MAFP E-Bulletin

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February 12, 2010

MAFP E-BULLETIN, February, 2010, VOL.4, NO.2

Too much snow this Winter! Take a break next weekend...

Still time to register

In this issue:

Family Physicians Face a 21.2% Medicare Pay Cut

Core Content Review Seeking New Authors

Call for Presentations: 2010 Conference on Practice Improvement

The Maryland Physician Health Program

MAFP Can Help You Get The Lowest Vaccine Prices for the 2010-11 FLU Season!

Family Physicians Face a 21.2% Medicare Pay Cut

As you may know, unless Congress fixes the sustainable growth-rate, or SGR, formula, family physicians face a 21.2 percent cut when the current Medicare payment formula expires on February 28. Join forces with your colleagues in the physician community as we call upon the US Senate to take immediate action to establish a permanent solution to the physician payment system.

The American Osteopathic Association has made their toll-free legislative hotline available to family physicians! Call (877) 262-9400.
Tell the Senate:

Please fix the Medicare physician payment formula. My practice and my patients cannot afford to have this pushed off to a later date.
Medicare payment cuts create an unstable and unpredictable program. Physicians may be forced to stop seeing Medicare patients, who already are worried about the stability of this program.
Without Congressional intervention, Medicare physician payments will be slashed by more than 21 percent -- a cut that inarguably will compromise access to care for Medicare patients and for military families whose TRICARE coverage is based on Medicare rates.
Fixing the SGR affects the larger insurance pool. Many private insurance companies look to Medicare payment rates when determining the amounts they will pay physicians.

Calling Instructions:

Dial 877-262-9400 from any touch-tone phone.
You will be connected to your Senators through a series of two calls, for your senior Senator you will be prompted to enter a 1 on your phone’s keypad; for your junior Senator enter a 2.
Next you will be prompted for your zip code.
When the office answers, identify yourself as a family physician and the town and state you are from to demonstrate you are a constituent.
Deliver the talking points above and any personal anecdotes to illustrate how Medicare cuts will impact your patients and your practice.
Hang up and make your next call.

After you make your call to your Senators, let us know what they said. Fill out AAFP’s advocacy activity report. Your feedback is a valuable part of our efforts. AAFP Government Relations staff follow up with legislative offices based on information you provide.

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Core Content Review Seeking New Authors

The Core Content Review of Family Medicine (CCR) is a home, self-study continuing medical education program with 5,000 subscribers that has been produced by the Connecticut and Ohio Academies of Family Physicians for the last 40 years. It is evidence-based and throughout its history has been free of any pharmaceutical industry support.

CCR is seeking authors to join its National Faculty. Submitted material should be in the form of a question followed by a discussion of approximately 300 words. Up to date references must also be included. Authors who submit material acceptable for publication will be listed on the Contributing Author Page of the edition in which their material appears. CCR is peer-reviewed and authors may include it under publications in their curriculum vitae. Writing for CCR is considered a scholarly activity and, as such, has been used by authors to fulfill requirements for promotion and advancement. An honorarium is provided for material accepted for publication.

We invite potential authors to visit www.corecontent.com and select “Authors” to learn more about becoming an author and to view the Author’s Guide. If you are interested in becoming an author, or if you have questions, please contact Mary Yokose at myokose@ssmgt.com or (toll-free) 888-343-CORE (2673).

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Call for Presentations: 2010 Conference on Practice Improvement

Proposals are now being accepted for presentations at the 2010 Conference on Practice Improvement, which is scheduled for Dec. 2-5 in San Antonio, Texas. This year's theme is "Assembling the Patient-Centered Team." Proposals should be submitted by March 15 at http://www.aafp.org/pic or http://www.stfm.org/pic.

The Steering Committee is looking for presentations:

With an emphasis on understanding and implementing the concepts and practical skills of the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

That further develop the medical home and help evaluate the quality and level of the care delivered.

Designed to provide practical guidance and resources.

Presentations directed at those who are part of the multidisciplinary medical home team are encouraged. Submissions will be evaluated for applicability to real-world settings. The Conference on Practice Improvement is sponsored by the AAFP and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. If questions, contact Melody Goller at mgoller@aafp.org or 800-274-2237, ext. 3134.

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The Maryland Physician Health Program

The Maryland Physician Health Program (MPHP) has been helping physicians and the Maryland community of medicine for more than 30 years. Hundreds of professionals have received help when they needed it most. The MPHP provides a confidential, private setting to address potentially career-ending issues. Participants receive an initial consultation, a referral when warranted, to clinically appropriate treatment, and ongoing monitoring to facilitate progress toward their rehabilitation goals. Support and advocacy on behalf of the client can be provided by the MPHP. We are staffed with knowledgeable clinicians from a variety of backgrounds including addictions counseling, clinical social work, psychology and psychiatry. The MPHP has experience addressing a wide variety of problems ranging from alcohol abuse and chemical dependency, to mental health, disruptive behavior, stress, boundary issues and other impairments. The MPHP accepts confidential referrals and provides consultation to physicians seeking help or advice on issues of concern. If you, a colleague or friend might need assistance, please call 800-992-7010 or email phpinfo@medchi.org. For more information, please visit our website at: http://www.healthymaryland.org/physician-health.php.

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MAFP Can Help You Get The Lowest Vaccine Prices for the 2010-11 FLU Season!

As you may be aware, the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians has partnered with Atlantic Health Partners to offer your practice the lowest prices for vaccines, including Fluzone. With all the issues that surround flu delivery, it is important to note that Atlantic participating practices received ALL of their 2009 pre-booked Fluzone which totaled close to 1 million doses.

In addition to providing you with the lowest Fluzone prices, Atlantic provides your practice with the most favorable pricing and purchasing terms for a wide scope of pediatric, adolescent, adult and travel vaccines purchased directly from the manufacturers (just like you are probably doing now). In addition, Atlantic’s program extends to discounts on medical and surgical supplies and there is no cost to join!

Atlantic currently works nationwide with 21 state AAFP chapters and has been nationally recognized by the AAFP. Over 2,500 Family Physicians are already enrolled in the Atlantic Program and your colleagues report strong satisfaction with the program, most notably for the savings and customer support. Please contact Jeff Winokur or Cindy Berenson at 800.741.2044 or email info@atlantichealthpartners.com to find out how Atlantic can benefit your practice.

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Phone: (410) 747-1980 - Fax: (410) 744-6059
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