Government Affairs: House Passes Prescription Monitoring Legislation
House Bill 1694, sponsored by House Health Committee Chairman Rep. Matt Baker, moved through the Pennsylvania House by a vote of 191-7. The bill would create a database to include Schedule II through V prescriptions accessible to doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement with a warrant to improve patient care, prescribing practices, help uncover drug diversion, and aid in identify “doctor shopping.” The PAFP supports the bill.

Practice Advocacy: New CMS Listserv on PQRS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a new listserv to keep you informed about the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) program. The PQRS listserv includes helpful information like timely updates, how to submit quality measures to CMS, and details about the program’s impact on payment. By subscribing to the listserv, you will be informed of upcoming deadlines and get answers to questions gathered from eligible professionals about PQRS.  More information on how to get started can be found on CMS’s PQRS landing page.

Education: CME from your Home or Office!
This Friday and Saturday, the PAFP will have 12 CME sessions live streamed from the Erie CME Conference. Session topics include pre-diabetes, vaccines, extended release and long acting opioid therapies, prescription drugs in America, behavioral health in primary care, and more! After registering, simply click on the link provided to you from your home or office and watch the CME session as it occurs in Erie to obtain CME credit. Register here and select individual sessions or a full day of sessions.

Public Health: Fall Prevention: What Will You Do Differently?
The PAFP’s Oct. 29 CME webcast “Practical Fall Risk Assessments & Interventions for Primary Care” has your colleagues thinking differently about fall prevention. They plan to use the TUG (Timed Up and Go) test in practice, prescribe Vitamin D and exercise, look closer at meds and not only measure but use the data to change their practice. Read the notes from the webcast and watch for the archived webcast – coming soon to www.pafp.com.

Quality Improvement: Starting Stage 2 in 2014? Get Ready Now!
As the end of the year approaches, be sure your practice is ready for the oncoming requirements of Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. This is the time to engage your software vendor to check on the timelines for upgrading to the 2014 certified version of your EHR and make sure you're familiar with the added core and menu measures. Questions? Need help? Contact the PAFP.

Residents & Students: Notes from the 2013 FMEC Conference
The Family Medication Education Consortium’s (FMEC) 2013 Northeast Region Meeting in Philadelphia, set attendance records, bringing residents, students, and physicians together to celebrate and explore Family medicine. Innovations and timely clinical topics of all kinds were found in workshops, seminars and research posters during the three-day happening. The PAFP offered clinical camp mini-workshops, where students got hands-on experience with ultrasounds, inserting IUDs, joint injections, and many other topics. Four local family physicians served on our “Follow Your Passion to Family Medicine” panel, sharing the stories of their paths to family medicine and their current practices, answering the audience’s thoughtful questions.

Other News:
Ahoy! Our deadline to reach the minimum number of "sailors" for the PAFP CME Cruise is next Tuesday, Nov. 12 – but once that number is reached, you can register to sail with us at any time after that date! If we don't reach the minimum by Nov. 12, all monies will be completely refunded promptly. If you plan to go, but are uncertain at this time, please register to hold your spot and help us reach our minimum. Reserve your space today!

This week’s Erie CME Conference features Vaccine Potpourri with vaccine updates, storage and handling requirements, and travel vaccine review. The lecture will be streamed live over the Internet 11:15 a.m. through 12:15 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8. Your whole office can watch for just $19.