The Show-Me-State Update is your source for the latest news and information impacting the medical community. Time-sensitive information and requests related to healthcare, advocacy issues, and professional development opportunities from MAFP are included.

October 2023 – MAFP News & Events

The Annual Fall Conference is One Month Away!

You’re invited to attend the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians’ 31st Annual Fall Conference on November 10-11 at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO. This two-day event will feature a variety of speakers who will share their knowledge and expertise on a range of topics, including physician well-being, mental health, obesity treatment, healthcare policy, and more. Check out the full schedule here.

2023 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians, and we hope you’ll join us in the celebration! We will also be moving this conference to a new venue beginning in 2024, so this will be our final year at Big Cedar Lodge. We anticipate lodging to sell out quickly. Make sure to register and book your room promptly! More information about the conference and lodging is available here.

Help Build a Career Benchmark Dashboard

You have the chance to help the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) build a career benchmark dashboard that will make it easier for the AAFP to advocate to stakeholders on the value of family medicine. Please take 5-10 minutes to complete an important survey—which will be kept anonymous—to help create an insightful dashboard of relevant, real data to power family physicians’ contract negotiations and drive future career decisions.

Data from the survey will be used to create the first-ever family medicine career benchmark dashboard. Members will be able to filter the data by state, gender, practice setting, or other factors to gauge how their compensation and work environment measure up. The transparency this tool will offer can support members in comparing career options, drive success in salary and contract negotiations, and uncover bias and discrimination in compensation.

In addition to providing a valuable member resource, updates to the dashboard will yield an ongoing stream of aggregated data to use when calling on the United States Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and commercial insurers.

Ultimately, the goal is to give the AAFP and the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) the data we need to create and implement primary care payment models that promote comprehensiveness and continuity, are agnostic to modality of care, and reduce administrative burden. The dashboard can be a powerful resource for members ONLY if thousands of family physicians respond to the anonymous survey from every state and every type of community. Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the survey before November 10.

With your support, this tool can augment our progress to advance family medicine and build a better healthcare system anchored by primary care.

Virtually Participate in Congress of Delegates Reference Committees

AAFP’s Congress of Delegates (COD) will be held in Chicago, October 24-27.  Before the in-person meeting, reference committees will meet virtually to receive comments on the proposed resolutions.  

The 2023 COD resolutions are available on the COD website. You can participate by registering to attend the virtual reference committee meetings or submitting written comments on the resolutions. General guidelines for the written comments are that they are limited to 250 words, must be respectful of differing opinions, and do not respond directly to other members who post testimony. 

If you submit written testimony, we respectfully ask that you not present the same testimony during the virtual hearings so that they run efficiently. The resolutions that the Rules Committee deemed current policy can be viewed now on the same webpage as the other resolutions. Look for the heading “Rules Committee Items Deemed Current Policy.” You may comment on these resolutions, too.

Wellness Conference

​The 2023 Physician Wellness Seminar on Friday, October 20 – Sunday, October 23, at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach is a collaborative effort of the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (MAOPS) and Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA).

The program has been developed by physicians for physicians, with members of each organization on the planning committee and faculty. Participants will be actively involved in the program as they delve into physician wellness and practical wellness strategies to implement in their personal and professional lives. As spouses and significant others are integral to physician wellness, they are encouraged to attend and participate! Some sessions will be specific to spouses, while most will involve both. All participants will complete the DISC assessment and Mini Z Burnout Inventory prior to the seminar and participate in activities to unpack the results. Time for reflection and fun on your own is built into the weekend.

Anticipated Credits: 17 AOA Category 1-A Credits and 15.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

 Full Agenda and Registration

It’s Time to Renew Your Membership!

It’s that time of year to renew your membership with AAFP/MAFP. Your membership gives you access to tools to enhance your family physician career. Check out all the exclusive benefits available through your MAFP membership by visiting https://www.mo-afp.org/join/benefits/.

Easily renew your membership today by visiting https://www.aafp.org/ecommerce/quickpay so you don’t lose access to any of your member benefits!

Get the Most Current Info on Student Loan Repayment

The AAFP wants to help you navigate the return of student loan repayment. Join the free “How to Prepare for the Return of Student Loan Payments” webinar and get guidance from AAFP Member Advantage partner Laurel Road.

Register here to view the on-demand session: https://laurelroad.zoom.us/webinar/register/1116903178342/WN_u-J4P9lYTEyyxAOZnG8QQQ#/registration.

Resources to Help Family Physicians Screen for and Recognize FASD

Check out these resources that are available to help you care for your patients:

• Screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) at primary care can make a significant impact on unhealthy alcohol and substance use behaviors. Interested in learning more about addressing alcohol and other substance use in your practice? Explore the resources from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
• How much alcohol is too much? Discover the answer and delve deeper into the topic of alcohol misuse with the resources from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Educate yourself and make informed choices.
• Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) in children. Interested in learning more about prenatal alcohol and substance misuse? Check out the resources from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Additional resources are available on our website: https://www.mo-afp.org/resources/. 

Family Physicians Continue to Support G2211 Add-on Code

Primary care visits are thoughtful, complex, and all about meeting patients’ healthcare needs. Here’s the catch: All that work physicians do isn’t appropriately paid for.

One Medicare physician billing code — set to go into full effect in 2024 — is specifically designed to pay more accurately for the complex, high-value visits that primary care physicians provide as part of a continuous relationship with a patient. The equation is simple. Better payment equals better patient access and better outcomes. G2211 can make this a reality.

Unfortunately, this important policy advance, poised to improve health care nationwide, has attracted opposition. However, the misperceptions driving criticism of G2211 do not stand up to scrutiny.

The AAFP has joined other organizations to urge Congress to support comprehensive primary care and the implementation of the G2211 code in 2024 to bolster the healthcare workforce and safeguard Medicare beneficiaries’ access to high-quality, patient-centered care. The letter stressed that G2211 will:

• Sustain primary care and other physician practices that Medicare beneficiaries rely on
• Bolster the physician workforce
• Appropriately value primary care and other longitudinal, continuous care under the MPFS
• Ensure that the Medicare program provides patients with timely access to comprehensive, longitudinal care

The AAFP continues to call on Congress to end unsustainable physician payment cuts by enacting an annual inflationary update, reforming arbitrary Medicare budget neutrality requirements, and investing in community-based primary care. Learn more facts about G2211 here.   

Now you can, too – Speak Out for the Medicare billing code G2211 by telling your legislators it’s time to recognize family medicine’s value as providers of comprehensive, longitudinal, patient-centered healthcare.

AAFP Resources to Help You Increase Adult Immunization Rates within Racial & Ethnic Minority Communities

The AAFP has developed a PI continuing medical education (CME) activity designed to help educate clinicians about the importance of utilizing a quality/PI method and Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles to improve vaccination rates.  

Physicians are often not aware of discrepancies in immunization rates. This PI CME and webcast activity is designed to change competence and performance with respect to increasing adult immunization rates among African-American patients.

Continuing Medical Education Performance Improvement (PI) Activities: Increasing Adult Immunization Rates Among African American Communities

Credit approval includes the following session(s):

• 20.00 PI AAFP Prescribed Credit(s) – Increasing Adult Immunization Rates Among African American Communities
• Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed Credit(s) – Increasing Adult Immunization Rates Among African American Communities Webcast

Other AAFP vaccination resources:

Quick Conversation Guide: COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children 6 Months and Older

•  The AAFP has developed a Quick Conversation Guide on COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children 6 months and Older. The intent of this guide is to assist family physicians and their practice teams as they answer common questions about COVID-19 for young children. During conversations with adults about routine vaccines, it’s important for family physicians to inform their patients that children also should be vaccinated. Adults who are willing to vaccinate themselves are most likely to vaccinate their children.

Updates to ACIP Pneumococcal Recommendations

•  This free webcast explains the updated recommendations to help ensure vulnerable patients are protected against the highly infectious pneumococcal pneumonia. In just 30 minutes, you’ll learn how to effectively screen, educate, and immunize your at-risk patients for improved coverage rates.

Upcoming Events

• October 20-22 – Physician Wellness Seminar – Margaritaville at Lake of the Ozarks – Learn More
• October 25-27 – AAFP Congress of Delegates – Chicago, IL – Learn More
• October 26-29 – AAFP FMX – Chicago, IL – Learn More
• November 10-11 – Annual Fall Conference and MAFP Annual Meeting – Big Cedar Lodge Ridgedale, MO – Learn More
• November 12 – MAFP Board Meeting – Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, MO
• February 26-27 – MAFP Advocacy Day – Jefferson City, MO – Learn More
• February 27 – MAFP Board of Directors Meeting – Courtyard Marriott, Jefferson City, MO (In Person and Virtual)