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Mark Dickens MAFP CEO

Michigan family physicians can get free training in standardized developmental screening for young children as well as CME credits thanks to a new partnership between MAFP and the Michigan Department of Community Health.

As part of a national effort to increase the screening rates to identify children with potential developmental delays or disabilities, the MDCH has received funding from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation to help train family physicians and pediatricians to better identify children with potential issues and incorporate this important work into their practices.

“We’re actively seeking family physicians who would like to be trained in the process of using standardized screening tools to identify potential developmental delays,” said Tiffany Kostelec, project coordinator at MDCH.  “Our goal is to increase the number of children who are appropriately identified — and get the kids and their families access to the help they need.”

The program costs of the training, kits, follow-up assistance and CME credit are covered by the funding received by MDCH — with no cost to the physician or practice.

Family physicians who sign up for the program will find a wealth of tools and services at their disposal:

• Two research-based screening kits with unlimited use for practices: the ASQ-3™ and ASQ: SE.
• Staff training on implementation, coding and billing for submission to insurance companies.
• Personalized technical assistance and follow up.
• Personal advice from physicians who have previously been trained.

“We’re really pleased with the two screening kits selected for this program,” said Kostelec.  “They’re well-researched, reliable and valid.  They were chosen for that as well as their ease of use for the physician and practice members.”

Developmental delays aren’t always picked up with general developmental observation or surveillance, Kostelec noted.  By implementing standardized screening for children, MDCH hopes to increase the early identification of children with potential developmental or social-emotional issues and connect children and families to appropriate resources.

Family physicians interested in signing up for the program are encouraged to contact Tiffany Kostelec at MDCH at 517-335-4663 or kostelect@michigan.gov.

Mark Dickens MAFP CEO

At MAFP we’re always looking for ways to help our members and their practices as they work to ensure high-quality, cost-effective health care for their patients.

Of course, one of the ways we do this is by offering enhanced opportunities for members to fulfill their CME requirements so they can continue increasing their knowledge, skills and professional performance by keeping abreast of advancements in medicine, as well as health care delivery changes, and ways to improve practice management.

So we couldn’t be more delighted about our partnership with the University of Michigan’s Department of Family Medicine to provide our members with CME. It’s a mutually-beneficial arrangement where MAFP will coordinate and facilitate these CME opportunities for our members, and U-M Department of Family Medicine will provide the high-quality CME opportunities it’s so well-known for.

This isn’t the first time we’ve collaborated with the Department of Family Medicine, but this particular partnership will be exceptionally rewarding for our members, since our newest partner is at the forefront of what’s new and important in family medicine—including Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), EMR, innovative practice management methods—and it designs course content in a way that’s relevant and appealing to physicians. 

Most important is the fact that the U-M Department of Family Medicine steadfastly adheres to its commitment to society that the CME it offers improves the care that physicians give their patients. That’s critical, as Dr. Eric Skye, a faculty member with the Department of Family Medicine notes, because the public puts its faith in the fact that their physicians are up-to-date for licensure and recertification.

He and his colleagues at the Department of Family Medicine are excited by this partnership. “The MAFP is an outstanding organization with an excellent track record of commitment to its membership,” he says.  “As a department we want to be supportive of MAFP members and their activities.”

Skye also says his department is eager to help enhance the specialty of family medicine through the CME course content it will offer MAFP members. “Family medicine is care across the life span, cutting across all ages, gender and disease, so it’s all relevant: women’s health, sports medicine, PCMH, new patients, practice management and the like. It’s a challenge in courses like these because they can literally span the life and breadth of the practice.”

Keep visiting the MAFP website as we move along with this new partnership for up-to-date information on exciting new CME opportunities that are coming your way.

Every October 31, children have a great time dressing up in scary costumes and trick-or-treating. But in Michigan, the thing that’s REALLY frightening is the number of kids without health insurance.

One in 20 has no insurance. Whatsoever.

As family physicians, we want to make sure that children have access to preventative health care on a regular basis. The fact is that without insurance for their children, many parents will wait until a health problem becomes severe enough to require a visit to the hospital emergency department. That costs the family and hospital more than either can afford. Not to mention the risk involved in letting a child’s good health deteriorate when an earlier diagnosis or preventive measures might have lessened the severity of an infection or chronic problem.

The fact is that most of the 127,000 children aged 18 or under who are completely uninsured DON’T HAVE TO BE. A vast majority are eligible for one of the state’s low-cost or free health insurance plans — Healthy Kids or MIChild—yet qualifying families simply don’t know these programs exist or how to enroll.

Thankfully, recent changes have simplified the enrollment process. And, as stewards of the health of Michigan’s families, it’s important that we spread the word as far and wide as possible so our state’s kids can get the health care they qualify for and need.

Enrollment can often be completed by families in less than 30 minutes — with little to no paperwork — by going to www.enrollmichigan.com and calling the area’s Community Coordinator. Or if families don’t have access to the internet, they can simply call 2-1-1 and ask about the MiChild or HealthyKids program.

With MiChild and Healthy Kids, the children who are signed up for these programs receive access to critical health care services including doctor’s visits, immunizations, hospital treatment, dental and vision, prescriptions and more.

Let’s help get the word out to patients, and friends and families of patients, to make sure they know about the program and how easy it is for them to enroll.

Mark Dickens MAFP CEO

Many of you may have already seen our announcement of the new physician’s organization we recently formed, called Michigan Family Physicians Cares – MFPCares for short.  (see here: http://www.mafp.com/articles/mafp-develops-new-physician-organization/ if you haven’t heard about this exciting new venture!) 

But you many not know that we formed this organization as a DIRECT response to requests from members like you.

We’ve heard what you’ve had to say in our surveys, through conversations, via email responses we receive, comments posted on Facebook, and in countless other ways.  You’ve told us that MAFP is the organization you trust to represent your practice to both government entities and insurance companies.  We’re proud to have earned that trust over the years – and we’re continuing in our efforts to make MAFP your strongest statewide advocate on the practice of family medicine and leader on the national stage.  

So when we asked you in our most recent survey what your top concerns were for the near future, we heard loudly and clearly that we should put our focus on payment reform – and in all the ways it plays out: PCMH, laws and regulations, etc.  

MFPCares is just the first of many projects and programs we’re working on to ensure that Michigan’s family physicians are recognized and rewarded appropriately for all the work they do in their communities.  

As always, I encourage you to contact us at MAFP if you have any questions. You can reach us at 800-833-5151 or by visiting our website at www.mafp.com.  We’d love for you to join the conversation with us on Facebook and Twitter as well! 

Thanks again. It’s an honor representing you,

Mark Dickens, CEO
Michigan Academy of Family Physicians

Welcome to the next experiment in MAFP advocacy, our blog! In a post-health-reform era of rapid changes to the practice of medicine, your Academy hopes to use this space to delve into the topics most important to the family physicians of Michigan.

This means explaining measures of health reform as they are implemented and amended, but also providing an insider’s look into Michigan health policy, highlighting tools and resources to improve your practice experience, sharing media links of interest, and more.

As the specialty of family medicine moves forward, we hope you’ll join us. Questions? Comments? E-mail nellerj@mafp.com