The AAFP Congress of Delegates will deal with resolutions on topics ranging from a clearinghouse for health plan reimbursement data to pharmacists' conscientious objections about filling some prescriptions. This year, 90 resolutions were submitted to AAFP in advance; by comparison, the total number of resolutions delegates considered in 2004 was 75, and in 2003, it was 64. Add to those 90 resolutions about 29 reports from the Board of Directors and other AAFP panels, and you get a jam-packed agenda for the Sept. 26 - 28 meeting in San Francisco.
AAFP Congress Faces Bumper Crop of Resolutions
By News Staff
9/13/2005
David Price, M.D., a member of the (then) American Board of Family Practice Board of Directors, asks delegates at the 2004 Congress of Delegates to give him feedback on their experiences with the board's Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians.
AAFP members can read the resolutions, which are listed according to the reference committees that hold hearings on the resolutions and reports. Members also can view the entire delegates' handbook. Here's a sampling of the resolutions.
The Reference Committee on Health Care Services will study recommendations for AAFP to create a data clearinghouse on threats to exclude or terminate family physicians from health plans or restrict their participation. Other resolutions coming to the committee include adding patient incentives to pay-for-performance programs and exploring the value of the International Classification of Primary Care, a diagnostic classification system maintained by Wonca, the World Organization of Family Doctors.
The Reference Committee on Education will deal with resolutions related to the American Board of Family Medicine's Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians. Two out of four MC-FP resolutions call for reducing the MC-FP self-assessment modules to three per recertification cycle. Other education resolutions address post-residency fellowships, an AAFP initiative on medical school admissions committees and -- particularly poignant in the wake of Hurricane Katrina -- CME to help family physicians develop skills and be designated as "first responders" to disasters.
The Reference Committee on Public Policy will focus on resolutions that ask AAFP to lead the way in establishing health care coverage for all and suggest hospitals should publish prices for their services so the uninsured can compare costs as they seek care. The committee also will address issues concerning pharmacists' conscientious objections to prescribing certain drugs.
The Reference Committee on Special Issues will consider resolutions on scope of practice (including equitable liability insurance premiums for reproductive health services), direct-to-consumer ads for new drugs and the need for long-term care facilities to offer institutional insurance to physicians as an incentive to provide long-term care.
The Reference Committee on Organization and Finance will consider resolutions adding gender identity to AAFP policies that aim to prevent discrimination against patients and AAFP members. One resolution calls for adding gender identity and other phrases to the policy to oppose discrimination in residents' education. A Board report on discrimination issues recommends that the Academy oppose discrimination in any form and that AAFP delete lists of specific characteristics in all its policies related to discrimination. The committee also will handle recommendations such as using a regional approach to appointing commission members, making delegate representation proportional to chapter membership, and re-establishing the Commission on Resident and Student Issues.
The Reference Committee on Public Health and Science will consider asking AAFP to recommend that a discussion of advance directives be part of the health maintenance visit. Other topics include support for medical marijuana use; education to reduce children's "screen time" (time watching TV, playing video games or using the Internet); and support for comprehensive education on sexuality.
The Reference Committee on Health Care Services will study recommendations for AAFP to create a data clearinghouse on threats to exclude or terminate family physicians from health plans or restrict their participation. Other resolutions coming to the committee include adding patient incentives to pay-for-performance programs and exploring the value of the International Classification of Primary Care, a diagnostic classification system maintained by Wonca, the World Organization of Family Doctors.
The Reference Committee on Education will deal with resolutions related to the American Board of Family Medicine's Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians. Two out of four MC-FP resolutions call for reducing the MC-FP self-assessment modules to three per recertification cycle. Other education resolutions address post-residency fellowships, an AAFP initiative on medical school admissions committees and -- particularly poignant in the wake of Hurricane Katrina -- CME to help family physicians develop skills and be designated as "first responders" to disasters.
The Reference Committee on Public Policy will focus on resolutions that ask AAFP to lead the way in establishing health care coverage for all and suggest hospitals should publish prices for their services so the uninsured can compare costs as they seek care. The committee also will address issues concerning pharmacists' conscientious objections to prescribing certain drugs.
The Reference Committee on Special Issues will consider resolutions on scope of practice (including equitable liability insurance premiums for reproductive health services), direct-to-consumer ads for new drugs and the need for long-term care facilities to offer institutional insurance to physicians as an incentive to provide long-term care.
The Reference Committee on Organization and Finance will consider resolutions adding gender identity to AAFP policies that aim to prevent discrimination against patients and AAFP members. One resolution calls for adding gender identity and other phrases to the policy to oppose discrimination in residents' education. A Board report on discrimination issues recommends that the Academy oppose discrimination in any form and that AAFP delete lists of specific characteristics in all its policies related to discrimination. The committee also will handle recommendations such as using a regional approach to appointing commission members, making delegate representation proportional to chapter membership, and re-establishing the Commission on Resident and Student Issues.
The Reference Committee on Public Health and Science will consider asking AAFP to recommend that a discussion of advance directives be part of the health maintenance visit. Other topics include support for medical marijuana use; education to reduce children's "screen time" (time watching TV, playing video games or using the Internet); and support for comprehensive education on sexuality.
