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MAFP Elects New Officers, Board

Posted by MAFP on May 10, 2013   |   No Comments

(Okemos, Mich.) – The Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP)—the state’s largest specialty physician association—recently held its Annual Meeting in Troy, where members elected new officers, national delegates and directors to lead the Academy in 2013-2014.

“We’re grateful to these renowned physicians who have stepped up to lead the Academy in the year ahead,” said Debra McGuire, MBA, IOM, CAE, chief executive officer. “The Academy serves as a key pillar to serving the needs of more than 3,000 family physicians so that they may concentrate on caring for, and improving the health of, patients, families and communities in Michigan.”

The newly elected officers serving the 2013-2014 term include:

•    President: Fred J. Van Alstine, MD, MBA, of Owosso
•    President-Elect: Tina L. Tanner, MD, of Shelby
•    Vice President: Kim K. Yu, MD, FAAFP, of Novi
•    Immediate Past President: E. Christopher Bush, MD, FAAFP, of Grosse Ile
•    Treasurer: William P. Gifford, MD, of Williamston
•    Vice Treasurer: David T. Walsworth, MD, FAAFP, of East Lansing
•    Speaker: William R. Webb, MD, FAAFP, of Mason
•    Vice Speaker: Robert J. Jackson, MD, of Allen Park

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Delegates and Alternate Delegates are:

•    AAFP Delegates: Danny D. Greig, MD, FAAFP, of Midland
•    AAFP Delegate: Robert E. Reneker, Jr., MD, FAAFP, of Wyoming
•    AAFP Alternate Delegate: Angelo N. Patsalis, MD, FAAFP, of Livonia
•    AAFP Alternate Delegate: Jennifer R. Aloff, MD, FAAFP, of Midland

The Directors include:

•    James A. Applegate, MD, of Grandville
•    Margit C. Chadwell, MD, FAAFP, of Grosse Pointe Park
•    Peter T. Graham, MD, of East Lansing
•    Lynn S. Gray, MD, MPH, FAAFP, of Berrien Springs
•    Mustafa Mark Hamed, MD, of Dearborn
•    Edward A. Jackson, MD, FAAFP, of Saginaw
•    Keerthy Krishnamani, MD, of Grosse Pointe Shores
•    Loretta M. Leja, MD, of Cheboygan
•    Karen B. Mitchell, MD, FAAFP, of Southfield
•    Pierre Morris, MD, of Novi
•    Barbara L. Saul, DO, FAAFP, of West Bloomfield
•    Ekram Smith, MD, of Okemos
•    Timothy Tobolic, MD, of Byron Center
•    Michael G. Workings, MD, FAAFP, of Detroit

The Family Medicine Resident and Medical Student Chairs are:

•    First Resident Chair: Leanne Swiderski, MD, of Canton
•    Second Resident Chair: Cheryl L. Smith, MD, of Southfield
•    Student Chair: Helen “Nelli” E. Thomas, of Marquette

“This is a strong group of dedicated professionals who work in a variety of practice settings to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Academy,” said MAFP President Fred J. Van Alstine, MD, MBA. “We are in an excellent position to advance family medicine in Michigan in the year ahead, and to ensure that every citizen has access to the care that he or she needs.”

New Year Message from the Academy: Meeting the Challenges of Health Care Reform

Posted by MAFP on January 29, 2013   |   No Comments

Every start of a new year brings with it new challenges and expectations. This year is no different. From a sweeping set of new rules and regulations set to go into effect under the Affordable Care Act to national and state-level debt and deficit reduction efforts, 2013 promises to be a busy and dynamic time indeed.

Now that the presidential election is behind us, policymakers can turn their attention to the real work of bringing lasting and meaningful change to health care. Although health care reform continues to be a complex and seemingly insurmountable objective, it is one most experts in the field acknowledge to be critical if we are to have the resources to provide affordable, quality care for patients who need it now and for future generations.

While there’s no one solution to accomplishing our goals, we do have existing tools we can leverage. For example, there’s growing evidence that supports the strategic role of primary care in addressing many of the challenges we face, such as reigning in unsustainable health care spending, managing chronic diseases and promoting health and wellness through education and prevention.

Yet there are many obstacles that limit primary care from taking what should be a more prominent place in our health care system. It’s no secret that in Michigan, there’s an alarming shortage of primary care physicians along with regional disparities that will only worsen over time as more people are able to obtain health insurance. Looming large is the question of how to attract new physicians into primary care (and family medicine in particular), when the siren call of a specialty promises a more lucrative career.

Other questions also need answers: How do we help expand care delivery that is cost-effective, coordinated and proportionally delivered to the areas of need? How do we grow the number of primary care providers, while also taking into account patient safety and proper scope of practice?

At MAFP, we support policies that will lead us in the direction of systemic change, including payment reform that places appropriate value on primary care services, investing in the primary care workforce through adequate funding of Graduate Medical Education and the State Loan Repayment Program, ensuring access to health care for all, curbing excess health care spending, and advancing the model of the physician-led team.

We’re excited to embrace the New Year and the opportunities we have before us. We look forward to continuing our work with policymakers, physicians and the community as we represent the 3,000+ members of our organization who are committed to increasing access to quality health care and improving the health and well-being of our state’s and country’s citizens.

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MAFP Glove Program Adds 4 New Products

Posted by MAFP on January 21, 2013   |   No Comments

Three new Sempermed gloves and one glove from Microflex are now available from the MAFP Glove Program, administered by Association Gloves. You can now buy the Microflex Ultraform textured nitrile glove in a space-saving 300-glove box for just $6.57 per 100 gloves. For powder-free latex fans, we have added the Sempermed Best Touch glove, with aloe and vitamin E, and the Sempermed StarMed textured glove. The Sempermed Best Touch Vinyl glove with aloe rounds out the newest offerings.

MAFP members can drive down their glove expenses by purchasing from the Academy’s endorsed glove program. You’ll find the prices on our 60-plus gloves from seven leading brands are extremely competitive.

  • Nitrile gloves starting at $5.12 per 100
  • Powder-free latex gloves starting at $6.40 per 100
  • Powdered latex starting at $6.47 per 100
  • Fitted gloves starting at $6.75 per 100

Let our glove team help your entire professional staff find the gloves they love. We’ll provide free samples for your team’s evaluation and help your office overcome its top five glove-buying obstacles: fit, feel, comfort, quality and value.

Call Association Gloves at 877.484.6149 to request samples, place an order or get personal assistance. View our entire product catalog at www.mafpgloves.com. Every purchase from Association Gloves produces nondues revenue to the MAFP to help the Academy continue to serve its over 3,000 family physician members.

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MAFP Seeking Resolutions for 2013 Annual Meeting of Members

Posted by MAFP on December 19, 2012   |   No Comments

It’s that time of year again! The 2013 Michigan Academy of Family Physicians’ Annual Meeting of Members (AMOM) will be taking place on Friday, April 12, 2013, which will be here before we know it. The Academy is now soliciting resolutions for consideration at the AMOM – is there something you would like to submit?

Any member of the Academy in good standing is invited to submit a resolution(s) or any defined question affecting the policy or recommendations of the Academy that may be of immediate practical consequence to the members and the public. Resolutions will be accepted, reviewed and voted on at the AMOM. All resolutions must receive a majority vote to be approved. Resolutions that are approved and directly affect the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) will be forwarded to the AAFP for consideration at the 2013 Congress of Delegates meeting, which will take place September 23- 25, 2013 in San Diego, CA.

We request that members submit resolution ideas to the MAFP office via email or mail:

Via Email
Email: info@mafp.com
Subject Line: 2013 AMOM Resolution Submission

Via Mail
Michigan Academy of Family Physicians
2164 Commons Parkway
Okemos, MI 48864

Thank you in advance for your submissions. Please do not hesitate to contact the MAFP staff with any questions at 517.347.0098 or toll-free at 800.833.5151.

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Michigan Family Physicians formally back Medicaid Expansion

Posted by MAFP on November 27, 2012   |   No Comments

The Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) officially announced today that it supports the expansion of Medicaid in Michigan in order to give more residents access to affordable healthcare.

On the front lines of health care, family physicians have seen firsthand the problem of increasing lack of access to care among Michigan citizens. In calling for the state to expand Medicaid to include adults earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, MAFP  hopes to advance its goal of improving the health of patients, families, and communities statewide.

“We know there is a ‘primary care gap’ that affects a large number of people who work hard at jobs where no health insurance is provided, and who earn a bit too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy coverage themselves,” said E. Christopher Bush, M.D., president of MAFP. “Expanding Medicaid to 133 percent of the poverty level would help close that gap and provide primary care for families who sorely need it.”

This expansion of Medicaid eligibility would take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, as part of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. It would help hundreds of thousands of uninsured Michigan citizens to obtain health coverage. The federal government would pay for 100 percent of the new costs for the first three years, and then begin shifting 10 percent of those costs to the states by 2020.

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not compel states to expand their Medicaid programs by threatening to withhold funding, leaving state leaders with the option to forego expansion. To date, only a handful of states have committed to expanding their Medicaid programs, while others have confirmed they will not participate. Michigan is still undecided.

“It’s important that the expansion of Medicaid be accomplished alongside of concerted, statewide efforts to increase Michigan’s primary care workforce,” Dr. Bush emphasized. ”That’s because having health insurance coverage won’t help people much if they can’t get in to see health care providers. Michigan must train, recruit and retain more family physicians to meet the needs of Michigan families.”

Michigan faces a projected shortage of 4,500 primary care providers by 2020 due to the population growth, expansion of coverage, and the aging of the Baby Boom generation. The ACA includes higher payments for primary care Medicaid providers, as well as incentives for medical students to become primary care practitioners. However, more will need to be done to achieve adequate supply family physicians.

The formal statement from the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians:
The mission of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians is to improve the health of patients, families and communities in Michigan. MAFP supports public policy efforts that address the family physician shortage throughout the state and improve access to affordable health care for all Michigan citizens. To that end, MAFP supports expanding the number of Medicaid beneficiaries in Michigan to include adults earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level and request that this decision be considered in conjunction with efforts to strengthen the primary care workforce.

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Student Perspective: Why I Choose Family Medicine

Posted by MAFP on September 26, 2012   |   No Comments

 

Paul Thomas
4th Year Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine

In the emergency department for two hours. Gun shot wound. Stab wound. Aggravated assault with a lead pipe. Welcome to Detroit.

These are the words that crossed my mind during my latest Friday night ER shift on the East Side of Detroit. More of the same came in for the duration of the night; more patients to interview, more physicals to perform, more pulses to check, and more lacerations to repair with 4-0 Vicryl. As my suturing skills mature, so do my views on why I am choosing Family Medicine as a specialty.

Don’t get me wrong, Emergency Medicine is a necessary, and dare I say exciting part of the health care system. Tertiary care facilities need to be able to accept patients who are severely injured, decompensating, or in extremis. I even enjoy working in the Emergency Department – it’s enjoyable to use my clinical knowledge to diagnose acutely ill patients and, with my attending physician, come up with a treatment plan that can be put into action expeditiously. These aspects of Emergency Medicine are appealing, to me and to my classmates. There’s also the aspect of shift work, of not being tied to a patient base or a location, and the potential for a greater salary.

However, Emergency Medicine’s strengths are also its weaknesses. As a physician, there is a limited amount of rapport that can be built between doctor and patient in the small amount of time that each patient is assessed and treated. This paucity of trust can lead to litigation if something goes wrong. The shift work aspect is great, but some shifts begin at 10pm and end at 6am – not really an ideal time frame if you adhere to any sort of circadian rhythm.

Additionally, a frustrating aspect of medicine in general is the care of patients who are drug-seeking or malingering. These patients are difficult to handle when there are a few in your entire practice population, but to be confronted with multiple patients in this situation in one night can be exceedingly frustrating. ‘Care’ in the basic sense of the word, can become difficult.

As a fourth year student, many of my Attending Physicians ask me why I am choosing Family Medicine as a career. I typically site the ability to see a diverse patient population, the opportunity for trusting relationships that lead to better health, my belief in the principles of primary care, like prevention, etc… Reflecting on my reasons a bit more, I have realized that I want to take care of patients who take a more active role in their personal health. Ideally, I want to work with patients; I want to educate them about food, medicine, and their bodies and assist them on a road to longevity and happiness, and I am certain that I will find much more of this in a primary care setting, and not in the Emergency Department.

Paul Thomas is a fourth year student at Wayne State University School of Medicine and a guest blogger for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. This blog post is the personal perspective of Mr. Thomas.

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Burnout (Guest Blogger)

Posted by MAFP on September 5, 2012   |   No Comments

Rob Lamberts, MD
Primary Care Physician

It happened again.  I was talking to a particularly sick patient recently who related another bad experience with a specialist.

“He came in and started spouting that he was busy saving someone’s life in the ER, and then he didn’t listen to what I had to say,” she told me.  ”I know that he’s a good doctor and all, but he was a real jerk!”

This was a specialist that I hold in particular high esteem for his medical skill, so I was a little surprised and told her so.

“I think he holds himself in pretty high esteem, if you ask me,” she replied, still angry.

“Yes,” I agreed, “he probably does.  It’s kind of hard to find a doctor who doesn’t.”

She laughed and we went on to figure out her plan.

This encounter made me wonder: was this behavior typical of this physician (something I’ve never heard about from him), or was there something else going on?  I thought about the recent study which showed doctors are significantly more likely than people of other professions to suffer from burn-out.

Compared with a probability-based sample of 3442 working US adults, physicians were more likely to have symptoms of burnout (37.9% vs 27.8%) and to be dissatisfied with work-life balance (40.2% vs 23.2%) (P < .001 for both).

This is consistent with other data I’ve seen indicating higher rates of depression, alcoholism, and suicide for physicians compared to the general public.  On first glance it would seem that physicians would have lower rates of problems associated with self-esteem, as the medical profession is still held in high esteem by the public, is full of opportunities to “do good” for others, and (in my experience) is one in which people are quick to express their appreciation for simply doing the job as it should be done.  Yet this study not only showed burn-out, but a feeling of self-doubt few would associate with my profession.

Analyzing questionnaires sent to more than 7,000 doctors, researchers found that almost half complained of being emotionally exhausted, feeling detached from their patients and work or suffering from a low sense of accomplishment. (From NY Times Health Blog)

Yet my own experience with my own emotions in medicine, as well as my experience with other physicians, suggests that half of the physicians in the survey are probably lying.  Being a doctor is certainly a great privilege, but it is also an enormous tax on the emotions.  Since I haven’t done other jobs I can’t compare, but there are many days I find myself wishing I had a job I could just do and then just leave at the office.  The changes in health care over the 18 years I’ve practiced have increased that frustration and fatigue, causing me to catch myself pining for the “good old days.”  Ugh.

It is interesting that the study showed the highest rates of burn-out in the “front line” professions, such as family medicine, internal medicine, and emergency medicine.  So what is it in my job that makes me feel symptoms of burn out?  Here’s my top ten list:

1.  The pressure to see a high volume of patients – because I am paid by volume, I am constantly pressured to spend less time with my patients.  This makes me feel like I’m not doing a good job on anyone.

2.  The fact that good work is penalized – When I do explain things, call people, or just act friendly toward my patients I am rewarded with a lower salary.  I constantly have to choose between doing good and getting paid, and that’s really lousy.

3.  The piles of paperwork – This has grown steadily over time, and is barely reimbursed at all.  The time I spend doing paperwork either takes away from my productive time with patients, time with my family, or my own personal time to take care of Rob.

4.  The ridiculous rules – Complying with coding requirements for documentation, with “meaningful use rules,” and with increasingly invasive rules around prescribing controlled drugs makes me nauseated.  Not only are these rules complicated and confusing, but noncompliance (intentional or not) to them could make me lose my license or worse.

5.  Dr. Oz and his cronies – I single out Oz only because of his overall influence (and to get back at Oprah for her vendetta against me), but the increasing invasion of medical information with self-serving balderdash is both annoying and destructive.  I don’t want to explain why all fatigue is not thyroid, or why gluten is not a toxin, yet I must do so to be able to care for my patients.

6.  The Evening News – The love affair the networks (CNN and company included) have with the “latest study” is enough to make me consider experimentation in television/baseball bat mating.  Every day there is a study showing that what was helpful last month will now kill you.  It’s all headling grabbing for money, and I spend an increasing amount of my time dealing with it.

7.  Drug seekers – Fueled by codependent doctors who can’t say no to requests for controlled substances, far too much of my day is spent explaining why Percocet is not a good choice for chronic pain, and daily Xanax will just make things worse.  A huge percentage of my phone messages are about these medications and I would gladly stop prescribing them altogether if they didn’t help some of my patients as much as they do.

8.  Politics and medicine – I’ve already said enough on this issue.  Unfortunately, the politicians are supposed to fix this mess, and that’s a pretty depressing reality.

9.  The constant weight of responsibility – Over the past 18 years I have never had time away from the reality of this.  It isn’t gone when I go home, and it doesn’t disappear when I go on vacation.  I can do 18 years of good work, but I can never coast.  The next exam room may be that child with subtle meningitis, or the person seriously considering suicide.  It’s in the fine print of the job, and I accept that, but it gets pretty heavy over time.

10.  Knowing that it can all crash any moment – If I miss one case of meningitis, don’t address the depression properly, or simply have a bad day, I can see my reputation ruined.  Any day could be “that day” when my life can become 100 times harder.  Despite a career of doing good, one bad day can put me in the spotlight as a “bad doctor.”

So do I want you to feel sorry for me?  Please no.  But I do want people, especially those who regularly put doctors in their crosshairs, to remember that this is a really, really tough job.  Yes, it’s a privilege, but sometimes the pressures can turn the nicest doc into a jerk, the most careful clinician into a quack, and the most caring person cold.

Some of the things on my list are just part of the job, regardless of the system, while others are caused by the ills of society and our ridiculous system.  We need to fix what we can for both doctors and patients.  We also need to understand that we are all humans (despite repeated evidence to the contrary).

Rob Lamberts, MD, is a primary care physician practicing somewhere in the southeastern United States. He blogs regularly at More Musings (of a Distractible Kind) where this post first appeared. He is a guest blogger for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and this post is the personal perspective of Dr. Lamberts.

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Health in Limbo (Guest Blogger)

Posted by MAFP on September 4, 2012   |   No Comments

Paul Thomas
4th Year Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine

On August 25, 2012, at a free medical clinic on the East Side of Detroit, I was able to take care of a great man caught in limbo with his health and the health care system. The Robert R. Frank, M.D. Student Run Free Clinic takes care of patients who are living without health insurance – many of the clinic’s patients have jobs that do not come with health insurance and they generally do not make enough money to purchase health insurance on their own. As a result, there are not many places that they can receive affordable, comprehensive, and compassionate care. Fortunately, a handful of students at Wayne State University School of Medicine formed the Student Run Free Clinic in 2009 to serve patients in situations like this.

The man that came in today is a small business owner, he works on homes and makes a living wage, but is unable to purchase health insurance for himself. He initially presented with back pain one year ago and returned to the clinic today for follow up; additionally, he had a complaint of chest pain. His family history is significant for multiple heart attacks and coronary artery bypass grafting, and it was determined that he should undergo stress testing to rule out deficient blood flow to the heart. Unfortunately, without health insurance, this man cannot afford stress testing, and the SRFC has not yet established contacts in Metro Detroit that would provide such testing for free.

What to do? This man obviously wants to take a pro-active role in his health and wellness, but is not able to pay for the services that would help him the most. Unfortunately, his situation is not unique – there are many such patients like this within our clinic and across the country. Is it really more cost effective for us, as a society, to allow people to reach terminal illness and disability before we act to help them? Is an emergency room visit when the disease has progressed too far the best way to treat these types of patients? Questions that I believe have been answered in part by the Affordable Care Act and its Constitutionality determinations in the Supreme Court.

As a student, I want this man to continue to have an active role in his health and wellness, but I can understand how discouraging it must be to have cost as a barrier to better health. I really enjoy delving into medical knowledge and using what I know to help others become healthier, but it often times comes with a measure of frustration. I believe that more comprehensive health care will become more available with the Affordable Care Act, but what can be done in the mean time? Do we continue as is, and reassure our patients that things will look up soon? Do we make donations to local free clinics? It is a harsh reality that our patients face each day – a choice between better health care financed out-of-pocket or maintaining the lifestyle that they desire (paying for their mortgages/rent/cars/groceries/etc…) and it leaves me wanting to be able to do more.

What do you think?

Paul Thomas is a fourth year student at Wayne State University School of Medicine and a guest blogger for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. This blog post is the personal perspective of Mr. Thomas.

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Governor Snyder Pursues Federal-State Partnership for Exchanges

Posted by MAFP on August 29, 2012   |   No Comments

Christin O’Brien
Director of Government Affairs

Last week, Governor Snyder announced that he will discontinue his plans to pursue a state-based Affordable Insurance Exchange and instead begin planning for a state partnership in a Federally-facilitated Exchange.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an exchange set up through a partnership will be operated by both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Michigan, with HHS retaining most of the decision-making responsibilities.  Michigan will have the authority to operate some functions of the exchange, specifically plan management (plan selection, collection and analysis of benefit package information) and consumer services (in-person assistance, outreach and education).  The remaining majority of exchange functions; however, will be performed by HHS.  Under the partnership agreement, Michigan will be eligible to receive federal grant funding for these purposes through 2014.

So what exactly does this “partnership”, or any exchange arrangement for that matter, mean for Michigan and family physicians?  Well, the answer is simply: we don’t exactly know quite yet.

One ongoing concern of note is the lack of certainty surrounding the law’s implementation.  Questions remain regarding development of the essential health benefits package; the administration and funding of a federally facilitated exchange; what Michigan’s Medicaid expansion will look like; and how the November election outcome will shape the future of the ACA.

Regardless, deadlines are looming: the deadline for the health insurance exchange “blueprint” states must submit to HHS is due November 16, 2012 and by January 1, 2013, the states must certify their readiness to operate an exchange by October 1, 2013.  If the state fails to submit a partnership plan and/or win approval by HHS, the federal government will assume responsibility for administering the exchange.

As of August 1, three states had begun planning for a federal-state partnership, 15 states and the District of Columbia had authorized a state exchange; seven states had decided not to operate an exchange, while 25 are either still exploring options or had no significant activity.  To view a complete map of the states’ current exchange status, click here.

The best course of action right now is for Michigan to be actively engaged in the process and ensure that, as federal regulatory requirements under the ACA are unveiled, the state is prepared to respond to the greatest extent possible and tailor them to meet the unique needs of Michigan citizens.

This is an update to the previous blog post on health insurance exchanges.  We look forward to hearing from you on this issue.  
 

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Michigan Should Move Forward on a State-Based Health Insurance Exchange

Posted by MAFP on August 1, 2012   |   1 Comment

Christin O’Brien
Director of Government Affairs

While the Michigan legislature continues to debate the merits of creating a state health insurance exchange, we here at MAFP wanted to reach out to you about this highly important, yet controversial, topic to share our thoughts and hear yours. Let’s start a forum for discussion.

Few would argue against the view that today’s political landscape is as volatile as ever; and the unpredictability of the times is rippling throughout our economy, to say nothing of our health care system.  As we rapidly approach 2014, the point at which the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act are scheduled to go into effect, the rate of change will only accelerate.  Thus we believe the best thing we can do – from both an advocacy and a practice management perspective – is be prepared to engage in the process.  Such is our view of the necessity for action in the ongoing health insurance exchange debate in Michigan.

The clock is ticking. By January 1, 2013, Michigan must certify to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) our readiness to operate an exchange by October 1, 2013, at which point the exchanges will “go live”.  And this November, just a few short months away, the state must file an application with HHS in order to progress with a state plan. Without a state plan in place, the federal government will pursue implementation of their own model (of which, details have yet to be released).  Here in Michigan, Governor Snyder has publically supported a state-based exchange; the Senate has passed a bill; and yet, some powerful members of the House continue to question the value of taking any action at all. It seems to us that the question is no longer whether an exchange will happen, but rather what will the exchange look like and how can we participate in the process to effectively shape outcomes?

We have an opportunity to enact polices that are tailored specifically to the unique demands and needs of Michigan citizens; to expand competition and provide consumers with more choices and more control; to develop uniformity and standardization across plans, decreasing administrative burdens on physician practices; and, perhaps most relevant to MAFP’s mission, we have an opportunity to expand the role of primary care in offered health plans by incentivizing enhanced payments for patient-centered medical homes (PCMH), care coordination and improved access through e-visits, open scheduling and expanded hours.

Studies consistently demonstrate that placing greater emphasis on primary care can help alleviate many of the issues that plague our health care system. If presumably our main objectives are to lower costs, improve quality and increase patient satisfaction, then pursuing policies that lead to a primary care-based system makes sense.

While we will continue to engage and share with you our advocacy efforts in Lansing and Washington, DC, the most important conversation always starts at the grassroots level and as family physicians you are the best advocates for your patients.  What are your thoughts?

We look forward to hearing from you on this and other important issues.

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