Mississippi Academy of
Family Physicians Newsletter
August 26, 2017


Upcoming Events
Fall Conference
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2017
The Mill Conference Center, Starkville

MAFP Capitol Day
March 7, 2018
Mississippi State Capitol, Jackson


MAFP 
Board Meeting 

December 8-9
Indianola, MS

Welcome
New Members

Shawanda N. Agnew, MD
Tunica, MS

William J. Bell, Jr, MD
Corinth, MS

Kent A. Darsey, MD
Meridian, MS
Member

Residents

Abdu M. 
 Abdallah Ahmed, MD
Ashley Alphonse, MD
Sarah Hudson, DO
Chinedu G. Ifejiagwa, MD
Lilian E. Massihi, MD
Ndianabasi Mbride, MD
Cody Robertson, MD
Melissa E. Sanders, DO
Joshua Spake, DO
Ivy Chantal Wicks, MD
Austin D. Worley, DO
Michael Yeung-Lai-Wah, MD


WCUCOM Student
Kaitlin McNamara

UMMC Students
Omair Arain
Jessica Arnold
Marco Aru
William Buchanan
Cathy Chen
William S. Crows
Michael Dedwylder
Muzamil Khawaja
Sorsha Morris
Alexander Mullen
Mitul Deepak Patel
Sean Patterson
James Shelby Presgraves
Amit Reddy
Michael Robinson
Jacob Scoggin
Christina B. Wallace

Keep up with us on
Social Media


Miss. Academy of Family Physicians


@MSFamilyDocs


MSAFP
 

GETU1 and promote healthy living in the state of Mississippi by purchasing a Live Healthy specialty license tag for the small fee of $31.
 
Request this tag at your county tax collector's office when you renew your license tag. Proceeds from the sale of this tag benefit the Mississippi Academy of  Family Physicians Foundation.

 
Join MAFP in Starkville
for Fall Conference
Registration is now open for MAFP Fall Conference, to be held in Starkville on Friday, Sept. 29 - Sunday, Oct. 1,  at The Mill Conference Center   just across the street from the Mississippi State University campus.
Get all the details (and register online) on our Fall Conference website page .
Your Input Needed: Medicaid Survey
The Division of Medicaid recently reconvened the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC) which was created to advise Medicaid on issues including reasons physicians do not participate in the Medicaid program.  They are looking for changes that need to be made to encourage more physicians to participate.  
The Committee has asked the MAFP to reach out to our members to gather concerns, problems, and suggestions to share with the MCAC.  If you have not completed the survey, please take a few minutes to answer the short survey.  
MAFP President Dr. Katherine Patterson of Indianola will present MAFP results at a meeting on August 31.  Deadline for completing the survey is Tuesday, August 29.  LINK TO SURVEY
Dr. William Grantham of Clinton
Inaugurated  as MSMA President
Dr. William Grantham, a family physician who is medical director of the MEA Medical Clinic in Clinton, has been inaugurated as the President of the Mississippi State Medical Association. Dr. Grantham took office at the MSMA Annual Session in Jackson on August 11. Grantham is currently vice president of MAFP. Congratulations! In the photo above, Grantham, left, is sworn in by Dr. Clay Hays of Jackson, MSMA Chairman, while his mother, Rebecca Grantham, holds  the Bible.
Should You Participate in the
Quality Payment Program?
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is reviewing claims and letting practices know which clinicians should take part in the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which is part of the new Quality Payment Program (QPP), aimed at improving  Medicare. 
QPP replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate Formula and keeps patients at the center of healthcare while paying clinicians based on their performance. More Info:  Eight Ways to Know if You're Included in the QPP .
CO*RE Offers CME Credit About Adolescent Substance Abuse
With drug overdose deaths reaching epidemic proportions, and one in 20 teens experiencing a substance use disorder, now is the time to tackle the issue from all angles, including during all clinical visits with adolescents. Family physicians are in a prime position to have a positive impact on patients by addressing substance  use before it becomes addiction. CO*RE offers Research-Based Clinical Strategies to Prevent and Address Adolescent Substance Use and Prescription Medication Misuse - Being Part of the Solution , which is approved for 1 AAFP Prescribed Credit. The course includes brief videos of clinicians offering helpful insights and strategies for identifying and addressing substance use in teen patients.
More information about the opioid public health crisis is available in the  latest issue of CO*RE News from California AFP.
Dr. Bush 'Signs On' With 
Foundation Gift
The MAFP Foundation put out the call to "Sign On for the Sign," and Dr. George Bush, FAAFP, answered. A former MAFP president and Family Physician of the Year from Laurel, Dr. Bush made a generous tax-deductible donation this week.
Dr. Bush said, "I would like to make this gift for the sign and lighting, in honor of Dr. Bill Grantham for what he has done for MAFP and now as MSMA President."
All 'Sign On for the Sign' donations help offset the maintenance and lighting of the MAFP sign on Lake Harbour Drive (pictured above). 
Family Medicine Constituency Meeting at MSMA in Jackson
MAFP members, staff and friends attended the MAFP membership luncheon during the Mississippi State Medical Association Annual Meeting in Jackson. The meeting was held Saturday, Aug. 12, and served as a caucus for family practice as a constituency group. Led by MAFP past president Dr. Susan Chiarito of Vicksburg, the group discused upcoming events, resolutions and current issues.
St. Dominic, Jackson Heart Clinic 
Offers 4 Hours CME on Sept. 15
Jackson Heart Clinic and St. Dominic Hospital will offer a seminar aimed at primary care providers on Friday, September 15. The seminar, "2017 Cardiovascular Update for the Primary Care Provider, " will be held in Jackson at the St. Dominic Center Complex from 8 am to 3:30 pm. Fees are only $20 per person and it has been approved for up to 4 hours of CME. Topics include:
  • Women and Heart Disease
  • Syncope: Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Update on PVD, Triple A Diagnosis and Endovascular Treatment
  • Advances in Lipidology
  • Updateof Valvular Heart Disease
  • The Congestive Heart Failure Patient
  • Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring 101
  • Chest Pain Work Up and When to Refer