The FBI Warns Against More Cyber Attacks on U.S. Hospitals

Medscape - Amid recent reports of hackers targeting and blackmailing healthcare systems and even patients, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other agencies have issued warning of "imminent" cyberattacks on more US hospitals.

A new report released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, notes that the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have "credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers. " Read more here...

Comments Being Accepted Now: Expanding Age for Colorectol Cancer Screening

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has posted a draft recommendation statement, draft evidence review and draft modeling report on screening for colorectal cancer in adults including a proposal to lower screening age from 50 to 45. Comments are being accepted until Monday, November 23, 2020.

Read more from AAFP here.

HHS Delays Information Blocking Rule Compliance to April

HHS - Responding to public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) released an interim final rule with comment period that extends the compliance dates and timeframes necessary to meet certain requirements related to information blocking and Conditions and Maintenance of Certification (CoC/MoC) requirements.

AAFP Vice President and Chief Medical Informatics Officer Steven Waldren, M.D., M.S., anticipated this development.

“We have been waiting to upload content on our website, confident this rule would change the timelines,” he told AAFP News after HHS’ announcement. “And even if it did not, there are no current penalties for physicians for information blocking.” Read more from AAFP here...

AAFP Lauds Bill That Would Relieve Some PPE Expenses

The AAFP has voiced its support for legislation that would deliver much-needed financial relief to small primary care practices burdened by high costs for personal protective equipment as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The Small Business PPE Tax Credit Act (H.R. 7216) would allow small businesses to deduct from their taxes up to $25,000 of the cost of acquiring PPE. The legislation, the AAFP said in an Oct. 28 letter, takes “a critical step toward ensuring solo and small family physician practices have access to qualified personal protective equipment to continue operating during the ongoing pandemic.” Read more...

Last Chance to Register!
UAFP's Women's Health Virtual CME TOMORROW

HPV-Informed Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention | Clara Keegan, MD, FAAFP
Menopause and HRT… More than Hot Flashes | Laura E Moreno, MD
Current and Emerging Therapies for Endometriosis and Uterine Fibroids: What Do You Need to Know? | Georgine Lamvu, MD, MPH
Pelvic Floor-The Forgotten Muscles | Gabriella Vargas MD, MS, FACS, FASCRS
Contraception for Medically Complex Patients | Lori Gawron, MD, MPH

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COVID-19 Updates

Utah Breaks Single-Day Record of COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalization, and Deaths

Salt Lake Tribune - In Utah’s battle against the coronavirus, some terrible records were broken Friday.

The Utah Department of Health added 17 Utahns to the state’s death toll. UDOH reported 2,987 new COVID-19 cases and 395 people currently in hospitals, and the seven-day average number of new cases crossed over the 2,000 mark — all single-day records. Read more...

Track the Progress of a COVID-19 Vaccine with AAFP

The AAFP is closely monitoring every aspect of the COVID-19 vaccine development process. Visit aafp.org/covidvaccine for updates on how the AAFP is working on your behalf and information to help you prepare your practice and patients for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

CME Opportunities

Geriatric Medicine Livestream: Better Care for Aging Parents
Hosted by AAFP

December 2 - 5, 2020

Learn more and register here