(07/23/2008)  --  One of the nation's leading retail health clinics, Take Care Health Systems, recently informed the AAFP that it would not renew its commitment to the Academy's list of Desired Attributes of Retail Health Clinics. The action fueled AAFP's already heightened concerns about retail health clinics expanding their scope of practice beyond the treatment of simple acute health concerns. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More

(07/23/2008)  --  Change is afoot in the retail health industry as companies look to expand the scope of practice for their clinics beyond simple acute health problems. Some states are saying "yes" to such expansion, seeing it as a way to address physician shortages, rising health care costs and emergency department overuse. But expanding retail clinics' scope of practice is the wrong solution when it comes to addressing these health care problems, and it's not in the best interest of the American public. The AAFP opposes such an expansion because of the potential negative impact on the quality of care in these clinics. (Discuss this story on the AAFP News Now bulletin board.) More (Members Only)

(07/24/2008)  --  FDA officials approved the licensure of two new combination vaccines for children last month. Both vaccines protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio; one of them also protects against invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib. More

(07/24/2008)  --  The AAFP has made its news vehicle to members -- AAFP News Now -- a completely electronic product by transitioning the print version of the publication into a PDF version that members can access each month beginning in September. More

(07/23/2008)  --  HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt hosted a media conference call July 21 to provide details on the federal government's latest effort to encourage physician adoption of electronic prescribing. AAFP President Jim King, M.D., of Selmer, Tenn., and CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems joined Leavitt on the call. More

(07/23/2008)  --  The AAFP has launched a new online classroom, dubbed LearningLink, that provides Academy members with CME in multiple formats. The free program focuses on specific diseases or medical conditions, with pain management as the first topic. More

(07/22/2008)  --  The first phase of a Medicare durable medical equipment, or DME, bidding program launched July 1 has been delayed. Family physicians in the 10 areas selected for the program, which includes certain zip codes in North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Pennsylvania, California and Puerto Rico, may want to inform their Medicare patients about the delay. More