IAFP e-News for June 6, 2008


IAFP News

**NEW MEMBER BENEFITS SECTION ON IAFP WEB SITE
There are many obvious reasons to be an IAFP member. But did you know your IAFP membership also means benefits with other companies and CME providers? Check out the new “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  

**IAFP OFFICE BEGINS NEW SUMMER SCHEDULE
Beginning this week (June 2) the IAFP office now operates on a new summer schedule. The office is open 7:00am till 4:00pm Monday through Thursday, and then 8:00am until noon on Friday. Individual staff schedules may vary slightly around those times, but someone will be in the office during those core hours to assist you. The IAFP will operate on this schedule through August 29th. 

**2008 IAFP ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION
With so much going on at your Academy, this is the year to attend our annual meeting. Plenty of information will be coming your way over the summer, but for now SAVE THE DATES:

IAFP Annual Meeting: December 5-6, 2008
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
One South Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63102
314-421-1776
Meeting room rate: $109 – cut off is November 21st

Highlights include a wine tasting reception, five CME programs, the All Member Assembly and the annual awards banquet. Look for details in the upcoming June/July issue of Family Physician. 

** STUDENT MEMBERS- IAFP SURVEY JUST FOR YOU!
Please take a quick survey to help us plan our student services for the rest of 2008 and 2009. Use the link below – it will only take a few minutes of your time!
LINK: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=08OmvUDy1XXwBiIui1kd_2bA_3d_3d 

**RESIDENT MEMBERS – WE HAVE A SURVEY FOR YOU, TOO!
LINK: 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2fUynMo9AjRx7YeZYJhdGlQ_3d_3d 

** SEND YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR 2008 FP OF THE YEAR AWARD
The deadline for Family Physician of the Year nominations has been extended to June 30. Award winners will be honored at the IAFP Annual Meeting in December in St. Louis. 
It’s easy to access award information and nomination forms on the IAFP Web site
- Family Physician of the Year http://www.iafp.com/PR/FPOY2008.htm  

**SEND YOUR IDEAS OR CONCERNS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
You can contact your IAFP Board of Directors through the IAFP website at http://www.iafp.com/about/officers.htm.  

2. State and Federal Government Relations Activities
STATE UPDATE
**The General Assembly adjourned on time Saturday, May 31st.

They passed four bills that contained the budget: SB 1102, 1115, 1129 and HB 5701. The budget implementation bill is SB 773. As far as the budget is concerned, the Governor had a press conference on June 2nd where he stated that the budget was $2.1 billion dollars more in spending than revenue. We believe that Legislators may be called back to Springfield later this month to address those issues. The budget needs to be finalized by July 1, 2008 when the Fiscal Year 2009 begins. Any bill that contains an effective date prior to June 1, 2009, will need a 3/5 majority vote. In the House, a 3/5 majority vote would require Republican votes.

The General Assembly is scheduled to return for veto session on November 12, 13, & 14 and November 19, 20 & 21.

IAFP tracked a total of 145 bills this legislative session by monitoring, supporting, or opposing their intent. Ultimately, 19 of those bills passed both houses and await the Governor’s signature. The following bills (in chronological order) were supported:

HB1432: insurance coverage for eating disorders
HB3286: the creation of a Health Policy Center
HB4602: insurance coverage for a shingles vaccine
HB5717: aligning the school health exam code with immunizations
SB2012: the creation of a Chronic Disease Task Force

Many items were left on the calendar due to amendatory language detailing the Governor’s rulemaking authority which were attached in the House but not accepted in the Senate. After 30 days of being on the calendar, most of these will be sent back to their House of origins’ Rules committee. For specific language on any bill or to search by key word/topic, please visit www.ilga.gov  and type in which bill you’d like to read in detail.

**OFFICE OF HEALTH PROTECTION FILED EMERGENCY RULES TO AMEND THE CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION CODE.

PA 95-0422 amended the School Code to change the timing of one of the physical examinations required for school entry from fifth grade to sixth grade. The Act became effective on August 24, 2007, at which time the 2007-2008 school year had already begun, and it was too late to notify families that a physical health examination was required for children entering 6th grade. Families had already complied with the requirement for a physical health examination to enter 5th grade, in accordance with the law as it existed before August 24, 2007, and the Department's existing rules. 

The change in the law requires the same children who had received physical examinations as fifth graders to receive physical examinations again as sixth graders for the 2008-2009 school year. To lessen the burden on families, the Department and the State Board of Education agreed, for the 2008-2009 school year only, that any fifth grade entrance examination conducted from August 2006 through September 2007 would meet the requirements for the sixth grade entrance examination. The Department submitted emergency rulemaking to comply with the change in the law and to add the procedures for the sixth grade entrance examinations for the 2008-2009 school year. 


Federal Government Relations 

** HHS EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD FOR HPSA/MUA REVISION
Family Medicine Opposes HPSA/MUA proposed rule
The Health Resources and Services Administration extended the comment period for the proposed Health Professional Shortage Area/Medically Underserved Area rule until June 30th, 2008. Submit your comments at http://www.regulations.gov.  
View the IAFP letter submitted May 21 - http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/HPSA.pdf  

**MEDICARE: 
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) plans to introduce a Medicare reform bill Friday that would increase physician payments by 1.1% for 18 months, starting July 1. IAFP and AAFP will keep members apprised of this new legislation and any grassroots action needed as we are now less than 30 days away from the scheduled 10.6% cut in Medicare physician reimbursement. 
KEEP THE DOOR OPEN
Act now to stop the Medicare pay cut! Unless Congress stops the Medicare payment cut scheduled to take place in July, family physicians will be hit with a decrease of more than 10 percent in Medicare payments. Go to http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/federal/medicarecut.html  for more information.
HAVE YOU EVER USED AAFP’s SPEAK OUT? 
Wisconsin AFP president Lowell Keppel, MD created a video with instructions on how to use the AAFP Speak Out function and then posted the video on You Tube. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVIysNWTCiE 


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4. CME Information
** NEW! NATIONAL PROCEDURES INSTITUTE:
Our Illinois chapter is proud to partner with NPI to provide you an exciting opportunity to bring new procedures to your practice and to generate revenue for your practice and state Academy at the same time. When you attend an NPI course, NPI will send $50 to the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. All you have to do is enter “Illinois” in the Referral Code field when you register online at the NPI Web site so that our chapter receives credit for your attendance. You can attend the Chicago NPI series September 10-14, or any of the NPI offerings around the country. Register early for a $100 early bird discount!

Visit NPI online at http://www.npinstitute.com  to view course descriptions, learn about NPI’s outstanding faculty, and register. Don’t forget to enter ILLINOIS in the Referral Code field during the registration process and start getting more out of your practice with NPI.

View the entire 2008 NPI Schedule at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/2008Schedule.pdf  


** 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  

** CME CASE STUDIES ON HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES

IAFP is offering free online CME case studies on “Hypertension in Primary Care Practice” and "Diabetes in Primary Care Practice" at http://www.IAFP.com\education . Each study takes about 45-60 minutes to complete. 

**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. 

*Pri-Med Updates 
Locally held continuing medical education programs designed for Primary Care Physicians currently engaged in patient care. This program features new and emerging guidelines, therapies, and evidence- based information on multiple therapeutic areas encountered in primary care. By attending, you’ll have the opportunity to interact with expert faculty, participate in question-and-answer periods, and test your knowledge and receive immediate feedback on patient care scenarios. 

Oak Brook, IL – Thursday & Friday, October 30-31, 2008
http://www.pri-med.com/30oak08b/r12 

Chicago, IL – Tuesday & Wednesday, December 2-3, 2008 
http://www.pri-med.com/30chi08b/r12 

St. Louis, MO – Thursday & Friday, November 13-14, 2008
http://www.pri-med.com/30stl08b/r12 


* Pri-Med Midwest Conference & Exhibition
Rosemont, IL - Wednesday-Saturday, March 4-7, 2009
http://www.pri-med.com/midwest09 
(Please note: Registration for this event will open in fall 2008)

Over four full days, Pri-Med Conference & Exhibition provides a diverse spectrum of learning opportunities in 1 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)™.


*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, Infectious Disease, Obesity, Pediatrics, 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 Multi-media slide lecture series. Earn high-quality physician-authored eCME anytime at http://www.pri-med.com/onlineCME. 

**2008 WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE CME CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION 
Friday, September 12 – Saturday, September 13
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL 

Registration Information: http://www.womenshf.com/2008national/chi2008/  
IAFP MEMBER DISCOUNT: Women’s Healthcare Forum and IAFP are pleased to offer all IAFP members a discounted registration fee of $75, a 50% savings on the standard 2008 registration fee. When registering, please use priority code: WHFC801 to take advantage of this offer. 


** AAFP PRACTICE ENHANCEMENT FORUM IS COMING TO OAK BROOK
Send three people (one FP and two support staff) to AAFP’s Practice Enhancement Forum October 10-11 in Oak Brook. Along with up to 20 prescribed CME credits, participating FPs will attain the following 
Objectives:
The Practice Enhancement Forum (PEF) provides family medicine teams with practical tools, skills and knowledge to begin implementing the Chronic Care Model into their practice. Upon completion of the PEF your family medicine team will be able to:
• Assess your practice and determine where to direct improvement efforts. 
• Begin implementing the Chronic Care Model into your practice. 
• Motivate your office team to deliver optimal patient care. 
• Understand how to implement and sustain improvement. 
• Be a champion for change in your practice

Learn more on from AAFP’s web site at 
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/practicemgt/quality/cme/pef.html  
Link to registration
http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/prac_mgt/quality/pef/reg-il.Par.0001.File.dat/PEFreg08-IL.pdf 


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


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

*Christine Lucas, MD is mentioned in a May 8 Southern Illinoisan article because her clinic utilizes the American Academy of Pediatrics “Reach Out and Read” program, providing age appropriate books at well-child visits.

*Kyaw Naing, MD tells the amazing story of his family’s survival of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar in the May 9th Southern Illinoisan.

*The Tar Wars program is featured in the May 8th Ridgeview Review as the McLean County Health Department displayed their county’s Tar Wars posters at Illinois State University. 

*Jason Jerebek, MD is one of the latest Illinois family physicians to join the electronic age. His Casey Clinic practice now has a live EMR system and that made news in the Mattoon Journal Gazette on May 19,

*IAFP Public Relations task force member Tamarah Dupervahl, MD and former task force member Irene Thevatheril, MD were featured panelists at Campaign for Better Healthcare’s annual summit, called “Critical Condition” on May 17 in Downer’s Grove. 

*Dr. Ben Brewer talks about the “ROAD” most traveled by today’s med students (Radiology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesiology and Dermatology) as opposed to the family medicine road he chose and the benefits of caring for his community and knowing his patients. His “From the Doctor’s Office” appeared in the June 6 issue of the Wall Street Journal. 

6. NEWS YOU CAN USE
**MEASLES ALERT! 
IDPH has confirmed multiple cases of measles in Illinois! Visit our web site at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/measles.pdf  for IDPH memo with important details and instructions for providers. 
**OPERATION PUSH MEDICAL CONFERENCE-2008
“ELIMINATING RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES - NOW!”

DATE: July 1-2 
Site: Hyatt Regency Hotel
2233 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago

TOPICS
Clinical trials and the African-American Community
Fixing the Cost Problems
Universal Insurance and Access
Community-Based Approaches to Enhancing Health Outcomes
Nutrition and Obesity Related Diseases
Clinical Solutions to Health Disparities
Emergency Preparedness: Avoiding Katrinas
The Changing Face of HIV: Women of Color
Eliminating HIV:AIDS to Eliminate One Aspect of Disparities

CME Available, Thanks to the University of Illinois
For registration ($ 50) and information, call Elicia Best at: 312-666-1949


** STATE ONLINE RESOURCE TO CHECK RX HISTORY
The Illinois Dept. of Human Services has a new web site for Illinois Prescription Monitoring. Physicians can register and use the web site to review a patient's prescription history for controlled substances. This resource can enable physicians to identify patients who are visiting multiple doctors to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances. Log on and register at https://www.ilpmp.org/index.php . You will need your DEA number and your medical license number for verification. 

7. Foundation News – Tar Wars White Sox game
**WHITE SOX GAME FUNDRAISER FOR TAR WARS – AUGUST 7 
THE WHITE SOX just swept the Kansas City Royals and are hanging on to first place! Get your tickets now for this summer’s best fundraiser—Tar Wars at the White Sox! Doesn’t matter if you’re a Sox fan or a Cubs fan, we’re all fans of family medicine. This one fundraising event ensures our state poster winner can attend the National Tar Wars poster contest in Washington, DC. 

Each ticket = $15 tax-deductible donation to Tar Wars!
Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7:11 p.m. at US Cellular Field, the White Sox vs. the Detroit Tigers. For ticket information, go to http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/sox08.pdf  


8. Resident and Student Affairs

**CONGRATULATIONS TO ILLINOIS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS TO AAFP NATIONAL CONFERENCE:
The following Illinois applicants received $600 scholarships to attend the AAFP National Conference for Residents and Medical Students at the end of July:

Students:
First time attendees – Emery Lin and Anthony Mrgudich
Minority Student – Patrick Mareno

Residents:
Minority – Virginia Hernandez, MD

** RESIDENTS: 
Please take a quick survey to help us plan our resident services to meet your needs. Use the link below – it will only take a few minutes of your time!
LINK: 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2fUynMo9AjRx7YeZYJhdGlQ_3d_3d 


**STUDENTS 
1. Congratulations to U of Chicago – Pritzker FMIG for achieving a 20 percent increase in AAFP membership at their campus. For their hard work, the U of C FMIG has earned a $150 award from AAFP to use for an upcoming FMIG activity. FMIG leaders Laura Zhang and Cliff Lin accepted the check from IAFP Public Relations director Ginnie Flynn on June 4th. 

2. Please take the following quick survey to help us plan our student services for the rest of 2008 and 2009.
LINK: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=08OmvUDy1XXwBiIui1kd_2bA_3d_3d 


9. News from AAFP 

** AAFP PRACTICE ENHANCEMENT FORUM IS COMING TO OAK BROOK
Send three people (one FP and two support staff) to AAFP’s Practice Enhancement Forum October 10-11 in Oak Brook. Along with up to 20 prescribed CME credits, participating FPs will attain the following 
Objectives:
Upon completion of the PEF your family medicine team will be able to:
• Assess your practice and determine where to direct improvement efforts. 
• Begin implementing the Chronic Care Model into your practice. 
• Motivate your office team to deliver optimal patient care. 
• Understand how to implement and sustain improvement. 
• Be a champion for change in your practice

Learn more on from AAFP’s web site at 
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/practicemgt/quality/cme/pef.html  
Registration link 
http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/prac_mgt/quality/pef/reg-il.Par.0001.File.dat/PEFreg08-IL.pdf  
** PRACTICE MANAGEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: THE NEW REALITY 
August 7-9, 2008 
San Antonio, Texas 
Hyatt Regency 
Managing for today. Preparing for tomorrow. A conference for physicians, practice managers, and front office staff. With featured speakers, new pre-conference and evening events. 
Register before July 1 to save $100. http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/pracmgmtcourses/21stcentury.html  
AAFP Live! 


REMINDERS Worth Repeating

**MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR NPI AND USE IT NOW. 
Starting NOW, physicians face the risk of rejected Medicaid and Medicare claims if the billing provider does not provide the individual NPI (national provider identifier) number. 

MEDICAID: The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has indicated that they are receiving many claims submitted with a Group NPI number as the Billing Provider instead of an individual NPI number as the Billing Provider. HFS cannot process a claim submitted with a Group NPI as the Billing Provider. Since many of these claims do not contain the provider's HFS number, there is no way for the claims to be processed and no way for HFS to identify or notify the correct Billing Provider. The HFS policy for using the NPI numbers for billing does NOT match the CMS policy and this has generated a great deal of confusion. However, claims for Illinois Medicaid clients must follow the HFS policy or they cannot be processed.
LINK to the HFS Notice http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/NPI.pdf  
LINK to FAQs about the NPI http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/FAQdocument.pdf  

NPI FOR MEDICARE
The AAFP has signed on to the AMA’s letter urging a delay in the May 23 deadline for using NPI numbers. However no extension has been granted. As such, members should be prepared and in full compliance. Need help? AAFP has some FAQs online at http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/practicemgt/regulatory-compliance/hipaa/natlproviderid.html  

**SIGN UP FOR VACCINE PURCHASING 
IAFP’s new partner – Atlantic Health Partners – can help our member practices save precious dollars and advocate on your behalf with payers and manufacturers. Atlantic, a physician purchasing program, works directly with Sanofi Pasteur and Merck and has obtained very favorable pricing and purchasing terms for a wide variety of pediatric, adolescent, adult, and travel vaccines. Participation is voluntary and there is no cost to enroll in the Atlantic program. To learn more about the vaccine purchasing program, contact Jeff Winokur, 800-741-2044 or at jwinokur@atlantichealthpartners.com  .

** RENEW YOUR ILLINOIS LICENSE BY JULY 31
You should have received a postcard from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announcing your opportunity to renew your medical license online. To renew go to the IDFPR web site http://www.IDFPR.com  and enter the PIN provided on your postcard. 
Physicians’ licenses MUST be renewed by July 31, 2008. Before a license is renewed, physicians must provide the information for their profiles. You can do that at https://www.idfpr.com/applications/ProfessionProfile/ProfileUpdateMain.aspx  

CLASSIFIED ADS

1. ROCKFORD - The Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is seeking family physician faculty for: 1) our innovative longitudinal family medicine clerkship incorporating clinical care and medical student education in an office setting; 2) our family medicine residency program, OB desirable. Either position may be combined with responsibility for the department’s community health programs. The Department offers an on-site MPH program, faculty development, and research opportunities. Candidates should be board certified or board eligible. Rank is commensurate with qualifications. 

Please send a cover letter and resume to Eric Henley, MD, MPH; Head, Department of Family and Community Medicine; 1601 Parkview Ave, Rockford, IL 61107 or by email to ehenley@uic.edu . Call 815-395-5805 for further information. 
The University of Illinois is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. 

2. Is patient charting taking too much of your time? Try SpringCharts® Electronic Health Records, the only easy-to-use, affordable charting application available for both Macintosh and Windows computers. It’s perfect for physicians in single or group practice. SpringCharts will allow you to document office visits with little or no typing, will virtually eliminate your office’s records transcription costs, and allows you to print and electronically sign patient prescriptions. Visit http://www.woodedisleconsult.com  for examples, to download a demo, or just to see how easy it is to use SpringCharts! Or contact Wooded Isle Computer Consultants at 773-256-1099 for more information.

3. CHAMPAIGN, IL--Christie Clinic is a physician-owned multi-specialty group of 90 physicians that is recruiting for Family Physicians for its satellite offices in nearby Danville and Tuscola.
Danville: 35 miles east of Champaign. Join 3 Family Physicians. Call of 1/4. 
Tuscola: 25 miles south of Champaign. Solo practice. Call of 1/9.
Starting salary range of $170-200K. With productivity, incomes are well above national and regional averages. Champaign is the home of the University of Illinois, with many cultural, social, and athletic amenities. 2.5 hours south of Chicago. Contact Christopher Kashnig at Christie Clinic. Phone 217-366-5374. E-mail address: ckashnig@christieclinic.com . Website: http://www.christieclinic.com . 

4. IAFP’S RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH OR POSTING

The RIGHT job or job candidate is out there in family medicine, and we’re here to help find it! We post jobs here in e-News, in Family Physician and at our Web site http://www.iafp.com  for Jobs Online. Select “Job Listings” from the menu on the left to learn more.