But more than anything, what you most need to hear from me today is this: you are doing a good job. You are making the best decisions you can for your patients and your community, using the current information you have at your disposal. You are encouraging well-being even when people are trying to work against you."

Physicians who received more than $10,000 in aggregate during the first Provider Relief Fund payment period (Apr. 10-June 30, 2020) must report, by Sept. 30, how they used the funding or face recoupment. Meanwhile, hearing from family physicians about the burdensome reporting process and associated portal that takes “valuable time away from caring for patients,” AAFP is urging the Health Resources and Services Administration to make a fix.

Call for 2022 NCCL Delegate Applications 

MAFP is accepting applications from active physician members interested in serving as a Michigan Delegate representing the perspective of a new physician, woman physician, minority physician, LGBTQ+ physician/physician ally, or international medical graduate at AAFP’s 2022 National Conference of Constituency Leaders (NCCL), Apr. 28-30, in Kansas City, MO. One Michigan delegate per constituency will be appointed by the MAFP Board of Directors. The deadline to apply is Nov. 26.

Michigan Academy of Family Physicians accepts clinical and practice management articles written by members for publication in Michigan Family Physician, the chapter's quarterly magazine. Email your intent to author, article topic, and request for article specifications and deadlines to Dana Lawrence, MAFP Director of Communications and Member Services, at dlawrence@mafp.com.

The University of Michigan’s Family Medicine Interest Group hosted a welcome picnic for first-year students in Ann Arbor on Aug. 24, during which U-M department of family medicine faculty and residents shared their “why” for choosing family medicine as their specialty and talked one-on-one with students. MAFP Director of Communications and Member Services, Dana Lawrence, highlighted networking, education, award, and leadership opportunities for student members of the Academy. To invite an MAFP leader or staff member to attend an event hosted by your FMIG, email dlawrence@mafp.com.

Now underway is the 2021-2022 service year of the MAFP Board of Directors, Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan Board of Trustees, Family Medicine Political Action Board of Directors, and six committees, comprised of nearly 80 volunteer leaders. All board and committee meetings are being held virtually through Dec. 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interested in a leadership position? Applications for serving on a Board in 2022-23 are due by Mar. 1. Committee applications are due by Apr. 1.

Do you need CME credits before the end of the year? Check out MAFP's and Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan's line-up of virtual fall events, including:

Plus, registration is still open for our year-long “Stay on Course: Your Ticket to Family Medicine CME” package of 12 on-demand webinars approved for a total of 13 CME credits, and other on-demand CME webinars.

Leading up to the Family Medicine Experience (FMX), being held virtually Sept. 28-Oct. 2, American Academy of Family Physicians is recognizing exemplary family physicians who are "Boundary Breakers," in keeping with the conference theme. This week's featured physicians included MAFP Chair Mark Hamed, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAFP and Board Member Pamela Rockwell, DO, FAAFP. Check out MAFP's posts on Facebook or Twitter to learn more about Drs. Hamed and Rockwell.

Jinping Xu, MD, FAAFP, interim chair of Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, was named as the new co-principal investigator of the Michigan Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Dr. Xu is also a full professor, practicing family physician, and member of Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan’s Professional Development Committee.

Zach Morehouse, a fourth-year student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, is part of a global team that has developed new COVID-19 testing protocols which require half the time and resources of even the current testing gold standard, without sacrificing accuracy.

Asha Shajahan, MD has been selected by the Detroit Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition to receive this year’s Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award in recognition of her exemplary patient care and tireless community outreach. Dr. Shajahan, a family physician in Grosse Pointe, is the graduate medical education director of health equity and health disparities for Beaumont Health and an assistant professor in the department of family medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

In this Gander Newsroom article, MAFP President Srikar Reddy, MD, FAAFP explains why children—including his own 13-year-old son—should be vaccinated against COVID-19. “That’s the goal is to get as many vaccinated so that we can prevent emerging variants, slow the spread of the current Delta variant, which is highly contagious, and then dial back on everything,” Dr. Reddy said.

“Those who really believed the argument that is not fully approved… I think this will be what does it for them,” said Dr. Mark Hamed, medical director for health departments in Alcona, Iosco, Oscoda, Ogemaw, Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, and Lapeer counties in the thumb and northeast Michigan, and chair of the MAFP Board of Directors.

“We are excited about the news of Comirnaty, Pfizer’s COVID vaccine, having FDA approval. We look forward to full approval for 12-15 year olds as well as the third dose for immunocompromised,” Dr. Jennifer Morse wrote in an email. She is a family physician member of MAFP and medical director for the Central Michigan and Mid-Michigan district health departments and the District Health Department #10, which serves 10 counties in the west and north-central part of the state.

Do you have news to share about yourself, your practice, or a colleague? Email info@mafp.com.

Medical students are invited to explore the breadth and depth of the family medicine specialty, learn and practice clinical skills, gather tips for preparing for and shining during residency, and connect with residency programs by attending the eighth annual Michigan Future of Family Medicine Student Conference, being held virtually via Zoom on Saturday, Oct. 9. Register by Sept. 1 (just $25) and get your name put into a drawing TWICE for the chance to win Pfenninger & Fowler's Procedures in Primary Care manual.

It's not too late to register for the robust Family Medicine Midwest Conference, being held virtually Sept. 9-11. Included in the agenda are plenary presentations, breakout education sessions, a residency showcase, expo, and poster presentations. MAFP is a proud sponsor of the conference along with other Midwest partners.

The deadline is approaching to apply for a remaining appointed national student or resident leader position. Please note that a complete application requires a chapter letter of support. Email your request for a letter of support to Dana Lawrence, MAFP Director of Communications and Member Services, at dlawrence@mafp.com; include your CV and letter of intent.

Student and resident members of AAFP who submit an essay to the Center for the History of Family Medicine will have the chance to win a $1,000 first-place or $500 second-place award. The essay topic can be any issue relevant to family medicine history in the U.S. (e.g., honor your favorite family physician with a profile, explore how social change impacts the specialty). Essay length should not exceed 3,750 words.

Full-time students in their final year at an accredited medical school who are pursuing a MD or DO degree, may qualify for up to $120,000 in tax-free loan repayment from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) for their medical school student loans in exchange for a three-year service commitment in a high-need rural, tribal, or urban community. An information webinar is being held on Sept. 14, 2:30-4 pm ET. Q&A webinars are taking place Sept. 28 and Oct. 26, 10 am-5 pm ET.

Central Michigan University College of Medicine and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine are among 15 medical schools and 15 family medicine residency programs selected to pilot the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s new telemedicine curriculum between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31.

Senate Bill 629, introduced in the Michigan Senate on Sept. 1, calls for certain medical and non-medical immunization exemptions to be recognized by public and private colleges and universities in Michigan that require student immunization as a condition of enrollment, living in housing offered by the institution, and/or participation in certain services and programs. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services.

Following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval and a unanimous recommendation from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for individuals who are 16 and older, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services renewed its call for Michiganders to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccinating adolescents 12-15 with the Pfizer vaccine and additional doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised individuals remain under Emergency Use Authorization. After reviewing additional data, ACIP plans to meet in September to further discuss recommendations for booster doses beginning as early this fall.

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Update

Rural hospitals with less than 50 staff will be able to use the funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration for COVID-19 testing equipment, personnel, temporary structures, or education. Each hospital will receive about $257,000, which must be used within 18 months of receipt. The Michigan Center for Rural Health, which serves as the Michigan State Office of Rural Health, will distribute the funding to the hospitals.

Beginning in Oct. 2021, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will resume some provider enrollment activities that were paused during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including:

On Aug. 30, Magellan Diagnostics announced it has expanded its initial July 1 recall of blood lead test kits and guidance for clinicians. The initial recall was identified by the FDA as a Class I recall, the most serious type of recall, due to the risk of serious injury because of the potential for impacted test kits to provide falsely low results.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 ICD‑10‑CM and ICD‑10‑PCS code updates, effective for dates of service on Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022, are available on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website. This year’s updates include 350 new CM and PCS (diagnosis and inpatient procedure) codes, 83 CM and PCS code revisions, and 139 CM and PCS deletions.

Looking to fit CME into your busy day? Check out AAFP’s mobile-friendly TIPS courses—free to members—that can make practice improvement faster and easier for you and your care team. Choose from topics such as agenda setting, quality improvement, and clinical data registries.

Family Practitioner, Bronson Healthcare Group, Paw Paw, MI

Chief Medical Officer, Family Heath Care, White Cloud, MI

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