🧭 Set Your Compass for Hilton Head Island This June!

No need to wait for a message in a bottle—this is your official call to adventure. The 2024 Summer Meeting is on the horizon, and it promises knowledge, connections, and island memories that will sparkle like the sun on the waves.

Are you ready to anchor down some knowledge while riding the waves of networking opportunities? Chart a course for Hilton Head Island this June 6-9, and join us at the 2024 Summer Meeting– the much-anticipated conclave where minds meet and ideas sail!

🏖️ Bask in the Horizon of Healthcare Progress

With three days of refreshing ocean breeze and enlightening discussions, you’ll discover the treasure of cutting-edge topics presented by speakers who are captains of industry. The Omni Oceanfront Resort isn’t just a haven for relaxation; it’s your gateway to a sea of information that could change the way you navigate the waters of primary care.

🌐 Navigate the Network Currents

Come aboard and mingle with fellow trailblazers. Share your maps to successful practice, exchange tales of medical adventures, and forge alliances that will last a lifetime. Don’t miss the chance to expand your professional flotilla with contacts that can bolster your journey through the tumultuous seas of healthcare.

📜 Chart Your Educational Voyage

Seeking the compass to guide your continuous learning quest? Our CME schedule is star-studded with topics that will keep your practice steering true North. Return to port with a treasure chest of knowledge and experiences that will enrich your daily rounds.

⚓ Drop Anchor at the Omni Oceanfront Resort

Still on the docks? Cast off the bowlines, mateys! Secure your spot NOW to ensure you have a luxurious berth at the Omni Oceanfront Resort. Your link to confirm accommodations is just a registration away—don’t let it be the one that got away!

📲 Seize Your Digital Spyglass

For more information on how to register, to view hotel details, or to spy a glance at the CME treasure map, just tap into your magical modern-marvel compass here: Register for The Summer Meeting. 

Hoist your sails, plot your course and let’s make a splash this summer! Details of the land and sea await at your fingertips!

Looking forward to seeing you there, where we’ll not just be sharing experiences, but creating legends.

Final Reports Requested – All Expenses Paid Trip to Washington, DC for Most Improved Clinics

A message from our partners at the National Minority Quality Forum:

Hello Georgia Champions! Thank you for all the hard work you put in throughout the flu season. As we gradually come to the official end of the flu season, the NMQF team has reached out to request any data, reports, updates, or testimonials (including pictures, if possible) from your flu programs. We ask that practices also send them along with rates from last year and the year before last so that they can be analyzed for comparison and impact measurement.

Results can be submitted as Excel spreadsheets (within HIPPA privacy guidelines) and can be emailed to Chinnie Ukachukwu at cukachukwu@nmqf.org. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 15, 2024.

As a reminder, the top three improved clinics will nominate one staff member each to receive an all-expense paid trip to the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC to attend the NMQF summit from April 29-30, 2024. Winners will be announced the week of March 18. Questions can also be forwarded to Chinnie Ukachukwu, MPH (cukachukwu@nmqf.org).

Chinnie Ukachukwu, MPH
Director, Quality Improvement & Equity
National Minority Quality Forum
Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity

Georgia’s Department of Public Health Seeking Feedback and Offer for In-Office Education to Your Team

Public Health is counting on your expertise! We need your valuable feedback to ensure the best possible care for children and adolescents with special health care needs in Georgia. Your insights are crucial in shaping policies and practices that directly impact the lives of children and families across our state.

Each year, the Department of Public Health relies on the feedback and experiences of physicians like you to assess and improve the quality of care provided to this vulnerable population. This year, we’re excited to introduce an enticing incentive to encourage your participation!

By completing our annual survey and practice assessment by March 22, you’ll not only contribute to advancing healthcare practices but also stand a chance to win one of two Delta Gift Cards worth $500 each! Imagine the possibilities – a well-deserved planned getaway, or a quick hop to somewhere unexpected.

In addition to your valuable input, Public Health is also seeking a contact in your office if you would like your staff to receive additional education and support on Georgia services and support for youth with special healthcare needs.

Your participation ensures that Georgia continues to lead in providing comprehensive and compassionate care to every child, regardless of their unique health needs. We understand the demands on your time, but completing this survey will only take a few moments, and the impact will be significant.

Survey Link: Click here to access the survey

The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is hosting a virtual KSA series. The first series of KSAs will be held on Saturday, April 27 at two separate times for your convenience.

Click here to register now.

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Pain Medicine

(Can be turned in for consideration towards DEA requirements)

This activity focuses on diagnosing chronic pain syndromes in family medicine, identifying pharmacologic appropriate therapy for specific conditions, including painful diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, trigeminal neuralgia, and fibromyalgia, describing the use of active modalities such as exercise and physical therapy in the treatment of chronic pain, recommending appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic options for the treatment of functional chronic pain conditions, and explaining the indications, risks, and monitoring recommendations for long-term opioid pain medications.

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Care of Older Adults

The Care of Older Adults KSA focuses on diagnosis and management of common and uncommon medical conditions that occur in older adults.  Topics also include disease prevention, rehabilitation, geriatric psychiatry and health policy and systems issues as they relate to older adults.

Thursday, March 21, 2024
Macon Marriott City Center
240 Coliseum Dr., Macon, GA 31217
Register Now!

The Face-to-Face/Virtual Medicaid Fair will offer important updates on emergent issues by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) leadership and host several break-out sessions covering a variety of topics.

The Opening Session will highlight news from the DCH, including an overview of programs and policy updates. The day will feature break-out sessions focused on relevant topics for our provider community along with time for questions and answers. Some of the areas that will be covered are:

• CMO Updates
• Mental Health Parity
• Revalidation/Change of Information
• Member Redetermination
• New Initiatives

To register online and for details, visit: https://forms.gle/XRkS9Hkk4NwzYfeSA.

Attendees must register to reserve a seat for each individual session selected.  A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the address you provided during registration. Review the confirmation e-mail for accuracy.

Questions? Contact Gainwell Technologies at georgiamedicaidfair@gainwelltechnologies.com

(L-R) Principal Nathan Gerrells, Dr. Shaina Alleyne, Lauren Shamblin, Dr. Michael Carpenter

On Tuesday, February 27, presenters visited Lumpkin County Middle School to present Tar Wars. It was a resounding success! Presenters included Dr. Michael Carpenter, Dr. Shaina Alleyne, and Tar Wars Statewide Manager Lauren Shamblin. Over 300 6^th-grade students were educated through Tar Wars in this event. All three presenters commented that the students were attentive, engaged, and asked many relevant questions to increase their knowledge of vaping and tobacco use. While Tar Wars’ main focus area is elementary school students, this specially designed presentation for middle school helps them understand the dangers of tobacco use, how their brain can be sabotaged by addiction, and ends with cessation resources that students can use themselves or share with others in their lives. As we continue to spread Tar Wars across the state, hopefully, more students will have the opportunity to hear from these presenters and others!

Remember that if you are interested in bringing Tar Wars to your community, the first step is to reach out to Statewide Manager Lauren Shamblin at lshamblin@gafp.org. The more students who see Tar Wars, the closer we are to a healthier Georgia!

Why it matters: Family physicians expressed appreciation of the implementation of the G2211 Medicare add-on code that began on Jan. 1. The code, which more appropriately values the complex, continuous services family physicians provide, is a direct investment in evidence-based, whole-person primary care. It offers payment for ongoing holistic care such as modifying medication doses, providing referrals to and coordinating with specialists, and coordinating care across a continuum of settings.

However, we have work ahead of us to ensure that family physicians experience the full benefits of this code as intended—specifically, allowing payment for G2211 when an office or outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visit is reported with modifier 25.

When a separate E/M service is performed in a visit, modifier 25 is attached to the coding of the visit. For example, addressing a complaint of sinus congestion during an annual wellness visit would be a separate, distinct E/M service.

Unfortunately, G2211 is not payable when the accompanying E/M visit is reported with payment modifier 25. This means that when a physician provides comprehensive care and services to address all of a patient’s needs in a single visit—for example, providing a vaccine while a patient is visiting for a different concern—they are unable to receive the additional resources G2211 offers for the additional complexity and time it takes to be the patient’s ongoing focal point of care.

What we’re working on

• The AAFP is sharing information with CMS about how the modifier 25 policy often prevents family physicians from billing G2211, which runs counter to the goal of supporting comprehensive, longitudinal care in a single visit.
• The AAFP urged CMS to allow payment for G2211 when billed alongside an E/M visit in the 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule when modifier 25 is attached.
• The AAFP has consistently and repeatedly supported G2211’s implementation and intended goals but raised concerns that the modifier 25 policy would negatively affect family physicians. We urged CMS to allow G2211 payment for an E/M visit billed with modifier 25 or, at minimum, when modifier 25 is used to bill an E/M visit alongside a Medicare annual wellness visit.
• We’ve also joined a letter with American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Home Care Medicine in support of G2211 resources being available for E/M visits provided in home and residence settings.

Are you interested in improving patient safety and satisfaction around antibiotics while earning CME?  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is offering a no-cost program that promotes appropriate antibiotic use in patients seen via telemedicine.

Designed by physician experts at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and beginning in June 2024, this 18-month program consists of brief (about 20 minutes) educational webinars and resources to learn best practices in antibiotic stewardship and management of infectious conditions. The program focuses on practical strategies that can be easily implemented in practices. Webinars will be offered live and asynchronously (as recordings), and all program materials will be available online for participants to access at the convenience of the program.

Educational topics covered may include management of upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, COVID -19, acute cough, ear pain, sinusitis, UTIs, cellulitis, sexually transmitted infections, and diarrhea.  Additional topics include communicating with patients and families and how to learn from your own data to guide improvements.

This program is funded and guided by AHRQ and implemented by NORC at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

To join the program and sign up for the live webinars click on the link below:

https://safetyprogram4telemedicine.org/dc/Introduction?s=638352166679328107-fAE8A5cQPhFO15bL5GL2aBHA3&u=638447115844570142-8N1bMILBEaIEaf0AUf85Q31SG

With summer on the horizon, we are excited to announce the opening of registration for our highly anticipated summer meeting! The 2024 GAFP & GPCA Summer Family Medicine CME Weekend will take place at the beautiful Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC, from June 6-9, 2024. We invite you to SEAS THE DAY and join us for a memorable experience.

It’s More Than a Meeting

Bring your spouse, children, grandma, and Cousin Eddie because this is not just a meeting, but a summer retreat packed with activities for the whole family. From bicycle rentals, beach activities, golfing, tennis, and pickleball, to pools for adults, families, and kids, to the tempting spa treatments and daily entertainment – there’s something in store for everyone. We have arranged a complimentary shuttle to ferry you from the resort to island activities and dining spots within a 3-mile radius on a first-come-first-serve basis. Now that’s convenience redefined!

Networking and Professional Development

Balance your fun with some serious professional networking opportunities, and the chance to earn CME credits. We’ve lined up a robust schedule of captivating sessions on both leadership and clinical tracks, curated by some of the best minds in the industry.

Important Changes This Year

In our quest to offer an improved registration experience, this year we have reorganized the hotel booking system. This year, once you have registered for the meeting, you will be provided with a link to make your hotel reservations. This assures that your accommodation is secured when you register for the meeting.

Hurry, Slots Fill Up Fast!

With such an enticing spread of benefits, our slots fill up pretty quickly. We encourage early bird registrations, so you have plenty of time to plan your mini-vacation while securing your spot at the meeting.

For more information on the meeting, hotel details, and to view the CME schedule, please click here. Don’t wait – dive right in and register today!

We hope to see you in Hilton Head Island, under the beautiful summer sun. Seas the Day, we promise you, it will be worth it!

Georgia Academy of Family Physicians March 2024 Conclave
Medical Student Workshop and Residency Fair
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel
March 7-10

The March 2024 Conclave is quickly approaching and takes place March 7-10 at the newly renovated Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel located at 7 Concourse Parkway NE Atlanta, Georgia 30328.

If you have not yet made reservations, please do so by clicking here.

To see the schedule of events and committee meetings, click here.

Questions about the meeting? Contact Terrie Ward (tward@gafp.org).

Questions about the medical student workshop/family medicine residency fair? Contact Ali Bohannon (abohannon@gafp.org).

Eddie Richardson, Jr, MD

Eddie Richardson, Jr, MD, of Eatonton, and Past Georgia Academy Chapter President and Georgia Healthy Family Alliance President has been selected to serve on the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Trustees! The AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees is responsible for maintaining a proper balance among the interests of AAFP members, Foundation staff, and the general public. The Board is responsible and accountable to the organization’s donors, constituents, and the community at large.  

Michelle Cook, MD, of Atlanta, was recently featured on an MSNBC news story focusing on WellStar’s decision to close Atlanta Medical Center last year.

Dr. Michelle Cooke, who formerly worked at a WellStar family medicine office and has since opened a private practice that charges a membership fee rather than accepting insurance, said many of her new patients haven’t seen physicians for more than a year as they struggled to find appointments.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to see a huge rise in morbidity and mortality, just because a year of people not getting their blood pressure checked, a year of not getting appropriate cancer screenings, like mammograms, pap smears — so much of that builds up that we’re going to see terrible effects in the next five to 10 years,” she said.

Michelle Cooke, MD

Atlanta’s health care system is strained by major hospital’s closing, doctors and patients say (msn.com)

Bonzo Reddick, MD, of Savannah, has recently published a book entitled:  Health Equity: A Guide for Clinicians, Medical Educators & Healthcare Organizations.

The global pandemic led to renewed interest in health disparities; however, numerous medical schools, residency programs, outpatient clinics, and hospital organizations were not equipped to teach about health equity.

In Health Equity: A Guide for Clinicians, Medical Educators & Healthcare Organizations, Dr. Bonzo Reddick presents a framework for addressing health disparities that can be applied to most situations of systemic and institutional bias and to situations of personal bias and discrimination. The scenarios, anecdotes, and interactive activities within this book will enlighten and refresh health educators, physicians, resident physicians, medical students, health professions students, and other healthcare and allied health professionals.

Whether used as an introduction to health disparities, a text to assist in teaching about health inequities, or a tool to help your organization develop a framework for achieving health equity, this is an essential guidebook for those ready to reassess their approach to the equitable care of all people.

To order this book via Amazon click here:  https://a.co/d/gRbGMjI

Bonzo Reddick, MD

Beulette Hooks, MD of Midland, past GAFP and Alliance President, has been selected as one of the founding members of the AAFP Board Nominating Committee.

As reported by AAFP News, the AAFP Board Nominating Committee is charged with identifying the skillsets needed to best represent members on the Board of Directors, as well as with identifying and vetting potential candidates for elected leadership positions, including president-elect, speaker, vice speaker and at-large directors.

This work requires committee members who bring a wide range of experiences and perspectives to the job, and who can appropriately represent all our constituencies. In selecting the founding members of the committee, I was tasked to include people from all chapter sizes, current and past state and national leaders, and past members of the National Conference of Constituency Leaders Advisory Group, as well as to incorporate other important skills, traits and characteristics.

• Kevin Bernstein, M.D., M.S., FAAFP, of the Uniformed Services AFP
• Emily Briggs, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, of the Texas AFP
• Mary Campagnolo, M.D., M.B.A., FAAFP, of the New Jersey AFP
• Jack Chou, M.D., FAAFP, of the California AFP
• Beulette Hooks, M.D., FAAFP of the Georgia AFP
• Gretchen Irwin, M.D., M.B.A., FAAFP, of the Kansas AFP
• Louis Kazal, M.D., FAAFP, of the New Hampshire AFP
• Mike Sevilla, M.D., FAAFP, of the Ohio AFP
• David Schmitz, M.D., FAAFP, of the North Dakota AFP
• Tasha Starks, M.D., M.P.H., of the Arkansas AFP
• Kelly Thibert, D.O., M.P.H., of the Nevada AFP
• Juan Carlos Venis, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, of the Indiana AFP

Also serving are Board Chair Tochi Iroku-Malize, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FAAFP; Ada Stewart, M.D., FAAFP, chair of the AAFP Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Family Medicine; and Janet Nwaukoni, D.O., resident member of the Board of Directors.