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January 6, 2017

In This Issue...

  1. Academy News
  2. Government Relations
  3. News You Can Use
  4. Members in the News

Quick Links

POLL on Burnout

Safe Prescriber Program

MACRA

My IAFP Profile

Update AAFP Contact Info

 Practice Resources

Event Calendar

Member Benefits

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Academy News

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR LOGGING INTO WWW.IAFP.COM. Due to an error discovered in our database structure, some IAFP members were not able to be successfully imported into IAFP's database. In order to completely import our membership data from AAFP, we needed to change ALL members' USER NAME. When you log into www.iafp.com, please use your email address as your user name. Members passwords have not been changed. Once you've successfully logged in, you have the option to change your user name to anything you wish. 

Your Username is 

Early Opportunities for Collaboration and Education in 2017IAFP is proud to host and co-host three unique events in early 2017 - each has CME and incredible networking opportunities.  Click on each link to learn more. Online registration is open for the Ten State Conference. 

  • AAFP Ten State Conference - Feb 17-19   Presenters include AAFP Vice President of Advocacy, Practice Advancement and Policy Shawn Martin with a look at what Washington, DC may look like under President Donald J. Trump and a Republican Congress. Other presentations cover education on a variety of clinical and policy issues. Note: The IAFP Board of Directors will meet on Feb. 17 from 9am to noon
  • Springfield Essential Evidence and National Procedures Institute March 9 & 10
  • Chicago Essential Evidence - March 23-24 This incredibly popular, fast-paced CME returns with up to 12.5 AMA PRA 1 credits available.  One day registration option and new physician discount for those less than seven years into practice! 

REMINDER: Looking for some Cover Docs! Deadline is January 16
Show us your family medicine! IAFP is looking for genuine photos of our members doing what they do best! Each year the IAFP Annual Report features photos on the cover submitted by our members. Additional great photos find their way onto other pages of the publication! Check your files, check with your marketing department and email us your favorite family medicine image of the year.

What are we looking for?
-Great patient care photos (any age, any aspect of a family medicine visit)
-Providing care in a unique setting such as mission trips, sporting events, mobile units, family medicine is everywhere!
-Teaching students, residents, other physicians, high school students, boy scouts, anything!

What do we need from you?
-High quality, high-resolution photo
-The names of any IAFP members in the photo 
-If the photo was taken by a professional photographer, please provide his or her name and the written permission to use the photo in our annual report. 
Send your photos by email to Ginnie Flynn by January 16, 2017

Have you checked out the Member Benefits available to you?Get a discounted hotel room practically anywhere, secure your identity, try out home delivered, easy-to-prepare meals, and find other discounts exclusive to IAFP members. 

Share the new FamilyDoctor.org

Familydoctor.org provides new health and wellness information, in both English and Spanish. And now it has been redesigned  for 2017. The familydoctor.org redesign includes resources such as patient handouts, basic diagnosis and treatment information with an updated Symptom Checker, and all of the content is fully-functional on mobile devices. Hundreds of new patient-facing articles have been carefully reviewed by family physicians and patients. That extra level of thoroughness means patients can trust familydoctor.org. 


Government Relations

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Gordana Krkic, CAE, Deputy Executive Vice President of External Affairs at [email protected]

State Update

The 99th Assembly returns Monday January 9 and 10, and then the 100th General Assembly will be sworn in January 11. The stop-gap budget expired Dec. 31, however no progress has been made on a new budget.  

You can save the date for our Spring into Action lobby days.  Let IAFP facilitate your introduction to new members of the General Assembly or reconnect you to your returning lawmakers.  Online registration will be available.  Check your calendars now and determine which date you can be there:  Tuesday May 9, Wednesday May 10 or Thursday May 11. 

Federal

AAFP Launches Landing Page for Elected Officials

The AAFP has introduced an online resource designed to inform legislators about key issues in primary care. Lawmakers will be able to access information, utilize online tools, and easily reach out to AAFP issue matter experts. Intended to be an asset to share when elected officials have questions, please feel free to familiarize yourself with the available content, and let your legislators know that family medicine is here to help.

Get started today, with the AAFP's newest Speak Out letter to ask your members of Congress to preserve all insurance coverage currently in place. Any changes resulting from the expected repeal of Obamacare should not eliminate insurance or Medicaid coverage for anyone currently insured. Click here to access the Speak Out letter which you can edit, and then Speak Out will deliver your letter directly to both Senators Durbin and Duckworth as well as your U.S. Representative. 

You can find some excellent backgound on AAFP's priorities and the process ahead in the AAFP's Shawn Martin's In the Trenches blog post from January 4.


News You Can Use

Important notice regarding Zika test for pregnant patients

The FDA has issued a safety communication to healthcare providers regarding a commercially available Zika test, the ZIKV Detect IgM Capture ELISA by InBios International. FDA emphasizes the need to wait for confirmatory test results before making patient management decisions, due to the potential for false positive results. 
This ZIKV Detect test is currently being used by Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) for IgM serological testing. LabCorp observed higher than expected false positive results. FDA has not yet determined whether the reported false positives are related to the ZIKV Detect test itself or the testing facility. Because confirmatory tests may take a week to a month to complete, the FDA is issuing this alert so that health care providers and patients know about a higher likelihood of false positive results. 

Medicaid IMPACT Notice 
Effective February 1, 2017, the Department will terminate any Medicaid provider that was enrolled prior to February 1, 2012, and has not revalidated their information through the IMPACT system. Although provider information will remain in IMPACT as "In-Process" for at least 30 days, all claims and encounters submitted by a terminated provider will be rejected. Terminated providers will be required to submit a new Medicaid provider enrollment through IMPACT and the earliest possible begin date will be the date the new enrollment is submitted.
Link to the full provider notice

Medicaid MCO hosts two upcoming Town Hall Meetings - in Metro East and Chicago
WellCare Health Plans invites IAFP members to one of two upcoming town hall events to learn more about their WellCare and Harmony Health Plans.  Learn more here - RSVPs are required for both events!

  • January 18th in Fairview Heights (Metro East)
  • January 26th in Chicago at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association

Members in the News

If you have a news item to share, email it to Ginnie Flynn at [email protected].

Dr. Robert (Bob) Mulch and his wife Barb (an internist) offically retired today after 40 years of family medicine and intenal medicine practic in Hillsboro. The couple was fondly featured in the January 4 Journal-News.

Carrie Jaworski, MD was live on Chicago's Fox32 on January 5 with tips on how to get started incorporating exercise and good food choices to fuel those workouts.

Congratulations to Life member Randall Mullin, MD of Geneseo, who was honored by the Illinois Farm Bureau with the Eagle Award of Excellence. Mullin dedicated his career to agriculture and rural medicine through his involvement with the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program
(RIMSAP), where he served as chairman from 1991 until his retirement. Mullin also served on the Illinois Agricultural Association/Illinois State Medical Society Medical Student Loan Fund Board from 1987 to 1991.

John Mueller, MD was part of a WTVO (Rockford) story about Seasonal Affective Disorder on Dec. 22 commenting about the prevalence of the disorder this time of year and offering ways tho alleviate the symptoms.