E-news for June 15, 2007

IAFP News

**THE JUNE/JULY ISSUE OF FAMILY PHYSICIAN IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE - 
Go to http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/junejuly07.pdf  to learn everything going on with your Academy the past two months. 

** AN EASY WAY TO SPEAK UP! TAKE THE IAFP MEMBER SURVEY
IAFP staff and leadership need member input to help shape the Academy’s direction when the new Board of Directors is installed this October in Chicago.
The survey will only take a few minutes of your time, but adds up to tremendous input when IAFP members provide us their insight. 
Access the survey online at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=wvpir5zuzmGRHtyrRFuyqw_3d_3d 

**LOOKING FOR THE NEXT IAFP LEADERS

Members are invited to self-nominate for IAFP Board of Directors positions. The IAFP Leadership Development Committee, chaired by Ellen Brull, MD of Glenview, is accepting nominations for the following positions: president-elect (this position is a three year commitment), first vice president, second vice president, a new physician board member (all one year terms) and three directors for a three-year term. Nominations are also accepted for AAFP delegate and alternate delegate. 

Send your nomination letter and CV to the IAFP office at iafp@iafp.com  no later than July 31. Job descriptions are available by contacting Vince Keenan, CAE, IAFP executive vice president at vkeenan@iafp.com  or call 800-826-7944 x116. 


**MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING IAFP EVENTS:

July 25: IAFP Presidential Inauguration: Golf Outing, Dinner and CME, Franklin County Country Club, West Frankfort. Steve Knight, MD of Harrisburg will be sworn in by AAFP Speaker Tom Wieda, M.D. of Pennsylvania and assume the office of President in a Southern Illinois celebration. For more information, contact Christi Emerson at cemerson@iafp.com

Oct. 3: IAFP All-Member Assembly/Town Hall Meeting, Downtown Chicago Marriott. Join us for this evening event during the AAFP’s Congress of Delegates and Annual Scientific Assembly where IAFP specific issues will be addressed. 

Oct. 4: IAFP 60th Anniversary Party, Art Institute of Chicago, 8-11 p.m. Can it really be 60 years? Celebrate our successes and gear up for the challenges and successes to come as we toast to another 60 years!

You’ll receive more information on all the IAFP events during AAFP Annual Assembly week in the months to come. 

For more information on the AAFP meeting in Chicago: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/conferences/assembly.html  


GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

**STATE GOVERNMENT STALEMATE CONTINUES
Lobbyists, reporters and other interested folks continue to watch the war of words play out in Springfield. Each day brings a new volley of jabs and barbs from some combination of the governor’s staff and legislative leaders. While it makes for interesting reading and water cooler talk, the reality is nothing significant has been accomplished since overtime began.

Next week IAFP will send letters to the Governor encouraging him to sign the following bills into law, which have passed the General Assembly:
HB 1254 – Electronic Health Records
SB 500 – Smoke Free Illinois
HB192 - which supports strategies that reduce all multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

**FEDERAL UPDATE - ACTION ALERT FROM AAFP

AAFP URGES SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TO FUND TITLE VII HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING 
Urge your Senators to increase Title VII Primary Care Training appropriations for FY08 

Call your Senators today at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to restore the Title VII Primary Care Medicine Cluster to the FY05 level of $88 million. 
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee will meet Tuesday, June 19 to pass the fiscal year 2009 (FY08) Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill which funds the Title VII health professions programs. 
Background:
The primary care training cluster, Section 747, of Title VII received $48.8 million in FY07. While this was an increase from FY06, it is down approximately $40 million from FY05. The President’s FY08 budget request proposed to eliminate this important program. 
Although the House Appropriations Committee proposed to increase some Title VII programs, the primary care training cluster was funded at the FY07 level of $48.8. Other Title VII programs, such as AHECs, Centers for Excellence, Geriatrics and HCOPS were increased in the House bill.
Section 747, the primary care training cluster, must also be increased in order to restore it to the FY05 levels of $88 million.
Learn more about Health Professionals Training Programs at: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/federal/background-on-federal-issues/titlevii.html  


FOUNDATION:

** IAFP FOUNDATION RECEIVES GRANT FOR RESIDENT AND STUDENT PAIRINGS

The IAFP Foundation's Adopt and FMIG proposal received $5,000 in funding from the AAFP Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium for the upcoming academic year.  The funds will be used to formalize mentoring relationships between FMIGs and nearby or affiliated residency programs, enabling them to conduct clinical or professional education workshops, mentoring activities or service projects.  The ultimate goal is to allow residents to separate  "family medicine fact from fiction"  for the students and give them a positive role models and influence a surge in students choosing family medicine.

** TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME... AND BENEFIT TAR WARS!!

Tar Wars Night out with the White Sox is Thursday, August 9th

Root on the Chicago White Sox and raise money for the IAFP Foundation's Tar Wars program!  Each ticket you purchase means a donation of between $10 and $13 per ticket.  Tar Wars teaches tobacco prevention to 4th & 5th graders throughout the state.

Seats are available in both Lower Reserved and Bleachers sections.

Bleachers $25
Lower Reserved $30

For an order form, go to http://www.iafp.com/tarwars/soxflyer07.htm or contact Tar Wars coordinator Ginnie Flynn at 630-435-0356 ext 118 or gflynn@iafp.com Tickets MUST be ordered by July 25 to ensure delivery in time for the game.  
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CME Information:

** COMING NEXT WEEK: CME CONNECTION
IAFP will launch new electronic newsletter called “CME Connection” which will be dedicated entirely to IAFP CME opportunities and products as well as CME offerings from partner organizations and more. The first issue will be e-mailed to all IAFP active members beginning Thursday, June 21. The publication will be sent monthly allowing IAFP members the chance to find the CME options that meet their needs. 

**FIND IAFP EVENTS AND OTHER CME OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS ANY TIME AT http://www.iafp.com/calendar/  


**IAFP ONLINE CME

1. PRACTICE MANAGEMENT: Strategies for Coding, Billing and Getting Paid Appropriately. This online program has been approved by AAFP for 4 Prescribed CME credits. 

Read the 2007 coding supplement to the original monograph. http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/701codingIAFP.pdf  

2. ADOLESCENT HEALTH FOR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. The case-based CME program, Adolescent Health -Immunizations & Wellness (Up to 3 CME credits) and Social and Emotional Development Screening (1 CME Category 1 credit), is available FREE on the IAFP website at http://www.iafp.com/education 

**NEW IAFP TELECONFERENCES – DIAL IN FOR CME IN JUNE

1. The Social and Emotional Development: Screening Strategies for Primary Care Physicians 

2. The Identifying Postpartum Depression during the Well-Child Visit: Resources for Screening, Referral, and Treatment 

Each teleconference is an hour long and worth 1.0 Prescribed or Category 1 credits. 

Teleconferences run in May and June, for a complete list and a registration form, link here:
http://www.iafp.com/CME/ConferenceCalls.htm  

For more information, contact Kate Valentine at kvalentine@iafp.com  

**AAFP TO HOST CME EVENT IN OAK BROOK
Oct. 12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook
Topics to include: BPH, Constipation, Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia, Immunizations and Insomnia. Look for more information as it becomes available. 

__________________
Members in the News – If you would like a copy of any of the articles below, contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com . 

* Carolyn Lopez, MD of Chicago is quoted in the June 4 issue of Crain’s Chicago business in an article about the current shortfall in the Cook County Bureau of Health’s revenue.

*Ben Brewer, MD of Forrest discusses the very tricky issue of distinguishing true pain patients from drug seekers in his June 5 installment of “From the Doctor’s Office” in the Wall Street Journal Online. While doctors must be attune to the many deceptions a drug seeking patient will try, Dr. Brewer continues to care for those patients with demonstrated need for strong pain management. 

*IAFP Distinguished Service Award recipient Tom Cornwell, MD of Wheaton is featured in a June 13 AAFP News Now Report on the benefits of home visits and the evolution of a sustainable payment system to make home visits work for the patient and the physician.

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FOR STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS:

**STUDENTS: HAVE A GREAT SUMMER AND STAY CURRENT WITH IAFP NEWS THROUGH YOUR E-MAIL

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Mark your calendars for the next IAFP Foundation Fall Family Medicine Program!
Date: Saturday, September 29th
Time: 9 am – 2:30 pm
Location: Oak Brook Marriott
For more information please contact Crishelle O’Rourke at corourke@iafp.com .

Click here for a flyer you can print out and save: http://www.iafp.com/students/Fall%20forum.htm  

**RESIDENTS: GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PGY-3’s WHO ARE FINISHING THEIR RESIDENCY TRAINING. WE WISH YOU THE BEST WHEREVER YOUR CAREER TAKES YOU.

*RESIDENTS, PREPARE TO ADOPT AN FMIG!
Family medicine residents are in a unique position to encourage, guide and support medical students who would make fantastic family physicians. 

IAFP Foundation will continue to advance our “Adopt-an-FMIG” system between the medical school FMIGs and affiliated or nearby family medicine residency programs. We would like to create and facilitate a coordinated effort so that every Illinois FMIG has a dedicated support system from a family medicine residency. 

The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium (AAFP/F FMPC) has provided IAFP Foundation a grant of $5,000 to facilitate “Adopt-an-FMIG.” 

We hope you can offer outings, workshops, education, social outlets, mentoring or any other outreach that will showcase family medicine’s value and special place in health care. Each program will be contacted directly later this summer with details. 

*EXIBITOR REGISTRATION FOR THE FALL FORUM IS ONLINE
Has your program made plans to exhibit at the IAFP Foundation Fall Forum?
For details, visit: http://www.iafp.com/students/exhibitor%20prospectus.htm  

*JOB LISTINGS AND OTHER INFO ON-LINE
Here is a place to start: http://www.iafp.com/JobListings/  

*Link to new resources for residents IAFP web site http://www.iafp.com/Residents/index.htm  

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NEWS YOU CAN USE

* FATHERS DAY FACTS: TOBACCO USE TAKES A TOLL ON ILLINOIS DADS
Father’s Day is Sunday, but unfortunately many Illinoisans have lost their father prematurely to tobacco-related illness. According to the 2005 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 21.2 percent of Illinois men are smokers. Estimates reveal that 10,300 men die from tobacco related causes in Illinois each year and 1,200 of them have children under age 18. 

If you’re seeing any dads in your practice that need to quit tobacco, you can link to a helpful resource from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids on the IAFP web site at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/Smoke-FreeFatherDay.pdf 

*AAFP UNVEILS RESULTS OF “GRADE YOUR PAYERS” SURVEY
AAFP has published their 2007 “Grade Your Payers” survey, a project of the AAFP Practice Support Division and Family Practice Management, in the June issue of FPM, posted online on June 5th. On that date, the AAFP sent the attached cover letter and a courtesy copy of the FPM article regarding the survey results to the following national payers: Aetna, CIGNA, Private HealthCare Systems, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and WellPoint, as well as the BCBS Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

While respondents to the survey rated more than 250 health plans, the article reports results only for the 32 payers who were graded by at least 10 members each. The regional payers are referenced in the FPM article - http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20070600/43arep.html .

**ILLINOIS HEALTH CONNECT UPDATES:
[EDITOR’S NOTE: IAFP is committed to ensuring our members have the necessary information about Illinois Health Connect to make an informed decision on their participation]

Illinois Health Connect Monthly Webinars
Beginning June 27, Illinois Health Connect (IHC) will host a monthly educational webinar. This month's topic, "How to Use Panel Rosters" will walk you through the process of using a panel roster, including 1) describing the format of clinical information on your roster, 2) describing clinical information that is included on the roster, how it can be used for QI, and more!

To participate in this month's webinar, register by calling the Provider Helpline at 1-877-912-1999. A registration confirmation and instructions on how to access the webinar will be sent to you. During this webinar, have your panel roster in front of you so you can ask questions. Panel rosters are available on IHC's website, www.illinoishealthconnect.com , under “access.”

If you have a topic idea for the July or August IHC webinar, please e-mail Kristen Jackson at IAFP, kjackson@iafp.com , or contact IHC's Medical Director and fellow IAFP member Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, at 1-888-912-9120 ext 2218 or mkirkegaard@automated-health.com .

**Illinois Health Connect presents “Community Provider Training Sessions beginning July 18
Find training sessions in Southern Illinois at
http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/Illinois%20Health%20Connect%20Flyer-Southern%20Region.pdf 
Locate training sessions in Central Illinois at
http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/Illinois%20Health%20Connect%20Flyer-Central%20Region.pdf 

Find an updated Fact Sheet about IHC at http://www.iafp.com/legislative/fact%20sheet.htm 

Provider Information can be found on the Illinois Health Connect Web site at
http://www.illinoishealthconnect.com/providerinfo.aspx  

For additional information, call Illinois Health Connect Provider Services Helpdesk at 1-877-912-1999.
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REMINDERS WORTH REPEATING

**BRIDGING CARE PLANNER – FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AT YOUR PRACTICE

The Problem - Did you know…
• 46 percent of people in the U.S. have a chronic medical condition
• 49 percent of these persons have more than one chronic condition
• A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that patients with chronic conditions received only 56 percent of recommended care

The Solution
Enhance your quality improvement efforts and chronic care management with the BridgingCare® Planner (BCP) patient registry. 

A registry is a practical tool that enables you to monitor patient care on a routine basis. A registry provides a systematic approach to documenting the quality of care provided. The information is organized in one place for tracking and monitoring the care of either individual patients or a group of patients over time. Through a dynamic reporting capability, a practice can identify patients due for evaluation or intervention and follow specific indicators (e.g. A1c). 

Link to more information at http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/BCP.htm  

**AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION OFFERS TOLL-FREE ILLINOIS TELEPHONE STROKE SUPPORT GROUP
The goal of the telephone support group is to build community, provide support and share information by connecting survivors, caregivers, health professionals and other stroke stakeholders. Dial in to monthly calls at NOON on the last Friday of every month. The calls will last approximately 60-90 minutes. Participation is free but registration is required. Please see the announcement for details at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/strokesurvivor.pdf  .

**PHYSICIAN VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 

CommunityHealth is seeking physicians to volunteer at our clinic located at 2611 W. Chicago Ave. A volunteer commitment of just one clinic session (four hours) every month would be welcome. We are in need of primary care physicians and specialists (Gynecologists, Endocrinologists, Ophthalmologists, and Rheumatologists). In addition, other volunteers such as, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, interpreters (Spanish and Polish), and clerical support are always needed. 

Founded in 1993, CommunityHealth is Illinois' largest volunteer-based clinic serving the uninsured. Dedicated volunteers have allowed the clinic to annually provide over 17,000 free patient visits to approximately 6500 active patients. 
For more information about CommunityHealth or to become a volunteer: go to http://www.communityhealth.org/volunteers  or contact: Kelly Jordan, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at 773-395-9901 ex. 23 or kjordan@communityhealth.org .

CLASSIFIED ADS:


ORLAND PARK - Looking for FT Family Physician in growing suburban practice. Orland Park is a thriving family suburb with excellent schools, housing, and shopping in the South suburban Chicago area, within 30 minutes of downtown Chicago. Salary based on level of experience and partnership possibilities considered after two years of employment. No OB required. Resident or seasoned FP welcome. Contact Dr. Susan Rife - fax CV to 708-873-1204, e-mail to drsrife@pol.net  or phone 708-873-1187 for more information. 


CHAMPAIGN, IL--Christie Clinic is a multi-specialty group of 90 physicians that is recruiting for 2 FP’s, one in Champaign’s twin city of Urbana and the other in nearby Rantoul. Call: 1/8. No OB. The clinic is looking for highly motivated FP’s who want to work hard and be rewarded for it. Starting salary could be $170K, with lucrative bonus potential. Earnings well above national and regional averages. Metro population of 150,000. Home of the University of Illinois, with comfortable college town lifestyle and many cultural amenities. 2.5 hours south of Chicago. Send CV to Christopher Kashnig, Christie Clinic, 101 W. University, Champaign, IL 61820. Phone 217-366-5374. Fax 217-373-6872. e-mail address: ckashnig@christieclinic.com  

If you have any news items to share with the IAFP membership, please e-mail Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com