PAFP releases 2018 Annual Report Feb. 15, 2019

The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians has released its 2018 Annual Report. Within its pages, you'll find important updates from every corner of the PAFP, including education, government affairs and practice advocacy, resident and student initiatives, and membership, plus updates from the PAFP EVP and CEO and its president. Click here to view the report.

The PAFP is pleased to announce the winners of its 2019 awards! William Taddonio, MD of Douglassville has been selected as the PAFP’s Family Physician of the Year; Elizabeth George of Mercersburg has been named the PAFP’s inaugural Public Health Award winner. Gordon Liu of Pittsburgh and Allison Myers of Philadelphia have been named the PAFP’s Exemplary Teachers of the Year.

It's well-known that one of the effects of hospital mergers is higher prices, but there's another cost to patients: poorer health care. According to the New York Times, despite arguments that health care mergers lead to better patient care, hospitals don't compete on quality when markets are highly consolidated; competition has been found to reduce rates of mortality.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has filed legal action against UPMC, saying the health behemoth is violating the state's charity laws. Shapiro says UPMC's actions are "harming patients by creating barriers to treatment and jeopardizing the public interest;" the legal action seeks to modify the consent decrees between UPMC and Highmark Health.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians' 2019-20 leadership nominating slate is now available. PAFP members will have a chance to choose a president-elect, director-at-large, American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) delegate and AAFP alternate delegate, and the president of the PAFP Foundation at the PAFP's Annual Business Meeting in March.