ACOFP President

By Ronnie B. Martin, DO, FACOFP dist.

April 4, 2008

Back to Campus
I spent the day Tuesday visiting with the administration and leadership at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSUCOM) in Tulsa, OK, my alma mater and the alma mater of three members of my family. I want to thank Student Dr. Ryan Sears, the chapter president and all of his officers for the hospitality they provided me during my visit. Unfortunately, the thunderstorms that rocked the state and region Monday made my arrival several hours late and resulted in us having to reschedule our dinner meeting. All in all it was a good thing because it gives me a reason and an obligation to once again travel to my home.

During my interactions with the student members of the ACOFP chapter and leadership at OSUCOM we discussed the future of family medicine, the wealth of opportunity and diversity of practice and business models available for family physicians and the opportunities that the osteopathic profession and osteopathic GME holds for them after graduation.

Under the leadership of Dr. Alexopholus, Dr. Cotton and Dr. Pettit at OSU along with Drs. Michael Cooper and Michael David leading the ACOFP state society, the graduates of OSUCOM continue a proud tradition of providing leadership for our profession while meeting the health and health care needs of patients across the state and nation, with an emphasis on the primary care service to rural and underserved populations.

AOA and ACOFP Call on Congress to Reaffirm Commitment to Quality Health Care Access
AOA and ACOFP called on Congress, to reflect upon the numerous advancements in medicine, treatments, and preventative benefits that allow us all to live longer, healthier lives.

In 1991, former President George H.W. Bush declared March 30 “National Doctor’s Day” to honor the efforts of physicians, their dedication to healing, and their willingness to serve their fellow man and the tremendous responsibility it entails. The AOA and ACOFP believe that this day should be more than just a day to honor physicians; it should be a day to honor the physician-patient relationship, a day dedicated to health as much as health care and a day to reaffirm the nation’s dedication to providing all patients with access to quality health care.

The Osteopathic profession has a long and proud history of providing primary care to patients in rural and underserved segments of our country based on the patient centered, holistic, preventative medicine model that is essential to meeting the health care needs of all the citizens of our country in a cost effective manner.  

Time to Act in the Interest of Your Patients: S. 2785, the “Save Medicare Act of 2008”
CMS is set to institute a 10.6 percent Medicare pay cut effective July 1. Without any legislative intervention, these cuts stand to substantively impact you and your patients. This legislation would replace Medicare cuts totaling over 15 percent with positive physician payment updates from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009.

Specifically, S. 2785 would:
• Extend the 0.5 percent update through December 31, 2008, averting the 10.6 percent cut scheduled to occur on July 1, 2008.
• Provide physicians with a 1.8 percent update for 2009 and extend provisions benefiting rural payment levels.
• Fund the Medicare “Physician Quality Reporting Initiative” (PQRI) through 2010, providing participating physicians with an additional 1.5 percent payment bonus.

This temporary fix would inject some stability into the system for seniors and physicians, who would otherwise be forced to make difficult practice decisions as a result of the pending payment cuts. Most importantly, this bill would also give Congress time to work on a long-term solution to the broken payment system without having to take multiple actions over the next 18 months to stop the pending cuts.

If you have not already, contact your Senator and Representative and urge them to support this legislation!  

Meet the New Auxiliary Executive Board
The Auxiliary to the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians installed new officers at the Auxiliary Business Meeting on March 13, 2008 during the ACOFP convention in Denver.

President, Patricia Molnar
President-Elect, Chris Largent
Vice President, Terry Martin
Secretary, Marie Wiseman
Treasurer, Jeff Mews

Extended Executive Board Members:
Parliamentarian, Ann Carter
Immediate Past President, Mollie Told
Past President, Debra Stasio
Appointed Executive Member, Roni Rubin

Get the Handouts From the 2008 Convention Today!
In solidarity with Colorado's reputation as one of the "greenest" states in the country, ACOFP has posted the handouts from its 2008 Annual Convention on the website for those of you who want copies or missed these high quality presentations. Thanks for helping us be more environmentally friendly.

Make your opinions known! Send an email to me and ACOFP. Share your thoughts, make comments, and tell us what you have been doing in regards to osteopathic family medicine.

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