INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE

ADVOCACY AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
> NEW REPORT LISTS THREATS TO STATES' FISCAL STRENGTH
> CMS TO HOST FREE NATIONAL PROVIDER CALL
> BECOME A PAFP KEY CONTACT!

CME
> UPCOMING CME ON HOSPITAL MEDICINE
> JOIN US IN YOUR TOWN AT THE REGIONAL LECTURES SERIES!

PUBLIC HEALTH
> PERTUSSIS OUTBREAK GOES FROM BAD TO WORSE
> REGISTRATION STILL OPEN FOR CONCUSSION COURSES

QUALITY INITIATIVES
> BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MAY BE ADDED TO MEANINGFUL USE
> FREE SECURE EMAIL OPPORTUNITY OFFERED TO HEALTH PROVIDERS

RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS
> MEET US AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE!
> HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF KANSAS CITY
> DIG DEEP INTO THE ISSUES

OTHER NEWS
> TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR PAFP DISCOUNT WITH GEICO
> CHECK OUT THE PAFP'S SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE!

NEW REPORT LISTS THREATS TO STATES' FISCAL STRENGTH
According to a new report, Medicaid spending is one of the six biggest threats to the fiscal stability of states. A study conducted by the State Budget Crisis Task Force concludes that the gap between Medicaid spending and state tax revenue will grow about $22 billion a year within five years. Read this Allentown Morning Call article for more information.

CMS TO HOST FREE NATIONAL PROVIDER CALL
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a free national provider call on Aug. 1 to review proposals for the physician value-based payment modifier. A provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and mandatory by 2017, the value-based modifier is intended to maintain quality of care while reducing Medicare cost variation among physicians. Click here for details and to register.

BECOME A PAFP KEY CONTACT!
Do you have an existing relationship with your state or federal legislators? If so, you could become a Key Contact for the PAFP’s government affairs team. The PAFP is looking for members who have established relationships with state and federal lawmakers to help advocate for family physicians in Pennsylvania. Register with the PAFP’s Key Contacts Program today.

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UPCOMING CME ON HOSPITAL MEDICINE
Our next SAM Study Group, on hospital medicine, will be held Friday, Nov. 2  from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eden Conference Center in Lancaster, in conjunction with the Lancaster Breakaway Conference. Registration is now open!

JOIN US IN YOUR TOWN AT THE REGIONAL LECTURE SERIES! 
We are excited to present this year's Regional Lecture Series, New Tools to Fix a Broken Screening System: Colorectal Cancer Screening for the Changing Landscape of Primary Care. Please join the PAFP and your colleagues for an evening of dinner and discussions on ways to improve your colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates, guideline updates, meaningful use and more! Lecture Series events are scheduled for two hours and are worth two CME patient safety credits. Registration is free for PAFP members and one staff member each. Registration is now open - we look forward to seeing you there!

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PERTUSSIS OUTBREAK GOES FROM BAD TO WORSE
Cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are rising at an epidemic rate. Since we last reported it two weeks ago, the U.S. could be headed for the worst pertussis outbreak since 1959, according to the Associated Press. Learn more about pertussis, its diagnosis, and its prevention at this resource portal on PAFP.com.

REGISTRATION STILL OPEN FOR CONCUSSION COURSES

While some have already occurred, registration is still open for many Department of Health-approved regional concussion courses from the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainer's Society. Attendees will learn to recognize, test for and treat concussions. The courses meet educational requirements under the Safety in Youth Sports Act.

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MAY BE ADDED TO MEANINGFUL USE
House bill HR 6043 and Senate bill S. 539 have been introduced to include behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) treatment professionals and facilities to participate in the Meaningful Use program. This expands meaningful use from only permitting physicians and nurse practitioners to include clinical psychologists and licensed social workers.

FREE SECURE EMAIL OPPORTUNITY OFFERED TO HEALTH PROVIDERS

You're invited to take advantage of a free direct messaging email account for one full year. This opportunity is being offered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and made available to the first 8,000 Pennsylvania health care providers that sign up before Aug. 15, 2012. Signing up is simple - click here to go to Direct Address and fill out the form on the right. Please call 1 (888) 470-9913 with any questions.

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MEET US AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE!

Headed to the AAFP’s National Conference? Please be sure to say hello to your PAFP staff - Molly Talley, Director of Resident and Student Initiatives, and Tim McKenna, Social Media Specialist - as we work the "Pennsylvania row" area to support our residency teams and our 53 medical student members in attendance. We’ll be offering some very special opportunities to “unleash your inner superhero,” so please be sure to ask us about it!

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF KANSAS CITY
Plan your visit to make the most of your time in Kansas City: Print the schedule and peruse the live Expo Hall map to plan your trip . We want you to enjoy all the events, featured speakers, workshops and receptions you can! Connect to onsite happenings by following the conference Twitter hashtag #AAFPNC, as well as the PAFP (@PAFPandF) and Molly Talley (@mollytalley). Student leader @Dianasplosion and resident leader @MaverickMD2012 will also be part of the social media community the conference.

Don’t miss the Pennsylvania reception, Friday evening at the Mainstreet Theater Chesterfield (formerly the Marquee Mezzanine), from 5 to 7 p.m. All PAFP student and resident members are invited. Please see one of the Pennsylvania family medicine residencies or Molly Talley in the Expo Hall for your invitation.

DIG DEEP INTO THE ISSUES
Interested in getting involved in policy development regarding issues important to our resident and student members? Meet up with your delegates in the Resident and Student Congress sessions. Check the schedule for workgroups and state caucuses.

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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR PAFP DISCOUNT WITH GEICO
The PAFP and GEICO are working together to bring exclusive savings to PAFP members. Contact GEICO for a free quote on auto insurance to see how much you could be saving. And don’t forget to mention your PAFP affiliation -you could qualify for an exclusive member savings opportunity.  Visit http://www.geico.com/disc/pafp or call 1 (800) 368-2734 to see how much you could be saving. GEICO can also help you find great rates on homeowner's, renter's, and motorcycle insurance and more!

CHECK OUT THE PAFP'S SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE!
Whether you're a seasoned social media veteran or you've never even heard the term "social media" before, we'd like you to know how family physicians and the PAFP are using a few powerful communications tools - and how you might be able to use them, too. Check out Primary Care & Social Media, our guide that's been the talk of the health care social media community for the last couple weeks! You'll be glad you did!

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