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E-news for November
4, 2006
____________
SURVEY FOR ACTIVE
MEMBERS ABOUT INSURANCE BENEFIT
The Illinois Academy of
Family Physicians is exploring an opportunity to offer group health
insurance to our members, their families and staff.
Please fill out the survey from the link below to help IAFP assess
member interest in this service.
http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/survey.htm
You will not be contacted
by any group health insurance agent based on your response.
--------------------
*All-member Assembly
passes resolution for Smoke-free Meeting locations
Arvind Goyal, MD
of Rolling Meadows proposed a resolution that all future IAFP meetings not
currently under contract be held only at smoke-free locations.
Read the entire resolution on the IAFP Web site at:
http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/smokefree.htm
*Board passes strategic plan and budget
After months of review
and online discussion from the IAFP volunteer leadership, the IAFP Board
of Directors approved the Academy’s strategic plan, which will serve as
a framework for the IAFP leadership, staff and membership moving forward.
Look for details in the December issue of Family Physician!
The Board also
approved the 2007 budget as submitted by the Finance Committee that
provides IAFP a revenue-positive budget for next year.
*Christine Petty, MD
resigns as delegate to AAFP, new vacancy in IAFP leadership
IAFP Past President Christine
A. Petty, MD (Coal Valley) resigned from the AAFP Delegate position on
October 29. As a result,
Alternate Delegate Tim J. Vega, MD of Peoria moves up to fill her
slot in the Illinois delegation. This
leaves a vacancy for Dr. Vega’s unexpired term at the Alternate Delegate
position. Any IAFP member
interested in running for that position must submit a nomination to IAFP
executive vice president Vince Keenan at vkeenan@iafp.com.
Nominations are due January 26, 2007.
**Election
Day is November 7 – get out and vote!
**From EVP Vince Keenan,
CAE – Medicaid Payments – Volunteers Needed
1)
The Illinois Department of Health Care Services admits they need to
change their image with regard to the Medicaid program. They are
willing to work with any practice that believes the practice has
outstanding reimbursement over 60 days. If your practice has outstanding
Medicaid bills over 60 days, would you be willing to talk with IDHFS staff
about it?
2) IDHFS is concerned that its claims submission, payment and
reporting system may be significantly different from commercial payors
(such as the Blues, Aetna, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealthCare) and that
difference creates confusion among the practices. IDHFS would be
willing to work with IAFP to re-examine the Medicaid claims submission,
payment and reporting system so that it operates more like the commercial
payors. This is contingent on
if and only if, IAFP offers a commercial payor whose system IAFP members
like. Would you or someone from your practice be willing to be part
of an IAFP work group on Medicaid claims submission, payment and
reporting? Contact Vince
at vkeenan@iafp.com for details.
Make your office their
home with Illinois Health Connect
How will this work?
Through the services of
Automated Health Systems (AHS), eligible participants (predominantly
parents and children, All Kids members and adults with disabilities) will
choose a PCP who will manage their care and provide primary health care
services to help avoid unnecessary emergency room visits and
hospitalizations.
How do I apply to be
an Illinois Health Connect PCP?
Applications are currently
being accepted from Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural
Health Clinics (RHCs). If you are in an FQHC or RHC and have questions
concerning enrollment, please contact Automated Health Systems at
1-800-571-8504 or via e-mail at ILPCP@Automated-Health.com.
For more information, visit
Illinois Health Connect’s website at http://www.illinoishealthconnect.com
or call Kristen Jackson at IAFP, 630-435-0356, ext. 220 or e-mail kjackson@iafp.com.
***IAFP has answers in the October Family Physician newsletter http://www.iafp.com/pdfs/octnov06.pdf and also on our Web site. Link to the article on the PCCM program at http://www.iafp.com/legislative/allKids%20overview.htm
________________
**TOBACCO NEWS-
*IAFP supports statewide
clean indoor air at Senate Executive committee hearing
IAFP provided testimony to
the Senate Executive committee on October 23 urging the General Assembly
to pass a comprehensive clean indoor air act for the entire state.
Please go to and sign the
Smoke-free Illinois Resolution as an individual doctor, a practice or an
institution or an FMIG group to show your support.
Local lawmakers need to see supporters in their district!
Go to
http://www.smokefreeillinois.org/state/ for more information and to
download the resolution to sign and submit!
*Cities on the move
in debating clean indoor air ordinances include:
-IAFP member Robert
Novak, MD is serving on a task force appointed by the Village Board of
Riverside to formulate a clean indoor air ordinance for that community for
the Board to consider in November or December.
-Arlington Heights trustees
this week moved ahead with a plan to ban smoking from all village
restaurants and bars but with the disappointing exemption for Arlington
Park and Trackside, a restaurant and off-track betting facility operated
by Arlington Park.
-Niles will allow public
comment (limited to three minutes) at upcoming village board meeting
November 28.
-Westchester will also
discuss the issue at their November 28 village meeting
**Members
in the News – If you would
like a copy of any of the articles below, contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.
Carolyn C. Lopez, MD
of Chicago will take over the Cook County Bureau of Health Services as
announced by Cook County President Bobbie Steele at a press conference
November 2.
Read the IAFP support statement at http://www.iafp.com/whatsnew/lopez.htm
**CONGRATULATIONS
TO RURAL PHYSICIANS OF EXCELLENCE – Six
IAFP members were honored on October 18 by IRHA as 2006 Rural Physicians
of Excellence. Lt. Gov. Pat
Quinn presented the awards at a reception in Springfield.
The IAFP Recipients
are:
Hugo Avalos, MD
(retired) – Morris
John R. Beck, Sr., MD (life member) – Chester
Therese Lucietto-Sieradski, MD (nominated by IAFP) – Rochelle
Secundino E. Rubio, MD (IAFP 1999 Family Physician of the Year) – Salem
Thomas Staton, MD – Metropolis
Shorky Tawfik, MD – Lena
Dr. Tawfick and Lucietto-Sieradski were mentioned in an Oct. 21 article in
the Rockford Register-Star
HomeCare Physicians, founded by IAFP 2006 Distinguished Service Award recipient Tom Cornwell, MD celebrated a major milestone this week when they provided the 50,000th visit to a homebound patient. The practice is headquartered in Wheaton and covers a territory of 300 square miles and a patient base of over 4,000 elderly and disabled patients. Read the press release at http://www.iafp.com/PR/cornwell.htm
*Ben Brewer, MD
of Forrest addresses the counter-productive payment system which pays much
more for tests and procedures than a physician’s time, wisdom and
counseling in the October 24 issue of “From the Doctor’s Office” in
the Wall Street Journal Online
*The Oct. 21 Springfield
State Journal Register focuses on the primary care workforce shortage
in their story “Family Medicine Physicians:
Focusing on the whole person from birth to hospice care.”
The SIU Springfield Family Medicine Residency program is featured
prominently with quotes from program director Janet Albers, MD and
recruiting physician Christopher Gleason, MD.
Alton
High school graduate Christopher Kuebrich, MD has opened Alton Family
Physicians – one of many new doctors to start practicing in Alton since
Illinois passed medical liability reform.
His story appeared in the Nov. 6 Alton Telegraph.
-------------------------------
REMINDERS WORTH
REPEATING
October/November issue
of Family Physician is now online!
The current issue (and back issues!) of IAFP's Family Physician can be found on the IAFP Web site at http://www.iafp.com/newsletter/. The newsletter is no longer being printed and mailed to members but is available exclusively on the IAFP Web site. Please send questions, comments or article ideas to iafp@iafp.com
1.
The Family Physician of the Year Award
2. IAFP Media Award
3. Family Medicine Full-time
Teacher of the Year
4. Family Medicine Part-time
Teacher of the Year
Link to full information and nomination forms at http://www.iafp.com/PR/Award%20forms.htm
-------------------
INFORMATION AND
REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS:
STUDENTS:
Students from around the
state interacted with 40 residency programs and attended workshops during
the IAFP Fall Family Medicine Forum on October 28 in Oak Brook.
Student chapter leaders Aaron Traeger and Jeffrey Griesemer also
met with student leaders from various schools to talk about common issues,
goals and ways to connect FMIGs with each other and IAFP.
The 2007 Fall Forum will
coincide with the AAFP Annual Scientific Assembly – the largest meeting
of family physicians in the country. Save
the date now – Saturday, October 6, 2007 at a downtown hotel to be
determined.
RESIDENTS:
The IAFP Foundation
gives a special thank you to all the family medicine residency programs
that exhibited and/or provided workshops and demonstrations at the Forum!
The students gave high praise for your efforts and enjoyed all the
valuable insights and experience.
-----------------------------
NEWS YOU CAN USE
NEW MEDICARE E&M RATES
ANNOUNCED FOR 2007
Starting next year, the Medicare program will pay physicians more for the
time they spend talking with Medicare beneficiaries about their health
care and will pay for a broader range of preventive services. The
changes, which will become effective January 1, 2007, are included in the
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule released November 1 by
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Family physicians should see a net increase in their Medicare
payments of about 6% in 2007.
Link to the full release
from CMS at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=2044
TAR WARS
See the latest update from IAFP Tar Wars at: http://www.iafp.com/tarwars/presenter%20update.htm
Thinking about volunteering as a presenter?
View a sample presentation video on the National Tar Wars web site
at http://www.tarwars.org/x900.xml
scroll down to the link at the bottom of the page!
Support NLVS Free Health
Clinic by attending or contributing to their annual fundraiser!
November 11, 2007 6 p.m.
Holiday Inn Chicago City
Center Ontario Room
Silent Auction and Dinner
Bidding from 6 - 8 p.m.
$15 for students and staff,
$20 for physicians
RSVP by November 4
Sadiya Khan (440) 823-9682 s-khan-1@md.northwestern.edu
---------------------------
Classified Ads
If you would like to
list your job opening here, please contact Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com
for rates.
If you have any news
items to share with the IAFP membership, please e-mail Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com
