We have a new fax number: 630-559-0739

DEADLINE is here!  Play Ball! Get your baseball fans together for the annual IAFP Foundation White Sox Game on Friday, August 15 (It's Country Music Night and fireworks after the game!). The order form is now available and orders are due July 11!  There are two options for tickets and each ticket you purchase is a $10 donation directly to the Family Health Foundation of Illinois. REMEMBER OUR NEW FAX NUMBER IS 630-559-0739 

Any orders waiting for us on Monday morning will be accepted. 

Thank you to all of our Sox game sponsors who are Home Run Hitters in our book!  Click on the names below to visit their web sites.

• Cerner Corporation
• Cigna-HealthSpring
• Healthcare Associates Credit Union
• Healthy Interactions
• Molina Healthcare
• ProAssurance Professional Liability Group  

Proposal for a New Member Group Supporting Single-payer Coverage

Alap Shah, MD, a new family physician from Oak Park, has a strong interest in advocating for single-payer health care (or 'Improved Medicare for All'), and wishes to start a member interest group to foster this discussion within the IAFP, and ultimately the AAFP.  With the recent implementation of the ACA, and legislative discussions at all levels about its successes and failures, it's an opportune time to discuss a system that he believes will truly provide affordable, accessible, and equitable health care for all.  If you are interested, or would like to know more, please contact Dr. Shah directly at 

Reported by AAFP to Constituent chapters on July 2.

Family medicine collaborative event - Family Medicine Midwest 2014 - October 10-12 in Minneapolis!

 How can you contribute to the success of the event?  

Attend the event and share in the Joy of Midwest Family Medicine.  Networking and learning opportunities are everywhere, from the pre-conferences to the closing research presentation!  Information, the schedule and online registration are all available on the conference web site at www.iafp.com/fmm

Donate to the scholarship fund:

State Update

Volunteer license for retired professionals: Legislation allowing 500 retired physicians and other health care professionals to get free volunteer licenses so they can help at clinics was signed into law by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. Health care professionals are not permitted to concurrently have an active regular license and a volunteer license.

POLST law goes to the governor:  SB3076 would allow non-physician providers to sign off on POLST (now Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment).  The governor has 60 days from June 27^th to sign or veto the bill.  If he does nothing, after 60 days the bill will be automatically approved. POLST Taskforce chair Dr. Julie Goldstein sent a letter to Governor Quinn asking him to approve this measure.  A copy of the letter is available at www.polstil.org under News on the Home page.

State Medicaid Update

The effort to enroll Illinois Medicaid recipients into coordinated care plans has begun.  Medicaid clients will be notified in a regional roll out and asked to select a program and physician in their region.  Please see this provider notice for the schedule of mailings so you are aware when Medicaid patients in your practice will be contacted.

Please see and share the updated HFS Care Coordination Expansion map which includes ACEs and Family Health Plan/ACA MCO options. 

Federal Update

AAFP Needs Your Medicaid Payment Parity Stories

On May 29, AAFP launched a member campaign to collect stories on how Medicaid primary care payments help practices, patients, and communities. AAFP will bring a selection of these stories to Capitol Hill over the summer to convey to Congress how important continued funds are to the delivery of timely and quality health care. Member stories from more than two dozen states have been collected, but AAFP would like more.

Use the campaign link posted on the AAFP website to share your views with Congress.

Get more insider perspective on this issue from AAFP's In the Trenches blog,

Support AAFP's efforts for strong FDA Regulation of e-cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will accept public comments on a proposed rule to provide it with authority to regulate e-cigarettes and other tobacco products until Aug. 8.
  Sign a petition to share your concern about e-cigarettes.
  The AAFP sent a letter in support of the FDA's assertion of authority to regulate all nicotine delivery devices, regardless of flavor, on June 2. As nicotine is an addictive drug, the AAFP's position specifies that the FDA must have full regulatory authority on all tobacco products and nicotine delivery devices, and must be permitted to use the same procedures it uses to regulate tobacco. Add your name to a petition by Aug. 1. You will be listed in a letter to the FDA, together with other family physicians who are concerned about the current lack of regulatory oversight on the manufacture, distribution, and safety of e-cigarettes.

Cigars seek protection from Congress

Cigar manufacturers are once again asking Congress for special treatment so that they can continue to make their products without any oversight or regulation whatsoever. Contrary to what their lobbyists are saying behind closed doors:

- Cigars ARE tobacco products;
- Cigars ARE bad for you; and
- Cigars ARE being sold at a low price and in a variety of flavors that attract kids.

Don't let them fool Congress:  The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has an easy to use system to Tell your representative "No Cigar" on special treatment for cigar products!

Click here for full information on each of the positions listed below:

Medical Director - Friend Family Health Center in Chicago

Central IL Opportunities through AIMS Physician Recruiting

Advocate Lutheran General Family Medicine Residency

Faculty position opening

Prime Care Community Health

Multiple positions available with teaching opportunities

Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency

Opening for faculty physician at this program in Aurora

PCC Wellness Center

PCC has openings for physicians at their clinics on the Near West Side and in Oak Park

California AFP Webinar on Opioid Prescribing

California Academy of Family Physicians CO*RE ER/LA Opioid REMS :  Achieving Safe Use While Improving Patient Care live Webinar (given at six different times, beginning June 23):

You can visit the series landing page here to find registration links to all the webinars. 

These 90-minute webinars meet the FDA requirements for ER/LA opioid risk evaluation and mitigation strategies [REMS], and include a wide range of topics relevant to your practice and patients. The webinars include the latest evidence-based information and practical tools you will put immediately to use, and much more. Upon completion of the assessment and evaluation you will receive 1.5 AAFP Prescribed credits, and receive both the faculty slides and additional resources you can use to improve your care of patients.

Family Medicine Grand Rounds

Wednesday -- July 16th -- 7:30am

Aortic Stenosis

Mark A. Friedman, MD - SSM Heart Institute

Saint Louis University

SSM St. Mary's Health Center Kohler Auditorium - 2nd Floor

1.0 AAFP CME Credit 1.0 AMA CME Credit

"Current Issues in Sports Medicine: 2014"

Saturday, July 26^th from 8:30am - 2pm - Registration Deadline is July 20!

Where: HALAS HALL in Lake Forest (Where the Chicago Bears train!)

Cost: $25 for all participants  with breakfast and lunch provided

4.0 Prescribed Credits

Halas Hall requires pre-registration to enter security, so sign up today!

Link to a flyer with more information

SPEAKER OPPORTUNITIES

FOID Mental Health Reporting

IAFP is looking for a family physician who has a presentation or would be willing to develop a presentation for our membership regarding the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) Mental Health Reporting System.

If you are interested in presenting to IAFP members, please contact Sara Ortega, Education and Accreditation Manager, at sortega@iafp.com. For additional FOID information, please visit the IL Department of Human Services website.

Upcoming DOT medical examiners training programs 

The IAFP will be holding training courses throughout Illinois in the spring (Chicago western suburbs, Peoria or Springfield, Rockford, & Carbondale) and are looking for 2-3 physicians per site that could serve as speakers.  If you have already completed a DOT training course and/ or are part of the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and are interested in teaching please contact Kate Valentine at kvalentine@iafp.com

Need to complete a training course to become a Certified Medical Examiner?  Watch for upcoming training dates! 

Coming next month - Smoking Cessation Awareness Week

August 18-22

The Chicago Department of Public Health has declared that "Nobody quits like Chicago!" and will ramp up smoking cessation awareness that week.  Join them and help your patients quit for good.  Find resources on www.MyTimetoQuit.com and you can download a flyer for your practice!

MU Stage 2 advice from Stasia Kahn, MD

For those of you that intend to attest for Meaningful Use Stage Two or are sitting on the fence, check out the most recent article from Stasia Kahn, MD, Achieving Stage Two Meaningful Use, Informatics Skills Required,outlines the challenges that her practice faced and also shares the strategies to overcome these challenges.  Dr. Kahn practices with IAFP Board Chair Carrie E. Nelson, MD in Wheaton.  Link to her blog, www.EMRSurvival.com. 

ABFM Update

As of Thursday, June 19^th a change from a 5-year repeat to a 3-year repeat of a SAM has been implemented.  As a result, a SAM can be repeated every three years now. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:

Ashley Webb, CCCM, SCM awebb@theabfm.org

Support Center Manager, American Board of Family Medicine

Support Center:  877-223-7437

Direct Dial:  888-995-5700 ext 1000

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

Janet Albers, MD, IAFP president-elect, has been selected to be the chair of the Department of Family Medicine at SIU School of Medicine.  She began her new position July 1, replacing John Bradley, MD, who retired effective June 30.  Dr. Albers will continue as CEO for the SIU Family Health Center FQHC until her replacement is hired.

IAFP past-president Edward A. Hirsch, MD had been named Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria.  He will have overall responsibility for planning & directing care strategy, enhancing quality & safety, promoting effective use of resources and clinical integration, and will lead Children's Hospital's relationship with the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP).

William Bird, MD has been named New Chief of Quality and process for CGH Medical Center according to the June 23^rd Sauk Valley News

Dr. Steven Befus died in 2003 at age 51. But his medical missionary work in the midst of Liberia's worst civil wars made a lasting impact in the family medicine residency program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. According to the June 26 Peoria Journal-Star, UICOMP officials presented the first the first Befus Humanitarianism Award to his widow, Sue, during the residency program's graduation ceremonies. The honor includes a $1,000 donation from UnityPoint Health-Methodist Proctor Foundation to the charity of the recipient's choice. Befus, his wife, and three children, all under the age of 5, left for Liberia in 1981, soon after he completed the family medicine residency at Methodist. He returned to Peoria periodically, either to raise money or to renew his visa. During those intervals, he taught at UICOMP. Read more here
  Anad Salem, MD has been voted Mentor of the Year by the SIU School of Medicine first year students in Carbondale.  Salem was one of 14 nominees, according to the July 10 Southern Illinoisan.

Bernard Ewigman, MD, MSPH, endowed chair of family medicine at University of Chicago NorthShore, has accepted a position on ADFM Board (Association of Departments of Family Medicine) and as Chair of one of their Strategic Committees.