Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians Newsletter
April 8 , 2017


Upcoming Events
April 21-23, 2017
Jackson Marriott
Jackson, MS

Annual Meeting
July 15-19, 2017
Baytowne Conference Center
Destin, FL


MAFP 
Board Meetings 

April 21
MAFP Office
Ridgeland

July 15 & 19
Destin, FL

December 8-9
Indianola, MS

Welcome
New Members
Rob Cannon, MD
Vicksburg, MS

Philip Kim, MD
Biloxi, MS

WCUCOM Students
Ashley Elizabeth Day
Mitchell Craig Moffett
Michael Gabriel Vanderloo

UMMC Student
Tasnuva Hassan

Keep up with us on
Social Media
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.
 
Wrap-Up of State Legislative Session 

The 2017 Legislative Session adjourned "Sine Die" on Wednesday, March 29; however, the Governor is expected to call members back prior to July 1 to complete the budget work for the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Attorney General's Office.
 
The Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians monitored approximately 200 bills. The following are just a few highlights from the Legislative Session:
  • We worked to defeat 6 bills that would have weakened the state's current vaccine laws.
  • Multiple bills were introduced that would have expanded the scope of practice, and all those bills were defeated.
  • We successfully defeated a bill that would have consolidated the Mississippi Department of Health, the Mississippi Department of Rehab Services, and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
  • The MAFP in conjunction with the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce worked to expand the scope of the office with the hopes of securing additional funding in the future.
  • The Medicaid and Human Services Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act is an attempt to get rid of government assistance program fraud by both recipients and providers.
  • The Doctor of the Day law was amended to exclude medical residents from liability while volunteering as the Legislature's Doctor of the Day.
  • We were able to secure continued funding for the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarships and the Office of Physician Workforce, we also worked with the Legislature on the funding of the Mississippi Department of Health.
So, what happens next? We will continue to watch for further agency cuts during the current fiscal year and meet with House and Senate members throughout the year to continue to maintain our working relationships with them. One significant post-session issue we will be watching is the awarding of Mississippi Managed Care RFP. As many of our doctors are Medicaid providers and deal with MississippiCAN daily, our hope is that Medicaid will review all applications and select companies that will make physicians part of the solution with the state's managed care network. The Executive Review and Award is expected to take place on or around June 12.
ROMP Career Fair set for April 22

The 2nd annual Rural Opportunities for Mississippi Physicians (ROMP) Career Fair will be Saturday, April 22 in connection with the MAFP Spring Conference and MAFP Spring Fling for residents and students. Last year, 30 exhibitors were on hand to talk with medical students and residents about potential opportunities in Mississippi. MAFP co-hosts this event with the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce (OMPW) and 9 other organizations to increase the number of primary care physicians in our state. "Improving Mississippi's physician workforce is central to improving Mississippi's healthcare," said John Mitchell, MD, FAAFP, the OMPW director. "This event provides great opportunities for students, residents and physicians who are interested in rural practice."
AAFP Past President Wergin to Address MAFP Annual Meeting
Robert L. Wergin, MD, FAAFP, will attend the MAFP Annual Scientific  Assembly in July and address the membership. Wergin, a family physician in Milford, Nebraska, served as president of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2014 and prior to that, served five years on the AAFP Board of Directors. He is a practicing family physician in the town where he was born and raised. Wergin practices the full spectrum of family medicine at the Milford Family Practice Center, from obstetrics to geriatrics.  Among his many honors, he was awarded the Nebraska Family Physician of the Year in 2002, the Nebraska Nursing Home Medical Director of the Year in 2012, and the Nebraska Outstanding Rural Family Physician of the Year in 2015. 

Invitations for the MAFP Annual Scientific Assembly, scheduled for July 15-19 at Sandestin, Florida will be e-mailed next week.  Make room reservations now.
Medicaid Pharmacy Reimbursements

The regulations for reimbursement of covered outpatient drugs in the Medicaid program recently changed, and all states were required to amend their plan to be in compliance. Mississippi submitted its plan and is awaiting approval of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Pharmacy POS claims with a date of service on or after April 1, 2017, will be mass adjusted retrospectively when CMS approves.

Additionally, May 1 is now the deadline for 340B-covered entity attestation form to be completed and returned to the Office of Medicaid. The billing requirements will be effective July 1, 2017. More information about 340B can be found here.
Disney Tickets Donated to MAFPF Silent Auction
  
MAFP Vice President Dr. Katie Patterson and family at Disney World.
JUST DONATED THIS WEEK:  Four complimentary Walt Disney World One-Day Park Hopper tickets.  The tickets, valued at $648, are valid during normal operating hours and provide admission to a magical one-day experience at WDW unique theme parks. These tickets expire two years from the date issued. It's not too early to seek donations from YOUR hometown for the MAFP Foundation Silent Auction, to be held during the Annual Scientific Assembly in July. This auction is a success every year because members and their spouses ask local businesses in their towns to donate items, so please make those contacts. We appreciate your donations. Use This Form to Collect Donations.
MAFP Earns $5,000 Grant to Host Teen Vaccination Panel

A Vaccinations 4 Teens panel discussion to address the importance of the four CDC-recommended vaccinations for teens will be held during the Annual Meeting in July.  Mississippi was one of 17 states awarded a $5,000 grant provided through the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation's Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium with support from Sanofi Pasteur. Featured panelists will include:
  • Katie Patterson, MD, of Indianola Family Medical Group, Indianola
  • Sandor Feldman, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson
  • Emily Brandon Landrum, MD, of NMMC Family Residency Center, Tupelo
New Resident Welcome Packets
 Distributed

Welcome y'all to Mississippi! That's the message sent last week to newly-matched residents who will soon be training at one of the four family medicine residency programs in Mississippi. MAFP sent each resident a "Welcome to the Family" packet containing information on membership, upcoming conferences, networking opportunities, pens and other goodies.   We hope to see each of you at an upcoming MAFP event.
Staff Working on Membership Renewal

AAFP membership and MAFP membership are concurrent, with all dues paid to AAFP who keeps up with the membership rolls. On May 1, all unpaid members are scheduled to be removed from the AAFP rolls, so MAFP has been contacting these members by mail, phone and e-mail to retain them as members. If you received this postcard and have not recently paid your dues, your membership is in jeopardy.  Contact Claire at the MAFP office if you need assistance.
Nominate A Colleague or Yourself for 
MAFP Board

Samuel Crosby, MD, Nominating Committee Chair
Now's your chance to serve on the MAFP Board of Directors.  Board members are expected to attend meetings, and to take part in the decision-making process.  They are also required to exercise a reasonable degree of knowledge, skill and care in bringing their best judgment to the performance of their responsibilities.  It is the duty of the Board members to stay informed on the issues of the Mississippi Academy; to study the materials that are distributed to them; and to exercise sound judgment in arriving at decisions. At a meeting of the Board, it is important that Board members ask questions, express their thoughts, and receive ideas from other Board members to weigh pros and cons before reaching a decision. Please contact MAFP Executive Director  Beth Embry  or Nominating Committee Chair Dr. Samuel Crosby if you are interested. The following positions on the board will be filled by the Nominating Committee this year:
  • Vice President (1-year term)
  • Secretary (1-year term)
  • District 1 Director representing George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties (2-year term)
  • District 3 Director representing Adams, Amite, Clarke, Copiah, Franklin, Jasper, Jefferson, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Pike, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Walthall, Wilkinson and Winston counties (2-year term)
  • District 5 Director representing Madison and Rankin counties (2-year term)
  • District 7 Director representing Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, DeSoto, Lafayette, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Panola, Tate, Union, Webster, Yalobusha (2-year term)
  • Member at Large (2-year term)
Shining the Light on Mental Health in Mississippi

Some things need to be illuminated, and the stigma of mental illness is one of them. Family physicians will benefit from the University of Mississippi Medical Center's upcoming seminar, 'Shining the Light on Mental Illness in Mississippi,' scheduled for Thursday, May 11, from 5 to 8:45 pm in Jackson. The event will feature Patrick Corrigan, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, on the following topics: Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, Suicide, and Referral Guidelines. Eligible for 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. Registration Link
RESIDENTS:  Jump in with both feet! 
Get involved in MAFP by attending the Annual Meeting

Now's your chance! If you're a resident, you can apply for a scholarship to attend the MAFP Annual Scientific Assembly in July, and it will cover your room, registration and meals at the 5-day event. The MAFP Annual Meeting provides opportunities for family physicians from across the state to connect with each other, network with those in collaborative roles and earn continuing medical education credits. If you're chosen, you'll enjoy the meeting at no charge.
 
A financial endowment was given to the MAFP Foundation in Dr. Dewitt G. Crawford's memory by Mrs. Dewitt G. Crawford to fund this scholarship. How does a resident qualify? One Dewitt G. Crawford, MD Scholarship will be awarded each year to a deserving resident who best demonstrates the character qualities of:
  • leadership gained through life experience in their job, education, and/or service or volunteer opportunities
  • shows a commitment to future involvement as a leader with the MAFP
All completed applications must be submitted to Kay-Lynn Meador  no later than May 1 to be considered. Click here for the scholarship application.

MAFP Needs Medical Students 
to Help With  Summer Meeting

Are you a medical student interested in attending the Annual Scientific Assembly this summer? Have we got a deal for you! MAFP is looking for medical students interested in Family Medicine who can join us to help with registration, events, exhibits and more. In exchange for your help, your rooming and meals will be provided by MAFP. We promise there are lots of opportunities to network with members and enjoy a little free time at the beach! The event is July 15-19 at the Baytowne Conference Center in Sandestin, FL.  Click here  for the application due by May 1.