Prepare your office for coronavirus Jan. 30, 2020
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2019 novel coronavirus, which is responsible for 170 deaths worldwide, hit the U.S. earlier this month. The CDC says it's unclear how the virus is spreading. The American Academy of Family Physicians is urging doctors to prepare for this virus and follow the CDC's guidance for health care professionals.
Great live CME opportunities coming in 2020 Jan. 27, 2020
This New Year is filled with exciting opportunities for live CME! Register today for the PAFP Annual Meeting, Hershey CME Conference, and Research Day, March 5-8 at the Hotel Hershey in "the sweetest place on Earth!" Then mark your calendars for the Adventures in Family Medicine Conference Sept. 10-12 in Tannersville and the Pittsburgh CME Conference, Nov. 13-15.
Prior authorization costs on the rise for docs Jan. 23, 2020
Costs of prior authorizations are increasing for physicians' practices at an "alarming" rate. According to Fierce Healthcare, the cost to manually generate a request to insurers went up by 60% in 2019. The PAFP remains committed to prior authorization reform, PAFP members' top legislative priority. Check out the PAFP's state legislative agenda for updates on this important issue.
PAFP online store now open for limited time Jan. 22, 2020
Use your remaining membership reward points to save 10% on your next PAFP apparel purchase! You must contact Lindsey Killian to verify your current point balance and she will provide you with
a promo code to save on your purchase. The online store is available now through Feb. 14. Step-by-step directions are available online to help with your purchase.
ACA reduced disparities in Pa. care: report Jan. 21, 2020
The Affordable Care Act dramatically reduced disparities in health care among black and Hispanic adults in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the 9.9 percentage-point gap between the uninsured rate among white adults and black adults narrowed to 5.8 between 2013 and 2018; the gap between white and Hispanic adults closed from 25.7 percentage points to 16.3.
Free online session on PA's Maternal Health Awareness Day Jan. 17, 2020
In recognition of Pennsylvania's Maternal Health Awareness Day on Jan. 23, the Pennsylvania Section of the American College of Obstetricians is sponsoring a live online presentation on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 a.m. The link for the session titled “Using Innovative Approaches to Optimize Care and Outcomes in the 4th Trimester” is available here.
Flu deaths jump in Pa. as flu shot a 'mismatch' Jan. 16, 2020
While there was a slight dip in flu activity last week, flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania jumped by 11, bringing the total to 24 thus far. According to Lehigh Valley Live, the flu is still considered widespread across the state with influenza B/Victoria as the most detected strain. Meanwhile, Medscape reports the CDC says this season's vaccine is only a 58% match for B/Victoria.
Med students: apply for IRETA summer fellowship Jan. 15, 2020
The IRETA Scaife Medical Student Fellowship offers a three-week summer intensive fellowship program in substance use disorders and treatment beyond anything they may have encountered in medical school or clinical rotations. U.S. medical students are eligible to apply; 16 openings are available. Fellowship includes stipend and transportation allowance. Click here for details.
Pa. seeks to curb Medicaid fraud Jan. 14, 2020
A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers is seeking to expand protections to whistleblowers who step up to report Medicaid fraud, saying the state loses millions of dollars a year to the practice. According to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, the proposed package of legislation was motivated by a grand jury report that called for multiple fixes to Pennsylvania’s Medicaid law.
Call for Research Day abstracts open Jan. 13, 2020
PAFP Research Day 2020, which fosters research activities among family physicians, residents, and medical students, comes to Hershey Saturday, March 7 with original research posters and oral presentations by residents, students, fellows and faculty. Join the fun and win cash prizes! Researchers must also register for the Hershey CME Conference. The submission deadline is Jan. 24.
Pa. paying to get patients into opioid treatment Jan. 10, 2019
Pennsylvania is seeing success with a first-of-its-kind program that pays hospitals to direct patients who visit the emergency room for an overdose toward ongoing treatment. According to WHYY, the the Department of Human Services offered 155 eligible hospitals up to $193,000 to take measures like sending patients home with a prescription for buprenorphine.
PAFP working on members' #1 priority Jan. 9, 2019
With 2020 in full swing, the PAFP is busy working on our members’ #1 legislative priority – prior authorization reform. House Bill 1194, sponsored by Rep. Steven Mentzer (R-Lancaster) is anticipated to move quickly through the state House of Representatives early this year. You can view the PAFP’s complete 2019-2020 legislative agenda by clicking here.
Today is PA Donor Day Jan. 8, 2020
Today is the state's first-ever PA Donor Day, a day for Pennsylvanians to come together to support organ donation and help create a unifying moment across the state where we all work to educate and encourage our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and others to register as organ donors. To learn more about organ donation, visit the Donate Life Pennsylvania website.
Few doctors can legally prescribe buprenorphine Jan. 7, 2020
Despite its effectiveness in treating patients with opioid use disorder, fewer than one in 10 primary care providers in the U.S. can legally prescribe buprenorphine to their patients. According to Reuters, from 2007 to 2017, while the number of providers with waivers to prescribe buprenorphine climbed, opioid deaths skyrocketed over the same period of time.
Final chance for PAFP award nominations Jan. 6, 2019
This is the final week to nominate a friend, colleague, or yourself for the 2020 Family Physician of the Year and Public Health Award! The nominees will be entirely chosen by you, but the deadline for nominations is Friday, Jan. 10. Click here to nominate someone for Family Physician of the Year and here to nominate a physician for Public Health Award.
PAFP applauds new state mental health initiative Jan. 3, 2019
The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP)
applauds Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration on the Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health
Matters initiative. According to the Wolf administration, the initiative is "aimed at expanding resources and the state’s comprehensive support of mental health and related health care priorities in Pennsylvania."
Flu cases increase sharply in Pennsylvania Jan. 2, 2020
The flu virus continues to slam Pennsylvania into the New Year. According to the Reading Eagle, the last full week of 2019 saw a total of 17,349 confirmed flu cases - up 56% from the previous week. Flu cases have been confirmed in 66 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties; hospitalizations increased 44% to 267, and nine people have died of flu-related causes so far this season.