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I hope you and your families are safe. I have no doubt your time is limited, but I wanted to share some important updates from the state and national level. I am proud our state enacted a “stay at home” order, and have been heartened by the response of our health care teams, the business sector, and our local communities.
Join the AAFP Town Hall tonight at 7pm if you can. It will offer information on improving and adapting your telehealth capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can join on Facebook,YouTube or Twitter at 7:00 p.m Central. This session is approved for 1 CME credit.
As a reminder, our COVID-19 recommended resources are found here, which includes the CDC and links to the State of Illinois key websites. We are grateful that so many of our members have been featured in the news, helping to educate the public and share their stories.
Here are two updates from Illinois Medicaid:
AAFP staff and leadership are working on many fronts. In the broadest terms, their top priorities are:
- Ensuring the safety of family physicians through the provision of supplies, PPE, access to COVID19 testing and the support needed to continue working safely.
- Ensuring that physicians and practices are paid for all the services they are providing by every means available to them.
- Urging continued caution and social distancing as well as adherence to evidence-based information provided by the Centers for Disease Control.
On Friday 3/20, AAFP joined AMA and others to send a letter to House and Senate leadership calling for increased support to physicians. Find the latest AAFP updates tonight at the Town Hall and also on the AAFP’s Daily Update For Members website.
I encourage everyone to use this easy tool to send your legislators a pre-drafted letter calling on support for full telehealth reimbursement. Please also consider signing on to this Change.org petition to Congress requesting economic relief to independent physicians and practices.
For anyone needing information on implementing telehealth, IAFP has partnered with Lumina Health Partners to offer a live webinar which will also be recorded for on-demand use.
“How to launch, code and bill telehealth services” on Thursday, March 26 at 10 a.m. CT.
Register here to learn how to launch telehealth technology; comply with medical record documentation, code and bill for telehealth services, and work with insurers to optimize reimbursement.
Take time for yourself and your loved ones as much as possible. Appreciate the spotlight that now shines on the front lines - a place we have always called home despite mixed public awareness. I am proud to stand with you as we weather the storm and make a difference every day. Thank you for everything you do.
Michael A. Hanak, MD, FAAFP
Acting President
Stay connected at www.iafp.com and IAFP's Online CME Center
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