U.S. grows more diverse, but medicine lags behind Sept. 24, 2018

Despite the United States - and its patient population - becoming more diverse, the medical profession isn't following suit. The Washington Post reports in 1978, 88 percent of U.S. medical school graduates were white or Asian - a figure that remained flat through at least 2008. In addition to meeting unique patient needs, diversity also brings new energy and creativity.

The PAFP Leadership Institute has leveraged its valuable source of talent and experience within its membership to develop its training and to build an accessible network for future leaders. Join the PAFP Leadership Institute today for opportunities to be uniquely instructed through interactive events and skill-sharpening activities with other experienced physicians!

Nationwide, 47 percent of doctors report that their compensation is tied to "value-based metrics." According to Forbes, a survey from The Physicians Foundation and conducted by Merritt Hawkins included responses from more than 9,000 physicians. In 2016, just 46 percent of doctors said their pay was tied to value; physicians say they're still unsure about the model.

The United States Senate has passed a bipartisan package of bills aimed at tackling the country's opioid epidemic. The Washington Post reports the package of 70 bills, which costs $8.4 billion, includes allowances for doctors to prescribe more medications such as buprenorphine to treat patients with opioid use disorder. The legislation passed in a 99-1 vote.

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Health has just launched a prescriber education initiative called Evidence-Based Prescribing: Tools You Can Use to Fight the Opioid Epidemic. The curriculum teaches best practices for using the state's prescription drug monitoring database. All courses are free and qualify for 1 CME credit each; they're available on the TRAIN PA website.