(L-R) Principal Nathan Gerrells, Dr. Shaina Alleyne, Lauren Shamblin, Dr. Michael Carpenter

On Tuesday, February 27, presenters visited Lumpkin County Middle School to present Tar Wars. It was a resounding success! Presenters included Dr. Michael Carpenter, Dr. Shaina Alleyne, and Tar Wars Statewide Manager Lauren Shamblin. Over 300 6^th-grade students were educated through Tar Wars in this event. All three presenters commented that the students were attentive, engaged, and asked many relevant questions to increase their knowledge of vaping and tobacco use. While Tar Wars’ main focus area is elementary school students, this specially designed presentation for middle school helps them understand the dangers of tobacco use, how their brain can be sabotaged by addiction, and ends with cessation resources that students can use themselves or share with others in their lives. As we continue to spread Tar Wars across the state, hopefully, more students will have the opportunity to hear from these presenters and others!

Remember that if you are interested in bringing Tar Wars to your community, the first step is to reach out to Statewide Manager Lauren Shamblin at lshamblin@gafp.org. The more students who see Tar Wars, the closer we are to a healthier Georgia!

Why it matters: Family physicians expressed appreciation of the implementation of the G2211 Medicare add-on code that began on Jan. 1. The code, which more appropriately values the complex, continuous services family physicians provide, is a direct investment in evidence-based, whole-person primary care. It offers payment for ongoing holistic care such as modifying medication doses, providing referrals to and coordinating with specialists, and coordinating care across a continuum of settings.

However, we have work ahead of us to ensure that family physicians experience the full benefits of this code as intended—specifically, allowing payment for G2211 when an office or outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visit is reported with modifier 25.

When a separate E/M service is performed in a visit, modifier 25 is attached to the coding of the visit. For example, addressing a complaint of sinus congestion during an annual wellness visit would be a separate, distinct E/M service.

Unfortunately, G2211 is not payable when the accompanying E/M visit is reported with payment modifier 25. This means that when a physician provides comprehensive care and services to address all of a patient’s needs in a single visit—for example, providing a vaccine while a patient is visiting for a different concern—they are unable to receive the additional resources G2211 offers for the additional complexity and time it takes to be the patient’s ongoing focal point of care.

What we’re working on

• The AAFP is sharing information with CMS about how the modifier 25 policy often prevents family physicians from billing G2211, which runs counter to the goal of supporting comprehensive, longitudinal care in a single visit.
• The AAFP urged CMS to allow payment for G2211 when billed alongside an E/M visit in the 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule when modifier 25 is attached.
• The AAFP has consistently and repeatedly supported G2211’s implementation and intended goals but raised concerns that the modifier 25 policy would negatively affect family physicians. We urged CMS to allow G2211 payment for an E/M visit billed with modifier 25 or, at minimum, when modifier 25 is used to bill an E/M visit alongside a Medicare annual wellness visit.
• We’ve also joined a letter with American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Home Care Medicine in support of G2211 resources being available for E/M visits provided in home and residence settings.

Are you interested in improving patient safety and satisfaction around antibiotics while earning CME?  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is offering a no-cost program that promotes appropriate antibiotic use in patients seen via telemedicine.

Designed by physician experts at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and beginning in June 2024, this 18-month program consists of brief (about 20 minutes) educational webinars and resources to learn best practices in antibiotic stewardship and management of infectious conditions. The program focuses on practical strategies that can be easily implemented in practices. Webinars will be offered live and asynchronously (as recordings), and all program materials will be available online for participants to access at the convenience of the program.

Educational topics covered may include management of upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, COVID -19, acute cough, ear pain, sinusitis, UTIs, cellulitis, sexually transmitted infections, and diarrhea.  Additional topics include communicating with patients and families and how to learn from your own data to guide improvements.

This program is funded and guided by AHRQ and implemented by NORC at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

To join the program and sign up for the live webinars click on the link below:

https://safetyprogram4telemedicine.org/dc/Introduction?s=638352166679328107-fAE8A5cQPhFO15bL5GL2aBHA3&u=638447115844570142-8N1bMILBEaIEaf0AUf85Q31SG

With summer on the horizon, we are excited to announce the opening of registration for our highly anticipated summer meeting! The 2024 GAFP & GPCA Summer Family Medicine CME Weekend will take place at the beautiful Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC, from June 6-9, 2024. We invite you to SEAS THE DAY and join us for a memorable experience.

It’s More Than a Meeting

Bring your spouse, children, grandma, and Cousin Eddie because this is not just a meeting, but a summer retreat packed with activities for the whole family. From bicycle rentals, beach activities, golfing, tennis, and pickleball, to pools for adults, families, and kids, to the tempting spa treatments and daily entertainment – there’s something in store for everyone. We have arranged a complimentary shuttle to ferry you from the resort to island activities and dining spots within a 3-mile radius on a first-come-first-serve basis. Now that’s convenience redefined!

Networking and Professional Development

Balance your fun with some serious professional networking opportunities, and the chance to earn CME credits. We’ve lined up a robust schedule of captivating sessions on both leadership and clinical tracks, curated by some of the best minds in the industry.

Important Changes This Year

In our quest to offer an improved registration experience, this year we have reorganized the hotel booking system. This year, once you have registered for the meeting, you will be provided with a link to make your hotel reservations. This assures that your accommodation is secured when you register for the meeting.

Hurry, Slots Fill Up Fast!

With such an enticing spread of benefits, our slots fill up pretty quickly. We encourage early bird registrations, so you have plenty of time to plan your mini-vacation while securing your spot at the meeting.

For more information on the meeting, hotel details, and to view the CME schedule, please click here. Don’t wait – dive right in and register today!

We hope to see you in Hilton Head Island, under the beautiful summer sun. Seas the Day, we promise you, it will be worth it!

Georgia Academy of Family Physicians March 2024 Conclave
Medical Student Workshop and Residency Fair
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel
March 7-10

The March 2024 Conclave is quickly approaching and takes place March 7-10 at the newly renovated Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel located at 7 Concourse Parkway NE Atlanta, Georgia 30328.

If you have not yet made reservations, please do so by clicking here.

To see the schedule of events and committee meetings, click here.

Questions about the meeting? Contact Terrie Ward (tward@gafp.org).

Questions about the medical student workshop/family medicine residency fair? Contact Ali Bohannon (abohannon@gafp.org).

Eddie Richardson, Jr, MD

Eddie Richardson, Jr, MD, of Eatonton, and Past Georgia Academy Chapter President and Georgia Healthy Family Alliance President has been selected to serve on the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Trustees! The AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees is responsible for maintaining a proper balance among the interests of AAFP members, Foundation staff, and the general public. The Board is responsible and accountable to the organization’s donors, constituents, and the community at large.  

Michelle Cook, MD, of Atlanta, was recently featured on an MSNBC news story focusing on WellStar’s decision to close Atlanta Medical Center last year.

Dr. Michelle Cooke, who formerly worked at a WellStar family medicine office and has since opened a private practice that charges a membership fee rather than accepting insurance, said many of her new patients haven’t seen physicians for more than a year as they struggled to find appointments.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to see a huge rise in morbidity and mortality, just because a year of people not getting their blood pressure checked, a year of not getting appropriate cancer screenings, like mammograms, pap smears — so much of that builds up that we’re going to see terrible effects in the next five to 10 years,” she said.

Michelle Cooke, MD

Atlanta’s health care system is strained by major hospital’s closing, doctors and patients say (msn.com)

Bonzo Reddick, MD, of Savannah, has recently published a book entitled:  Health Equity: A Guide for Clinicians, Medical Educators & Healthcare Organizations.

The global pandemic led to renewed interest in health disparities; however, numerous medical schools, residency programs, outpatient clinics, and hospital organizations were not equipped to teach about health equity.

In Health Equity: A Guide for Clinicians, Medical Educators & Healthcare Organizations, Dr. Bonzo Reddick presents a framework for addressing health disparities that can be applied to most situations of systemic and institutional bias and to situations of personal bias and discrimination. The scenarios, anecdotes, and interactive activities within this book will enlighten and refresh health educators, physicians, resident physicians, medical students, health professions students, and other healthcare and allied health professionals.

Whether used as an introduction to health disparities, a text to assist in teaching about health inequities, or a tool to help your organization develop a framework for achieving health equity, this is an essential guidebook for those ready to reassess their approach to the equitable care of all people.

To order this book via Amazon click here:  https://a.co/d/gRbGMjI

Bonzo Reddick, MD

Beulette Hooks, MD of Midland, past GAFP and Alliance President, has been selected as one of the founding members of the AAFP Board Nominating Committee.

As reported by AAFP News, the AAFP Board Nominating Committee is charged with identifying the skillsets needed to best represent members on the Board of Directors, as well as with identifying and vetting potential candidates for elected leadership positions, including president-elect, speaker, vice speaker and at-large directors.

This work requires committee members who bring a wide range of experiences and perspectives to the job, and who can appropriately represent all our constituencies. In selecting the founding members of the committee, I was tasked to include people from all chapter sizes, current and past state and national leaders, and past members of the National Conference of Constituency Leaders Advisory Group, as well as to incorporate other important skills, traits and characteristics.

• Kevin Bernstein, M.D., M.S., FAAFP, of the Uniformed Services AFP
• Emily Briggs, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, of the Texas AFP
• Mary Campagnolo, M.D., M.B.A., FAAFP, of the New Jersey AFP
• Jack Chou, M.D., FAAFP, of the California AFP
• Beulette Hooks, M.D., FAAFP of the Georgia AFP
• Gretchen Irwin, M.D., M.B.A., FAAFP, of the Kansas AFP
• Louis Kazal, M.D., FAAFP, of the New Hampshire AFP
• Mike Sevilla, M.D., FAAFP, of the Ohio AFP
• David Schmitz, M.D., FAAFP, of the North Dakota AFP
• Tasha Starks, M.D., M.P.H., of the Arkansas AFP
• Kelly Thibert, D.O., M.P.H., of the Nevada AFP
• Juan Carlos Venis, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, of the Indiana AFP

Also serving are Board Chair Tochi Iroku-Malize, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FAAFP; Ada Stewart, M.D., FAAFP, chair of the AAFP Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Family Medicine; and Janet Nwaukoni, D.O., resident member of the Board of Directors.

Interested in family medicine? Registration for the AAFP’s National Conference is now open. There, you can expand on med school and prepare to transition to residency.

Registration is Open: National Conference 2024 

Registration for National Conference 2024 is now open. Join us August 1–3 in Kansas City, Mo., for three days focused on helping you become the physician you want to be. 

The AAFP’s NC offers you resources you can’t get anywhere else, filling the gaps of med school with hands-on learning, inspirational speakers, and lifelong connections.   

You can also expect to: 

• Get an in-depth view of family medicine 
• Develop leadership skills 
• Start shaping your career 

In celebration of our 50th year, registration is only $50 through May 16, so don’t delay—register today.  

Millions of America’s youth are being harmed by the pervasive use of flavored vape products that have flooded the market in recent years. The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey stated that nearly 90 percent of youth who use e-cigarettes or vapes are utilizing a flavored version; mostly fruity/sweet flavors, but minty and menthol varieties are also being used. This is a huge issue, as vaping has been linked to many detrimental health effects. Problems such as nicotine addiction, mental health problems, lung damage, and heart disease have all been found in young people after the use of vaping products.

Since flavored tobacco products have a proven track record of enticing young users, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has started a petition to urge the FDA to take action against these products. The petition specifically targets flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigars, and menthol cigarettes. To add your name to the supporters of this petition, visit https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/get-involved/fda-flavor-petition-2022. You can also sign up to receive emails from Tobacco-Free Kids to learn more about how you can support their work.

If you want to do more to help Georgia’s youth learn the dangers of vaping, sign up to be a Tar Wars presenter! Email the Statewide Tar Wars Manager, Lauren Shamblin, at lshamblin@gafp.org to get started today.

Long-time Georgia Academy members have played an instrumental role in advancing our mission to advance family medicine and support our patients in communities across the state.  As current leaders of the GAFP’s Foundation (Georgia Healthy Family Alliance), we are reaching out to share an opportunity that can further amplify the impact of GAFP members who qualify while optimizing their tax benefits.

You may already be familiar with the IRA Charitable Rollover, a provision that allows donors like you to contribute directly from your IRA to qualified nonprofits, such as the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance. However, we wanted to bring to your attention a specific aspect of this opportunity that can significantly benefit both our organization and your financial planning strategy.

Upon reaching the age of 73, the IRS mandates that retirees begin taking minimum distributions from their IRAs annually. These distributions are typically subject to income taxes, thereby reducing the overall value of your retirement savings. However, through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), you can roll over funds of up to $100,000 from your IRA directly to our foundation without incurring taxes on those funds.

By leveraging this provision, you can not only fulfill your required minimum distribution but also make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families across Georgia. Your support will enable us to continue our vital work, including awarding grants to community health projects addressing critical issues such as diabetes, obesity, women’s health, and youth smoking cessation through programs like Tar Wars.

In light of the ongoing challenges posed by health disparities and emerging public health threats, your generosity has never been more essential. Together, we can advance our shared vision of healthier communities and brighter futures for all Georgians.

Should you wish to explore this opportunity further or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Executive Director, Fay Fulton, at 404-321-7445 or ffulton@gafp.org.   Additionally, you may contact Robert Nix of Peachtree Wealth Strategies, who manages all of our stock donation transfers, at 404-218-5739 or rnix@peachtreews.com.

We understand the importance of informed decision-making, so we encourage you to consult with your tax advisor to determine the best course of action for your individual circumstances.

Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our cause. Together, we can make a profound and lasting impact on the health and well-being of communities throughout Georgia.

Mitzi B. Rubin, MD, FAAFP – Marietta                                             
President    
Georgia Healthy Family Alliance  

Patrick J. (“PJ) Lynn, MD – Rome                       
Vice President
Georgia Healthy Family Alliance

Effective January 1, 2024, the Georgia Department of Community Health will now cover and reimburse for the following Behavioral Health/Psychiatric procedure codes below, for clinicians enrolled in Outpatient Hospital Services (COS 070), Physicians Services (COS 430), Physician’s Assistant Services Programs (COS 431) and the Advanced Nurse Practitioner Services (COS 740) programs.

• 99484 – Care Management Behavioral Health Conditions – $41.18
• 99492 – Initial Psychiatric Collaborative Care Management -$136.57
• 99493 – Subsequent Psychiatric Collaborative Care Management – $109.18
• 99494 – Initial or Subsequent Care Psychiatric Collaborative Care Management – $56.42

 *COS 070 -Providers will be reimbursed their current outpatient percent rate of submitted charges. *COS 431 and 740 – Providers will be reimbursed 90 percent of the above Medicaid rates.

Should you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the Gainwell Technologies Call Center at (770) 325-9600 or 1-800-766-4456 or contact www.mmis.georgia.gov.

Georgia’s Department of Public Health Seeking Feedback and Offer for In-Office Education to Your Team

Georgia’s Department of Public Health is asking for Georgia’s Family Physicians to respond and provide insights that are crucial in ensuring the best possible care for children and adolescents with special healthcare needs in Georgia.

Each year, the Department of Public Health relies on the feedback and experiences of physicians like you to assess and improve the quality of care provided to this vulnerable population. New this year, we’re adding an exciting incentive to encourage your participation!

By completing our annual survey and practice assessment, you’ll not only contribute to advancing healthcare practices but also stand a chance to win one of two Delta Gift Cards worth $500 each! Imagine the possibilities – a well-deserved planned getaway, or a quick hop to somewhere unexpected.

Public Health is also asking for a contact in your office if you would like your staff to receive additional education and support on Georgia services and support for youth with special healthcare needs.

Your feedback is invaluable in shaping policies and practices that directly impact the lives of children and families across Georgia. We understand the demands of your time but completing this survey will only take a few moments, and the impact will be significant.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PFJ7TCC

Survey Deadline: March 22, 2024

Your participation ensures that Georgia continues to lead in providing comprehensive and compassionate care to every child, regardless of their unique health needs. Thank you in advance for your dedication to improving healthcare outcomes for our youngest patients. Together, we can make a difference.

On Tuesday, January 30, Georgia’s family physicians took center stage at the State Capitol, engaging in crucial discussions with key legislators. This gathering not only celebrated the vital role family medicine plays in communities statewide but also addressed pressing issues facing the medical field and our patients.

Among the focal points were discussions on workforce development, addressing scope of practice concerns, seeing an increase in Medicaid budgets for primary care physician payment, and alleviating administrative burdens. These topics are not just matters of policy; they directly impact the quality of care delivered to patients across Georgia.

Workforce development emerged as a key concern, with a focus on recruiting and retaining skilled family physicians, particularly in underserved areas. Ensuring an ample supply of healthcare professionals is essential for meeting the diverse needs of Georgia’s population.

Addressing the scope of practice was another critical aspect of the conversation. By examining regulations and exploring avenues for collaboration among healthcare clinicians, participants sought to optimize the delivery of care while maintaining patient safety.

Managing the Medicaid budget was a topic of significant importance. Members engaged in constructive dialogue on how to allocate resources efficiently, ensuring that Medicaid recipients receive the necessary care and seeking relief for our members who care for this fragile community.

Administrative hassle relief was also on the agenda, with discussions centering on streamlining processes and reducing paperwork burdens for clinicians. Simplifying administrative tasks can free up valuable time and resources, allowing physicians to focus more on patient care.

Overall, Georgia’s Family Physicians Day at the State Capitol served as a platform for productive exchanges and collaborative efforts to address the challenges facing healthcare in the state. By working together with legislators and other primary care and OB/GYN stakeholders, family physicians are committed to enhancing healthcare delivery and improving outcomes for all Georgians.

Some GAFP Leaders Attending Day at the Capitol

Speaker Jon Burns and Representative Butch Parrish with GAFP member Dr John Gerguis

House Health Chairman Lee Hawkins and State Representative Michelle Au, MD

Special Health Committee Chairman Butch Parrish and GAFP member Dr. Trey Gunter