Posted on 02.22.10 by Executive Vice President Susan Hogeland, CAE 

CAFP has been thoroughly preoccupied with the budget mess in Sacramento and the impact it will have on health care services.  I don't think we even know the extent of the damage yet, as things such as elimination of Healthy Families and other draconian steps are still on the table.  Legislative Advocate Tom Riley has been attending hearings and briefings, and we've been encouraging family physicians to communicate directly with their Assemblypersons and Senators about the ill effects such cuts will have on real patients.

Meantime, we're soldiering on with efforts to introduce legislators to the precepts of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH).  Today, Tom Riley, Adam Francis, Legislative Assistant, and Sandy Newman, Director of Health Policy will spend the day with Adrienne White of IBM meeting with Assembly members, aides to Governor Schwarzenegger, one state senator, and representatives from the California Chamber of Commerce to promote PCMH.   We continue to be grateful to the folks at IBM for their incredible support of family medicine and primary care on this issue.  This coming Friday, Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, IBM Global Director of Health Care Transformation will be flying into Sacramento to attend similar meetings with us and then to speak to our Congress of Delegates on Saturday, March 6 about the business perspective on PCMH. 

Speaking of the Congress, we're putting finishing touches on the Town Hall presentations (such as Dr. Grundy's), and now AAFP President Lori Heim will help present on the legislative update session, bringing the latest from Washington, DC on such issues as the Sustainable Growth Rate potential cuts, reform, etc.  Our legislative and media training sessions on Sunday afternoon of Congress have really taken shape as well.  Media consultant Catherine Direen has pulled together reporters from the Sacramento Bee, SF Business Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Capitol Public Radio for the session on what reports want from interviews and how to become a source.  Former Sacramento Bee columnist and blogger Dan Weintraub will participate in our "Lions and Tigers and Blogs, Oh My!" session, which will also feature CAFP members Carla Kakutani and Jay Lee.  Wow!  These sessions are open to all members by prior registration - contact me or Mariah Brooks to get your name on the list.  All members are also welcome to participate in our visits at the Capitol - let Adam Francis on our staff know if you'd like help making appointments with your legislators and would like to attend our breakfast briefing on Monday, March 8. 

Sandy Newman has prepared an excellent summary of the federal draft "meaningful use" regulations currently under comment.  The document can be found on CAFP's Web site and will be handed out at the Congress as part of Sandy's Town Hall presentation on Health Information Technology.  CAFP provided input on these draft regulations to the AAFP, which will submit them by the comment deadline of March 15.

I will be away from the office after Wednesday this week - helping my mother celebrate her 90^th birthday, Midwestern weather permitting.  Please contact Shelly Rodrigues if there's anything with which you need assistance.