Nov. 12, 2021 | View as Webpage
FEATURE NEWS
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule on Nov. 2, which includes many positives for family physicians and patients that take effect Jan. 1, 2022, unless otherwise specified. Among the provisions are updates to telemedicine, vaccine administration, e-prescribing, and clinical labor pricing. On the negative side, the rule establishes a nearly 4% cut to fee-for-service Medicare payments. Please contact your members of Congress today to urge them to stop this cut that endangers physician practices and patient access to care

Members whose three-year membership re-election is Dec. 31 must earn and report CME by Dec. 31 to maintain Academy membership in 2022. MAFP/Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan is hosting events in November and December that offer a total of 9 CME credits. Plus, you can earn 13 CME credits by participating in our “Stay on Course” package of 12 on-demand webinars; included is training on human trafficking, medical ethics, and pain and symptom management, which also meets the state of Michigan's medical licensure/renewal requirements.
ACADEMY NEWS
Here’s another benefit of Academy membership—you may claim 15% of your AAFP dues and 14% of your MAFP dues on your 2021 tax return. Just a reminder that payment of dues for 2022 membership is due Dec. 31, 2021.

As of Oct. 15, 92.79% (695) of the state’s 749 family medicine residents are members. The Academy’s goal is to reach 100% resident membership. Do you know residents who are not yet benefiting from the robust benefits available to them through AAFP and MAFP? Click here to share free and discounted events, resources, and networking opportunities—at a cost of just $55 annually per resident (and many programs choose to pay for their residents’ membership). Online resident member registration is quick and easy at aafp.org/membership/join/resident.html.

The Women's Preventive Services Initiative, a longstanding partner with AAFP, is accepting comments on a pair of new draft recommendations regarding contraception and HIV infection. All AAFP members are invited to review the recommendations and provide comments by Nov. 24.

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.
MEMBER NEWS
When Sravani Alluri, MD was a resident, she helped establish Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine’s street medicine program to care for individuals experiencing homelessness in Kalamazoo. This is one of the many reasons that Dr. Alluri was named the 2021 Michigan Family Medicine Resident of the Year. Her work was recently featured by MLive.

Pamela Rockwell, DO, FAAFP serves as AAFP’s liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP). When ACIP met to review data of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years, Dr. Rockwell “reiterated the AAFP’s support of all children to be eligible to receive the vaccine as protection from the very real and significant harms of COVID-19.” Dr. Rockwell was also featured in this Detroit Free Press article.

Caroline Richardson, MD, FAAFP and Mike McKee, MD, MPH received special recognition from the University of Michigan (U-M) for their notable contributions in teaching, mentoring, service, and scholarship through the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Richardson was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, and Dr. McKee is a recipient of U-M’s 2021 Faculty Recognition Award.
Do you have news to share about yourself, your practice, or a colleague? Email info@mafp.com.
STUDENTS & RESIDENTS
New Date: Nov. 17
Female residents, you are invited to an interactive live webinar on Nov. 17, 6:30-8 pm ET, designed especially for you by the resident member on the MAFP Board of Directors, Hima Chopra, MD, chief resident at McLaren Oakland Family Medicine Residency. Hear from female family physicians at different stages of their careers about gender-specific considerations such as how to negotiate a contract and pay, family planning, preparing for maternity leave, work-life balance, and answers to questions that you have. There is no cost to participate.

The AAFP Family Medicine Interest Group Network is hosting a series of regional virtual events for medical students to hear from and talk with family physicians from across the country. Register for one or all five of the virtual events taking place at 8 pm ET on Nov. 9 (Northeast), Nov. 16 (Midwest), Nov. 30 (Mid-Atlantic; Michigan’s region), Dec. 7 (West/Southwest), and Dec. 14 (Southeast).

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.

The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) "Back to Bedside" initiative supports residents’ and fellows’ transformative projects for increasing meaningful connections with their patients. The initiative is also intended to create a learning collaborative of resident-/fellow-led research teams. Competitive applications and letters of interest for the third round of projects are being accepted until Feb. 21.

If you are a medical student who didn’t register for the Michigan Future of Family Medicine Conference that was held on Oct. 9, you can still gain access to recordings of all sessions, workshops, and Residency Connection webinars. All this for just $25!

A report outlining recommendations for transitioning students from undergraduate to graduate medical education was released recently by the Coalition for Physician Accountability. The recommendations, which reflect key input from AAFP, call for a complete overhaul of the process under which U.S. medical students enter residency training.
COVID-19
On Oct. 29, the Food and Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 years. Then, on Nov. 2, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—for which Michigan family physician, Pamela Rockwell, DO, FAAFP (Ann Arbor) serves as AAFP liaison—made an interim recommendation for use of the vaccine in this age group. The CDC updated its interim clinical considerations and resource webpage, and ACIP published its recommendation in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Per CMS, the COVID-19 vaccine must be made available to this age group without any cost sharing under government-sponsored coverage or commercial insurance. Physicians also may not deny anyone a COVID-19 vaccine based on whether they have health coverage or not.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year-olds is now available for e-ordering through the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR). The minimum order quantity is 100 10-microgram doses; orders greater than 100 doses must be in increments of 100. When ordering, be sure to plan for doses needed to support second-dose administration (given three weeks after the first dose). Note that vaccine orders will not be delivered Nov. 24-28. Once you receive pediatric orders, be sure to report your inventory in Vaccine Finder at vaccines.gov, so parents/guardians can easily find locations convenient to them for vaccination of their children.
Have you received COVID-19 pediatric doses?
Yes, and I’ve begun administering vaccine to 5-11 year-olds
No, I need to order a supply through MCIR
No, even though I've placed an order
STATE & NATIONAL NEWS
Per Michigan Medical Services Administration's Bulletin MSA 21-19, effective Aug. 1, 2021, family physicians and other primary care providers can be reimbursed through the Medicaid fee-for-service program for treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in office-based settings. One-hour virtual discussions are being held via Zoom on Nov. 18, 1-2 pm ET and Dec. 2, 10-11 am ET, about how providers can screen and identify patients with potential mild-to-moderate AUD and OUD, available office-based treatment options, and how to successfully bill for services rendered. Click here to join the Zoom discussion. Phone only: 1-312-626-6799. Meeting ID: 850 9011 2971. Passcode: 363657.

Physicians with outstanding reporting requirements should visit the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Portal to submit their report on use of funds by Nov. 30. Those who do not submit a completed report by the end of the 60-day grace period for PRF Reporting Period 1 may be subject to enforcement actions such as repayment or other debt collection activities. All unused funds must be returned by Dec. 30. View instructions on how to return unused PRF funds.

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) opened the application for its Loan Repayment Program, Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program, and Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. With an additional $800 million from the American Rescue Plan, NHSC will be able to award more applicants than ever before. Last year, every eligible applicant received an award, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting comments from the public on the Michigan Medicaid Health Plan Common Formulary. The next drug classes to be reviewed by the Workgroup include cardiac, ophthalmic, electrolyte balance-nutritional products, and smoking deterrents. Changes may be made to the Common Formulary based on comments received.
Effective Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2022, the application fee is $631 for institutional providers who are initially enrolling in Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); revalidating their enrollment; or adding a new Medicare practice location.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Foundation will award Physician Investigator Research Award grants of $10,000 to Michigan physicians in support of pilot studies, feasibility studies, or small research projects to improve the quality, cost, or access to health care for residents. BCBSM Foundation is interested in innovative and evidence-based research grants that address urgent health issues, health inequities, social determinants of health and healthcare access, quality and cost.

All adults ages 19-59 should be vaccinated against hepatitis B (HBV), according to a new CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation. The recommendation also states that adults age 60 and older who have risk factors for HBV infection should be vaccinated, and people in that age group without risk factors may receive the vaccine.
RESOURCES
“Six Building Blocks: A Team-Based Approach to Improving Opioid Management in Primary Care How-To-Implement Toolkit," from the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is available to help primary care teams reduce the number of patients on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. The evidence-based toolkit offers a quality improvement roadmap for redesigning patient care through standardizing workflows, tracking key measures, and using electronic health record tools and registries.

AAFP's Tar Wars initiative enlists volunteers to give presentations to local fourth and fifth graders on the risks of tobacco, vaping, and hookah products and avoidance education. “This is one area I feel family physicians can make a huge impact - curbing the vaping epidemic by arming kids with knowledge before the ads get to them,” said Holly Ross, MD, Michigan’s new Tar Wars coordinator. Connect with Dr. Ross if you'd like to get involved in your community.

AAFP, the American Medical Association, and six other leading medical associations that make up the Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Collaborative unveiled an enhanced and expanded version of the BHI Compendium. This tool is designed to assist clinicians in meeting their patients’ mental and behavioral health needs and includes an accompanying series of practice how-to guides.

Registration is open for the Michigan Breastfeeding Network’s new on-demand webinars, “Cultivating a New Culture” and “Expanding Expectations and Building Resiliency: Empowering Parents for Successful Breastfeeding.”
Career Connection

Medical Director, MESSA, East Lansing, MI

Rural Health Primary Care, Bronson Health Care Group, South Haven, MI

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OTHER EVENTS

Nov. 15, 1-2:30 pm ET
Host: CMS

Nov. 16, 10 am ET
888.251.2949
Access code: 1585208#
Host: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Attend a full course or choose from themed half-day sessions

Nov. 17, 12:15-12:45 pm ET
Host: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Nov. 18, 11 am-12 pm ET
Host: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Nov. 18
Host: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

Nov. 30, 2-7 pm ET
Host: AAFP

Dec. 9, 12:15-12:45 pm ET
Host: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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