December 2016 | Vol. 10 No.12
A Monthly Newsletter for Members
and Friends of MAFP
We hope you like our new format. Let us know!
In This Issue… - Reflections on the Recent Election
- A message from AAFP President Dr. John Meigs
- Get Your Practice Ready for MACRA: Consider Enrolling in a Practice Transformation Network (PTN)
- 2017 MAFP Advocacy Day in Annapolis - Participate in the Process. Sign Up Today!
- New Health Resource Guide for Youth in Baltimore
- Watch QRUR Videos to Evaluate and Improve Patient Care
- Environmental Scan and News You Can Use
Reflections on the Recent Election
Dear Members of the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians:
In these post-election days of uncertainty, we remind ourselves of our chapter’s Mission: “To support and promote Maryland family physicians in order to improve the health of our State’s patients, families and communities.”
Our Mission does not change with state or national elections or presidential appointments or even with our own chapter’s leadership. Our Mission is why we exist: our promise to one another and to our patients. Our chapter’s elected officers and board members have sworn a fiduciary duty to our Mission, which is a pledge of service to our State’s patients and their family doctors, a calling that transcends current events, political noise, and personal reactions.
I encourage you to join* our chapter’s Commission on Advocacy. We in Maryland have a special privilege in the eyes of the nation, for two compelling reasons: our physical proximity to Washington, and our State’s bold moves in healthcare reform. The AAFP calls on us to talk with national leadership about the need to strengthen primary care. Are you ready and willing to answer that call? Also, Maryland leaders have already visited Washington, post-election, to inform and engage senior legislators regarding the great experiment that is Maryland – an experiment that includes a major initiative that will soon offer Maryland’s primary care clinicians a better way to get paid for the value they bring in promoting population health.
Should you desire to devote* your efforts more locally, we have an active Taskforce on Payment and Care Redesign that meets with State leadership. And if you prefer an ad hoc type of participation, join us for Advocacy Day on February 16 and/or attend the AAFP Family Medicine Congressional Conference in the spring.
Thank you for your service to patients and for your dedication to the enduring values of our Mission, demonstrated by the work you do each and every day.
Sincerely,
Patricia A. Czapp, M.D.
MAFP President
*Just send an email to INFO@MDAFP.ORG You can join the Public Health Committee or the Governmental Advocacy Committee or both (which are housed together within the Commission on Advocacy owing to their overlapping work promoting healthy lives and healthy family medicine practices). You can also join the Taskforce. These activities are not mutually exclusive.
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A message from AAFP President John Meigs
Clarification from AAFP President - I want to clarify the purpose behind a recent statement attributed to me regarding the nomination of Dr. Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Here is my full statement:
Nomination of Tom Price to HHS Secretary Brings Important Medical Perspective to Health Policy
“The nomination of U.S. Rep. Tom Price, MD, as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services will be the first appointment of a physician to that office since 1989. With his background as a former practicing physician and as a legislator on both state and national levels, he will provide a much needed medical perspective to U.S. health policy at a time of health reform and global outbreaks of new health threats. The American Academy of Family Physicians congratulates Congressman Price on his nomination and looks forward to working with him on addressing the important policies affecting patients’ access to care, the strength of the primary care physician workforce, medical education and other issues that shape the U.S. health care system.”
In Family Medicine, we frequently say “relationships matter.” That is exactly what this statement of congratulations was intended to do – lay the groundwork for a positive working relationship with an individual who may be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. While administrations and individuals serving in Congress change, the AAFP’s priorities remain constant: the importance of health care coverage for all, payment reform that supports practice transformation, needed workforce changes that support a robust primary care foundation, and social determinants that directly impact the ability of our patients to access appropriate health care. These are the issues that the AAFP will work with the new administration and Congress to address -- regardless of who is president, or HHS secretary, or CMS administrator, etc.
John Meigs, Jr., MD
AAFP President
Get Your Practice Ready for MACRA: Consider Enrolling in a Practice Transformation Network (PTN)PTNs receive federal funding to assist practices in taking advantage of new pay-for-value reimbursement mechanisms. Their services, which are free of charge to practices, include important guidance so that your practice will succeed now and in the era of MACRA. Additionally, PTNs provide your staff with training in care coordination and enhanced access to care. There are two PTNs servicing Maryland.
This month we are featuring Health Quality Innovators (HQI ;see below). Please review the November Edition of MAFP’s E-Bulletin for an announcement regarding the Garden Practice Transformation Network. MAFP encourages you to examine both PTNs.
VHQC, known to many members as a Quality Improvement Organization, Health IT Regional Extension Center or Practice Transformation Network, has rebranded as Health Quality Innovators (HQI).
Health Quality Innovators – Seeking Physician Practices for PTN
VHQC, known to many members as a Quality Improvement Organization, Health IT Regional Extension Center or Practice Transformation Network, has rebranded as Health Quality Innovators (HQI).
The new identity better reflects the company’s expanding service area and talented team, plus provides greater clarity about its role in the evolving health care industry.
Thousands of physicians and mid-level providers who practice in groups of 16 or more professionals now have access to no-cost MACRA technical assistance from HQI in its capacity as the Maryland and Virginia QIN-QIO. More than 1,500 clinicians in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia have joined HQI’s Practice Transformation Network, which is helping them gain the clinical and operational capabilities to be successful participants in Medicare’s Alternative Payment Models. The Maryland Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) supports HQI’s activities to help members improve care by serving on the HQI Advisory Committee, co-sponsoring educational
opportunities, and promoting opportunities to join improvement initiatives. A non-profit organization, HQI was established in 1984 and was one of the first entrants into the health care quality improvement field. Many of HQI’s services are funded by the federal government, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This allows the organization to provide performance data, improvement tools and quality coaching free of charge to qualified providers. HQI also offers consulting that is tailored to client needs. Learn more at
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2017 MAFP Advocacy Day in Annapolis – Participate in the Process. Sign Up Today!
YOUR ACADEMY & SPECIALTY NEED YOUR participation during the upcoming Session of the Maryland General Assembly. The 2017 Legislative Session runs from Wednesday, January 11th through Monday April 10th . - Plan to Participate in Advocacy Day on February 16th at the
Loews Annapolis Hotel Collaborate with colleagues on solutions for better healthcare for our patients; the citizens of Maryland .
- Visit your elected representatives to convey these solutions on key issues in healthcare.
- No fee to participate. MAFP will cover your
parking, breakfast and lunch.
- Earn 6 CME Credits.
See promotion above. Contact MAFP today at info@mdafp.org or 410-747-1980 with questions and to sign up for a spot!
New Health Resource Guide for Youth in Baltimore
Y2CONNECT.org is a new resource guide for youth in Baltimore. Aligned with Baltimore City’s new Youth Health and Wellness Strategy, Y2CONNECT aims to connect Baltimore youth to clinical- and
community-based health and non-health programs and resources to assist them in becoming successful adults, including youth-friendly clinics, programs related to arts and recreation, school and job readiness, and youth development, family planning, HIV and STD testing, PrEP for HIV, resources for youth who are homeless, immigrants and LGBT, and more.
Y2CONNECT is designed for easy and direct access by youth‐serving professionals, parents/guardians and other caring adults, and youth. It’s easy to navigate, has many features to find the exact services and resources a young person might need, and is available in English or Spanish.
Other key available content includes articles designed for youth about health; ability for youth to write reviews of local resources that they’ve used; materials for professionals who work with youth (e.g., Maryland Minor Consent & Confidentiality Laws; online video training for youth-serving staff to help connect young men to healthcare); and materials for parents (e.g.,
materials to talk with your son about healthcare).
Watch QRUR Videos to Evaluate and Improve
Patient Care
The Quality and Resource Use Report (QRUR)
shows how payments under Medicare Part B fee-for-service will be adjusted based on quality and cost. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides QRURs to help practices understand the care they deliver to Medicare beneficiaries and identify opportunities for improvement in that care. This four-part on-demand series
offers 10-minute videos that provide guidance in using QRUR data to evaluate and improve the care you provide your patients: - Overview of the Value-Based Payment Modifier and QRUR Performance Highlights: Shows you how to use the QRUR to determine your standing in terms of value-based payment
- The Quality Component of the QRUR: Explains key concepts used in calculating the QRUR quality component; you’ll be able to identify specific targets and develop strategies for improvement
- The Cost Component of the QRUR: Highlights factors that have the greatest impact on cost and efforts that have proven successful in cost reduction
- Preparing for MACRA using the QRUR: Details what’s changing and what’s remaining the same in the shift to value-based payment and provides a plan to approach to the transition
Ensure your practice is making the most of your QRUR. Get started today.
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Environmental Scan and News You Can Use
- Access Chronic Care Management Resources from the AAFP
- Don’t leave payment on the table. Through CPT code 99490, family physicians and other eligible health care professionals can be reimbursed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for providing chronic care management (CCM) services to their patients. Whether you want to learn more about CCM, are ready to get started, or have had success and need a resource to help manage your CCM patient base, the AAFP can help you start getting paid for services you provide.
o The CME webcast, Chronic Care Management: Getting Paid for What We Do Best, provides insight on implementing CCM from a physician who is currently successfully managing this program in her practice.
o The AAFP’s Chronic Care Management Toolkit offers a variety of resources for communicating with patients and implementing a workflow in your practice.
o Explore MediCCM, a service that seamlessly documents time, creates and updates care plans, and supplements your EMR to help you meet all the criteria required for billing code 99490.
Get started today.
Now Claim One Credit Per Article in The Maryland Family Doctor! - Beginning with the Fall 2016 edition of The Maryland Family Doctor, MAFP’s official CME-accredited publication, readers are now able to claim 1 credit per CME article (rather than tie credit to time spent in reading articles and taking the CME quiz. It is anticipated that future editions will be eligible for not less than 3 credits. Of benefit to MAFP member readers, the new credit calculation will go a long way to helping them achieve the MAFP CME credit requirement.
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