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May 19, 2017

In This Issue...

  1. Academy News
  2. Government Relations
  3. News You Can Use
  4. Members in the News

Quick Links

Awards Nominations - FP of the Year deadline is JUNE 1. 

Annual Report

POLL on Burnout

Health Care Coverage

MACRA

My IAFP Profile

Practice Resources

Tar Wars Illinois

Event Calendar

Member Benefits

FPJobsOnline

Complete the AAFP membership survey

IAFP staff will get the results from AAFP this summer which will help inform the board and staff on how we can serve you better adn shorten our IL member survey this summer!  Learn more

Support our chapter by using AAFP CME

Improve patient care and bridge your knowledge gaps with AAFP self-study CME when and where its convenient for youand help our chapter earn additional revenue through the AAFP Self-Study CME Revenue Share program.

At checkout, add 4MYCHAPTER in the source code box and a portion of your purchase revenue will be shared back with our chapter.


 

Academy News

 

Dealine May 25: Get your tickets for our White Sox game and support the Foundation
Mark your calendar and print out your order form for the annual Family Health Foundation of Illinois Home Runs for Healthy Families White Sox gameon Friday June 23. Every ticket = a donation to the Family Health Foundation of Illinois.  Learn more here Deadline to order is May 25.

 

Today (May 19) is World Family Doctor Day

So take a minute to reflect on just how important you are in the lives of your patients and to the health of your community. Thank you for all that you do for your patients-both body and mind.
The AAFP has put together a web page for the campaign that includes AAFP resources for depression and mental health, which is the theme for World Family Doctor Day 2017. AAFP will be adapting the page to live on in the Patient Care section on the AAFP website as an ongoing resource for members to help their patients with depression and mental health issues.


Earn CME credit with the Resident Scholarly Works Virtual Summit
You can log in anytime and earn CME for the presentations you watch! Check out what IAFP residents are working on. Cheer on your friends!
May 31 - presentations start as early as 9:20 and as late as 6:40pm. View the current schedule of presentations, then register online.  You watch as much or as little as you like!

Call for Board Nominations 
IAFP will hold elections for our officers and board of directors via online voting, ensuring that all Active members in good standing can run for the board and vote for board members.

Active members in good standing may self-nominate for the positions of board member (three-year term), second vice president, first vice president, or president-elect. Any active member who is less than seven years out of residency may run for the New Physician board member position, which is a two-year term. Finally, there is one delegate and one alternate position to represent Illinois at the AAFP Congress of Delegates, which is a two-year term beginning with the 2018 AAFP Congress of Delegates. The deadline to submit your application and CV is June 30. Learn more about each board position on the IAFP web site.

Update from the IAFP Board of Directors

The board of directors met Wednesday, May 17 via teleconference/webinar. They voted to approve the establishment of the Reproductive Health Care Member Interest Group (learn more about all our member interest groups). Members are welcome to join using this easy online form

 

Online registration is now open!

Theme:  Evolution of the #FMRevolution 

Conference dates: October 6-8 at the Hilton O'Hare Rosemont. 


Government Relations

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Gordana Krkic, CAE, Deputy Executive Vice President of External Affairs at [email protected]

State Update

Turnout was bigger than ever for the 2017 IAFP Spring into Action Lobby days. For three straight days, active members, residents, students, board members and past presidents connected with both state senators and state representatives. Wednesday brought a record-shattering 57 attendees, including a busload of 22 from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and NorthShore University family medicine residency.

Some stats for you:

  • 89 attendees over three days
  • 24 physicians (Including 4 past presidents)
  • 48 residents from six residency programs 
  • 17 students from three medical schools
  • 11 IAFP board members
  • Attendees connected with ½ of the State Senate, including a first-ever appearance on the Senate floor when state Sen. Michael Hastings brought Sachin Dixit, MD into the Senate chamber and asked for a point of personal privilege to announce "please welcome my family physician, Sachin Dixit, MD, to the Senate."
  • Our attendees connected with 23 state representatives

Click here for an update on the bills they discussed with lawmakers
Click here for the Facebook photo album

You can advocate now - ACTION NEEDED: APN Independent Practice: SB642 removes the collaborative agreement and provides APNs full independent practice, including prescriptive authority for Schedule II drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines.. The bill is on 3rd reading in the Senate and expected to pass. Providers and the Hospital Association are working in opposition, with the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) as the lead negotiator. Earlier this year, APNs were granted full independent practice by the U.S. Department of Defense across the Veterans Administration system, which preempts state laws. Many states now face similar legislation as this rule set precedent. We anticipate a strong debate in the House. Allowing non-physician practitioners to expand their scope of practice through legislation - rather than through education and training - is not good public policy for improving access to quality care, particularly for those who suffer from multiple medical conditions.

Find your state legislator and tell them to reject independent practice for APNs and vote NO on Senate Bill 642.  Link to a  fact sheet


Medicaid MCO update Nine insurers submitted bids to operate Medicaid Managed Care plans under the Request for Proposals to streamline the Medicaid MCO to only seven total entities. You can read more in this Crain's Chicago Business story. 

Federal

18 IAFP members are headed to Capitol Hill next week for the AAFP's Family Medicine Advocacy Summit. The sold-out conference will provide members updates and education on federal issues, and then members will visit their congressional offices on Tuesday, May 23. IAFP leaders will be meeting with both U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, as well as many of the U.S. Representatives' offices.

The "Stay Well" Social Media Campaign supports their efforts
Hey Social Media Members, here is where you can help from home! In conjunction with the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit next week the AAFP is declaring a National Day of Action to promote the importance of what family physicians do - every day! 

Use your social networks to send America a "Stay Well Soon" postcard and let people know how important family physicians are in helping people get and stay healthy. Use a branded landing page to pre-schedule the delivery of the postcards to those on your Facebook and/or Twitter feeds. All the postcards will be delivered at the same time on May 23 increasing the possibility #StayWellSoon could become a trending topic on Twitter. 

Sign up now to help send a million-plus people a #StayWellSoon postcard to let them know family physicians can help them get healthy and stay healthy. Join the Thunderclap campaign and -- along with thousands of others -- send a loud message to Americans looking for the best way to get and stay healthy. It's easy! Do it today and you'll be all set for Tuesday! 

Here is one topic those advocates will discuss with Congress
Funding Teaching Health Centers: The fundamental goal of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program is to increase access to well-trained primary care clinicians, particularly in ambulatory settings. Unfortunately, unless reauthorized by Congress by September 30, this vital program will be eliminated.

THCGME addresses three major concerns regarding physician production: the serious shortage of primary care physicians in general, their geographic maldistribution, and the growing need for physicians to serve underserved populations. Data now shows that residents who train in these types of environments are much more likely to work in safety net clinics than residents who train in more traditional settings.
With approximately 740 residents being trained in 59 HRSA-supported teaching health center (THC) residencies in the last year alone (including 24 in Chicago at the Northwestern McGaw Family Medicine Residency), this program has been instrumental in training primary care physicians. Please send this Speak Out email and urge your legislators to reauthorize this vital program, and adequately fund it to ensure its continued success.

 


News You Can Use

FDA, CDC warn of inaccurate blood lead tests in youths, mothers 
The FDA issued a warning urging laboratories and health care professionals to discontinue use of Magellan Diagnostics' LeadCare tests to test blood drawn from a vein, which may have significantly miscalculated lead levels. Children younger than 6 whose results showed blood lead levels of less than 10 micrograms per deciliter should be retested, while pregnant and breast-feeding women should consult their doctor about whether they need retesting, the CDC said. Link to the CDC alert 

Michigan Family Medicine Conference & Expo 

Illinois members are invited to Michigan's premier annual event for family physicians, which will be at the internationally-renowned Grand Hotel located on breathtaking (and fun!) Mackinac Island. Michigan AFP invites physicians and their families from their neighboring states to step back in time and join them in "Bridging Tradition & Transformation." Learn more

Summer is Here: What You Need to Know about Health Effects of Climate Change
ICAAP will be presenting two free CME-approved webinars over the lunch hour for physicians interested in the effects of climate change on their patients' health.

  • Wednesday, May 24, 2017 from noon-1pm

Preparing Pediatric Providers to Address Health Effects of Climate Change: Heat-Related Illness, Asthma, and Allergies will focus on climate change's impact on air quality, respiratory health, and heat related-illnesses. Register here.

  • Wednesday, June 21, 2017 from noon-1pm

Preparing Pediatric Providers to Address Health Effects of Climate Change: Vector-Borne Diseases, Public Health Implications from Floods, and Mental Health Concerns will focus on climate change's impact on vector borne illnesses, extreme weather events, and mental health. Register here. 


Members in the News

If you have a news item to share, email it to Ginnie Flynn at [email protected].

Scott Levin, Chair of the IAFP Family Medicine Educators Committee, was quoted in the May 9 Chicago Tribune and May 15 Belleville News Democratabout the importance of parents role-modeling good screen time behavior, as well as setting limits with their children.

Dr. Thomas Cornwell has been named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2017. The prestigious list honors a diverse group of influential and revolutionary thinkers who are shaping the future of business in creative ways. Dr. Cornwell was recognized for his vision, leadership, and commitment to improving how we care for America's aging population, especially those patients who are chronically ill. You can see it here

Congratulations to the SIU Springfield Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) on their Second Prize award in the 2017 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Tar Wars Challenge for Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs). This is the third straight year that the SIU FMIG has been honored by the National Tar Wars Program for their outstanding work in Springfield Schools. 

Illinois Academy of Family Physicians
747 E. Boughton Road, Ste. 253
Bolingbrook, IL 60440

 


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