What's New
Early Bird Discount Prior to April 23, 2008 - Summer Family
Medicine Weekend
Summer CME Family Medicine Weekend -June 6-9, 2008
Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort - St. Simons Island, GA
It is not too late to sign up and still receive an early bird
discount for the GAFP Summer Family Medicine Weekend. Members
can attend the meeting and earn up to 24 CME credits (EBCME
application pending) over the span of three days for a mere
$245.
This meeting not only seeks to meet your CME needs but focuses
on your family time as well. Attend sessions in the morning
and kick back with your family in the afternoons and evenings.
How can you go wrong with fun at the beach, and an opportunity
to earn CME credits all at the same time?
Lecture topics this year include The Gnarly Picture of
Rheumatology - Clinical Manifestations of Rheumatologic
Diseases, Forget Me Not - Management of Alzheimer’s Disease in a Primary
Care Setting, and Obesity Goes Hollywood - Weight Management
for Today’s Patient. Workshop topics include Skin Deep…Minor
Procedures Performed in the Physician’s Office – Dermatology
Workshop, Office Procedures and Implantable Contraceptives for
today’s woman- Reproductive Health Workshop, and
Gone with the Wind - Spirometry Workshop.
To enhance your vacation, Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort offers a wide variety of amenities and recreational opportunities. Activities include bike rental, tennis courts, 27 holes of golf, volley ball, and horse shoes. And of course, there is the beach.
All guests of Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort may enjoy
unlimited access to the St. Simons Beach Club, located
right on the Atlantic Ocean and just a four mile drive
from the resort. The luxurious facility offers visitors
private beach access, a swimming pool, and jaccuzi tub.
Additionally, GAFP will host a Welcome Reception and Ice
Cream Social with a family friendly movie to provide opportunities
to reunite with your peers.
Make your reservations now! Call Sea Palms Golf & Tennis
Resort at (800) 841-6268 and ask for the Georgia Academy of
Family Physicians’ Room Block. Prices range from
$149 guest rooms to $450 for 4-bedroom villas.
Register for the meeting by going to www.gafp.org and clicking
on the Summer Meeting link on the home page.
March 20, 2008
Time to Submit Your Nominations for the 2008 GAFP Awards
It is the 60th Anniversary for the Georgia Academy and what more fitting way to recognize those who have been the backbone to this Academy than to nominate them for their exemplary service to the profession of family medicine and acknowledge their contribution to Georgia. Nominate a colleague for one of the following awards:
Award Nomination Deadline:
· Georgia Family Physician of the Year May 1, 2008
· Keith Ellis Resident Scholarship May 1, 2008
· Family Medicine Educator of the Year April 27, 2008
· Family Medicine Resident of the Year April 27, 2008
The Membership Committee will nominate award recipients for the GAFP Board. Presentation of the awards will be held during the 2008 GAFP Annual Meeting in November.
Many noteworthy family physicians may not have been considered for an award because they were not nominated. Please give some thought to nominating a deserving colleague. Instructions and downloadable Awards Nomination Package are posted on the GAFP website: www.gafp.org/awards.asp.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Jacquelyn Butts at (800) 392-3841.
March 20, 2008
Georgia Leadership Responds to Statement by AAFP President
In the December 2007 issue of Smart Money magazine, AAFP President
Dr. Jim King was quoted as saying, “I’d seriously consider
changing doctors if they didn’t have an electronic records system.”
After a member brought this to the attention of the GAFP Executive Committee, GAFP President Dr. Bruce LeClair wrote a letter to Dr. King that said in part:
“On behalf of the 2,500 members of the Georgia Academy, we sharply differ with your statement, and we hope that you were quoted out of context. We are fortunate to have thousands of excellent clinicians among our colleagues who at this time have yet to implement an electronic medical record (EMR) system, for very good reasons.
“While the use of an EMR system is one of the tenets of the medical home and we support that effort, there is no need to cast aspersions on our colleagues’ skills if they are lacking this particular office technology now, a technology that has yet to be fully defined, refined or proven. In fact, while several systematic reviews have shown increase in patient and user satisfaction that may have an impact on quality of care, the evidence is inconclusive regarding the impact of computer-based patient record systems on patient outcomes and quality of care. As promulgators of evidence based medicine, we need to be very careful of how we use the evidence we have and how strongly we make recommendations based on that evidence.
“Dr. King, thank you for your leadership and passion
for family medicine. We appreciate your time and efforts on
behalf of our profession and our patients. If you were misquoted
or taken out of context, we would appreciate a clarification.”
Dr. King was quick to respond with both a phone call to Dr.
LeClair and a follow-up letter to the GAFP leadership. In the
letter, he responded in part by stating:
“Thanks for the letter about the recent article in Smart Money magazine about what to look for when choosing a physician. While I did say that having an electronic medical record is certainly a plus, I did not say that the quality of care a physician provides is better if they have an EMR. Unfortunately, the reporter took some privilege with my response and did not accurately report my answer to this particular question. ... Again, I do apologize about the statement. Please do not hold our Academy completely responsible about its president putting his foot in his mouth. I do promise one thing: I learn from my mistakes.
The GAFP leadership was thankful to Dr. King for his quick response.
February 26, 2008
GAFP Position on Grady Hospital and Grady Hospital Neighborhood Clinics
Background
There has been a great deal of debate over the Grady Health System (GHS) and its current dire financial situation. GHS has nine neighborhood health clinics that provide much needed primary care to the community. The clinics saw more than 200,000 patient visits in 2006.
The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is a 2,500 member organization of family physicians, family physician residents in training and medical students. The GAFP is the largest single specialty devoted to primary care. The Mission of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is to promote the health of the citizens of Georgia by advancing the specialty of Family Medicine through education, advocacy and service to family physicians in the State of Georgia.
Support of Grady Training Programs
Grady, through its neighborhood clinics, provides needed primary care training for medical students and residents that could not be found elsewhere if the clinics were shut down. The Georgia Academy asks policy makers to maintain these vital training programs through the Grady neighborhood clinics that are currently a vital support system provided by Grady.
Importance of Neighborhood Clinics and Primary Care
Dr. George Rust of the National Center for Primary Care in a 2003 state-wide evaluation of Georgia’s health care safety net insisted, “To be counted as part of the primary health care safety net, a health center or health care professional must provide the full range of services typically provided in a family physician’s office, i.e. providing the health care for 85 – 90 percent of the health care needs of patients from all age groups. Not only must the services be available, but they must also be affordable, accessible, and culturally and personally acceptable. They must also be comprehensive (as opposed to categorical public health services, such as immunization clinics or prenatal care.)”
The Georgia Department of Public Health Clinics are not structured to support patient-centered care like the Grady Clinics. The structure of Fulton County Public Health is somewhat different than that of all of the other county health departments (Fulton County has established a "Department of Health and Wellness" with a slightly different arrangement, as allowed by Georgia Code for a county their size). Their primary thrust is toward "population health" rather than direct patient services in a medical home model.
Most health departments in Georgia focus on specific programs (weighted heavily toward women and children) of a preventive nature and are not staffed or funded to provide continuity of care for acute or chronic illnesses. Therefore it is not reasonable to expect that Public Health could "pick up the slack" if the clinics close, without a philosophical shift and an infusion of funding and resources.
Conclusion
Closing Grady Clinics would increase the state’s health cost as more patients would be forced to seek care in hospital emergency rooms, only shifting and increasing the cost of care.
We urge those seeking solutions to Grady’s financial situation to tread lightly when it comes to disconnecting Georgians from their health care safety net.
Approved by the GAFP Executive Committee – November 7, 2007
February 11, 2008
Annual Meeting A Success
This year’s GAFP Annual Meeting, held Nov. 7 through Nov. 10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, offered a diverse mixture of CME lectures, workshops and demonstrations and hosted more than 550 physicians and clinicians. The meeting also included a sold-out exhibit hall that included industry partners and offered networking opportunities for all attendees. This year, with 36 AAFP prescribed credits and a larger number of evidence-based CME lectures than in the past, the Annual Meeting was deemed a success by those who attended.
On Friday night, Dr. Bruce LeClair was sworn in as the new GAFP president during the annual President’s Dinner. The night was complete with dancing and entertainment offered by the jazz band A Step Up.
After the meeting, attendees received a survey to help the GAFP evaluate its effectiveness. Comments included:
* The staff interaction was better than I have ever experienced in over 20 years.
* Overall excellent. The longer lunch breaks (1.5 to 2 hours) were good for exercise opportunities, which I enjoyed.
* I appreciated all of your efforts.
* The Education Committee did a great job yet again. To me, the quality is better than at the AAFP meeting.
* It is nice that there is always someone around to answer questions just by going to the registration booth.
* ... the exhibits were very helpful, and we received much needed literature.
* This was a great meeting.
* The absence of straight out pharma talks was most refreshing – well done!
* Choice of topics was good.
* The value can’t be beat anywhere.
* Networking and seeing colleagues is a wonderful benefit of the conference – and being surrounded by like-minded people.
* Very informative.
* Keep up the good work!
December 19, 2007
Task Force Distributes FM brochures to High School Students
The Task Force on Student and Resident Recruitment reviewed an AAFP booklet entitled "Explore Family Medicine...A Roadmap for Your Future," published last year. The brochure details family medicine as a career choice and includes academic handouts to guide high school students before reaching medical school. In early 2007, the GAFP board approved a financial note to print 1,500 booklets. The Task Force has partnered with the Georgia Area Health Education Center (AHEC) to distribute these family medicine resources throughout the state to interested high school students.
December 13, 2007
Recertification Class of 2004 - Don't Miss December 31 Deadline
All family physicians that were certified or recertified in 2004 must complete their Stage 1 requirements by the end of the year, thus retaining eligibility for a 3-year extension of their certificate. Successful completion of each 3-year Stage is necessary to remain eligible for a 3-year extension to your certificate, which is awarded upon completion of Stage 2. Family physicians who do not complete Stage 1 requirements by the deadline will, by default, continue on the 7-year certification path until their next scheduled recertification examination. If you have any questions about this process, please contact the American Board of Family Medicine at (877) 223-7437.
December 13, 2007
GAFP Leadership Meets with Aetna Medical Director
Jack Spicer, MD, GAFP member and Aetna's medical director in Georgia met with GAFP's President Alice House, MD and President Elect Bruce LeClair, MD on September 27th to discuss member issues as it relates to Aetna insurance. One of the focused discussions was centered on pay for performance and the need to increase primary care physician reimbursement. Dr. Spicer indicated that Aetna is working to roll out a national pay for performance program and expects it to be launched in late 2008. He has agreed to brief the Georgia Academy prior to the launch. Drs. LeClair and House voiced their concerns about pay for performance becoming more onerous for family physicians and the method that Aetna will use to evaluate a practice.
Urinalysis Dipstick Payment:
One issue of concerned that was cleared up was Aetna's
payment of urinalysis dipstick with evaluation and management codes.
Dr. Spicer was able to report that Aetna had changed its payment
policy effective November 2006. The new policy states:
Beginning with claims processed as of November 12, 2006, we will pay the following codes when billed with office-based evaluation and management codes (E&Ms) appended with Modifier 25:
1. urinalysis dipstick CPT codes: 81002 and 81003
2. pulse oximetry CPT codes: 94760, 94761, 94762
The office-based E&M codes that apply are 99201-99205, 99211-99215, 99241-99245 and 99381-99397.
VAP Testing and Payment:
Aetna does not currently pay for the VAP (Vertical Auto
Profile) Test which is an expanded cholesterol test unless the patient
has a triglyceride level greater than 400 mg/dL. Drs. Spicer and
LeClair agreed to continue to discuss this issue as there is new
research on this test. The VAP testing payment issue is a national
Aetna policy.
Next Steps:
Dr. Spicer stated that the meeting was very helpful and
he would like to continue to have regular meetings with Georgia Academy
leaders. The Georgia Academy will continue to meet with Dr. Spicer
and his Aetna colleagues in the future to discuss issues that affect
family medicine and our patients.
December 13, 2007