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.

MAFP on New Scope Bill:

Legislation was recently introduced in the Michigan Senate that, if passed, would grant full autonomy to nurse practitioners (NP) in the state. Among the provisions of Senate Bill 680 are allowing NPs, without undergoing additional training or education, to care for patients absent of physician supervision or collaboration, and to prescribe opioids and other controlled substances. The MAFP advocacy team is meeting with the primary sponsor of the bill to advocate that NPs should be part of the care team, not independent from it, to ensure patient safety and continuity of care through preserving the patient-physician relationship.

In an interview with Healio Primary Care, AAFP President Sterling Ransone, Jr., MD, identified “establishing an outpatient healthcare system focused on having a primary care-centered health system where there is a family physician [available] for every person in every community” as his top priority during his presidential term. You will have the opportunity talk to Dr. Ransone about this and other issues impacting family medicine, the delivery of care, and patient health outcomes at the 2022 Michigan Family Medicine Conference & Expo, where he will be in attendance July 7-10, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, as a special guest and speaker.

AAFP announced two new collaborations to advance health equity and address pain. One: It signed an agreement with and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) to work together to address health disparities in Latinx/Hispanic patients and underrepresentation of Latinx/Hispanic physicians. Two: It joined with the American Medical Association and other partners to create a Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force. The group released five new recommendations intended to improve care access for people dealing with substance use disorders, mental health concerns, and pain.

Guidelines for Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Tests 

On Nov. 9, 6:30-7:30 pm ET, Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan is hosting an interactive webinar on the 2019 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines for Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Tests and Cancer Precursors. MAFP members can register for $30. 

Earn CME Credit by Getting Published in MFP

MAFP accepts articles written by members for publication in its quarterly magazine, Michigan Family Physician. This is a valuable opportunity to share research or expertise on a practice management, clinical, patient care delivery, business of medicine, professional development, or policy/advocacy topic. Publication of an article may be reported to AAFP as scholarly activity, which counts toward CME membership requirements.

MAFP’s inaugural #MiFamMed Member of the Month is Holly Ross, MD, a practicing physician at a federally qualified health center in Ann Arbor. Her previous experience includes employed and rural family medicine as well as military operational medicine. Her next endeavor is working to bring back Tar Wars in Michigan. Tar Wars is an AAFP initiative that enlists volunteers to give presentations to 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 Dr. Ross.

The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has selected Nikhil Hemady, MD, FAAFP as a 2022 recipient of its Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award. Dr. Hemady has served as Pontiac General Hospital Family Medicine Residency program director for the past 14 years and he practices family medicine at Honor Community Health, a federally qualified health center in Pontiac, where he also serves as chief medical officer.

MSUCHM Student Appointed to Annals of Family Medicine Editorial Advisory Board

Julie Ngo, a third-year student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, was appointed to serve as student representative to the Annals of Family Medicine Editorial Advisory Board. Her term began on Sept. 1 and will conclude Aug. 31, 2022. Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed clinical research journal dedicated to advancing knowledge essential to understanding and improving health and primary care. Are you interested in applying for a family medicine leadership position? A variety of opportunities at the state and national level for students/residents and physicians are available.

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

As of Oct. 15, more than 96% of family medicine residents across the country are members of AAFP. Within the Michigan chapter, 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 that are available—at a cost of just $55 annually per resident (and many programs choose to pay for their residents’ membership). Online registration is quick and easy at aafp.org/membership.

State Loan Repayment Program Eligible for Grant to Increase Primary Care Access in Underserved Communities

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.

During the pandemic, medical students have had limited opportunities to meet family physicians through local Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) events. As a result, AAFP’s FMIG national leaders are hosting a series of regional events that will provide these opportunities virtually. Medical students in Michigan are invited to “Real Talk with Family Docs” on Nov. 30, to talk with several family physicians in the FMIG Network Region 3 (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia). Watch for registration information coming soon.

If you are a MD or DO student in your final year of medical school, you may be eligible for up to $120,000 in tax-free loan repayment for your qualifying education loans. In exchange for loan repayment, you must commit to practicing in a high-need community for three years post-residency. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has received a historic increase in federal funding, which means it will be making more awards in a single year than ever before.

The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recently presented new recommendations, findings, and resources from the GME Stakeholder Congress on Preparing Residents and Fellows to Manage Pain and Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The materials are the outcome of a meeting held in March where 130 physicians and members of ACGME leadership discussed strategies for ensuring residents and fellows are equipped to treat pain and confront the challenges of the opioid epidemic. Among the considerations for family medicine-specific curricular elements and educational experiences include:

This week Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4659 (now Public Act 94 of 2021) which amends the Public Health Code to permit certain exceptions to the requirement that prescriptions be transmitted electronically to pharmacies. The MAFP advocacy team was active in advocating in the best interests of family physicians and their patients as the bill moved through the legislative process. Through MAFP's advocacy work, dispensing prescribers are exempt from the e-prescribing mandate that goes into effect Jan. 1.

Two new bills (House Bills 5444 and 5445) introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would, if passed, make it illegal to perform an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, unless to save the life of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious impairment of a major bodily function. Under the “heartbeat bills,” a medical professional who performs an abortion after six weeks gestation would face a felony and 2-4 years in jail. The bills were referred to the House Committee on Health Policy.

On Oct. 20, a companion bill to HR 3173, Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate (S 3018). Given the Senate’s recent introduction of the bill and that Congress is considering investments in the U.S. healthcare system, it is important to signal to Congressional leadership the physician community’s strong support of the measure to help ensure its passage. Please take action to urge Congress to improve patient access in Medicare Advantage and reduce administration burden by co-sponsoring this common-sense legislation.

Academy Backs Push for HDHP Primary Care Deductible Waivers

This month, AAFP lauded federal legislation that would allow employers and health plan sponsors to waive primary care and telehealth deductibles through the end of 2023 for patients covered by high-deductible health plans (HDHP).

Following the settlement of several lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of opioids, the State of Michigan is drafting legislation to establish a fund directing settlement dollars to support substance use services and abate harm created by opioids. To gauge the priorities of Michigan residents and key stakeholders for the use of these funds, MDHHS requests that you complete a 20-minute survey.

House Bill 4087, signed into law on Oct. 29 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to stockpile the medical supplies necessary to respond to a state of disaster or state of emergency in Michigan, and to display a list of the medical supplies inventory on its website.

On Oct. 26, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee voted to recommend approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years. That same day, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive directive to state departments and agencies to expedite the ordering and distribution of the vaccine once it receives federal authorization. The FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year-olds as early as the week of Nov. 1, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet Nov. 2-3 to review data and recommendations. Click here to prepare to provide the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to your pediatric patients.

CDC Says Immunocompromised May Need Fourth Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

With the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine single-dose boosters, there are now booster recommendations for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. for eligible individuals. CDC recommendations allow for mix-and-match dosing of the booster shots. Medicare payment rates for administering COVID-19 vaccines | How to bill Medicare correctly | CMS’ COVID-19 vaccine toolkit for healthcare professionals

Moderna continues to update information about lots of expired COVID-19 vaccine doses that have been approved for a 2-month expiry extension if maintained in the frozen state . Moderna’s look up tool remains the official indicator of product expiry. Expired lots that are not approved for an expiry extension must not be used and should be discarded in sharps containers and documented in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) as waste. As remaining lots continue to be added to the database, vaccine providers are urged to quarantine and label expired Moderna (“Do Not Use”), store properly in the freezer, and continue checking the Moderna look-up tool for updates.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new Overdose Prevention Strategy harnesses coordinated federal support for needle exchanges, distribution of test strips to check for fentanyl in street drugs, and other strategies focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery of substance use disorders (SUD). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 40 million people in the U.S. had SUD in 2020.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently launched the We Treat Hep C Initiative to eliminate hepatitis C and improve access to hepatitis C treatment among Michigan Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries. As part of the initiative, providers with prescriptive authority are now eligible to prescribe the antiviral MAVYRET® without prior authorization. In addition, individuals can be treated for hepatitis C regardless of recent or current substance use. To be notified of new information and training opportunities aimed at eliminating hepatitis C, email MDHHS-Hepatitis@Michigan.gov to ask to be added to the listserv.

Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced a new policy directive that will guarantee critical medical resources and support to pregnant and post-partum prisoners and their newborns. Included in the directive are several provisions focused on birth plans and doulas, support persons, limits on restraints, visitations, and medications. Advocating for jail and prison healthcare reform was the topic of a resolution adopted by the MAFP membership at the 2021 Annual Meeting.

The U.S. Department of Education announced changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLFP), expanding the number of borrowers who may receive forgiveness and ensuring they receive credit for the years of payments they’ve already made. The PSLFP cancels loans after 10 years of public service (e.g., working for the government or a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization such as a federally qualified health center). Among the changes in the overhaul is implementing a temporary waiver to count all prior payments made by student borrowers toward PSLF, regardless of loan program. This waiver will run through Oct. 31, 2022.

As a physician, your strong recommendation makes a difference in whether your patients get a flu shot. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and increase in cases of RSV, getting a flu shot is highly critical this year. According to the CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, you may give the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same visit. The CDC, AAFP, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services offer resources for making every office visit an opportunity to remind your patients that the flu shot helps protect them from serious flu illness and complications. Flu activity is currently low in the U.S. and Michigan.

AAFP developed a guide to help residents, new physicians, and those pursuing a new opportunity in family medicine to better understand contracts and the employment contract process.

Approximately 124,000 people, including about 6,000 American citizens, have been safely flown out of Afghanistan. Many of the evacuees are from areas with limited access to healthcare and vaccinations and have been living in close quarters for long periods during the evacuation process, thereby raising the risk of disease spread. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance includes a recommendation that clinicians be on alert for cases of measles, mumps, leishmaniasis, and malaria among evacuees—including both Afghan nationals and U.S. citizens.

Finding Your Academic Career in Family Medicine Podcasts

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine has launched a new podcast series as part of its Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) initiative aimed at increasing the percentage of URM family medicine faculty and increasing the number of URM leaders within and across the healthcare system. Three podcasts are currently available: Our Journeys to Academic Medicine, An Inclusive Environment within Academics, and Building Your Academic Portfolio and CV.

Physician-owned Practice, Grand Rapids, MI (partnership option)

Primary Care Physician, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI

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