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September 9, 2011 MAFP E-BULLETIN, September 2011, VOL.5, NO. 9
In this issue: Watch AAFP Congress and Town Hall Videos
Suit Against AMA RUC Filed in Maryland
GO Diabetes! Invitation to Family Medicine Practices
Important Changes in ABFM Requirements
Environmental Scan and News You Can Use Watch AAFP Congress and Town Hall Videos
Maryland Chapter members are encouraged to
watch live streaming video of the AAFP Congress of Delegates
general sessions. Available online for the first time, these
sessions will take place Monday through Wednesday, September
12-14. Members can watch live or tune in at their convenience.
This is a rare opportunity to see the AAFP’s policy-making body
at work. Your Maryland Chapter Delegation will be present and actively participating: Drs. Eugene J. Newmier, President; William P. Jones and Howard Wilson, Delegates; Adebowale G. Prest and Yvette L. Rooks, Alternate Delegates; Esther Rae Barr, CAE, Chapter Executive. Suit Against AMA RUC Filed in Maryland
Two law firms, Behan Law in Washington, D.C., and Joseph,
Greenwald & Laake, P.A. in Greenbelt, MD, filed suit last month
in Maryland Federal Court on behalf of six physicians from
the Center for Primary Care in Augusta, GA. This suit, filed
against CMS Administrator Donald Berwick and HHS Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius, charges that CMS and HHS have illegally
relied on the American Medical Association’s Relative Value
Scale Update Committee (AMA RUC) in developing the physician fee
schedule by which Medicare reimbursements are valued. GO Diabetes! Invitation to Family Medicine Practices GO! Diabetes, a nationwide program for Family Medicine private practices and residency programs, is offered to MAFP members. In operation since 2008, GO! Diabetes has helped hundreds of family physicians, faculty, residents and clinicians achieve higher standards of patient care through practice improvements and system changes
GO! Diabetes teaches practice changes to improve patient outcomes while using the AAFP’s METRIC to complete Part IV of ABFM Board recertification requirement. Up to 60 practices (a combination of residency programs and private practices) will be selected to participate. Your practice will gain knowledge in diabetes management and team care for chronic disease, CME credit, AAFP METRIC (which meets ABFM Part IV) and the ability to present their findings to a national audience.
GO! Diabetes includes 1) training for 2 individuals
(change agents), a physician and a patient educator, at one of
three out-of-state Fall, 2011 workshops, 2) free access to
AAFP’s METRIC-Diabetes module for quality of care improvements
(may use to complete Part IV of ABFM Board recertification), 3)
honoraria for the change agents.
Important Changes in ABFM Requirements
Also,
Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP) is
moving into residency training. Residents entering Family
Medicine residency in 2012 will need to accumulate 50 MC-FP
points to be eligible to sit for the 2015 ABFM exam. Points will
be accumulated by completing at least 1 SAM and at least 1 Part
IV activity, such as METRIC. The Self-Assessment modules (SAMS)
and Part IV activities will be offered free to residents. The
ABFM hopes the residents will become very familiar with the
computer simulation technology in the SAMS as the 2014 exam will
include similar simulations. Additional information can be found
in the
ABFM Summer 2011 Newsletter that was sent to Residency
Program Directors in early July.
Also…
FP Comprehensive is a powerful tool to help members stay current and proficient in Family Medicine's core curriculum and to prepare for the Board Exam.
Order your
2011 FP Comprehensive CD-ROM at
www.aafp.org/getfpcomp or call (800) 274-2237. AAFP Members
pay just $235. Special discounts available for CME subscribers,
third-year residents and new physicians. Credits can be
purchased for an extra fee. Questions? Call or email the
Contact Center at 800-274-2237.
Do you read The Maryland Family Doctor publication (official
quarterly journal of the MAFP)? The MAFP Editorial Board hopes
so and we hope you view it as a major, tangible benefit of
membership, made more valuable in its offering of journal CME!
The current edition can be found on the homepage at
www.mdafp.org. Prior editions and CME quizzes are posted on
the site at the “news and publications” and “CME quiz” tabs
respectively. Upcoming editions will focus on issues in women’s
health, men’s health, infectious disease, long term care,
dermatology, nutrition, healthcare disparities, cardiovascular
health, healthcare reform, transplant medicine geriatrics and
merging research to clinical practice. Shorter regular and
intermittent items of interest will be reported in the areas of
technology, health care reform, practice management, PCMH, FQHCs,
county and residency updates. What topic of focus would you like
to see in the publication. Please tell us!!
Environmental Scan and News You Can Use
MAFP or MAFP Foundation |
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