enews

IAFP e-News for November 21, 2008

**2008 IAFP ANNUAL MEETING – St. Louis
Meeting date: December 5-6, 2008

Show us why the IAFP annual meeting should alternate between Chicagoland and St. Louis. Now it’s Southern Illinois IAFP members time to turn out for the IAFP annual meeting. With so much to talk about in primary care and health care policy, we need Illinois family physicians up to speed and ready for action.

Highlights of this meeting include:

1. Five hours (and 10.00 Prescribed Credits) of CME on timely, evidence-based clinical and practice management topics.*

CME SCHEDULE:
Morning (9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.)
• Low Back Pain in Adults: Guidelines for Clinical Evaluation and Management
• Smoking Cessation Strategies: Options for the Family Physician
• Illinois Health Connect: Assisting the Medical Home in Quality Assurance
Afternoon (1:30-3:30 p.m.)
• Spirometry Workshop for the Family Physician: Following the GOLD Standard: Treating COPD in Primary Care (This 2-hour workshop is limited to 30 attendees)

*For a full description of program offerings, visit the CME Section of e-News.

1-A. A bonus option for volunteer leaders to participate in CME-accredited media training (Limit 10 participants) from 7:30 am to 9:00 am for 1.5 credits

2. The annual awards banquet honoring our Family Physician of the Year, the Teachers of the Year and the three President’s Award recipients. (HINT: One is from Springfield and one is from Herrin!)

3. The All-Member Assembly and IAFP elections – every active member has a voice and a vote! Resident and Student chapters may have up to five delegates to represent their views. Take an active role in deciding the direction you want your academy to go!

4. A family fun event at the City Museum – You must purchase your discounted tickets by November 28th (see the online registration to order them).

Hotel Information:
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
St. Louis, Mo.
Call 877-845-7354
Learn more about the hotel at http://www.hilton.com

REGISTER FOR THE MEETING ONLINE AT:
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,f2aa45ce-5430-46dd-b736-f4ca4c0381a1

IAFP News

**JAVETTE ORGAIN, MD INSTALLED AS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
Chicagoans and IAFP leaders gathered to give the next IAFP president a warm welcome and salute as she takes the helm of the Academy for the next year. Javette C. Orgain, MD, MPH was installed as president on November 18th by AAFP past-president Warren Jones, MD, who was the first African-American elected president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in 2001.

Over 100 people joined in the celebration at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. Some notable names included Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Terry Mason and state representatives Marlow Colvin (D-33) and Constance Howard (D-34). Rep. Howard had the honor of presenting a copy of the House of Representatives Congratulatory Resolution (HR 1590) that she introduced on November 14th to honor Dr. Orgain on the House Floor. The resolution was adopted on Nov. 19th (link to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=51&GA=95&DocTypeId=HR&DocNum=1590&GAID=9&LegID=39784&SpecSess=&Session=)

IAFP leaders past and present came to show their support, including outgoing president Steven D. Knight, MD of Harrisburg, first vice-president Patrick Tranmer, MD of Chicago, second vice-president David Hagan, MD of Gibson City, resident board member Helen Williams, MD of Chicago. Past presidents on hand were Ronald Johnson, MD of Pittsfield, Carolyn Lopez, MD of Chicago, Tim Vega, MD of Peoria and Ellen Brull, MD of Glenview.
Read the full story online at http://www.iafp.com/PR/orgain08.htm

**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

** 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

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FROM SPRINGFIELD

**ILLINOIS HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION TO HONOR IAFP PRESIDENT
Rep. Constance Howard introduced a House of Representatives Congratulatory Resolution (HR 1590) on November 14th to honor Dr. Javette Orgain on her election as IAFP president for 2008-09. The resolution was adopted on Nov. 19th - view it online at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=51&GA=95&DocTypeId=HR&DocNum=1590&GAID=9&LegID=39784&SpecSess=&Session

**THINGS WILL BE CHANGING IN ILLINOIS, PART 2
Good news from Springfield, the Illinois Senate chose its two new leaders this week. Earlier analysis thought that selecting the next Senate president could become an all out “battle royale.” But in the end, the Senate elected its new president in a unanimous vote on Wednesday night. The Republican Caucus also chose their leader in swift fashion, electing the first ever female legislative Republican leader in Illinois.

Senate President: John Cullerton (D-6th, Chicago) replaces Emil Jones, Jr. who retired from the Senate and has been replaced by his son, Emil Jones, III.
Republican Leader: Christine Radogno (R-41st, Lemont) replaces Sen. Frank Watson who has stepped down at Republican Leader, but will continue serving as Senator from the 51st district.

These changes are good signs for progress
1. There was some indication that the replacement of the retiring leaders would be long and drawn out, making the regular business of the Illinois Senate even more difficult than it has been.
2. IAFP has good relationships with both Senator Cullerton and Senator Radogno. Senator Cullerton has been a fierce advocate for Smoke-free Illinois and related issues. Senator Radogno has been a leader on many health care issues that IAFP supports.
3. IAFP will plan to visit with both new leaders during our Spring Into Action lobbying days in March and April 2009. Dates for the 2009 Spring Into Action series will be announced in December e-Newsletters and at www.iafp.com.

Link to a complete scorecard from Cook-Witter, Inc. for election unofficial results, go to: http://www.cook-witter.com/library.html.

**WHERE DID YOU SPEND YOUR ELECTION DAY?
Did you join the thousands at Grant Park?
Did you celebrate with a local candidate at a victory party?
Were you there to support a candidate who lost a hard fought race?

Send us your stories to iafp@iafp.com for a future E-news and the December/January issue of Family Physician!

AND NOW… THE BAD NEWS

**STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL CREATES MEDICAID PAYMENT LAG
Over the past few weeks, confusing information about the state’s FamilyCare program has been in the media, creating questions from providers who serve All Kids and FamilyCare patients about payment delays. IAFP and ICAAP leaders are in contact with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and will pass information to members as it is received. The following recent information may help clarify the situation for providers.

1. FamilyCare
-FamilyCare, which provides health insurance to low income parents (or primary caretakers of children), saw both administrative and programmatic changes about a year ago. As part of these changes, the eligibility level for parents was raised from 185% to 400%. Eventually, between 4,000 and 5,000 parents enrolled as part of this expansion, a small part of the 500,000 covered by FamilyCare.
-A lawsuit was filed to enjoin this expansion. In April and October, the Cook County Circuit Court declared that the rules the state filed related to this expansion were invalid and ordered the state to end the program’s expansion.
-The state temporarily stopped paying doctors treating all FamilyCare patients, as clarification was sought on Court’s order.
On Wednesday, November 12, the Illinois Supreme Court put a temporary hold on a judge's order to shut down the expansion of the FamilyCare program, effectively allowing the state to resume making payments under the program. However, payments may be affected by the state budget situation noted below.

2. Physician Payments
-As a result of a drop off in state revenues due to the economic downturn, the Illinois Office of the Comptroller is suffering severe cash flow issues at the present time.
As a result, physician payments are currently delayed beyond the 30-day schedule for children’s claims and the 60-day schedule for adult claims that has been maintained since July of 2006.
-This problem is not related to the level of appropriation for physician payments. HFS has sufficient appropriations this fiscal year to timely pay all physician claims.
Although some of the physician claims for adult services have been on hold as a result of the court’s injunction in the FamilyCare lawsuit (see above), the lawsuit to date has had very little impact on the speed of payments. The delays are due to the overarching cash flow issues.
-HFS was able to send schedules of physician claims to the Comptroller that are free of FamilyCare claims affected by the court’s injunction (see above). The FamilyCare delays should not cause these schedules to be held other than for the cash flow problems at the Comptroller.

Federal Government Relations

**Illinois Prepares for Health Care Reform at AAFP State Legislative Conference

The State Legislative Conference is AAFP’s annual gathering of their national staff and CGA along with state chapter leaders and staff to discuss current topics and emerging issues at both the federal and state legislative levels.

With major changes in the White House and in the political makeup of the US Senate and House in 2009, this proved to be an excellent time for family medicine leaders from around the nation to gather and make plans to lead the charge for desperately needed health care reform.

Without question, all family physicians leaders will be needed to make our case here in Illinois on state policy and with our Illinois Congressional delegation in shaping the future of federal legislation. Illinois has enjoyed great successes in our trips to Washington, DC, in our constant communication with our Congressional Delegates here at home and in our contributions to FamMedPAC. We must dedicate ourselves to these three ongoing approaches in advocating for family medicine and our patients.

What can you do?
1. Contribute to FamMedPAC. By law, AAFP dues cannot be used for any candidate or election purposes. The only way for AAFP to contribute to elected officials is though the PAC. Consider just $1 per day, a $365 annual contribution (called Club George, as in Washington). Learn how you can donate at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/fammedpac.html

2. Become an AAFP Key Contact or join the Advocacy Action Team. A Key Contact is the Academy’s primary contact constituent for AAFP and is asked to meet personally with that Congressperson in the district and DC. An Action Team member would be asked to contact his or her member of Congress as needed and be available to advocate on issues throughout the year. Learn more about each option at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/grassroots/howto.html or download the entire AAFP Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit at http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/policy/grassroots/toolkit.Par.0001.File.tmp/AAFPGrassrootsAdvocacyToolkit.pdf

**TOM DASCHLE NAMED NEW HHS SECRETARY
President Barack Obama has named former Sen. Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (South Dakota) as his Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Daschle's prescriptions for the health-care system are generally similar to a reform outline unveiled last week by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

Sen. Baucus unveiled a call to action for health care reform at a press briefing on Nov. 12th that relies heavily on primary care and preventive services to improve quality, enhance access and reduce the overall cost of health care in the United States. The blueprint urges increases in Medicare payments for services furnished by primary care health professionals. It also calls for an expansion of Medicare's role in testing the medical home model as a way of promoting quality and efficiency. AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D. of Boise, Idaho has stated that Congress needs to look beyond Medicare Part B (i.e., Medicare payments made to physicians) to find savings to support primary care and the patient-centered medical home from every part of Medicare.

Link to AAFP News Now Coverage of Sen. Baucus proposal at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/government-medicine/20081118baucus-plan.html

CME Information

**IAFP ANNUAL MEETING OFFERS TIMELY QUALITY CME
Saturday, December 5th – Hilton at the Ballpark – St. Louis

REGISTER FOR THE MEETING ONLINE AT:
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,f2aa45ce-5430-46dd-b736-f4ca4c0381a1

9am - 10am - Illinois Health Connect: Assisting the Medical Home in Quality Assurance
Presented by Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, Medical Director of Illinois Health Connect, Supported by Illinois Health Connect
1. Review the definition and medical literature surrounding the medical home model.
2. Demonstrate HFS’ new web-based Drug Search Engine that allows physicians to readily check which drugs require pre-approval
3. Demonstrate Illinois Health Connect (IHC) Claims History that allows physicians to electronically access a database of patient claims
4. Describe the IHC Provider Profiles including mailing schedule and definitions of the included clinical measures
5. Demonstrate how the IHC Panel Rosters can be used as a clinical quality improvement tool & describe the 2008 Bonus Payment for High Performance program

10am - 11am - Low Back Pain in Adults: Guidelines for Clinical Evaluation and Management
Presented by Neeru Jayanthi, MD, Assistant Professor, Dept. Family Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery & Rehabilitation, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL. Supported by a grant from United Health Care
1. Recognize red flags and yellow flags in acute and chronic low back pain (LBP) and understand their role in the management of LBP
2. Understand the appropriate use of imaging studies for patients with LBP
3. Appropriately categorize patients with LBP and develop individualized management plans
4. Describe effective self-care options for patients with LBP, including education on activity modifications
5. Understand indications for referral of patients with LBP for epidural steroid injection (ESI) or surgery

11:15 am - 12:15 pm - Adult Smoking Cessation Strategies: Options for the Family Physician
Presented by Michael Temporal, MD, Director, Saint Louis University, Belleville Family Medicine Residency Program, St. Louis MO. Supported by a grant from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and Pfizer
1. Outline effective behavioral modification strategies for patients with nicotine addiction/dependence on smoking
2. Describe the pharmacologic interventions useful for smoking cessation
3. Discuss the issues in reimbursement for smoking cessation

1:30 pm - 4:00 pm - Spirometry Workshop for Family Physicians: Following the GOLD Standard: Treating COPD in Primary Care
Presented by Robert Morrow, MD. Supported by a grant from the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians
1. Appropriately use a spirometer to diagnose patients with COPD
2. Appropriately integrate spirometry into the management of patients with COPD
3. Accurately interpret the results of spirometry in patients with COPD
4. Apply appropriate procedure codes to receive payment for the use of spirometry in diagnosing COPD Limited to 30 attendees

This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 10.00 Prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Of these credits, 4.50 conform to the AAFP criteria for evidence-based CME clinical content. CME credit has been increased to reflect 2 for 1 credit for only the EB CME portion. When reporting AAFP credit, report total Prescribed or Elective credit for this activity. It is not necessary to label credit as evidence-based CME for reporting purposes.

FEES: $25 for the full day, $15 for the morning only, $10 for the afternoon only.

REGISTER FOR THE MEETING ONLINE AT:
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,f2aa45ce-5430-46dd-b736-f4ca4c0381a1

** 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.

COMING DECEMBER 1, 2008 – 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

**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 breath 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.

Foundation/Tar Wars

**RAISE MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION WHILE HOLIDAY SHOPPING ONLINE—FREE AND EASY!

You can make money for the Family Health Foundation of Illinois and enjoy the convenience of online holiday 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! Each little purchase IAFP members make add up to important revenue.

Just by doing a little shopping all year-round, a percentage of every purchase will be donated directly to the IAFP Foundation! It’s a quick and easy way to donate money to the Foundation. Prices are not changed; simply a small portion of your purchase price is given to the Foundation. The list is not sold or traded. Try it today—you have nothing to lose and we have a lot to gain!

**MAKE YOUR 2008 DIRECT DONATION BEFORE 12/31
In order to get the deduction on your 2008 tax returns, make sure you make a direct donation to the Family Health Foundation of Illinois before December 31. Foundation donations are vital to the success of some of our state’s most popular and valuable programs.
1. Summer Externship Program http://www.iafp.com/Foundation/externship.htm
2. Tar Wars http://www.iafp.com/tarwars/
3. Student events such as the Fall Family Medicine Forum and the Preparing for Residency seminar.
4. Scholarships for student and resident members to attend IAFP and AAFP events to foster the future of family medicine.

In order for the Family Health Foundation of Illinois to secure grants from AAFP Foundation and other outside funders (like private and corporate foundations and giving programs) we must demonstrate that our own membership supports the Foundation. If every member gives just a small donation, those numbers add up quickly and carry significant weight in our grant applications.

If you bought tickets for the Tar Wars White Sox game in August, your donation keeps Tar Wars moving in Illinois. If you haven’t donated to your Foundation this year, please make your first donation of the year count, for you and us!
Click here for a printable donation form: http://www.iafp.com/Foundation/donorform.htm

**TAR WARS UPDATE
All the presenters and schools have been notified for the 2008-09 school year.
Start making plans and setting up your presentations!
Just a couple of reminders:

1. Make sure you download the 2008-09 Program guide at
http://www.tarwars.org/cgi-bin/download_tracking.pl 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’re interested in signing up as a new presenter, it’s not too late! Contact Ginnie at gflynn@iafp.com or link to a presenter form at http://www.iafp.com/tarwars/corporate/presentersignup.htm

**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. We also have several former externs who have completed residency training and are now serving as preceptors for this program.

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.

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

*IAFP past-president Ernst “Chet” Bone, MD has been honored with the 2008 Outstanding Older Worker for Illinois awards from Experience Works, a national nonprofit agency that works to improve the lives of seniors through employment, community service and training. Since retiring from active family practice in 1974, Dr. Bone has served as a consultant with the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services in Springfield, commuting every day from Jacksonville. He was featured in the Nov. 10 issue of the Jacksonville Journal Courier.

*Benjamin Brewer, MD offers his own prescription for overhauling the primary care payment system in the Nov. 11 installment of “From the Doctor’s Office in the Wall Street Journal Online. Specifically, he proposes that the government refund each patient $365 of their tax money a year - $1 a day – for a year’s worth of pre-defined primary care services. Then patients would need insurance only for hospital and acute services, which in theory would be reduced by better preventive and primary care service.

*Lara Ellison, DO of Naperville found herself in a rare and sad situation when two unrelated children in her practice were both diagnosed with a rare brain cancer, called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. The story of how these two families connected was featured in the Nov. 18th Naperville Sun.

*Dr. Robert Sawicki, a former IAFP board member, has been appointed the Medical Director of Supportive Care for OSF HealthCare. The OSF Supportive Care Model calls for a change in how they deliver care to patients with chronic progressive and/or terminal disease. In addition to being the Director of Supportive Care, Dr. Sawicki continues to serve as the Medical Director of Home Care Services. Dr. Sawicki was Board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2001, and recently sat for the examination for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Boards under the newly approved process sanctioned by the American Board of Medical Specialties. He is certified in EPEC (Education for Physicians in End of life Care).

NEWS YOU CAN USE

**PERTUSSIS UPDATE
Provided by Rashmi K. Chugh, MD - IAFP Public Health Committee

With an increased number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases being reported in some northern Illinois counties (e.g., Lake and Winnebago Counties, Chicago), family physicians are reminded of the importance of early disease recognition, diagnosis, reporting, and preventive measures that should be followed to control and prevent further transmission. There is still a common perception that pertussis is a disease primarily of children. In fact, adolescents and adults are often the main reservoir of the disease, and then may unknowingly transmit the infection to an infant, which may lead to hospitalization or death.

Consider pertussis in the differential diagnosis when evaluating any infant, child, adolescent or adult with an acute cough illness (at least 2 weeks) characterized by prolonged cough or cough with paroxysms (spasmodic fits of coughing), inspiratory “whoop”, or post-tussive gagging/vomiting, with no other attributable cause. Infants may present with apnea and/or cyanosis. If you, the clinician, are suspecting pertussis in a patient, then testing (by nasopharyngeal swab for culture or PCR) is high priority, as well as reporting any suspect or known case of pertussis to the local health department.

Prevention: Vaccinate infants--start and complete all of the recommended doses of DTaP vaccine (at 2, 4, and 6 months of age). Additional doses of DTaP vaccine is recommended at 15-18 months of age and at 4-6 years of age. Vaccinate adolescents and adults, including post-partum women, and other women of childbearing age, healthcare workers, and household contacts of infants with a single dose of Tdap vaccine, containing tetanus toxoids, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis. Additional information about administration of Tdap during pregnancy is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/preg-guide.htm#tdap.

Treat pertussis cases and provide prophylaxis for close contacts. Untreated pertussis illness in mothers and other close contacts of newborn children can result in serious illness, and death of the newborn.

For more information regarding diagnosis, management, and reporting of pertussis, contact your local health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health Immunization Section at 1-800-526-4372.

Link to the full article and even more resources on IAFP’s web site at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/pertussis.pdf

**ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD FOR THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM BEGINS ON NOVEMBER 15 AND RUNS UNTIL DECEMBER 31

Seniors should review their drug plans every year. Even if their medications haven't changed, it's almost certain that their plan's formulary of drugs covered and pricing have. Medicare contracts with a variety of insurance companies that submit new plans to Medicare each year.

ONLINE Resource: Medicare Prescription Drug Care Plan Finder at http://www.medicare.gov . By entering ZIP code, drug names, dosage information, and 30-day supply amounts, users can obtain a prioritized list of prescription drug plan options sorted from the least expensive to the most expensive plan based on total estimated annual cost. You can display all plans, do a side-by-side comparison and drill down to obtain specific information on how to lower drug costs. The drug list can even be saved for later reference.

**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:

1. 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
2. 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.
Influenza surveillance data for Chicago and several other counties are available on local health department websites. In addition, national influenza surveillance reports for influenza are available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivity.htm ; national RSV data are available at http://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/rsv/natl-trend.html.

To reduce the burden of disease for influenza and RSV, don’t forget to offer influenza vaccination and RSV prophylaxis to your high risk patients. For more information visit: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/ and http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/clinical/prophylaxis.html

**PROVIDE YOUR PATIENTS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE HAZARDS OF LEAD

Safe and Healthy Homes: A Primary Prevention project is a new endeavor from the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics to assist physicians in educating their families about lead. Practices ask families to fill out a fax form and send it to the Metropolitan Tenants Organization who will provide specific information about their home and will assisting them in obtaining a free lead inspection from the Health Department. Chicago continues to be a national hot spot for lead poisoning with over 6800 children having lead levels above 10 in 2003. By helping families identify lead hazards in their home early in infancy, these children will avoid elevated lead levels and the long term consequences of lead poisoning. To learn more about the program or to receive a customized map of your practice, contact Jennie Pinkwater at jpinkwater@illinoisaap.com or 312/733-1026 ext 213.

News from AAFP

**AAFP GUIDE TO MANAGED CARE CONTRACTS
The uncertainly surrounding the future of Medicare physician payments can wreak havoc on your insurance and manage care payments as well. Be prepared with AAFP’s 12 page Contracting Guide. Link to it on the Private Sector Advocacy Section on the AAFP web site (Member login required)
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/privatesector.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.

Members can choose an appropriate letter to communicate directly with health insurers about:
*coverage of and fair payment for the purchase and administration of immunizations,
*payment for group visits, and
*payment for providing behavioral and mental health services.

There's also a letter members can use to ask the health plans with which they work to list key contact information on their Web sites. That simple action could help physicians quickly reach the appropriate person at a given health plan with questions and concerns.

** PARTICIPATE IN AN AAFP RESEARCH STUDY

Join this exciting AAFP National Research Network evaluation project and help us determine if the AAFP Practice Enhancement Forum (PEF) or AAFP METRIC Quality Improvement Programs have:
• Changed practice systems or processes related to patient care outcomes.
• Made improvements in patient processes and intermediate patient outcomes.
Participants will be compensated for their time and expenses, and may receive up to 20 CME credits.
Find out more about participating in the Research Study at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/clinical/research/natnet/studies/current.html