MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS

MAFP Past President and AAFP Delegate, Jennifer Gholson, M.D., FAAFP, testified last week before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on the consolidation of primary care practices. In her testimony, Dr. Gholson outlined how many family physicians across the country have been forced into a false choice of either selling their practice or closing their doors entirely to avoid economic hardship. She encouraged Congress to:

• improve Medicare reimbursement for primary care and provide prospective, sustainable revenue streams to allow physicians to tailor their practices to their patients’ needs;
• address misaligned incentives such as site-of-service payment differentials that encourage consolidation; 
• minimize the administrative burdens that independent primary care practices are subject to; and
• ban the use of overly restrictive noncompete agreements. 

If you'd like to check out Dr. Gholson's testimony, click the link below. (Coverage begins right at 3:00 minutes into the video and Dr. Gholson begins speaking right at 13 minutes and 10 seconds into the video.)

Is there a family medicine issue that concerns you? Do you have a colleague who needs recognition? Consider writing a resolution!

All Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians members are invited to write and submit resolutions for consideration at the MAFP Business Meeting held on the Tuesday during the MAFP Annual Scientific Assembly. Submissions are due June 15 each year.

Writing and presenting resolutions is a great opportunity to direct MAFP policy and address issues of interest or concern to family physicians and family medicine. Resolutions can also honor outstanding individual achievement or memorialize deceased family physician leaders.

MAFP Executive Director, Beth Embry, had a productive weekend in Destin, FL, exhibiting at the Mississippi State Medical Association's CME in the Sand. The event provided a fantastic opportunity for networking, where Beth connected with numerous potential exhibitors for our upcoming Annual Scientific Assembly. She also enjoyed engaging with our members and professionals from other specialties, fostering valuable relationships. The weekend was a testament to the power of face-to-face interaction in advancing our mission. Thank you, MSMA, for inviting MAFP to be part of this conference.

The Degree of Fellow recognizes American Academy of Family Physicians members who have distinguished themselves among their colleagues, as well as in their communities, by their service to family medicine, by their advancement of health care to the American people, and by their professional development through medical education and research. Fellows to the AAFP are recognized as champions of family medicine. They are the physicians who make family medicine the premier specialty in service to their community and profession. From a personal perspective, being a Fellow signifies not only ‘tenure’ but one’s additional work in your community, within organized medicine, within teaching, and a greater commitment to continuing professional development and/or research.

Have you met the requirements and applied to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians? Have you not yet been formally recognized by your peers as a Fellow? If yes, we encourage you to attend our Annual Meeting to take part in the Fellow Convocation Ceremony during the MAFP Membership Meeting on July 23.

If you would like to participate in the convocation or have questions, please contact Beth Embry at 601.853.3302 or by email at beth@msafp.org.

Interested in becoming a Fellow, but unsure if you've met all the requirements? Visit this link for more information.

The AAFP and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) invite chapters to nominate members for the 2025 Nikitas J. Zervanos Outstanding Program Director Award.

The award recognizes a family medicine residency director who has demonstrated leadership and advancement of the specialty, served as a mentor to residents and medical students, and contributed to the community they serve. Review the eligibility criteria here. The deadline for nominations is July 31.

The award recipient will be honored at the Residency Leadership Summit in March 2025. Chapters may contact afmrd@aafp.org with questions. 

Join us in Sandestin, Florida July 20 - 24!

Registration is now open for MAFP's 75th Annual Scientific Assembly, scheduled for July 20-24, 2024, at Sandestin Resort in Destin, Florida! We expect more than 140 family physicians to attend and we hope you are one of them! Registration links are below.

Our theme for this year’s meeting is "Celebrating 75 Years: A Diamond Legacy in Family Medicine. 

CME Topics Include:

• New Drug Update Part One — C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, BCPS, GASHP, FAPha
• New Drug Update Part Two — C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, BCPS, GASHP, FAPha
• Shedding Light on Type 2 Diabetes: weight Management, Co-morbidities, & Future Breakthroughs — Spaker TBA
• AAFP Update — Dr. John Meigs, AAFP Past President
• Navigating Narcolepsy in Family Medicine: Patient-Centered Strategies to Optimize the Experience and Outcomes of Treatment — Michael J. Thorpy, MD
• Breaking Down Best Practices in Obesity Care: A Learning Lab for Applying Evidence in the Real World — Chuck Vega, MD, FAAFP, and Donna H. Ryan, MD
• Calling Primary Care Partners to Action in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Shortening the Time to Diagnosis for Improved Patient Outcomes — Theodore P. Abraham, MD, FACC
• Elevating Patient Care: Early Detection and Evidence-based Pharmacotherapy for Postpartum Depression in Primary Care — Sarah Nagle-Yang, MD
• Cases in the Community: Optimizing Treatment and Considering Weight Management as a Primary Goal in People with Type 2 Diabetes — Javier Morales, MD, FACP, FACE
• Why We Get Sick: The Role of Metabolism in Health — Benjamin T. Bikman, PhD
• ABFM Update — Ashley Webb, MSM
• Treatment of Obesity for Primary Care: From Diagnosis to Care Management Unlock the Power to Transform Lives — Elizabeth Bauer
• Moving the Needle in Older Adults: A Provider Townhall to Enhance Vaccine Uptake — Speaker TBA
• KSA: Care of Children — Drs. Lee Greer, Jennifer Gholson, and John Mitchell

Social Events Include:

• Yoga
• MAFP Family Fun Night at the Diamond
• Sunrise Devotionals
• Golf Tournament
• Family Crab Hunt
• Loot and Scoot in Exhibit Hall
• Spouse and Kids Bingo
• Raffle Items
• Split the Pot Fundraiser
• 80 Exhibitors

Our room block is filling up - have you made plans to attend?

We are please to have Dr. Sarah Nagle-Yang joining us for Annual Meeting where she will discuss Elevating Patient Care: Early Detection and Evidence-based Pharmacotherapy for Postpartum Depression in Primary Care.

After Dr. Nagle-Young's presentation, attendees will be able to:

• Demonstrate effective screening techniques for identifying depression in pregnant and postpartum women, utilizing validated measures in a live meeting setting.
• Engage in interactive discussions on tailoring evidence-based pharmacotherapy for patients with postpartum depression (PPD) during live sessions.
• Practice collaborative approaches with patients experiencing PPD to facilitate the initiation and adjustment of antidepressant therapy to attain treatment objectives within a live meeting environment.
• Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medications prescribed for PPD in a dynamic, real-time context.

Sarah Nagle-Yang, MD, serves as the inaugural Vice Chair of Quality for the Department of Psychiatry and deputy executive director of the Colorado Center for Women’s Behavioral Health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed her residency at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, followed by fellowships at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. With over a decade of experience in reproductive psychiatry, Dr. Nagle-Yang focuses on providing high-quality care to women, expanding access to treatment, and interdisciplinary education. She coedited the Textbook of Women’s Reproductive Mental Health, presides over the North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology, and contributes to the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry. Additionally, she co-chairs the Colorado Maternal Mental Health Collaborative and Framework Leadership Team and serves on the Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Board.

It's time to nominate a fellow family physician for the MAFP's annual awards, including Family Physician of the Year, Humanitarian Award, Military Award, New Physician of the Year, and the Patterson Award. To nominate a member, please review the criteria for each award and complete the nomination form. The deadline for nominations is June 1 each year. Online Nominating Form - (only takes 2 minutes).

You are invited to a special FREE conference on Private Practice 101. This free event is designed to provide valuable insights and practical advice for those considering or currently navigating the world of private practice.

Event Details: Date: May 31 - Jun 2, 2024

Registration: Register here

Location: Zoom

Cost: FREE

The conference will cover a range of topics crucial for establishing and maintaining a successful private practice, including:

• Starting Your Own Practice: Key steps and considerations for launching a private practice.
• Financial Management: Effective strategies for managing finances and ensuring profitability.
• Patient Relations: Building and maintaining a loyal patient base through excellent care and service.
• Technology Integration: Leveraging modern technology to streamline operations and improve patient outcomes.

Some of the topics you can expect to hear are:

• How To Launch Your Direct Specialty Care Practice | Tea Nguyen, DPM
• How To Build A Thriving Community of Referring Practicioners | Ashley Maltz, MD
• Why You Should Start a Practice Without Walls | Todd Stillson, MD
• Top Billing Mistakes | Heather Signorelli, MD
• Creating a Vision and Applying it to Build Your Practice | Matthew Mintz, MD

To secure your spot at this event, please register by May 31, 2024.

Mississippi has the 4^th highest incidence of laryngeal cancer in the U.S. Early symptoms are often attributed to other common symptoms of a cold, sore throat or benign neck mass. Primary care physicians are the front line of early cancer detection. Become an expert at spotting the early signs of laryngeal and other head and neck cancers and help us intervene early and save lives.