Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians E-NEWSLETTER
April 7, 2018

 
IT'S RENEWAL TIME


Upcoming Events

 

  

Spring Fling & Spring Conference

April 20-22, 2018

Jackson, MS

 

 

Annual Meeting

July 21-25, 2018

Baytowne Conference Center

Destin, FL

Welcome New Members
Clyde Whiting, MD
Fayette, MS

WCUCOM Students
Luke Fondren
Brice Guy
Alexandra Livingston
Quinn Quebodeaux

UMMC Students
Bernice Anderson
Wisam Beauti
Bridget Cheng
Megan Fasick
Meghan Johnson
Torey Krause
Regan Maxwell
Sarah Miller
Brannon Morris
Michelle Wheeler
Dorothy Whitlock


Dr. Sue Simmons, Immediate Past President

Recent MAFP Newsletters

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Mississippi Family Physician Journal
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Spring Conference Special: $150 Rate 
for Sunday-Only Attendees
Now is the time to register for our  Spring Conference, scheduled for April 20-22 in Jackson. More than 90 people are already registered including active physicians, residents and medical students.

Many physicians have asked us about the 5 hours of education they are required to obtain on the subject of prescribing controlled substances. To help physicians get those hours, MAFP is offering a special price on Sunday-only attendance - only $150 - which includes lunch and 3 hours of CME on "Opioid Prescribing and CDC Guidelines." Check out this special price break and register now.
Mississippi FM Residency
Seeks New Program Director
Paid advertisement.  EC HealthNet in Meridian seeks a new Family Medicine Program Director. This family medicine residency program began in 2014 and has 18 total residents. The application deadline is May 31, 2018. For more information contact Angie Burks, (601) 482-4955.
2018 Legislative Session 
A Win for Family Medicine
The 2018 Legislative Session came to an end on Wednesday, March 28 as both Chambers adjourned Sine Die. The MAFP Legislative Committee worked tirelessly through the 86-day session to ensure that the voice of family medicine was heard at the Capitol. Over the course of the legislative session, MAFP followed approximately 90 bills.  The success of this legislative session as it relates to family medicine is unparalleled in recent history!

We were successful in working with legislators to fight bills that dealt with weakening our state's vaccines laws and bills that would expand the scope of practice for numerous healthcare providers. The Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship, Office of Physicians Workforce, and the Department of Health all received level or an increase in funding.

The biggest bill we worked on this year was the Medicaid Technical Amendments Bill, SB 2836. This bill determines how the Division of Medicaid is able to run the Medicaid program for the next several years. Healthcare providers across the state have been working together since 2017 to present a unified list of concerns and requests to the legislature.

Here is a brief list of the wins for medicine in the Medicaid Technical Amendments Bill:
  • We were successful in removing the 12-visit cap on physician visits.
  • We were successful in tying the primary care physician rates to Medicare and ensuring reimbursement at 100% of the Medicare rate.
  • We were successful in deleting the monthly prescription limit for beneficiaries.
  • We were successful in keeping the requirement that managed care companies which oversee the care for roughly 70% of beneficiaries, reimburse at the same rate as the Legislature set the Medicaid rate.
  • Managed care does have the authority and is encouraged by the legislature to explore alternative payment models. We hope physicians will work with managed care programs to fulfil this requirement and explore alternative payment models.
  • There is a newly established commission on expanding managed care that will be reviewing several items over the remaining year including evaluating the managed care program as it relates to expanding coverage and making changes to the program in the future.
  • We were successful in having language that allows for an annual program audit performed by the State Auditor, the PEER Committee, and/or an independent third party that has no existing contractual relationship with the division.
  • We were successful in having language added that prevents managed care companies from having a different credentialing process than the Division of Medicaid.
The strongest and most respected voices at the Capitol are that of doctors across Mississippi. We hope you will continue to engage with your legislators throughout the year. Do not hesitate to contact MAFP for any questions or concerns as it relates to bills passed, issues you see with Medicaid, and/or questions legislators pose to you about your practice or healthcare in Mississippi.

Wicker Staffer Meets with Physicians
(Above) Monday, April 2, MAFP member physicians met with Samantha Helton (left) of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker's Washington staff specializing in health care. They were able to discuss a wide variety of health-related issues. Meeting with Helton were: Drs. Susan Chiarito of Vicksburg, John Mitchell of Jackson and David Wheat of Clinton. Not pictured at the meeting is Beth Embry, MAFP Executive Director.
AAFP to Recognize Mississippi 
for High Member Retention Numbers
AAFP has announced its chapter membership award winners as of Dec. 31, 2017, and Mississippi has excelled in not only retaining members, but in gaining new student members.

Competing with other state chapters who are similar in membership numbers, Mississippi AAFP received:
- 1st place in % increase in student membership
- recognition for 100% resident membership
- 2nd place for active membership retention percentage
- 2nd place for new physician retention percentage

Mississippi will be formally recognized at the AAFP Annual Chapter Leadership Forum in Kansas City this April.

E-mail Kay-Lynn Meador with any questions about Silent Auction.