INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE

ADVOCACY AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
> CMS ATTEMPTS TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY OF RAC PROGRAMS
> FREE ICD-10 WEBINAR FOR PRACTICE ADMINS, OFFICE MANAGERS
> DEADLINE LOOMS FOR PA. TO SUBMIT 'ESSENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS' PLAN

CME
> DISCOUNT DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR LANCASTER BREAKAWAY
> SUBMIT QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE FOR LANCASTER CME SESSION
> MORE CME 'QUICK HITS': CRUISE, REGIONAL LECTURE SERIES, WEBCASTS

PUBLIC HEALTH
> RESOURCES FOR PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

QUALITY INITIATIVES
> JOIN WEEKLY MEANINGFUL USE BROADCAST
> BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES

RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS
> OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT #1: FMEC
> OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT #2: AAFP SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY

OTHER NEWS
> ...BECAUSE PATIENTS COME FIRST IN PA.

CMS ATTEMPTS TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY OF RAC PROGRAMS
Interested in learning more about Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program? Head over to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) revamped website, RACs-at-a-glance, to view state-reported information. The enhanced website supplies the name of each state’s RAC vendor and medical director, contact information for the state program integrity director, and user-friendly charts and data. RACs are contracted by state Medicaid programs to detect and recover overpayments and identify underpayments made to Medicaid providers. Click here to view Pennsylvania-specific information.

FREE ICD-10 WEBINAR FOR PRACTICE ADMINS, OFFICE MANAGERS

The PAFP Practice Advocacy Network is hosting a FREE ICD-10 Learning Session on Sept. 27 from noon to 1 p.m. The webinar will feature Debra Seyfried, the AAFP’s coding and compliance specialist. Click here to register. The Practice Advocacy Network is a workgroup focused on practice management and advocacy issues.  If your practice administrator or office manager is interested in joining the network, please contact Jennifer Reis at jreis@pafp.com. 

DEADLINE LOOMS FOR PA. TO SUBMIT 'ESSENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS' PLAN
Pennsylvania must identify a benchmark plan by Sept. 30 that ensures health insurance plans in the individual and small group markets, both inside and outside of the Health Insurance Exchange, offer a comprehensive package of items and services, known as “essential health benefits," or "EHBs" for short.  Yet to be determined is whether Pennsylvania will operate a state health insurance exchange, default to the federal government, or seek a federal-state partnership. The PAFP will continue to monitor the situation and update PAFP members. Click here to learn more about EHBs and Pennsylvania’s options for selecting a benchmark plan.

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DISCOUNT DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR LANCASTER BREAKAWAY
Don't forget the early bird discount for the Lancaster Breakaway is coming up on Oct. 2. Join the PAFP and your colleagues for relevant clinical sessions on Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, Dementia, our new "Medical Jeopardy" session, and much more!

The SAM Study Group on Nov. 2 is now on the topic of coronary artery disease and is limited to 100 attendees. Did you know that you can repeat a SAM Study Group topic every five years?  If you still need a SAM this year but have previously participated in this topic, you can repeat the session and it will count toward your MOC requirement if it has been at least five years since your participation.

SUBMIT QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE FOR LANCASTER CME SESSION
Have a burning endocrinology question? Submit questions in advance before attending  “Answers to your Most Frequently Asked Endocrinology Questions,” led by endocrinologist Mark A. Sauder, MD of Lancaster General Health System during the Lancaster Breakaway CME conference, November 2 through 4 at the Eden Conference Center. Dr. Sauder will review all questions prior to the conference and will address each during his Saturday 10:15 session. Questions should be submitted  to jowen@pafp.com before Oct. 15.

MORE CME 'QUICK HITS': CRUISE, REGIONAL LECTURE SERIES, WEBCASTS
? CRUISE: We're looking for 25 sailors! 25 more to go!  Register early for the PAFP CME Cruise to Bermuda, June, 2013!  This cruise needs 30 CME registrants before our Dec. 10 deadline to go full steam ahead. Full details including itinerary and costs can be found at www.pafp.com/cruise.
? REGIONAL LECTURE SERIES: The Regional Lecture Series, New Tools to Fix a Broken Screening System: Colorectal Cancer Screening for the Changing Landscape of Primary Care, is headed to State College on Wednesday, Sept. 26.
? WEBCASTS: Snatch up these two webcasts before they expire Oct. 5! Early Detection and Treatment of PAD in Primary Care / Working with Suicidal Youth and their Families in Primary Care

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RESOURCES FOR PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Take a look at the following resources from our Keystone Physician magazine: Tip Sheet: Decision-Making around Prostate Cancer Screening / New England Journal of Medicine: Screening for Prostate Cancer

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JOIN WEEKLY MEANINGFUL USE BROADCAST 

Have 30 minutes? MU Live! is a weekly 30-minute Internet radio show hosted by HITECH Answers experts. The show airs on HealthcareNOWradio.com. Join in on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m.! Amit Trivedi, healthcare program manager for ICSA Labs, an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB), will discuss the Stage 2 Final Rule for  Standards and Certification. Click here to sign up and receive instructions for tuning in.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES
? The primary care setting is often visited before a suicide attempt. Click here for a toolkit, developed by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE) Mental Health Program, which can help you assess risk and develop safety plans for your patients.
? Are you looking to add substance abuse screening and brief treatment to your primary care practice? Consider implementing SBIRT to help patients with substance abuse disorders and for patients who are at risk for using substances.

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OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT #1: FMEC
There are plenty of opportunities to connect with events this fall! The first:

Family Medicine Educational Consortium (FMEC) Cleveland
Family Medicine: Transforming the Nation’s Health, One Family and One Community at a Time
Student scholarships still available! Please apply today!
Sept. 28 through 30
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland

OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT #2: AAFP SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY
AAFP Scientific Assembly
Oct. 16 through 20
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia

You can get a rebate from the PAFP on your registration!

Step 1: Register for the Scientific Assembly (residents and students enjoy a discounted rate of $100).
Step 2: Use the invoice number generated by your registration to apply for a registration rebate from the PAFP.

Rebates available first-come, first-served: residents $50; students $75. Rebates will be distributed after the event, and you must attend to receive your rebate.

Check out the PAFP-hosted events between Oct. 15 and 20! Find us and say hi!

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...BECAUSE PATIENTS COME FIRST IN PA.

The PAFP's Communications Department has recently revamped the Patients webpage, because patients come first in Pennsylvania. Now more than ever, Pennsylvania's patients need to know they're being taken care of in the most comprehensive, cost-effective way by the best family physicians in the nation. We think our Patients webpage answers several critical questions, such as "What is a family physician?", "What does a family physician do?", and "What are Pennsylvania's family physicians saying about me?" Check out the new page and leave us your feedback!

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