IAFP e-News for January 9, 2009


IAFP News

**JOIN THE IAFP COMMITTEE THAT FUELS YOUR FIRE!
Now is a great time to put your passion for family medicine into an IAFP committee that meets your goals. Any IAFP member may serve on a committee – that includes actives, residents, students and life members! You can view a list of committees and their charges at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/Committee09.pdf  which includes the form to fill out and request the committee(s) you’d like to join. 

The committees/task forces include:
AAFP Resolutions Task Force
Continuing Medical Education
Family Medicine Educators 
Government Relations
Membership/Member Services
Public Health
Public Relations 
Rural Health
Urban Health


**PROPOSAL FOR A NEW MEMBER GROUP – SOLO FAMILY PHYSICIANS
An IAFP member in solo practices wishes to form a member interest group with other solo practice family physicians, especially those new to practice in last five years. If you are interested in pursuing this option for an IAFP member group beginning in 2009, please contact Vince Keenan, IAFP executive vice president at vkeenan@iafp.com  to join. To see a listing of all IAFP member groups visit http://www.iafp.com/about/committees.htm  

**NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY PHYSICIANS
It’s never too early to start thinking about the next IAFP Family Physician of the Year or the Teachers of the Year. Nomination forms are now available on the IAFP web site 

Family Physician of the Year http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/FPOY09.pdf 
Teachers of the Year http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/TOY09.pdf  

Nominations are due to IAFP by May 31, 2009!


** MEMBER BENEFITS SECTION ON IAFP WEB SITE
Check out the “Membership has its benefits” section on the IAFP web site for all the perks of IAFP membership in one place, with links to take you right where you need to go to take advantage of special IAFP member offers and discounts.
http://www.iafp.com/about/membership.htm  


State Government Relations 

* MIDWIFE LICENSURE BILL UPDATE 
SB 385 would establish medical licensing for lay midwives. The bill did not come up for a committee vote as scheduled on Thursday, January 8. IAFP is opposed and will continue to monitor this bill as it may resurface in the new 96th General Assembly.


*MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT UPDATE
The Illinois Medical Practice Act was scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31, 2008. Although the physician community sought a ten-year extension with SB 2179, the House amended the bill and granted only a two-year extension. The Senate unanimously voted to concur with the House Amendment on December 15th and the governor signed the bill on December 18th as Public Act 95-1018, effective immediately. 


Federal Government Relations

**IAFP MEMBERS HOLD HEALTH CARE DISCUSSIONS FOR OBAMA’S TRANSITION TEAM
Several IAFP members took advantage of the opportunity to provide input to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team with their insights on needed health care reforms. If you held a discussion meeting in your community, we want to hear about it! Tell us about your meeting with an e-mail to iafp@iafp.com.  

Thanks to Deborah Geismar, MD of Niles, Rashmi Chugh, MD of DuPage County Health Department for hosting live events. Elizabeth Pector, MD of Naperville hosted a virtual discussion via list serves she participates in, and then compiled and submitted responses from over 50 different people.

AAFP has also provides input to the President-elect on several different issues. 
Accepting an invitation from the president-elect's transition team, AAFP staff sat down with transition team representatives in December to share family medicine's view of effective health care reform. Discussion of the important role family physicians will play in health care for all led to further dialogue about the urgent issues of additional support for family medicine education and improved payment structures. Staff came away from the meeting encouraged by a clear and convincing level of commitment by the incoming administration to primary care.

AAFP Board Chair Jim King, MD also sent three different letters to Obama in December addressing the primary care workforce, health information technology and primary care issues such as access, payment reform and the medical home. 
Read more about AAFP’s involvement in AAFP News Now at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/government-medicine/20090108obama-ltrs.html  

ADD SPEAK OUT TO YOUR “WEB FAVORITES” FOR 2009
Have you ever used Speak Out, the Academy’s online advocacy tool? It’s the fastest and most user-friendly way to find answers and ACT on Federal policy issues that affect family medicine and your patients. Speak Out contains updated legislative data and online tools that allow you to have an active role in the political process.

Some of the features of Speak Out are:

*Action Alerts -- The AAFP will routinely email you an action alert and post it on Speak Out (http://capitol.aafp.org). Click on the alert to find an easy process by which you can send personalized messages to officials and policymakers. Make sure you include your
contact info to verify that your message was sent from an individual and not generated by a computer.
*Research and Contact Elected Officials – Speak Out contains a comprehensive government directory that is updated regularly. Keep up with changes of legislators and their staff members here. http://capitol.aafp.org/aafp/directory/congdir.tt 
*Track Legislation – The Issues section allows you to keep track of important bills and votes. Click here to learn more. http://capwiz.com/aafp/issues/ 
*Media Guide – Tell your story. Use the media guide to find contact information for local media outlets, editors, reporters, and producers. http://capwiz.com/aafp/dbq/media/ .

Speak Out enables AAFP to deliver critical message to lawmakers and ensures that our legislative agenda is received and heard at the Capitol. 

CME Information

**FREE CME FROM ILLINOIS HEALTH CONNECT 
Illinois Health Connect is hosting three free CME sessions entitled, “Illinois Health Connect: Assisting the Medical Home with Quality Assurance”. Scheduled presentations are:
*Wednesday, January 14, 2009, from 8-10 am, Main Park Leisure Center, 2701 W. Sibley, Park Ridge, IL 
*Tuesday, January 20, 2009, from 8-10 am, Waubonsee Community College, 5 E. Galena Rd. Aurora, IL 

Find more information and registration form at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/HFSTraining.pdf 

Dr. Margaret Kirkegaard, Medical Director of Illinois Health Connect (IHC), will present an overview of the IHC quality assurance tools including the 2008 Bonus Payment program. This CME presentation is intended for all IHC Primary Care Physicians and their administrative and clinical staff. For additional details or to RSVP, contact the IHC Provider Helpdesk at 1-877-912-1999.


**ALSO CME SEMINAR AT UIC
Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics, February 6-7

ALSO is a structured, evidence-based, multidisciplinary training program on the practical management of obstetric emergencies. The two-day course is for maternity care providers including physicians, midwives, nurses and other clinicians. The deadline to register is January 16th. 

Link to the conference brochure at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/ALSO2009.pdf  

This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 25.75 (Prescribed or Elective) credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. 10.25 of these credits conform to the AAFP criteria for evidence-based CME clinical content.

** FREE QI/CME RESOURCES AT http://www.YHPlus.com  
Your Healthcare Plus’ CME activities can be viewed and completed through the http://www.YHPlus.com  Web site. Activities can also be downloaded to listen to at your convenience.
The Quality Improvement programs include 
-How to Conduct a Quality Improvement Program in Primary Care Practice,
- Managing Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care, 
-Managing Adult Depression in Primary Care,
-Managing Childhood Asthma in Primary Care...with more topics on the way.
This valuable resource is absolutely free. Check it out today at http://www.YHPlus.com  

**IAFP ONLINE CME
Check out any of the IAFP FREE online CME programs below and you could earn up to nine credits by completing all of the case studies. 

TWO NEW ONLINE CASE STUDIES
Managing Coronary Heart Disease in Primary Care Practice; A Case Study with Coding
Two case studies on Coronary Heart Disease . Learn how to diagnose and treat "Nick & Nora" 
1 AMA PRA category 1 credit for each case study. A program for Bridging Health Care sponsored by IAFP.
To view the case studies please visit http://www.iafp.com/CME/  

IAFP is also offering free online CME case studies on Hypertension, Diabetes and Depression at http://www.IAFP.com/education . There are two to three case studies for each topic. Each study takes about 45-60 minutes to complete. 

Log on to http://www.IAFP.com/education  

** AAFP HAS NEW CME for Seasonal Influenza Prevention and Treatment 
With flu season upon us, now is the perfect time to make sure you are up to date on the latest in influenza identification and treatment.
Link to the program on the AAFP website.
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/selfstudy/cmebulletin/flu.html  



**PRI-MED CME INFORMATION 
Partnering with the IAFP, Pri-Med offers world-class CME programs in your area. Taught by leading experts, you can earn Continuing Medical Education credits at little or no cost. All activities listed are approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). Application for AAFP Prescribed credit has been submitted. 

* New in 2009—Pri-Med Access
A local, two-day, CME program that keeps you current on the latest in primary care. The CME curriculum offers breadth and depth in four essential primary care areas: cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity, immunizations, and dependency disorders. Learn assessment techniques, preventative strategies, and new treatments and therapies.

Save the Date
Chicago, IL – Tuesday and Wednesday, June 9-10, 2009
http://www.pri-med.com 
(Please note: This program is designed for actively practicing Primary Care Physicians.) 


* Pri-Med Midwest Conference & Exhibition 
Over four full days, Pri-Med Conference & Exhibition provides a diverse spectrum of learning opportunities in one place, including Harvard Medical School’s Current Clinical Issues in Primary Care lectures, practice management sessions, Industry-Supported Symposia, and an interactive Exhibit Hall, offering AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Register today!

Rosemont, IL - Wednesday-Saturday, March 4-7, 2009 
http://www.pri-med.com/midwest09 


* Pri-Med Online 
Pri-Med.com offers over 300 primary care focused eCME activities at no-cost in key Condition Resource Centers including: Alzheimer’s/Dementia, Asthma, Cancer, Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Heart Failure, Hypertension, Obesity, Sleep Disorders and more. Plus, four eCME activity types are offered so you can thoroughly examine a topic, including: Patient case studies, Clinical reviews, Expert perspectives and Webcasts. Earn high-quality physician-authored eCME anytime at http://www.pri-med.com/onlineCME.  


Family Health Foundation of Illinois

**TAR WARS UPDATE

SAVE THE DATE - TAR WARS NIGHT WITH THE WHITE SOX
IAFP members, friends and patients – set aside Wednesday, July 8, 2009 for the Chicago White Sox vs. the Cleveland Indians. Every ticket you purchase from IAFP for that game will mean a tax-deductible donation to the Family Health Foundation of Illinois’ Tar Wars program. 

Just a couple of reminders:

1. Make sure you download the 2008-09 Program guide at 
http://www.tarwars.org/cgi-bin/download_tracking.p l You will need to fill out the form and select “Illinois” from the drop down menu to help the national program track state use/participation.

2. The state poster contest deadline is April 6, 2009
If you need any assistance or have questions, contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com . 

**PRECEPTORS NEEDED FOR 2009 SUMMER EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The IAFP Foundation Summer Externship Program has successfully introduced more than 700 medical students to the specialty of family medicine since its inception in 1990. Our track record speaks for itself: one-third of our externs are now family physicians, and two-thirds are in primary care specialties. 

YOU are our best recruiting tool for family medicine! If you are interested in serving as a preceptor for the 2009 IAFP Foundation Summer Externship Program, please contact Crishelle O’Rourke at 630-427-8006 or via e-mail at corourke@iafp.com  for more information or you can link to a preceptor form online at http://www.iafp.com/foundation/preceptor%20form.htm.  


**RAISE MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION WHILE SHOPPING ONLINE—FREE AND EASY!
You can make money for the Family Health Foundation of Illinois and enjoy the convenience of online shopping at the same time. All you need to do is sign up at http://www.iGive.com/IAFPF  and then shop from the participating stores that you already know and love. Go to www.iGive.com/IAFP  and receive a free membership (no costs or obligations) to shop at hundreds online stores. Then start shopping - you’ll be helping the IAFP Foundation at the same time! Just by doing a little shopping all year-round, a percentage of every purchase will be donated directly to the IAFP Foundation! Prices are not changed; simply a small portion of your purchase price is given to the Foundation. Your e-mail address is not sold or traded. Try it today—you have nothing to lose and we have a lot to gain!

Resident and Student Information

**FIRST YEAR STUDENTS – Apply for a Summer Externship Slot
The IAFP Foundation offers a summer program designed to offer students early exposure to the specialty of family medicine. Students selected for the program will spend four weeks with a family physician in the state of Illinois. Students experience clinical medicine in the healthcare delivery to citizens of rural, urban and suburban communities. Our preceptors are committed to teaching and have agreed to provide students with exposure to both clinical and non-clinical areas of their practice from administrative issues, technical and medical operations, to balancing a personal life away from medicine. This is your chance to have questions answered and to see first-hand the impact family medicine makes in caring for communities. 

For more information or to download an application visit: http://www.iafp.com/Foundation/externship.htm . Or contact Crishelle O'Rourke at corourke@iafp.com  or 630-427-8006. You can also get in touch with the FMIG leaders on your school campus. 

**ATTENTION RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS: 
AAFP is now accepting applications for scholarships to their National Conference of Students and Residents July 30-August 2. 
Link to more information at: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/conferences/nc/scholarships.html  

May 1st is the deadline to apply!


Members in the News
For a copy of any IAFP news story below, please e-mail Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com . 

** UPDATE ON FAMILY PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR WILLIAM HAYS, MD 
Just days after receiving the IAFP’s Family Physician of the Year honor in St. Louis, William F. Hays, MD got the gift he and his family needed most. On December 11, Dr. Hays had successful lung transplant surgery in St. Louis. His wife Pam notified IAFP while he was in surgery that evening. You can follow his progress via Care Pages updates at http://www.carepages.com  and search for “wfhaysmd” as the patient. 

** Emily Godfrey, MD of Chicago is featured in a January MSN Health article about the emergence of Cytotec as an “underground” and low-cost method used by Latina women to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

**Gerald Lofthouse, MD delivered Will County’s first baby of the New Year at Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital, according to the January 2 issue of the Naperville Sun and Jan. 9th Bolingbrook Sun. 

**Jincy Joseph, MD is a source for the Dec. 16th St. Charles Sun/Elgin Courier – on the dangers of hypothermia in children left outside in cold winter temperatures. The story was spurred by a local woman who left her 1-year old in the car while she went shopping on an 11-degree day. 

**Russell Robertson, MD and Tamarah Duperval, MD – both from Chicago - were featured expert sources in a Tribune Red Eye special story on Christmas day focusing on coping with holiday season stress.


NEWS YOU CAN USE

**INFLUENZA AND RSV REPORTS AVAILABLE WITH EASY ONLINE ACCESS
As the winter respiratory virus season approaches, the Illinois Department of Public Health offers weekly surveillance reports for influenza and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) that may assist you with clinical decision making in your practice: 

The IDPH 2008 - 2009 Flu Activity Report, summarizes regional and state influenza data used to determine the weekly influenza activity level in Illinois. For weekly surveillance reports, visit: http://www.idph.state.il.us/flu/fluupdate08-09.htm  

The National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) is a laboratory-based system that monitors RSV in Illinois, as well as other states. For weekly updates, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/rsv/state.html.  

View the IDPH Influenza Advisory from Dec. 23rd at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/IDPHInfluenza.pdf  


*TECH BIT – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BACKUP
By Gregg Marshall, Rep Connection, Inc.

100 million hard drives fail every year. I’ve had my share, including one last Christmas eve. When was the last time you backed up your notebook? Your home desktop? Your work PC?

500 gigabyte external USB drives are selling for $99 to $129 on sale. That’s enough to back up a notebook and most people’s desktop(s).

My favorite backup software is CMS Products’ BounceBack Professional ($79, http://www.cmsproducts.com ). While Windows has a built in backup program, BB Pro can create a backup drive that can be simply installed to replace a failed drive (obviously you can’t put a 3.5” hard drive into a notebook).

What I really like about BB Pro is it’s the ultimate “nagware.” You tell it how often you want to back up and it will nag you to plug in that external drive and do your backups.

So really, when was the last time you backed up?

Gregg Marshall, CPMR, CSP, is president of Rep Connection Inc. He can be reached by e-mail at gmarshall@repconnection.com , or visit his LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/greggmarshall. 

**PEDIATRICS ARTICLE REFUTES “DELAYED VACCINATION SCHEDULE”
The January issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics has an article outlining the problems with a delayed vaccination schedule proposed by Dr. Robert Sears. In October 2007, Dr. Sears, in response to growing parental concerns about the safety of vaccines, published The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. At the back of the book, Sears includes "Dr Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule," a formula by which parents can delay, withhold, separate, or space out vaccines. Lead Author Paul A. Oftit, MD concludes that “At the heart of the problem with Sears' schedules is the fact that, at the very least, they will increase the time during which children are susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. If more parents insist on Sears' vaccine schedules, then fewer children will be protected, with the inevitable consequence of continued or worsening outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Link to the article at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164  

**NEW AAP POLICY STATEMENT - HOSPITAL DISCHARGE OF THE HIGH-RISK NEONATE
In November 2008 the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn published its policy statement Hospital Discharge of the High-Risk Neonate (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/5/1119 ). 


News from AAFP 

**AAFP PRACTICE GUIDELINES
NEW CME for Seasonal Influenza Prevention and Treatment 
With flu season upon us, now is the perfect time to make sure you are up to date on the latest in influenza identification and treatment.
Link to the program on the AAFP website.
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/selfstudy/cmebulletin/flu.html  

**AAFP OFFERS TEMPLATE LETTERS FOR CONTACTING 3RD PARTY PAYERS
Do you have a problem with a third-party payer that needs your prompt attention? AAFP members can take immediate action on their most pressing issues with a simple download of letter templates from the Academy's Web site. Four new letters are among more than a dozen letter templates offered in the "Private Sector Advocacy" section of the Web site. 
Visit http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/privatesector/getinvolved/templttrs.mem.html 

Members can download and personalize any of the letters available on the AAFP's Private Sector Advocacy "Get Involved" Web page. The template letters are only accessible to members, so have your member identification number handy. 

** AAFP HAS NEW CME for Seasonal Influenza Prevention and Treatment 
With flu season upon us, now is the perfect time to make sure you are up to date on the latest in influenza identification and treatment.
Link to the program on the AAFP website.
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/selfstudy/cmebulletin/flu.html  


CLASSIFIED ADS
IAFP members may post a classified ad in E-news free of charge for up to 4 issues. Classified ad rates for non-IAFP members are $100 per month (2 issues per month). Contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com  to place your ad. 

OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT – 
Chicago South
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT FOR MEDICAL SUITES & BUSINESS
Includes EXAM ROOMS, RECEPTION AREA, DOUBLE DOOR ACCESS, GOOD TRANSPORTATION
1940 E. 87th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60617
773-374-7773
773-951-8651

Chicago South, 1400 sq. ft. for medical, dental or business; Will rent as one suite or divide into 3 suites; Excellent transportation.
Call 773-374-7773 or 773-951-8651