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You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in whatever direction you choose
-Dr. Seuss
ACTIVE AND LIFE MEMBERS: Online voting is open until Midnight TONIGHT. If you missed your first email on September 9th or follow up on Sept. 24 with voting instructions, find it in your inbox or junk folder for specific instructions to the secure, independent online voting system for the 2013 Board of Directors.
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NEWS FOR THE WEEK of October 4, 2013   
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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. A brochure will be in your U.S. mail next week or you can check it out on our website.
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Report from AAFP Congress of Delegates
 Your delegates and alternates to the AAFP Congress of Delegates were joined by much of the IAFP executive committee in San Diego. IAFP's roster included
-Delegates Michael Temporal, MD of Belleville, who served as chair of the Rules Committee and Kathleen J. Miller, MD of Decatur.
-Alternate Delegates David J. Hagan, MD of Gibson City and Steve Knight, MD of Harrisburg, who served as a teller during the AAFP elections.
-AAFP Vice Speaker Javette C. Orgain, MD of Chicago who was unopposed this year and re-elected by acclamation on September 24
-AAFP New Physician Board Member Ravi Grivois-Shah, MD of Oak Park who finished his one year term on the AAFP board of directors.
-IAFP president Carrie E. Nelson, MD of Wheaton
-President-Elect Edward Blumen of Evanston
-First Vice President Renee M. Poole, MD of Chicago
-Second Vice President Alvia Siddiqi, MD of Rolling Meadows
-Past president Carolyn Lopez, MD of Chicago
-UIC student Syed Mustafa Alavi, who served as part of the student caucus in his role as a regional FMIG coordinator.
With a strong pool of IAFP leaders to draw from, Illinois was able to deliberate and provide testimony in the AAFP reference committees.
Dr. Blumen testified in support of the IAFP resolution on ACOs and liability. Because of the potential for deep pockets, IAFP would like to see some sort of ERISA protection for ACOs as they must care for all patients under the expansion of care. In addition, physicians should be protected as members of an ACO. The reference committee on Practice Enhancement ultimately recommended referral to the Board for further study which will give the AAFP leadership the opportunity to investigate and act appropriately.
The reference committee on Health of the Public and Science had extensive debate on several gun control resolutions, including required background checks, registration and policy. Sadly for Illinois, Chicago was frequently cited in testimony for our gun violence headlines. Dr. Lopez testified about the lack of effect firearm registration will have on reducing gun violence in gang and crime areas like Chicago. The committee recommended a Substitute resolution urging more research into the causes of gun violence, as the current available research is inadequate and underfunded.
Link to AAFP News Now Article
You can link to the final reports of the reference committees and Congress actions.
AAFP Continues to Advance Choosing Wisely
Also last week, AAFP released their latest five Choosing Wisely services. This is the third set of five recommendations, bringing to 15 the number of tests and procedures that AAFP has determined are unnecessary in certain circumstances. As America expands access to care for more patients beginning January 1, let's also resolve to make sure they get smart, evidence-based, cost-effective care.
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CERMAK HEALTH SERVICES OF COOK COUNTY: There are postings for Primary/Urgent Care physicians at Cermak Health Services of Cook County, providing healthcare to the detainees at the Cook County Department of Corrections. The scope of services provided by Cermak includes: health screening; primary care clinics, 24/7 urgent care center; and medical infirmary care. Join a group of dedicated, caring providers.
Hurry, these postings will only be available for a limited amount of time!
Please refer to this link for more information on how to apply.
ACCESS COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK (ACCESS) an FQHC organization offers outstanding primary & preventive care in nearly 40 community health center locations throughout Chicago & surrounding suburbs. Accredited by the Joint Commission, ACCESS serves as the medical home for more than 200,000 patients each year. HRSA & NHSC eligible
Physician primary care opportunities; (English/Spanish), Chicago City & DuPage County locations;
www.accesscommunityhealth.net or brenda.mitchell@accesscommunityhealth.net inquires to Brenda Mitchell, Manager of Recruitment 600 W Fulton, Chicago, IL 60661, 312.526.2066
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Medicaid Expansion is live
Starting October 1, those eligible for Medicaid expansion are able to enroll for services to begin coverage on January 1, 2014. An earlier version of Medicaid expansion, County Care (run by Cook County Hospital and Health Systems), has enrolled more than 100,000. While high-volume has caused some slow-downs in website and call center response, encourage your patients to enroll by December 15 to ensure coverage on January 1, 2014 - www.getcoveredillinois.gov is the place to start!
Training on the Marketplace for you or your staff
EverThrive (formerly the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition) is doing four-hour presentations to build awareness about the Illinois Marketplace. This does not qualify persons who attend to be marketplace Certified Application Counselors but would be a "Marketplace 101" course. Attendees will be equipped with information on how to connect communities to coverage. Here is list of presentations. Plans are underway for more presentations statewide in first quarter 2014.
Illinois Health Connect 2012 Bonus Payments
Illinois Health Connect reports that 2012 bonus program payments were mailed out this week. A total of 4849 providers qualified for bonus payments.
Providers who did not achieve a payment will also receive a letter of notification.
IHC Provider Survey Results
Thank you to the IAFP member PCPs who completed the Illinois Health Connect Provider Satisfaction Survey. A total of 1,436 completed surveys were returned over a thirteen week data collection period (response rate of 26.82%). 1,264 were faxed, 146 responded via the web link through Survey Monkey and 26 were mailed. The remaining surveys were either incomplete or duplicates, and were not entered.
IHC is pleased to report the following results:
97% Strongly Agree/Agree that IHC keeps me updated about changes and requirements
95% Strongly Agree/Agree that IHC is beneficial to my patients
95% of those offices that received assistance from the IHC Quality Assurance Nurse found the education received was helpful in explaining the quality components of IHC, such as how to achieve maximum bonus payments or understanding the Profile Measures
92% are overall satisfied with the administration of IHC
91% Strongly Agree/Agree that IHC's implementation of the Phase 1 referral system requiring patients be seen in their own medical home has been a positive strength towards strengthening the medical home
89% Strongly Agree/Agree that IHC's Enrollee Services Call Center Staff respond satisfactorily to clients' questions and needs
86% Strongly Agree/Agree that my assigned IHC Provider Services Representatives who visited my office helped my staff and me to understand the program better
84% Strongly Agree/Agree blast faxes and blast emails from IHC keeps me informed of important updates
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Final 2013 IAFP Lunch & Learn Webinar
Did you miss August's Lunch and Learn webinar? Due to popular demand, this webinar will be repeated on Thursday, October 31. 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, October 31, 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
AAFP Webinar on Employment Contracts
Peter Cebulka, III, director of recruiting development and training for Merritt Hawkins, will present a webinar, "
Getting All You Deserve in an Employment Contract on Wednesday, October 23 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
The webinar is designed to explain the key elements of negotiating the best possible employment agreement. Participants will learn how to articulate the value of primary care to larger health systems or multi-specialty practices, how to access regional comparative salary and compensation information, as well as understanding the legal issues related to collectively negotiating compensation.
The webinar is free of charge, but pre-registration is recommended.
ICAAP invites IAFP for Some ABC
ICAAP would like extend an invitation for IAFP members to join them at their 4th Annual ABC (Autusim, Behavior, Complex Medical Needs) Conference: MAKING SYSTEMS WORK ACROSS THE LIFESPAN FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, on November 22nd in Palos Heights. Any IAFP members who register will receive the ICAAP members discount as indicated in the registration drop-down box. Learn more here
E
xciting quality improvement opportunity for two more family physicians practices in Northeastern Illinois
The Evolution of Anticoagulation Management with an initial focus on atrial fibrillation (TEAM-A) is a competency-based initiative to reduce stroke and other complications associated with thrombus formation through continuing education and quality improvement activities that result in optimal anticoagulation management. Telligen, Illinois' Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, is one of ten organizations collaborating on this multi-institution initiative. Telligen will bring practice facilitation and CME resources directly to two more family physician practices in Northeastern Illinois as part of this initiative.
These resources are available at no cost and include an onsite nurse practice facilitator for 4 to 6 weeks in your office, two CME offerings (one is a live lunch n' learn with expert clinical faculty) and a patient registry if one is not available through your EHR or other registry product. The education content focuses on assessment and appropriate antithrombotic therapy for your patients with atrial fibrillation, including the use of the new class of drugs recently approved by the FDA for management of patients with this condition.
The project has just been extended so that two more IAFP member practices can participate. A generous stipend is provided to each participating practice. To find out more, send an email to Vince Keenan, vkeenan@iafp.com
The Illinois Psychiatric Society presents DSM-5: What You Need to Know
A Master Workshop from the APA Experts
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 in 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. The focus of this master workshop is to educate clinicians and researchers on the major changes from DSM-4 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.
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Calling IT-inclined FPs
The Illinois Health Information Exchange (ILHIE) Authority is in search of qualified candidates to join the ILHIE Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives from hospitals, universities, businesses, FQHCs, physician offices, nursing homes, payers, advocates, pharmacies, and rural health providers, as well as legislators, and individuals from various city and state agencies. The charge of the Committee is to advise and support the ILHIE Authority on matters relating to the state-wide health information exchange. If you are interested in joining the ILHIE Advisory Committee, please email Saroni Lasker at saroni.lasker@illinois.gov as soon as possible to request an application. All applications will be due by October 15, 2013.
NRCME DOT Training
October 12 from 7:45am to12:30pm
Adler Auditorium at the Genesis Heart Institute in 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.
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If you have a news item to share, email it to Ginnie Flynn at gflynn@iafp.com.
IAFP VP of Communications Ginnie Flynn was quoted in the September 24 Kane County Chronicle giving perspective to the lack of awareness about the upcoming next phase of the Affordable Care Act.
Sasi Royyuru, MD of Bloomington was quoted in a Pantagraph article reminding readers to get their annual flu shot and also providing information on the differences between the trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines and various options for vaccination.
First Vice President Renee M. Poole, MD of Chicago provided input in a Sept. 29 State Journal Register story which examined the many benefits of embedded behavioral health services directly within primary care clinic sites.
David Gill, MD - now the Asst. Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health participated in an Affordable Care Act panel discussion in St. Charles on Sept. 26 which was covered by the Daily Herald.
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Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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