http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/opinion.html For the second time in three weeks, AAFP leaders were in Washington Feb. 13-15 to meet with members of Congress, key congressional staff members, the head of CMS and AMA representatives about issues critical to family medicine, including the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. During those meetings, Board Chair Roland Goertz, M.D., M.B.A.; President-elect Jeffrey Cain, M.D.; EVP Douglas Henley, M.D.; and I urged legislators (including Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, in the photo below) to not only avert a 27.4 percent Medicare payment cut scheduled to take effect March 1 but to repeal the SGR once and for all. en-us Copyright 2013 American Academy of Family Physicians http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/the_bargaining_chip_we_ve http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/the_bargaining_chip_we_ve There is a David-versus-Goliath perception that makes many primary care physicians dealing with giant hospitals and health care systems feel disadvantaged during payment negotiations, but the truth is that every health system needs a strong primary care base. Now, more than ever, we can prove it. Merritt Hawkins, the national physician search firm, periodically surveys hospital chief financial officers about how much revenue physicians in 18 different specialties generate for their affiliated hospitals each year. For the first time since the survey started in 2002, the CFOs indicated in a report released this month that primary care physicians generate more revenue, on average, than subspecialists. Fri, 17 May 2013 14:25:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/relationships_are_a_critical_part http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/relationships_are_a_critical_part The small Nebraska town where I practice family medicine has a population of about 2,000. Although my practice is only 30 minutes west of Lincoln -- the state's capital and second-largest city -- solo and small family practices are common in the rural areas to my north, south and west. As my colleagues in these small practices ponder the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), I know that it can seem overwhelming to implement. The bodies that recognize or certify PCMH practices have numerous confusing requirements that have more to do with processes than patient care. So when I talk to family physicians who have concerns about the PCMH, I suggest they read the original articles on the subject by Barbara Starfield, M.D., M.P.H. Wed, 15 May 2013 10:05:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/nurses_play_vital_role http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/nurses_play_vital_role Trenton is a tiny town in the northwest corner of Georgia. If you could pick it up and move it on the state map, you could just about squeeze it into nearby Cloudland Canyon State Park. Travelers who aren't headed to the park might not notice Trenton unless they need a place to stop on Interstate 59 on a drive from Birmingham, Ala., to Chattanooga, Tenn. It was there, in rural Georgia, that I started my first job out of residency 25 years ago on a National Health Service Corps assignment. I had studied medicine in Atlanta and moved on to residency in Augusta. Now I was a big-city outsider in a small town. I knew no one. Verenice Hawkins, R.N., helped changed that. Fri, 10 May 2013 14:10:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/teamwork_key_to_improving_quality http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/teamwork_key_to_improving_quality I've been interested in the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) since the Future of Family Medicine report recommended that every American should have a medical home back in 2004. I was on the AAFP's Commission on Practice Enhancement (now the Commission on Quality and Practice) from 2006-2010, and the concept was a hot topic for our commission. When my multispecialty medical group in New Mexico decided to implement the PCMH in our own clinics, I served on an advisory committee that helped make it happen. When it was time to implement electronic health records (EHRs), my clinic was the guinea pig. We got our EHR up and running before the system was rolled out to the whole group. Today, all 10 of our primary care clinics have achieved National Committee for Quality Assurance Level 3 PCMH recognition. Wed, 08 May 2013 13:10:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/a_new_approach_to_recruitment http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/a_new_approach_to_recruitment We invest years of time and energy into our more than 460 family medicine residencies -- selecting, training and preparing our bright new family doctors. But how well do we help our recent graduates find their ideal practice? And once they select a community in which to practice, who does the follow-up to ensure that the "marriage" is a success? What if there was a program for newly minted family doctors looking to find their ideal practice? What if the concept of the National Resident Matching Program (i.e., the Match) was applied to help rural and underserved communities showcase their unique opportunities and compete on equal footing with large health system recruiters? Let's call it FamilyDocMatch.com. Wed, 01 May 2013 14:10:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/lessons_for_boston_fps_can http://blogs.aafp.org/cfr/leadervoices/entry/lessons_for_boston_fps_can In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon, the media has put a focus on a topic that has been part of my life for nearly two decades -- amputation. More than a dozen people have had amputations since two bombs went off near the finish line of the April 15 race. On a day that started with celebration, lives were changed forever. In that instant, young and healthy athletes on the road to celebration (and spectators who were cheering them on) were shocked to now face the long and challenging road to recovery. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:40:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/opinion/20130424pdwrpsedit.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/opinion/20130424pdwrpsedit.html Sometimes, change is good. Every year, the AAFP holds a Residency Program Solutions Conference for Family Medicine Residencies (RPS) and a Workshop for Directors of Family Medicine Residencies (PDW) in Kansas City, Mo. The PDW is designed to address the needs of residency program directors and associate program directors, while the RPS draws a broader audience of program directors, physician faculty, administrators, coordinators, nurses and medical assistants. The program directors' meeting traditionally has been held in June. That timeframe, however, coincides with residency graduation and new resident orientation, which made it difficult for some people to attend the conference. ann@aafp.org Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:35:00 CDT Medicare Payment Key Issue in Latest Round of Meetings with Congress, CMS