Progress Notes :: June 4, 2014

Progress Notes :: June 4, 2014 :: Issue 89


		June 4, 2014 \| Issue 89


		Government Affairs Crunch Time for Pennsylvania's Budget
		The Pennsylvania legislature reconvened this week to wrestle with a June 30 budget deadline and a $1.3 billion deficit. Despite lower unemployment, income tax revenues were especially weak. Education funding, alcohol sales, and pension reforms headline the focus of legislative leaders, while others looks to Medicaid expansion as a possible fix. The PAFP continues to push for creation of a prescription monitoring program and appropriations for new family medicine residency slots in the 2014-15 budget.

		Practice Advocacy ICD-10 Acknowledgment Testing A Success
		The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reported the ICD-10 acknowledgement testing performed in March was successful. Approximately 2,600 participating providers, suppliers, billing companies and clearinghouses participated during the testing week, with more than 127,000 claims submitted with ICD-10 codes to the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims system, receiving acknowledgements that claims were accepted. Submitters and CMS learned valuable lessons to allow for a smooth ICD-10 implementation on Oct. 1, 2015. Contact your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) if you have interest in submitting future acknowledgement testing.

		Education Pittsburgh CME Conference Registration Now Open
		Join the PAFP Foundation on Nov. 7-9 in downtown Pittsburgh for three days of valuable CME, a SAM study group on well child visits, our “Best of CME” series, exclusive PAFP events, and much more! CME topics include women’s health, a business of medicine track, sports medicine workshops, new lipid guidelines, and more. For the full conference agenda, click here. Register today to reserve your spot! Summer Reward Points Sale! Coming next week, watch your inbox for more information about our Summer Reward Points Sale!

		Public Health Report: Obesity Now a Global Issue
		Obesity isn't just a problem in the United States, according to a study in Lancet: it's a worldwide health issue. In fact, USA Today reports, while more Americans are obese than any other nationality, the problem is proportionally worse elsewhere. Visit the PAFP's Public Health webpage for more information on obesity.

		Quality Improvement Proposed Rule Gives Meaningful Users Flexibility
		The Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a proposed rule that would give flexibility to eligible professionals in how electronic health records (EHR) software is used to reach Meaningful Use. The rule would allow options for providers unable to stay current with the latest software changes. Click here for complete details.

		Residents & Students Congrats to Scholarship Award Winners!
		Congratulations to our PAFP resident and student AAFP scholarship awardees! Tomorrow’s Leader Award (Residents) Sarah Arnone, DO (Altoona) Philip Eskew, DO, JD, MBA (Heart of Lancaster) Minority Scholarship Award Program (Residents) Janet (Josie) Kinkead, DO (St. Joseph’s) FMIG Leadership Award (Students) Joseph Andrie (PSU) Plus, 12 first-time medical student attendee awardees from Pennsylvania! PAFP Foundation student scholarship notifications are pending – stay tuned! Get connected, get involved! Interested in participating in discussions ahead of AAFP National Conference related to Congress business (advocacy, developing resolutions)? Join the PAFP Community residents’ or students’ group! Announcements and discussions will take place on the Community.


		Free Webinar on ER/LA Opioids, 1.5 CME Credits!
		The California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) is pleased to invite you to a free 90-minute webinar on extended release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioids, good for 1.5 prescribed credits from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The webinar is brought to you through the Collaborative for For REMS Education (CO*RE) and will be available six times through the coming months to ensure you don't miss it. Click here for full details.

		Explore Direct Primary Care at Exciting Event
		PAFP members have a great opportunity to explore direct primary care at the upcoming Direct Primary Care (DPC) Summit, coming June 20-21 to Arlington, Va. Meet and network with physician leaders who have established DPC practices, DPC practice networks and Medicaid ACOs that offer the best of patient-centered primary care that is accessible to everyone. Patients, employers, and policy makers recognize the value, and physicians see the model as one solution to what ails our current health care system. Additional resources on DPC: ? AAFP Paper on DPC ? Direct Primary Care Coalition ? Direct Primary Care: Provider, Purchaser, and Payer Perspective (Forbes)