Join your family medicine colleagues on Nov. 30 to make an impact on your specialty – CLICK HERE to make a donation to Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan, MAFP's philanthropic arm. Donations are used to support initiatives aimed at influencing student choice of family medicine and recruiting/retaining residents to practice in Michigan.

Just Days Left to Report PRF or Funds Must Be Returned 

If you received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payment(s) between Apr. 10 and June 30, 2020, and have not yet reported how you used the funds, you are out of compliance with the Terms and Conditions for receipt of payment. A 60-day grace period is in effect until Nov. 30 for those who failed to meet the Reporting Period 1 deadline. This grace period allows clinicians to come into compliance with PRF reporting requirements.

Through the American Rescue Plan, $1.5 billion will be invested in healthcare workforce loan repayment and scholarship programs, including the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Applications for the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program, and Rural Community Loan Repayment Program are open until Dec. 16. Awards will be given to more applicants in 2022—the NHSC’s 50^th anniversary year—than ever before.

Constituency Delegate Application Closing 

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, Missouri. One Michigan delegate per constituency will be appointed by the MAFP Board of Directors. The deadline to apply is Nov. 26.

MAFP and Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan are hosting a free webinar on Dec. 1, 6:30-7:30 pm ET, that will review current standards for early cancer screening and detection as well as emerging molecular screening technologies for early cancer detection. This live CME and Maintenance of Certification-eligible webinar is jointly provided by the Potomac Center for Medical Education and Rockpointe and supported by an educational grant from Grail, Inc.

Earn 8 CME credits and 10 American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) certification points by participating in the virtual Knowledge Self-Assessment (KSA) on Health Counseling and Preventative Care, Saturday, Dec. 4, 8 am-12 pm ET. This 60-question KSA focuses on the management of nutrition, sexual health, exercise, smoking avoidance and cessation, substance abuse, cancer screening, screening for medical conditions, chemo prevention, and immunizations. Registration closes Dec. 2.

Learn from colleagues how artificial intelligence assistants reduce burdens and improve practice satisfaction. AAFP Innovation Lab participants (family physicians and practice peers) have experienced a 70% decrease in both documentation and visit prep time. Click here to register.

The world has changed, so AAFP has updated its Member Census with 12 multiple-choice questions more relevant to today's family medicine practice. Please take 5 minutes to tell us about your experiences as a family physician. Your insight helps the Academy develop the resources and support you need to continue providing the best patient care possible.

Asha Shajahan, MD, a family physician and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine faculty, has been fighting the prevalence of misinformation in healthcare by writing op-eds, doing media interviews, and participating in town halls. Dr. Shajahan also helped develop the new “MisinfoRx: A Toolkit for Healthcare Providers.”

While a COVID-19 antiviral pill “could definitely change the mortality and morbidity rate, it’s always going to be better to prevent a disease than to try to treat it,” said Mark Hamed, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAFP, director of the emergency and hospitalist departments at McKenzie Health System in Michigan’s Thumb region, medical director for public health in several counties in the area, and chair of the MAFP Board of Directors.

FM Residents Win American Family Physician Photo Contest

Alison Nesbitt, DO (PGY-1, Beaumont-Wayne) and Mikita Patel, MD (PGY-2, McLaren Oakland) are among the winners of the first American Family Physician (AFP) photo competition, held this summer. Honorable mentions were awarded to Osinachi Ajaero, MD, MPH (PGY-3, McLaren Oakland), Whitney Fron, DO (PGY-1, McLaren Oakland), and Mohammad Pourmandi, DO (PGY-1, McLaren Oakland). The competition was intended to encourage students and residents to share their stories through photographs about how they use the AFP journal.

Charen Cheema, DO recently completed the inaugural “Leading Physician Well-being,” a 10-month, tuition-free certificate program of AAFP and United Health Foundation. Dr. Cheema was one of 120 physicians selected to participate in this program that provides leadership development, training in physician well-being advocacy, and performance improvement project skill-building. Dr. Cheema was recently appointed program director of St. Mary Mercy Hospital’s family medicine residency program.

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

The AAFP Family Medicine Interest Group Network is hosting a regional virtual event for medical students to hear from and talk with family physicians from across the country. The last three virtual events taking are place at 8 pm ET on Nov. 30 (Mid-Atlantic; Michigan’s region), Dec. 7 (West/Southwest), and Dec. 14 (Southeast).

Resident-exclusive with Physician Comedian

Join ophthalmologist and comedian Will Flanary, MD (aka, Dr. Glaucomflecken) at this livestream event for AAFP resident members. Dr. Flanary will share his tips for using social media.

On Nov. 17, Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan hosted a live webinar as a forum for female resident physicians to discuss issues of concern with practicing physicians and share ideas for overcoming challenges. “This was truly an excellent MAFP session that encouraged discussion and collaboration. I loved it! It was very encouraging to learn from all the accomplished family medicine attendings and residents at the session regarding the challenges faced by female family physicians. I took away key elements that will help me for years to come," said Dr. Meghana Swamy (PGY-1, McLaren Flint). “The next resident webinar, focused on international medical graduates, will be held in January. Stay tuned!

University of Michigan Medical School is among 21 medical schools across the country to receive grant funding from the nation’s largest funding collaborative dedicated to advancing equity in the biomedical sciences. U-M will receive $550,000 to advance research productivity and retention of early-career faculty experiencing increasing family caregiving responsibilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Michigan University College of Medicine and the Saginaw County Health Department (SCHD) have formed an affiliation to bridge the gap “between traditional medical care and public health” and expand education offerings in Saginaw. Through the affiliation, they are establishing a new academic health department focused on addressing emerging health problems and chronic conditions in the region. Family Physician Delicia Pruitt, MD, FAAFP serves as medical director of SCHD.

A new bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would strengthen partnerships between medical schools and rural hospitals with the goal of recruiting new resident physicians to underserved communities. The Rural Physician Workforce Production Act lifts the current caps on Medicare reimbursement payments to rural hospitals that cover the cost of taking on residents, eliminating the serious disadvantage that rural hospitals face when recruiting new medical professionals. It also allows Medicare to reimburse urban hospitals that send residents to train at rural healthcare facilities during a resident rotation, among other provisions.

On Nov. 19, U.S. Representatives voted to approve a $2 trillion spending package that would continue enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits until 2025, permit Medicare to negotiate lower prices for certain drugs, and limit out-of-pocket costs in Medicare Part D. The Build Back Better Act, which now heads to the Senate, would also expand Medicare benefits to include hearing coverage, among other provisions. The bill is now headed to the Senate.

Due to a U.S. appeals court order, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has suspended enforcement of its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to either mandate COVID-19 vaccination or ensure their workers wear masks and are tested at least once a week. Suspension of this ETS does not, however, affect Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ emergency regulation mandating all eligible staff who work at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4.

On Nov. 19, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a public health advisory recommending that all Michiganders, regardless of vaccination status, wear a face mask in indoor public settings. In addition, establishments should implement a policy to ensure that all persons entering or seeking services, including employees, wear a mask. This comes as the state is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases. The public health advisory is in effect until further notice.

On Nov. 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began releasing American Rescue Plan payments to healthcare professionals and suppliers who served rural Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries from Jan. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020. More than 1,280 rural healthcare professionals in Michigan are qualified to receive payments. Within 90 days, recipients must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of payment. Those who choose to reject the funds must also complete the attestation to indicate this and return the funds within 15 calendar days. Not returning the payment within 90 days of receipt will be deemed as acceptance of the Terms and Conditions.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) accepted a new clinical quality measure into its Quality Payment Program (QPP) Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for 2022. The Person-Centered Primary Care Measure is a patient-reported outcome performance measure that allows patients to assess their relationship with their clinician and how it impacts their health.

If you are an American Board of Family Medicine Diplomate, you may now claim your Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan patient-centered medical home (PCMH) certification as a Performance Improvement activity needed for Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Just upload your PCMH certification to the ABFM Performance Improvement website to receive 20 PI credits towards your Maintenance of Certification. This will satisfy your PI requirement for your three-year MOC cycle.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is seeking input on existing and potential occupational safety and health interventions, services, and research in progress focused on approaches to preventing stress and improving the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers. Comments are due by Nov. 26.

Last year, the federal government released its first major guideline update on the diagnosis and management of asthma in more than a decade. A summary of the guideline update has been published in the November issue of American Family Physician and is accompanied by an editorial from a family physician member of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group.

When the CDC’s Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices met on Nov. 2-3, it issued recommendations on vaccines for hepatitis B and several other vaccines and approved recommended child, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules for 2022. The revised schedules will be announced in MMWR and posted on the CDC’s Immunization Schedules webpage in Feb. 2022.

Top priority applicants for the 2022 Michigan State Loan Repayment (MSLRP) application period (March 7-11) are inpatient pediatric psychiatrists, Genesee County applicants, and northern Michigan obstetric service providers. Non-priority practice sites with health professional shortage area scores of eight or higher will be treated as priority. Complete applications will be batched according to the date they were uploaded via the File Transfer Application System. Click here for other 2022 updates to the MSLRP.

Home vs Office vs Telehealth for Medication Enhanced Recovery (HOMER) is a new national study comparing induction methods for medication assisted treatment (MAT) in patients with opioid use disorder. This study is a partnership of the State Network of Colorado Ambulatory Practices and Partners and the American Academy of Family Physician’s National Research Network to help fill a gap in the evidence around effectively treating OUD with MAT in primary care settings. HOMER will work with 100 primary care practices across the country and up to 20 patients per practice. Interested in participating? Click here.

QPP 2020 Preview Period Open

The Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period is open until Dec. 14 at 8 pm ET. Preview your 2020 Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance information before it appears on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog. Questions about public reporting? Email QPP@cms.hhs.gov or call 866-288-8292.

Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit), Henry Ford Macomb Hospital (Clinton Township), Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, McLaren Flint Hospital, and McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital are among 200 hospitals participating in the new Perinatal Improvement Collaborative through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. This new network is focused on improving maternal and infant health outcomes by reducing disparities. Comprised of hospitals from all 50 states, the collaborative is the first to evaluate how pregnancy affects overall population health by linking inpatient data of newborns to their mothers.

AAFP has developed tools to help family physicians transition to value-based care and associated payment models. Among the resources is an article in the November/December issue of FPM that outlines four key skills family physicians should cultivate to succeed in value-based care, as well as five pitfalls to avoid. Also available is a newly launched webpage and a Family Medicine Practice Hack video.

A limited supply of the Smoking and Infant Safe Sleep Bulletin Board Kit is available from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Infant Safe Sleep Program. The kit is designed to increase client education and awareness of the impact of smoking on safe sleep as well as increase knowledge of the benefits of keeping babies in a smoke-free environment. If you would like a kit sent to you, please contact the Infant Safe Sleep Program at MDHHS-InfantSafeSleep@michigan.gov. Electronic Bulletin Board Kits are also available.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services hosted a COVID-19 vaccine update webinar on Nov. 10, covering Pfizer vaccination of 5-11 year-olds. Click here for the webinar recording. Click here for the slides. Other resources provided during the webinar:

Mid-Michigan Group Adding Family Medicine Physician, Alma, MI

Primary Care Physician, Michigan Medicine

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