Someone apparently forgot to mention to the powers-that-be that we are approaching the holidays and things are supposed to slow down a little - they haven't.  In fact, they seem to be warp speed!

Last Friday, the members of the Single Payer Task Force met for four hours here at CAFP headquarters in response to a resolution adopted at the 2009 Congress of Delegates requiring an analysis of SB810, legislation that would establish a single payer health plan in California.  The resolution also requires development of amendments to SB810 that would bring it into compliance with CAFP's principles for health care reform.  Ultimately, the Task Force will make a recommendation to the Board, which, after consideration February 3, will forward a recommendation to the Congress of Delegates.  Thanks to Task Force chair Carla Kakutani, staffers Tom Riley and Adam Francis, and the members for their hard work.

Director of Health Policy Sandy Newman and Student and Resident Coordinator Dasha Sakharova were in Los Angeles last Thursday and Friday conducting a "From Residency to Practice" workshop for 16 resident members.  Topics ranged from an overview of the practice environment, to developing a business plan and evaluating and hiring staff, to professional liability insurance.  CAFP received a grant from the AAFP Foundation in support of this program.

On Wednesday, I'll have a phone conference with Dr. Carol Warde, chair of the Patient Centered Medical Home Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians District IX.  Dr. Warde and I will be discussing how CAFP and ACP can collaborate to help our respective members adopt features of the Patient Centered Medical Home.

And, as I mentioned last week, we're very excited to be meeting early on Thursday with Paul Grundy, MD, MPH, Director of Healthcare Transformation for IBM (which is a pretty cool title) and President of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, and three members of his team to discuss the Patient Centered medical Home.  CAFP President Tom Bent will attend the meeting along with past president Carla Kakutani, and, by conference call, President-elect Jack Chou.  This discussion will help us formulate engagement strategies for the business community and health plans around our PCMH work.

Last Thursday was the deadline for resolutions and delegations to the 2010 CAFP Congress of Delegates - we have a total of five resolutions for discussion about topics ranging from support for a single payer health plan to access to vaccine supplies and from health care disparities for youth and adults with developmental disabilities to ensuring data accuracy and quality for physician reporting.  Membership Coordinator Jessica Kuo has worked successfully with many chapters to submit full delegations to the Congress.

Congratulations to CAFP President Tom Bent, who was named Family Physician of the Year by his Orange County chapter in recognition of his leadership and community service.  Dr. Bent is COO and Medical Director of the Laguna Beach Community Clinic.

Finally, CAFP's offices will be closed Friday afternoon, December 18, for our annual staff holiday party.  I hope your holiday season is merry and bright so far.