E-news for November 30, 2007 1. IAFP News 2. GR – Circuit Court Ruling  3. Federal GR – Medicare Cuts and Your Academy in Action 4. Foundation  5. Education and Pri-Med 6. Members in the News 7. Residents and Students 8. News You Can Use 9. Reminders 10. Classifieds IAFP News **NOVEMBER FAMILY PHYSICIAN IS ON THE WEB- The October/November issue of IAFP’s Family Physician is ready to read at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/octnov07.pdf   IAFP BOARD MEETING The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors met by webinar and teleconference on November 13th. Two important results of that meeting include adopting a budget for 2008 and also approving a new meeting schedule effective for the next four years.  Meeting schedule changes: Beginning in 2008, the IAFP Annual Meeting will be held in the first week of December, and will alternate between St. Louis and Chicago. So grab your 2008 calendar and block off December 6-7 for the IAFP annual meeting in St. Louis! Meanwhile the annual “Spring into Action” lobby day will transform from a one-shot event into multiple opportunities during March and April where IAFP members can pick a Wednesday that fits their schedule and head to Springfield. These “mini” lobby days are designed to enable more family physicians to learn about our government processes and advocate on issues that impact family medicine. You can meet face to face with those policy makers and legislators involved in creating, debating and implementing healthcare policy in Illinois that affects you and your patients. So save a Wednesday in the spring when you can come to Springfield and be the voice for family medicine.  Meanwhile a task force was formed to investigate the impact of pharmaceutical and insurance industry funding on IAFP and our ability to deliver services to members. The task force was formed by the board of directors as a result of the resolution offered by Arvind K. Goyal, MD at the IAFP All-Member Assembly on October 3 (learn more in the October/November issue of Family Physician at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/octnov07.pdf  page 1). The task force is comprised of Patrick Tranmer, MD; Tina Brueschke, MD; Ashwani Garg, MD and Michael Temporal, MD, will report to the Board at the May 2, 2008 board meeting in Kansas City during the AAFP Annual Leadership Forum.  Also, be sure to watch your mail in first quarter 2008 for a complete package from IAFP and your board of directors that will include an update on the IAFP strategic plan, the results of the IAFP All-member survey conducted this summer, and more! Just a reminder, you can view and contact your IAFP Board of Directors through the IAFP website at http://www.iafp.com/about/officers.htm   GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ** STATE UPDATE – CIRCUIT COURT RULING ON CAPS On Tuesday, Nov. 13 Circuit Court Judge Diane Larsen ruled that the caps on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases are unconstitutional. The Illinois State Supreme Court will take up the appeal sometime in 2008. The physician community continues to fight for non-economic caps as an integral part of maintaining a fair and just liability system in Illinois.  READ the IAFP statement from president Steven D. Knight, MD on the Medical Liability Caps Ruling - http://www.iafp.com/PR/   AUDIO- download audio statement from Dr. Knight, http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/knight.htm   AUDIO - download audio from IAFP second vice president David J. Hagan, MD of Gibson City, IL at http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/dhagancapsedited.mp3 . Dr Hagan describes how the uncertainty of the caps on non-economic damages is still affecting physicians in his community.  **FEDERAL GR UPDATE - Your Academy in Action on Medicare Cuts IAFP LAUNCHES “YOUR ACADEMY IN ACTION” The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians launched their first in a series of advocacy videos to illustrate the devastating impact that upcoming Medicare physician fee cuts will have on family physicians and the patients they care for.  View the IAFP Video News Release at http://www.iafp.com/legislative/index.htm   There you can • WATCH the Academy in Action video telling Illinois family medicine's story.  • READ AAFP's Medicare Physician Reimbursement policy Summer 2007  • Use AAFP’s “Speak Out” system to tell your representatives in Congress to increase the Medicare payments to family physicians at http://capitol.aafp.org/aafp/issues/alert/?alertid=10007791  The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, along with physicians from around the country, is calling on Congress to put a halt to the impending cuts and pass a two-year positive update to Medicare physician reimbursement rates. Congress is expected to take up the issue when they return to Capitol Hill beginning December 4. IAFP has sent the video to the Illinois Congressional delegation with a call for their support for legislation.  **YOUR OPTIONS – TO PARTICIPATE OR NOT Now that the final payment rule is released, the AMA has outlined options physicians can consider in order to preserve access to care, and still preserve your current revenue, perhaps even improve the revenue stream.  To help ensure that physicians are making informed decisions about their contractual relationships with the Medicare program, the AMA has developed a brief overview of the current situation with respect to the Medicare payment update for 2008 and the various participation options that are available to physicians. The AMA is not advising or recommending any one of the three options described in this document. The purpose of the document is to ensure that physician decisions about Medicare participation are made with complete information about the available options. READ THE FULL REPORT ONLINE AT: http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/Medicare.htm   STAY INVOLVED… JOIN THE AAFP FEDERAL GRASSROOTS PROGRAM (Information courtesy of AAFP News Now) The AAFP has expanded its federal advocacy efforts in recent weeks by launching a new and creating two new initiatives -- the AAFP Advocacy Activity Team and a grassroots toolkit -- to help promote legislation that will benefit family physicians. View the new web page at: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/grassroots.html   Members also can access the Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit, (9-page PDF) a resource that provides background and perspectives on key issues for family physicians. Download the toolkit at http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/policy/grassroots/toolkit.Par.0001.File.tmp/AAFPGrassrootsAdvocacyToolkit.pdf   IAFP FOUNDATION MAKE MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION WHILE HOLIDAY SHOPPING—FREE! Try out the ease of shopping online and make money for the IAFP Foundation at the same time. All you need to do is sign up at http://www.iGive.com/IAFPF  and then buy your games, toys, books, CDs, shoes, clothes—anything you want—from the stores you normally shop. Go to http://www.iGive.com/IAFP  and receive a free membership (no costs or obligations) to shop at 680+ online stores and without even knowing it, you’ll be helping the IAFP Foundation at the same time. Just by doing a little shopping—at the holidays or year-round, up to 26% of every purchase you make will be donated directly to the IAFP Foundation! It’s a quick, easy and painless way to donate money to the Foundation—and it actually costs you nothing. The online stores are the same ones you would go to whether or not you belong to iGive. Prices are not changed; simply a small portion of your purchase price is given to the Foundation. The list is not sold or traded and you will receive no Spam being part of the iGive community. Try it today—you have nothing to lose and we have a lot to gain! STILL TIME TO MAKE YOUR END OF YEAR DONATION TO THE FOUNDATION There’s still time to get a 2007 tax deduction by donating to the IAFP Foundation. Our programs rely on your support. Did you know that in order for the IAFP Foundation to seek grants from other Foundations and funding sources, we need to be able to demonstrate that our own members support the Foundation by donating themselves? Your donations are more important than you realized! You can print a form right from the IAFP Foundation web site at http://www.iafp.com/foundation/donorform.htm  which enables you to decide how much to give, and where you’d like your donation directed.  FOUNDATION RECIEVES GRANT FOR RESIDENT ROUNDUPS IN 2008 Good news! The Foundation has been awarded a grant from the AAFP Foundation Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium which ensures that IAFP will host more Resident Roundup events in 2008. We will focus on topics suggested by the 2007 Resident Roundup attendees on their evaluation forms.  CME Information: **PRI-MED CME INFORMATION Partnering with the IAFP, Pri-Med Updates offers world-class CME programs in your area. Taught by leading experts, you can earn Continuing Medical Education credits at 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 Two-day 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.  One more event in 2007  St. Louis, MO-Thursday and Friday, December 6-7, 2007 http://www.pri-med.com/pmo/LiveProgramDetail.aspx?url=/pmo/30/events/30STL07B/Conference  New Updates scheduled for 2008!! Oakbrook, IL – Wednesday & Thursday, April 2-3, 2008 http://www.pri-med.com/pmo/ViewEvent.aspx?EventCode=30OAK08A&CCODE=r12  Chicago, IL – Tuesday & Wednesday, June 10-11, 2008 http://www.pri-med.com/pmo/ViewEvent.aspx?EventCode=30chi08a&CCODE=r12  *Pri-Med Online  Pri-Med.com offers over 200 primary care focused eCME activities at no-cost in 15 key Condition Resource Centers including: ADHD, Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, Cancer in Primary Care, Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, Infectious Disease, 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 .  ** CME CONNECTION IAFP issues an electronic newsletter called “CME Connection” each month dedicated entirely to IAFP CME opportunities and products as well as CME offerings from partner organizations and more. The next issue is December 19. The publication connects IAFP members with CME options that meet their needs. Those interested in listing their CME product or event should contact Kate Valentine at kvalentine@iafp.com.   **FIND IAFP EVENTS AND OTHER CME OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS ANY TIME AT http://www.iafp.com/education/   __________________ Members in the News – If you would like a copy of any of the articles below or you have any news items to share with the IAFP membership, contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.   *State Announces Family Practice Residency Grants  Both WBBM-AM radio and the Chicago Sun-Times revealed on November 26th that four Chicago-area family medicine residency programs received grants totaling $760,000 from the state’s Family Practice Residency Act funding. The four Chicago programs are Mount Sinai Hospital, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Jackson Park Hospital and the University of Illinois Medical Center.  *AAFP has supported the candidacy of Illinois AFP member William E. Kobler, MD of Rockford for re-election to the AMA Council on Medical Services. Dr. Kobler is a past-president of the Illinois State Medical Society. IAFP sends our best wishes for a successful campaign. *Two outstanding part-time family medicine teachers from Illinois, --Dr. Chris Nelson and Dr. Bechara Choucair -- were chosen to receive a 2007 Pfizer Teacher Development Award. This award honors 15 community-based physicians from across the country. Dr. Nelson is currently teaching family medicine part-time at the Carle Foundation Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. Along with his work as a community-based family physician and part-time teacher of family medicine, Dr. Nelson serves on the Champaign County Community Action Board and volunteers to teach Anatomy/Physiology to students at the local high school. Dr. Choucair is currently teaching family medicine part-time at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. In addition to his dedicated part-time teacher of family medicine, Dr. Choucair is the Executive Director of Heartland International Health Center (HIHC), a Federally Qualified Community Health Center serving low income people in the City of Chicago. HIHC is an affiliate of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, a Chicago-based organization that helps improve the lives of people threatened by poverty and danger. Both doctors will be recognized for this achievement during a ceremony held by their respective teaching centers. RESIDENT AND STUDENT NEWS: *ILLINOIS FMRs RECEIVE FUNDS FROM STATE GRANT Congratulations to the many Illinois Family Medicine Residency programs who received grants from the state to help increase access to care in underserved areas of Illinois. The Family Practice Residency Grants are designated for projects that encourage family medicine residents to pursue opportunities in Illinois locations with a shortage of health professionals or with populations that have special needs. IAFP has vigorously worked to protect this vital funding source from devastating cuts over the past few years as Illinois has struggled with the budget every year.  The programs which received funding are: Mount Sinai Hospital SIU – Quincy Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Rush Copley University of Illinois at Chicago Jackson Park Hospital SIU-Carbondale SIU-Springfield University of Illinois at Rockford Link to the full press release with details at http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/press07/11.25.07GovFamilyPracGrants.htm    *RESIDENT ROUNDUPS WILL RETURN IN 2008 IAFP Foundation hosted three very successful Resident Roundups in 2007 (link to full article at http://www.iafp.com/residents/residentroundup.htm ) and we are proud to announce that the Resident Roundup series will continue in 2008. We’ve received a grant from the AAFP Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium to hold events in 2008. We will focus on topics suggested by the 2007 Resident Roundup attendees on their evaluation forms. If you have suggestions for topics you’d like to see covered or to provide ideas on where and when a Resident Roundup could be held at or near your program, please e-mail those ideas to Ravi and Helen at IAFPResidents@yahoo.com.   IAFP’S ONLINE RESOURCE FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH The RIGHT job for you is out there, find it today! Visit http://www.iafp.com  and select Job Listings from the menu on the left to learn more.  *Link to resources for residents IAFP web site http://www.iafp.com/Residents/index.htm   **STUDENTS: HAVE YOU JOINED YOUR FMIG? Family medicine interest groups (FMIG) at the various medical schools are up and running. Join the group, learn more about family medicine, teach a Tar Wars program, and spend time with family medicine residents and more. You can find a complete list of the FMIG leaders at each campus on our web site at: http://www.iafp.com/students/fmigcontacts.htm     ----------------------------- NEWS YOU CAN USE **THE AMERICAN STROKE ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOUR PARTICIPATION! The American Stroke Association is conducting a research study with the support of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The research takes the form of a focused round table discussion group and will address new recovery therapies for stroke survivors and associated issues. This research is designed to provide information that would enhance the quality of recovery therapies for stroke survivors. Your participation in this discussion would be extremely helpful in these round table discussions. CRITERIA: AAFP member, family physician whose practice includes stroke survivors TOPIC: Discuss new recovery therapies for stroke survivors and associated issues DATE: December 6, 5:30 p.m. LOCATION Murray Hill Center, Inc. 444 North Michigan Ave. Suite 700 Chicago, IL 60611 TIME COMMITMENT: No more than 2 hours INCENTIVE: The American Stroke Association will provide $225 for your participation PROCESS: If you are willing to participate or have questions, please reply by email directly to either to Stephanie Ryden, Stephanie.ryden@heart.org , or Thonisha Barnes, thonisha.barnes@heart.org , both at the American Stroke Association. In the email, please state your name, address, email, and contact phone number. A representative from the Murray Hill Center will then contact you directly about participating in this research.  ** WIC CHANGES FORMULA CONTRACT The infant formula Illinois WIC Program will change effective February 1, 2008. Ross products (Similac and Isomil) remain the contract formula for WIC until then. After February 1 the following formulas will be provided to infants in the state WIC program: Enfamil LIPIL, Prosobee LIPIL, Enfamil LactoFree LIPIL, Enfamil Gentlease LIPIL and Enfamil AR LIPIL.  Select therapeutic formulas will continue to be available for infants with appropriate medical diagnoses. Those participants will need to bring a prescription to the WIC clinic every three months with the diagnosis, formula needed and the duration needed.  Illinois currently serves more than 293,000 low-income women, infants and children each month with services. Formula is the WIC program’s most costly food item. This new contract will allow the Illinois Department of Human Services to extend the program to an additional 83,000. Questions? Contact your local WIC Program or the Illinois WIC program at 217-782-2166. REMINDERS WORTH REPEATING **GET INVOLVED, GET RESULTS! Consider joining (or re-joining) an IAFP committee, task force or interest group for 2007-08. Your term of service would be from December 1, 2007 through the IAFP’s annual meeting in St. Louis, December 6, 2008. Most groups are open to active, resident, student and life members. Here is the link to the committee sign-up form, http://www.iafp.com/about/committees.htm   In order for IAFP to represent family physicians in government relations, in the media, in our talks with health plans and others, we need you! Sign up today! **ILLINOIS HEALTH CONNECT WEBINAR SLIDES AVAILABLE If you missed the October 24th Webinar with updates from the Illinois Health Connect program, you can view the Power Point presentation online at: http://www.illinoishealthconnect.com/files/ProviderEducation/2007_10_24_HFS%20Billing%20Overview.ppt  Information includes billing procedures with regard to consultations, procedures Illinois Healthy Women program, family planning, vaccines, and more.  +++++ **FROM THE ABFM – MAINTENANCE OF CERTIFICATION ABFM urges all family physicians that certified or recertified in 2004 to complete their Stage 1 requirements by the end of the year, thus retaining eligibility for a 3-year extension of their certificate.  Remember - the end of the 2007 calendar year represents the MC-FP deadline of Stage 1 for family physicians that last certified or recertified in 2004. Successful completion of each 3-year Stage is necessary to remain eligible for a 3-year extension to their certificate, which is awarded upon completion of Stage 2. Family physicians who do not complete Stage 1 requirements by the deadline will, by default, continue on the 7-year certification path until their next scheduled recertification examination. If you have any questions about this process, please contact the ABFM Support Center at 877-223-7437 +++++ CLASSIFIED ADS: To place a classified ad, contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.   CHAMPAIGN, IL--Christie Clinic is a multi-specialty group of 90 physicians that is recruiting for FP’s for its nearby satellite offices in Danville, Rantoul, and Tuscola. Good call schedules. No OB. The clinic is looking for highly motivated FP’s who want to work hard and be rewarded for it. Starting salary range of $170-190K, with lucrative bonus potential. Earnings 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   CHAMPAIGN, IL--Christie Clinic is a multi-specialty group of 90 physicians that is recruiting a physician to take over and expand an existing Occupational Health program. The ideal candidate will be a Family Physician with experience and expertise in Occupational Health. Starting salary range of $180-200K and full fringe benefit package. Service area of 300,000 people. 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  **IAFP MEMBERS, DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY. Find the perfect employer with IAFP’s comprehensive online job bank - FPJobs Online.  Candidates, find your ideal job to fit your lifestyle at http://www.iafp.com/JobListings/   • Expand your personal and professional growth by finding the right job from the most comprehensive resource of family medicine jobs available. • Present yourself in the most professional light possible with the state-of-the-art, customizable Resume Builder. • Keep up-to-date records of your professional accomplishments in one highly organized format. • Access the most coveted family medicine opportunities in the industry. • Uncover your professional style and identify optimum work opportunities. If you have any news items to share with the IAFP membership, please e-mail Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com