Recognizing that implicit bias factors into healthcare disparities, Gov. Whitmer charged the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), led by Director Orlene Hawks, to develop administrative rules to educate and train healthcare professionals to recognize and address implicit biases. Motivated to quick action by the escalating death rate during the COVID-19 pandemic, LARA worked with 86 stakeholder organizations, licensees, health professional boards, and legislative partners to craft nation-leading rules governing implicit bias training for healthcare professionals. The rules were enrolled on June 1, with an effective date of June 1, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced a final extension of the pause on federal student loan repayments, interest, and collections through Jan. 31. The does not apply to private loans. The DOE will release resources and information about how to plan for payment restart as the end of the pause approaches. AAFP has been advocating throughout the pandemic for Congress and federal agencies to help relieve the financial burden on physicians and medical students.

On Aug. 12, MAFP President Srikar Reddy, MD, FAAFP (South Lyon) issued a statement urging Michigan school districts to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services guidance for requiring masks in schools this fall. “Wearing a mask is essential for protecting those who can’t yet be vaccinated or are at higher risk of severe illness, hospitalization, or death from COVID-19 due to other conditions. MAFP urges school districts and private school leaders to adopt mask requirements based on federal, state, and public health guidance to protect Michigan youth.”

AAFP Postpones 2021 Congress of Delegates

In addition to live webinars, MAFP and Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan also offer on-demand CME and professional development webinars to ensure members have access to information and training when in-person events are not an option due to travel restrictions. Our on-demand webinar line-up includes the year-long "Stay on Course: Your Ticket to Family Medicine CME" package approved for 13 CME credits, as well as individual webinars on pain and symptom management, human trafficking, and medical ethics, for which training is required for medical licensure and renewal in Michigan. Other on-demand webinars focus on business of medicine and leadership topics. Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to learn more about? Email your webinar suggestion to info@mafp.com.

As of July 31, more than 400 new physician, resident, and student members have joined MAFP this year. "Community" is one of MAFP's four pillars. The main objective of this pillar is to encourage family physicians, family medicine residents, medical students, and partners to create a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community. If you see names of people you know in the list of new members, please reach out to welcome them to our Michigan family medicine community.

Himanshi Chopra, MD has been selected to receive the 2021 AAFP Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Chopra is chief resident at McLaren Oakland Family Medicine Residency in Pontiac and resident member on the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors. She is one of just 12 residents from across the country to receive this prestigious award, ranking her among the top family medicine residents in the country.

Tsveti Markova, MD, FAAFP—professor of family medicine and public health sciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine—was part of a faculty team that developed a telehealth curriculum for health professional students from the university’s School of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and School of Social Work. Aimed at addressing disparities in care, the curriculum was developed in collaboration with the Michigan Area Health Education Center and earned the Telehealth Equity Catalyst Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Tanner Featured in AAFP’s Weekly Family Doc Focus

Tina Tanner, MD, FAAFP (Montague), past MAFP president and current Michigan alternate delegate to AAFP, shared the reasons behind her trauma-informed style of care in AAFP’s weekly series, Family Doc Focus. “It’s one of the most fulfilling things you can do when you can get people through a hard time … That’s when you look at your own story and say, ‘OK, I know why I went through what I went through because now I can make a difference in other people’s lives.’”

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

During business sessions of the National Congresses of Family Medicine Residents and Student Members, July 29-31, Michigan’s delegates—Faizan Memon, MD, resident delegate; Mikita Patel, MD, resident alternate delegate; Amy Halder, student delegate; and Saaranga Sasitharan, student alternate delegate—lent their voices to a variety of AAFP member-proposed resolutions. COVID-19 barriers to training, telemedicine, and financial literacy were among resolution topics introduced and debated within the resident congress. Meanwhile, the student congress focused on, among other things, substance use disorder, gender-affirming care, and advance directives.

Are you a resident or student member interested in serving as a delegate to your respective national congress when it convenes next summer, July 28-30, during AAFP’s 2022 National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students? Click here to apply by Apr. 1. Michigan delegates and alternate delegates receive a scholarship from Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan to help offset conference-related costs.

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. Check out the agenda and list of presenters, workshop leaders, and participating residency programs, and then register today for just $25.

Registration is open for the robust Family Medicine Midwest Conference, being held virtually Sept. 9-11. Included in the agenda are plenary sessions, breakout education sessions, a residency showcase, expo, and poster presentations. Registration closes Sept. 1. MAFP is a proud sponsor of the conference along with other Midwest partners.

A bipartisan bill package has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives aimed at expanding the availability and accessibility of non-opioid directive forms in the state. These forms allow patients to opt out of opioid-based pain management unless deemed medically necessary. House Bills 5261 and 5262 would mandate insurers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals to make these forms available upon plan enrollment. HB 5264 would require hospitals to make non-opioid directive forms available on their website, and HB 5263 would require insurers to do so.

The U.S. Senate recently passed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S 610), which AAFP supports. S 610 is named for an emergency physician who died by suicide after an intense front-line fight to save patients during the pandemic’s harrowing early days. This legislation would address suicide and burnout among healthcare professionals; it also calls for studying related concerns, such as the stigma of seeking help. A companion bill introduced in the U.S. House in March awaits consideration.

The $3.5 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 federal budget resolution, which passed the U.S. Senate on Aug. 9, contains several provisions of importance to AAFP. Namely, it funds initiatives “filed under a heading familiar to Academy members as social determinants of health,” writes AAFP Senior Vice President of Advocacy, Practice Advancement, and Policy, Stephanie Quinn. The budget resolution also calls for expanding subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, filling the Medicaid coverage gap, devoting resources to home and community-based healthcare, and investing in graduate medical education, community health centers, the Teaching Health Center GME program, and the National Health Service Corps.

With the goal of improving healthcare access in rural and remote communities across the country, a congressman from Montana introduced the Rural Telehealth Expansion Act that would ensure Medicare coverage for store-and-forward (asynchronous) telehealth services in all 50 states. Meanwhile, data released by the Bipartisan Policy Center and Social Science Research Solutions show that one-third of U.S. adults surveyed had a telehealth visit for themselves or a dependent in 2020, and 1 in 7 patients (14%) would have gone to the emergency department or an urgent care facility if telehealth wasn’t an option.

The Pfizer 450-pack is no longer available and, effective Aug. 18, the 1170-pack has been reintroduced. Smaller package configurations are expected to be available beginning in October. The Moderna 100-pack was re-introduced on Aug. 19 for a limited time. Physicians are encouraged to use the vaccines they have on hand and only order what they can use, as there continues to be large volumes of inventory in the field.

On Aug. 12, the Food and Drug Administration amended its Emergency Use Authorizations of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, allowing moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals to receive a third dose after an initial 2-dose series. This applies to the Pfizer vaccine for individuals aged 12 and older and the Moderna vaccine for individuals 18 years and older. As early as the week of Sept. 20, all adults who received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 8 months earlier may be able to receive a booster shot.

AAFP has asked the Food and Drug Administration to grant Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 vaccines in children under age 12, especially in light of the new school year and rising case numbers. "The surge of the Delta variant and the alarming rise in pediatric COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations underscore the need to reevaluate the risk-benefit analysis for this age group, as the risk for severe and long-lasting impacts on health outcomes in unvaccinated children is increasing," said AAFP President Ada Stewart, MD, FAAFP.

Based on new evidence of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated guidance recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as women trying to get pregnant or who might become pregnant in the future, receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. AAFP’s July-August 2021 issue of the FPM journal features a supplement on family physicians talking about vaccines during pregnancy.

Now available through Dec. 31 is the American Board of Family Medicine’s (ABFM) new National Journal Club pilot (NJC). Accessible from diplomates' MyABFM Portfolio, this initial pilot includes access to 44 articles carefully selected by a committee that includes family physicians from across the country. Diplomates will select an article of their choice, review the article, and then participate in a short article assessment. Upon successful completion of an article assessment, diplomates will receive 1 ABFM certification point. Successfully completing 10 article assessments will fulfill the KSA requirement for the current certification stage requirement.

The Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is accepting nominations for seven new members of its National Advisory Council, which advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the AHRQ Director on research activities and priorities. AHRQ seeks individuals who can contribute varied perspectives on the healthcare system and on AHRQ’s research focus to promote improvements in healthcare safety, quality, accessibility, equity, and cost-effectiveness. Nominations are due Aug. 29. The seven new members will begin their three-year terms in spring 2022.

The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) is launching the Michigan Heroes Campaign recognition website to celebrate individuals and organizations in Michigan that have made a difference helping others during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Nominations are being accepted in preparation for the campaign launch at the end of September. Click here to nominate a hero.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is soliciting comments from the public on the Michigan Medicaid Health Plan Common Formulary, which applies to pharmacy claims paid by Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Comments are accepted on the drugs included or not included on the Common Formulary, new drug products, prior authorization criteria, step therapy criteria, and other topics related to drug coverage under the Common Formulary. The next drug classes to be reviewed include Analgesics, CNS, Dermatological, and Anti-Neoplastic. Comments are due by Sept. 17—email MDHHSCommonFormulary@michigan.gov.

Family Medicine Discovers Rapid Cycle Scientific Discovery and Innovation (FMD RapSDI) is a signature program funded by the AAFP Foundation in collaboration with the AAFP National Research Network (AAFP NRN). FMD RapSDI supports short-term innovative and high-impact projects led by practicing family physicians. No previous research experience is required. Physicians selected as FMD RapSDI scholars will serve as principal investigators for their projects and will receive support and mentorship from AAFP NRN staff to develop and refine a research protocol, perform project activities, and conduct data analysis. Two practicing family physicians will be selected as 2022 FMD RapSDI scholars; each will receive a $40,000 grant for project associated costs and/or to offset time/salary required to conduct research. The round 1 application period closes Aug. 23 at 6 pm ET. Round 2 applications are due March 1.

Effective Aug. 1, primary care providers can now be reimbursed through the Medicaid Fee-for-Service program for alcohol use disorder (AUD) or opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment provided in an office-based primary care setting.

New research published by the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care identifies primary care physicians as crucial sentinels against a “looming mental health crisis and rise in underserved populations needing mental health services,” and as delivering a substantial portion of mental health services in ambulatory settings. The 1-hour live CME webinar, “Building an Integrated Behavioral Health Program in Primary Care,” hosted by MAFP / Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan on Oct. 4, 7-8 pm ET, will delve into how family physicians can actively engage in providing integrated behavioral health services. 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) playbooks offer practical implementation guidance for integrating behavioral health and medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder into primary care and other ambulatory settings.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has openings for program-eligible women to receive free breast and cervical cancer screenings through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Navigation Program and the WISEWOMAN Program.

AAFP offers extensive immunization-related resources for physicians, including clinical information, CME, advocacy materials, and more. Members also can refer patients to familydoctor.org for information about immunizations, including several COVID-19 vaccine articles.

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