Annual Meeting - 2013 a.k.a. SAM-a-Rama!

Inspiration, Collaboration, Celebration & Camaraderie

November 7-9 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville

Online Registration is NOW OPEN at www.iafp.com or click here

IAFP is dedicating more of our annual meeting to providing those SAMs workshops that family physicians need.  Stay current and tackle these tough issues in an interactive group setting with your family physician colleagues.  High-quality CME, committee meetings, the awards banquet and even a wine tasting await.  Our meeting is centrally located in DuPage County - easy to access and with FREE parking!  Naperville also offers fantastic activities for families. Check out the meeting schedule. Register online or download a registration form here.

FPs are #1 - Recruited Specialty

Data from Merritt Hawkins' 2013 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives showed family medicine was the most-recruited medical specialty in the U.S., followed by internal medicine. Hospitalist, psychiatry, emergency medicine and pediatrics were also among the top 10. This trend is not new - primary care physicians have topped Merritt Hawkins' list for the past seven years. One notable change on the 2013 list is an appearance by nurse practitioners (10^th) and physician assistants (12^th) in the top 20 - a first in Merritt Hawkins' 20-year history of the survey. View the Merritt-Hawkins press release

Have you thought about Tar Wars lately?

Now is a great time to think about teaching Tar Wars in your local school.  You can fill out an online form or send an email to Illinois Tar Wars coordinator Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.  Tar Wars is simple, fun and free for presenters and schools check out the newly-updated program guide at www.tarwars.org to see the lesson plan and find out how easy it is to get started.

REMINDER: Back to School - But Not with the Flu!  Educate Your Patients Now

Thanks to a grant from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH), IAFP has produced primary care CME and complementary patient education materials to use for the 2013 flu vaccine season.  The high-quality CME is free and online anytime at www.iafp.com/education. 

Get the tools for your practice:  Link to the order form her for brochures, posters and an educational DVD video for your practice. IAFP has produced a 5-minute patient education video focusing on the importance of an annual flu vaccine for patients with asthma and/or diabetes.  You can access the video on the IAFP YouTube channel here, to post on your web site, download, or link from your social media patient education strategies. 

Statehouse Update

The Governor has finished acting on all bills sent to him from the 2013 Spring Session. A bill passed prior to June 1, 2013 that does not provide for an effective date in the text of the bill becomes effective January 1, 2014.

Gov. Quinn signed SB 1495 (Food Handler Regulations Enforcement Act) on August 27. IAFP supported this bill, with leadership from the Public Health Committee and IAFP member Catherine Counard, MD who serves as Health Commissioner for the Village of Skokie.

Scoreboard of Bill Numbers for Spring Session 2013:

Gov. Quinn issued six total vetoes, plus two amendatory vetoes and two line-item vetoes.  Of the 10 overall vetoes, the General Assembly has acted on two of them and 1 one veto stands from inaction. This leaves seven vetoes with three of those total vetoes removed due to their similarity to other bills already signed by Governor... so there are four bills left for the legislature to act upon during Veto Session: None of them are bills of concern to IAFP.

Roster Changes:  New Members in the Illinois General Assembly:

Mr. Jaime Andrade Jr. was named to replace Deb Mell (D-40). Mell was appointed to replace her father, Ald. Dick Mell who retired from the Chicago City Council.

Mr. John Anthony was named to replace Pam Roth (R-75)

Illinois Medicaid Fee Schedule for 2013-14 Primary Care

This is the new fee schedule for primary care Illinois Medicaid, under the Affordable Care Act.

The new schedule reflects the increases for Medicare-Medicaid parity required by the Act and funded by the federal government.

Medicaid to Medicare payment parity update

IAFP received an update from the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services on August 20.  The department has begun processing the enhanced payments for primary care services as established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

These adjustments can be identified by the following:

-Bureau Code: "D - Bureau of Comprehensive Health Services  NIPS/ Pharmacy"

Process type/Reason codes:

-22D/ 3313-ACA PCP Payment (Use for ACA payment add on only)

-22C/ 3314-ACA PCP Payment Void (Use for void of ACA payment add on only) 

Medicaid Meaningful Use Payment Updates

Are you still waiting for your incentive payment? The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) is waiting to help you. Please call soon!  The opportunity for this first cycle absolutely ends September 30.

Bureau of Comprehensive Health Services Hotline Number:  877.782.5565

EHR Adjudication Unit Direct Contact Number (enter phone number and then the star (*) button and then extension number)

Kevin Miller 217.782.5565 *3236

Amanda Wanless217.782.556 *3234

Mecky Lang217.782.5565 *3235

Veronica Schulz-Lehr217.782.5565 *3237

AAFP Medicare Fee Schedule Comments

The AAFP shared their official regulatory comment letter sent in response to the 2014 proposed Medicare physician fee schedule.  The AAFP's response is available at this link.

AAFP continues to oppose the continuation of the Sustainable Growth Rate Formula (SGR) which results in a 24.4 percent cut.  AAFP believes that the complexity of the ambulatory evaluation and management (E/M) services that primary care physicians must "fit" into the time available for the typical patient visit is sufficiently distinct to merit dedicated codes and higher relative values than are currently assigned to existing office or other outpatient E/M codes. The AAFP supports a concept called "complexity/density" to describe and quantify this reality.  AAFP provided chapters with a two-page summary of their comments that you can link to here. 

PQRS - the Reporting System, not the alphabet

Many family physicians are not aware of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). Physicians who do not participate THIS YEAR will see a 1.5% penalty from CMS in 2015. By the time they are penalized, it will be two years too late to do anything about it. The ABFM has had a free registry available to members.  The AAFP also offers a PQRS registry with a fee of $219.00.

Diplomates are able to participate at no cost in the PQRS registry online from their ABFM physician portfolio. The ABFM Physician Quality Reporting System Diabetes registry is available, as well as a link to the PQRS: MOC incentive bonus. The deadline for data entry in the online activity is January 10, 2014.  More information is available on the ABFM website: https://www.theabfm.org/moc/pqrs.aspx.  To access the PQRS Diabetes registry, Diplomates may login to his/her Physician Portfolio under Spotlight Programs. For more assistance or questions about how to start taking advantage of the Physician Quality Reporting opportunity, Diplomates may contact the ABFM Support Center at 877-223-7437 or at help@theabfm.org.

Did you see the NEW CME Connections E-Newsletter?

CME Connections has a new look and feature new and exciting content!  Keep an eye on your inboxes for the NEW CME Connections. Link to the August issue!

ICD-10: What Physicians Need to Know

Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 1 - 2 PM CDT
Speaker: Cynthia Hughes, CPC, CFPC

By attending this AHIMA-approved ICD-10 training webinar you will...  

1.      Understand the history and impetus behind ICD-10.

2.      Understand the differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10.

3.      Understand the basic set up of ICD-10.

4.      Be able to work through several coding scenarios.

5.      Understand what is required of each person in their business, including themselves in order to ensure continued payment.

6.      Have a timeline for implementing ICD-10.   

Register Now! 

Next IAFP Lunch & Learn Webinars

Did you miss August's Lunch and Learn webinar?  Due to popular demand, this webinar will be repeated on Thursday, September 12.  Registration is limited so, sign up today!

Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act - What Family Physicians Need to Know  Presented by: Debra Stulberg, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, The University of Chicago and Lorie Chaiten, Director, Reproductive Rights Project, Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of IL
Thursday, September 12, 2013, 12:00-1:00pm CST

The Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act is due to go into effect August 15th. Now is time for family physicians in Illinois to understand what the law will mean for our patients.

Register Online

Malpractice Claims & Risk Management Update - Family Practice

Presented by: Laurette Salzman, MBA, CPHRM, Senior Risk Management Consultant, ProAssurance Companies
September 26, 2013, 12:00-1:00pm CST

Learning Objectives:

-       Examine claims data specific to family practice;

-       Discuss current & emerging trends;

-       List and apply practical skills when disclosing adverse outcomes

-       Implement loss prevention strategies designed for the office practice setting.

Register Online

Illinois Health Connect Presents:

Navigating Through the Marketplace: A Positive Direction for Quality Healthcare in Illinois - 4.0 CME Credits

Don't miss this opportunity to learn the latest information on what will drive quality health care through the Marketplaces on a national and state level.

Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council Conference Center

Thursday, September 19 from 8:00am to 1:00pm

222 South Riverside Plaza, 19th Floor Chicago, IL 60606

$35 Registration Fee (Breakfast and Lunch Included)

Click here for additional information and RSVP

Sponsored by: Automated Health Systems/Illinois Health Connect

For additional information contact: Paula Osman/Project Coordinator at posman@automated-health.com

The Illinois Psychiatric Society presents
DSM-5: What You Need to Know

A Master Workshop from the APA Experts  |  2 Dates  |  2 Locations

Chicago: Registration Due by September 25!  Saturday, September 28, 2013 from 8:30 a.m.  -  3:00 p.m.
At the Mercy Hospital Auditorium
2525 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60616, 2nd Floor
Free Parking located on west side of hospital.
Facilitated by: Daniel Yohanna, M.D.
 
Springfield: Registration Due by November 1!  Saturday, November 9, 2013 from 8:30 a.m.  -  3:00 p.m.
At the James T. Dove Conference Center
Prairie Heart Institute at St. John's Hospital
619 E. Mason St., Springfield, IL 62701
Garage parking located across the street from the Institute.
Facilitated by: Jeffrey Bennett, M.D.  

Click Here for the Registration Form!      

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is used nationally and internationally to provide standardized criteria for clinical and research use. Release of DSM-5 marks the first major revision to the classification of and diagnostic criteria for mental disorders since DSM-IV was released in 1994. The focus of this master workshop is to educate clinicians and researchers on the major changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5, including diagnosis-specific changes (e.g., criteria revisions) as well as broader, manual-wide changes (e.g., revised chapter ordering, use of dimensional assessments, integration of neuroscience and developmental material across the manual). 

CDC Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Conference

October 12-13 at the Chicago Cultural Center

The Midwest CDC Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Conference is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and hosted by the Illinois Chapter of  American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), in partnership with the Chicago and Illinois Departments of Public Health, Chicago Area Immunization Campaign, Illinois State Medical Society, Illinois Health Connect, Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium. This is a great opportunity for providers, medical support staff and vaccination advocates to learn about the vaccines in the ACIP approved schedule, vaccination recommendations, proper storage and handling techniques and vaccine safety.

Details about the conference, registration, and continued education credits are available online at http://goo.gl/1UdJg . For questions about this conference, please contact Annie Boesen at aboesen@illinoisaap.com or Jeanine Solinski at jsolinski@illinoisaap.com.

2013 Assembly in San Diego | Get Connected, Up-to-date, and Inspired

Join thousands of your colleagues for the 2013 AAFP Scientific Assembly, September 24-28, in San Diego.  

IAFP and the Primary Care Education Consortium will host a Satellite CME session on Wednesday Sept. 25 titled "Who Wants to be a Diabetologist?" and we invite you to join us! 

DINNER 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM and PROGRAM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Join your colleagues as they compete, have some fun, and learn the latest clinical information about incretin-based therapy in diabetes management.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide an overview of the rationale and role of incretin-based therapy as described in updated practice guidelines for the management of persons with T2DM
• Compare the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the incretin-based therapies currently available
• Describe strategies to individualize treatment with a GLP-1R agonist

Register at: http://www.pceconsortium.org/aafpsandiego/

Questions? Contact Peggy at phitchman@pceconsortium.org or call 727.510.4693.

This live activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 2 Prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This program is sponsored by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and the Primary Care Education Consortium and is supported by an education grant provided by Novo Nordisk Inc.

AAFP Patient Ed Resources on Marketplaces

As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), enrollment in Health Insurance Marketplaces is scheduled to begin on October 1, with coverage beginning as soon as January 1.

Health Insurance Marketplaces are one-stop shops for consumers to research, compare, and purchase comprehensive health insurance plans, but currently, less than 25% of Americans are aware that marketplaces exist. Use the AAFP's resources to stay up-to-date on Health Insurance Marketplaces, including education tools for your patients.

Educate your patients about the ACA- Visit the Accountable Care Act page for Marketplace related patient education and to learn more about the Marketplaces.

Familydoctor.org also has a page specific to Marketplaces.  You can print, email, post and share with your patients.

New Medicaid Vaccine Fee Schedule

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has posted a new ACA Vaccine Fee Schedule to the Medicaid Reimbursement page. You may view the ACA EM Fee Schedule from the link below.

http://www2.illinois.gov/hfs/MedicalProvider/FeeSchedule/Pages/default.aspx

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a new model for financing and delivering primary care that is growing rapidly in popularity. We invite all those interested in this movement to join us for a national DPC summit that will be held at the Marriott St. Louis Airport in St. Louis, MO, October 11-12, 2013.

Register Now! 

Registration: $350 (until September 30)

NRCME DOT Training

October 12 from 7:45am to12:30pm

Adler Auditorium at the Genesis Heart Institute

Davenport, Iowa

Register Online

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has established a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners with requirements that all medical examiners who conduct physical examinations for interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers must complete a training course and pass a certification examination prior to May 21, 2014. Please contact the Iowa AFP at 515-283-9370 with questions.  Check out their ad with details

If you have a news item to share, email it to Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.