Progress Notes :: Sept. 10, 2015

Progress Notes :: Sept. 10, 2015 :: Issue 121


		Sept. 10, 2015 \| Issue 121


		Government Affairs and Practice Advocacy PAFP President to Testify Against NP Independence
		PAFP President Nicole Davis, MD is slated to testify along with the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) and Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (PA-AAP) against House Bill 765 – which would eliminate collaborative agreements and give nurse practitioners full independence – before the House Professional Licensure Committee on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Capitol in Harrisburg. The hearing is informational only, and the committee will not be voting to move the bill. Your voice matters. Oppose the House Bill here and the Senate Bill here through the AAFP's Speak Out tool and help protect patient safety.

		Education A Year's Worth of Upcoming PAFP CME Events!
		You asked for it, so here it is! Mark your calendars and get ready for these upcoming CME events: Allentown CME Conference: Nov. 6-8, 2015, Renaissance Allentown Hotel, Allentown Pittsburgh CME Conference and UPMC Refresher Course in Family Medicine (a combined CME event): March 10-13, Marriott City Center, Pittsburgh (details forthcoming) CME Cruise: July 2-7, 2016, Grandeur of the Seas, Baltimore to Bermuda (20 hours of CME credit!) Pocono CME Conference: Nov. 18-20, 2016, Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, Pocono Manor (details forthcoming)

		Public Health Free Webinar: Anxiety, Depression, and Breast Cancer
		Free webinar: Addressing Anxiety and Depression Among Young Women Affected By Breast Cancer, noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 29. This program is hosted by Living Beyond Breast Cancer's (LBBC) Young Women's Initiative. You’ll learn about why young women affected by breast cancer have higher rates of anxiety and depression than older women, management strategies for anxiety and depression, and the role that health care providers can take in identifying and treating anxiety and depression. Click here to register.

		Quality Improvement Proper ICD-10 Codes Provide Granularity

		As the Oct. 1 ICD-10 implementation date draws near, PAFP asthma project faculty offer some advice in selecting the proper ICD-10 code. Outpatient billing is not directly based on the diagnosis code, but the documentation. Documentation must support the diagnosis code(s), and the diagnosis codes chosen will affect the Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk score, which ultimately impacts payment. Accurate ICD-10 coding is extremely important for conditions such as asthma to provide extra granularity. Proper coding allows for better data collection and assessment of appropriate therapy.

		Residents and Students FMEC Regional Conference Scholarships Available

		Student scholarships are available now for the Family Medicine Education Consortium’s (FMEC) 2015 Annual Meeting! This is a must-go conference opportunity for students interested in family medicine. The networking and educational experiences are priceless! Simply get yourself to Danvers, Massachusetts (right outside of Boston) and the student scholarship covers registration, hotel, and meals. It’s all the energy of the AAFP National Conference on a more concentrated scale, with the focus on the northeast region. Find residents and faculty, a great residency fair, inspiring national leaders speaking on cutting edge innovations, policy issues, and public health, presentations, workshops, seminars, and more!

		PAFP Member Survey Results Now Available
		The PAFP is eager to reveal the results of its 2015 Member Survey. The feedback helps us to identify what you desire from this organization. Thanks for participating! Congratulations to Michael Brown, MD of Temple University, who was randomly selected out of all survey respondents as the winner of an iPad Mini!