "The issue of physician payment under Medicare will be taken care of -- it will just be later in the year," said Kevin Burke, director of the AAFP Division of Government Relations. More

(09/19/2007)  --  Concern about a rare but potentially serious side effect in nursing infants whose mothers are taking codeine recently led the FDA to issue a public health advisory on the use of medications that include the ingredient. Nursing mothers who are ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine run the risk of passing potentially lethal amounts of the drug on to their infants. More

(09/19/2007)  --  The Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted its second public hearing on Sept. 18 regarding a revised set of regulations that would cover the operation of limited-scope medical clinics, such as retail health clinics. The revisions were prompted by an application CVS Caremark Corp. submitted earlier this year to open Massachusetts' first retail health clinic -- a CVS MinuteClinic -- in Weymouth. More

(09/19/2007)  --  Stay current on practical clinical information and earn 84 or more Prescribed CME credits each year by subscribing to the AAFP Home Study program. It's CME at your fingertips, designed by family physicians who understand how busy you are. More

(09/19/2007)  --  Family physicians who are participants in the Blue Cross Blue Shield, or BCBS, class-action settlement, take note: To qualify for a settlement payment, the physician settlement claim form must be completed, signed and postmarked no later than Oct. 19, 2007. More

(09/19/2007)  --  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ, is making it easier for you to safeguard your patients' health. Two new resources for you and your patients are available for downloading from the AHRQ Web site. This pair of plain-language guides gives you and your patients access to the latest scientific evidence on antidepressants, including information on how well these medications work and their potential side effects. More

(09/18/2007)  --  Family physician practices that are adept at hiring and keeping quality employees share one common characteristic -- they create employee-friendly environments that empower staff members to work together as part of a team to deliver excellent health care. More

(09/18/2007)  --  I read with interest a recent AAFP News Now editorial on health care reform. The electorate expresses concern; candidates remain partisan. Yet even as debates about old issues proceed, a new issue surfaces: subspecialists needing to consult subspecialists to address problems more appropriate to the training and expertise of a generalist. More (Members Only)

(09/14/2007)  --  Title VII funding could serve as a major catalyst in promoting and implementing the patient-centered medical home for the next several years, said AAFP President Rick Kellerman, M.D., of Wichita, Kan., before a federal advisory panel convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA. More

(09/12/2007)  --  AAFP-PT, the Academy's proficiency testing program for office laboratories, will offer a state-of-the-art online access system and faster turnaround times for evaluations beginning in 2008 -- making this comprehensive program an even better value for physician office labs. More

(09/12/2007)  --  The National Association of Community Health Centers, or NACHC, has found a powerful advocacy tool within the pages of two major reports. More

(09/12/2007)  --  This is an urgent call to action -- thank you in advance for responding! We need you to contact your U.S. senators and ask them to support legislation to provide physicians with a positive Medicare payment update for at least two years. You should do this before Sept. 30. More (Members Only)

(09/11/2007)  --  Want to improve Americans' health? Boost support of publicly funded medical schools and work to ensure that all schools have family medicine departments. That's the message for health care policy makers in "Entry of U.S. Medical School Graduates Into Family Medicine Residencies: 2006-2007 and 3-Year Summary." More

(09/11/2007)  --  The AAFP has launched an all-out effort to convince Congress to support an increase in Medicare physician payment rates for the next two years. More

(09/07/2007)  --  Some recent AAFP News Now coverage, as well as AAFP and chapter CME conferences, reflect a growing interest in encouraging family physicians to add cosmetic services to their practices. During this era of soul-searching as represented by the Future of Family Medicine project, I'm concerned that the idea that performing cosmetic procedures should be described as practicing medicine. More (Members Only)

(09/07/2007)  --  Ongoing collaboration between the AAFP and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, on issues of mutual interest has paid off recently -- especially for AAFP members who deliver babies and offer maternity care to patients. More

(09/06/2007)  --  Congress is considering legislation that would lessen the impact of a newly passed law requiring physicians to start using electronic prescribing or tamper-resistant prescription pads for their Medicaid patients as of Oct. 1. More

(09/05/2007)  --  Medicare's prescription drug benefit has dramatically reduced the number of seniors without prescription drug coverage, according to a new study on the Health Affairs Web site. However, the extent of coverage provided by the Medicare drug benefit is not as comprehensive as coverage provided by private insurance plans or the Veterans Administration, says the study. More

(09/05/2007)  --  The patient-centered medical home has picked up key support on Capitol Hill during the past several months, increasing the chances that Congress will approve a nationwide patient-centered medical home demonstration project this year. More

(09/05/2007)  --  Improve your care of younger patients -- from infants to teens -- by attending the Academy's Infant, Child and Adolescent Medicine course Nov. 7-10 in San Francisco. More

(09/05/2007)  --  House members are urging their Senate colleagues to approve a provision in a major health care bill that would prevent a 15 percent cut in Medicare physician payments for the next two years. More

(09/04/2007)  --  A report released last month by the Center for Studying Health System Change, or HSC, says that fewer American physicians are working in solo and two-physician practices and that the number of physicians moving to mid-sized, single-specialty practices is increasing. More