Posted on 07.19.10 by Susan Hogeland, CAE

Paul Grundy Visit - Round Two!

As part of CAFP's continuing efforts to promote the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) concept throughout the state, we were fortunate enough again to be joined by one of the major advocates for PCMH.  The force of nature that is Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, IBM Global Director for Health Care Transformation, visited California to collaborate with CAFP and others for the second time the week of July 12.  CAFP's own Kevin Grumbach, MD hosted a roundtable on PCMH on Monday, July 12 at the University of California, San Francisco to discuss health care workforce policy issues and to examine why California is behind the curve on PCMH adoption.  OUTCOME:  representatives of business, medical groups, health plans and others expressed an interest in developing an organization similar to the Patient Centered Primary Care Consortium, which Dr. Grundy chairs, in California as a means of promoting PCMH.  CAFP hopes to be front and center in founding such an organization.

On Tuesday, July 13, a host of other meetings were scheduled, including those with physician representatives of Sutter Health, Brown and Toland Medical Group and Blue Shield Medical Director Meredith Mathews, MD, along with Andy Halpert, MD.  On Wednesday, July 14, CAFP and Dr. Grundy headed to Fresno for a meeting with members of the community and the Fresno Unified School District Joint Health Management Board, which is interested in a PCMH model of care for its members.   CAFP Board member for District VI Adriana Padilla was present, along with member Kathy Flores and other physicians, to participate in the discussion. 

As a result of all of these meetings, CAFP learned there is a good deal of interest from family physicians in the PCMH model - in Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco, San Diego and elsewhere.  Our challenge now is to bring folks together and help provide the tools needed to transform practices and provide the policy pressure to improve payment for PCMH services.

Board in Brief

The CAFP Board of Directors met on July 10 and took care of business at the first meeting chaired by new president Jack Chou.  Legislative Affairs Committee Chair Taejoon Ahn, MD and Legislative Advocate Tom Riley updated the Board on two key sponsored pieces of legislation, AB 1542, CAFP's Patient Centered Medical Home definition bill, and AB 2093, legislation to improve payment for purchase, storage and administration of vaccines.  Both bills were passed out of the Senate Health Committee on June 30, but still have obstacles to surmount before final passage.  The Board received a report on 25 other bills of concern and took positions on seven new bills ranging from mandatory CME for hepatitis (oppose) to a prohibition of sales of electronic cigarettes to individuals under the age of 18 (approve).  The legislature is in recess now, so Tom Riley is taking a much deserved vacation.

The Board also approved the Academy's audit report from Bregante and Company, which provided an unqualified opinion about CAFP's finances - a good thing - and noted CAFP's administrative expenses are a low 11 percent, meaning 89 percent of Academy spending is for programs.  The Board also appointed a new Health Care Workforce Task Force to address challenges in the family medicine pipeline and the CAFP delegation to the CMA, including Carla Kakutani, MD; Eric Ramos, MD; Steve Green, MD; Taejoon Ahn, MD; Patricia Samuelson, MD and Sam Applebaum, MD (a newbie!).  Thanks and congratulations to all.

A  47-page report on progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of the 2010-12 CAFP Strategic Plan was reviewed and approved, as was a reduction of 50 percent of dues for new physicians in their first year of practice, contingent upon the AAFP Board doing the same.  Callie Langton, Associate Director of Health Care Workforce Policy and New Physician Board Member Jay Lee, MD led a focused discussion on health care workforce opportunities in the new health care reform legislation.  A resolution opposing AAFP's contract with The Coca Cola Company to support its patient-facing website, www.familydoctor.org, was approved for submission to the 2010 AAFP Congress of Delegates and the Board okayed an affiliation with Atlantic Health Partners discount vaccine purchase organization to CAFP members in return for a minimal fee based on sales.  This is very timely as we face the back-to-school vaccination rush, the onset of flu season and the pertussis epidemic. 

CAFP's Cynthia Kear to Testify at the FDA this Week

Cynthia Kear, CAFP's Senior Vice President, will testify this week before the Food and Drug Administration panel meeting to further consider the Risk Evaluation and Management Strategy (REMS) for long-acting opioids.  CAFP has been actively involved in this discussion out of concern that patients continue to have access to whatever pain medications are efficacious for them and to ensure that REMS requirements are not burdensome for physicians.

Taking a Break!

I'll be on vacation the week of July 26, so there'll be no report from me the week of August 2 - I just don't know how you'll manage!  Happy summer!