ACOFP President

By Ronnie B. Martin, DO, FACOFP dist.

April 22, 2008

Future of ACOFP
A planning committee of the Board of Governors met at ACOFP headquarters in Arlington Heights last Thursday to work toward a Strategic Plan for 2008-2012. Dr. Kenneth Heiles, Dr. Jan Zieren, Dr. George Sawabini, Dr. Steve Rubin, Dr. Paul Martin, Dr. Jeff Grove joined me to develop a road map to guide the actions of the Board, ACOFP committees and staff. The document will be distributed to the Board prior to its next meeting in May, debated at that time and distributed to our members and other stakeholders for comments and final revisions this summer.

The plan seeks to advance the mission and vision of the ACOFP by promoting recognition and appreciation of osteopathic family medicine and osteopathic family physicians, effectively advocating for improved reimbursement for primary care providers, increasing student interest in family medicine and osteopathic family medicine residencies, and providing mechanisms to efficiently operate ACOFP for the benefit of our members.

Joint Meeting of Primary Care Organizations
On Friday, ACOFP hosted the annual conference between the leadership and staff of the ACOFP, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I was joined by Jan Zieren, President-elect of the ACOFP and members of our Executive Committee in hosting Dr. Ajluni and Dr. DiMarco, President and President-elect of the AOA along with Dr. Kellerman, the Chairman of the Board and Dr. Epperly, the President-elect of the AAFP along with members of each of their Executive Committee and all of our organizations staff leaders at our offices.

These leaders and decision makers in primary care examined and discussed many issues that we have in common. The concentration of the conference was to produce work items and outcomes that will benefit our patients, our members and each of our organizations.

Topics of discussion included an update and tactical strategy to tackle the SGR decrease scheduled to take effect July 1 of 2008 and reform of the Medicare payment system, with a critical examination of the RUC process.

Extensive discussion and planning was performed surrounding the topic of the Medical Home. Each organization is a member of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC), an organization dedicated to advancing primary health care for the patients of the United States. Information will be distributed throughout the year regarding the requirements for practices to qualify as a Medical Home, the development of the Medical Home concept by the U.S. Congress and private payers, the effect that adoption of the Medical Home and quality measurements will have on practices and reimbursement for our physicians through programs developed by AAFP, AOA and ACOFP, as well as education on the National Committee on Quality Assurance standards that are used to determine the three levels of Medical Home currently identified. It is important that each of you understand the benefits, as well as the requirements and procedures to develop a Medical Home to allow you to make informed decisions as to involvement of your practices.

Discussion centered on how family physicians and other primary care providers would meet the demands of the health care system if this country suddenly concurred, adopting a patient centered primary care health care system. At present, there are not enough family physician, general internists and pediatricians to meet the potential needs of such a system in the United States.

An increase in the selection of primary care specialties among medical students is essential to a successful public health system for this country. Strategies on how to attract more students into family medicine expanded beyond the obvious solutions of increasing income and reducing debt load. These included strategies on how to strengthen our support and development of primary care faculty at our COMs and having the AAFP organization for Chairs of Family Medicine Departments and the ACOFP Committee for Osteopathic Family Medicine Educators work collaboratively. Steps that AAFP and ACOFP are each taking to strengthen of the quality of residency programs and expanding the diversity of programs available to our students were shared.

Evaluation of the residency match statistics for the year revealed that allopathic programs saw an increase in the number of U.S. graduates (44.5 percent) who choose family medicine this year for the first time since the early part of this century. This figure includes a significant number of osteopathic graduates in allopathic programs. In addition, the osteopathic profession had more than 275 students enter osteopathic or dual family medicine residency programs this year. We discussed strategies to increase the number of family medicine resident positions, develop new sponsors for and methods of payment for family medicine residents.

The day resulted in the exchange of much knowledge and shared strategies as to how to approach the issues that face all of us in primary care. A closer working relationship with collaborative partners such as the AOA and AAFP is essential if we are to meet the needs of our patients and advance the cause of all our members and physicians in these challenging times.

AOA DO Day on Capitol Hill
I will be joined in Washington, D.C. on Thursday by Dr. Zieren and several members of the ACOFP Board of Governors at this annual advocacy event for osteopathic medicine, osteopathic physicians and our patients organized and sponsored by the Government Relations Department of the AOA and the Student Osteopathic Medical Association. Efforts to benefit physician reimbursement and prevent the impending cut in physician’s reimbursement, advocacy for GME reform and PLI will take place with members of the U.S. Congress.

ACOFP’s Fit for Life
This past year more than 36,000 people and 200 business and organizations participated in the team-based Live Healthy America program. Participants teamed up to lose more than 5 tons of weight and log 30 million minutes of physical activity! By teaming up with friends, family and co-workers, participants learned how to make positive changes that led them to a healthier lifestyle.

Volunteer to be an ACOFP Preceptor Now!
ACOFP continues to recruit community-based, board certified osteopathic family physicians to serve as Preceptors, role models and educators for our 10,000 student members on elective and selective rotations. We encourage you to sign up by logging in, and click on “My Preceptor Profile” to submit your application or update your information and become a member of the ACOFP National Registry of Preceptors Database. There is no greater influence on the future of the profession. Sign up today!  

Back to Campus
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine ACOFP Student Chapter sponsored a resident information program that featured three PGY2 Family Medicine Residents, Aysen Guerrea, DO and Olga Martinez, DO from Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Florida and Brad Lipson, DO from Wellington Regional Hospital in Wellington, Florida.

Chapter President Emmie Barford coordinated the event that brought these graduates of the NSUCOM back to campus to speak with students about opportunities in osteopathic residencies, job variety and availability in the South Florida area and the diversity of opportunities open to residents training in family medicine, including specialty tracks in dermatology and hospitalist medicine and multiple plus one programs that include emergency medicine, operative obstetrics and sports medicine .

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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