MAFP Member Advocacy Day In Augusta

The MAFP held it's 9th Annual Member Advocacy Day on February 13th at the Statehouse. Attendance was great with numerous Board members being joined by MAFP members-at-large. The group began the day with several sessions with practical tips on how to approach your individual legislator, provide testimony in Committee hearings, as well as an overview of legislation currently being discussed. The group also had a chance for Q&A with two physicians currently serving in the House - Sam Zager MD and Jane Pringle MD.

The remainder of the day was spent in the Statehouse giving everyone an opportunity to meet their legislators in person, observe Senate & House proceedings, participate in press conferences by "Flavors Hook Kids Maine" and "Maine Families for Vaccines".

Help Ban Flavored Tobacco in Maine!

LD 1251, a bill to ban flavored tobacco in Maine, is currently about 12 votes short of passage in the  House. We are encouraging our members to reach out to their representatives to help pass this bill.

For more information on how you can effect this vote with YOUR voice - click this link 

On a 40 degree day in November, several MAFP members participated with over 200 physicians, medical students, and medical providers to encourage our state lawmakers to pass common sense guns safety measures during the 2024 legislative session.

Maine Gun Safety Coalition for Gun Safety - Day of Action at the Maine Statehouse

On January 3rd, several of or members joined the Maine Gun Safety Coalition for a Gun Safety Day of Action at the Maine State House to again demand our state legislators to enact an assault rifle ban, red flag laws, a 72 hour waiting period to buy a gun, and background checks for all gun sales. 

We expect there to be hearings on several gun safety bills this state legislative session and it would be very impactful to have MAFP members to testify.

ACTION Step:

NOW: Start writing your testimony and contact your local legislators to tell them that gun safety measures are important to you. (For sample letters and more information, visit the Maine Gun Safety Coalition (https://www.mainegunsafety.org/)

Doc of the Day at the Legislature

Dr. Katie Adams had this to say after her day of service - "Meeting my state officials, having the chance to explain how their votes could impact my patients, my practice, and my community, and spending time with my fellow Family Physicians was a wonderful opportunity that I am grateful for. I would encourage all those who have not yet participated as the Doc of the Day to do so."

(Katie Adams MD, FAAFP is a Family Physician MAFP member who practices in Lincoln Maine and serves on the MAFP Board of Directors)

For more information on the Doc of the Day program contact the Maine Medical Association HERE

(Erik Steele DO, FAAFP pictured)

The 1000 Lives Campaign for Maine is:

• *A systematic, clinician-led, collaborative campaign to reduce the number of predicted opioid-related deaths in Maine by 1000 during the next 5 years
• *Modeled on the Institute for HealthCare Improvement’s “100,000 Lives Campaign” that addressed preventable medical errors in hospitals
• *Seeks to implement a set of “Clinician Commitments” to improve the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs)
• *Led by Maine’s physicians and other clinician leadership, partnered with the State of Maine, and many other key stakeholders
• *All clinicians have a role to play and the many efforts already underway to effectively identify and treat SUD/OUD and support recovery are appreciated

Quotable quotes from the December 2023 Campaign Launch Press Conference in Portland:

“Our goal is expansion of access to lifesaving OUD care into every corner of Maine and to engage every part of the healthcare delivery system in this lifesaving work – we want you to be able to walk into any emergency department, your doctor’s office, any hospital, and get this help,” said Erik Steele, DO, Family Physician and Immediate Past President of the Maine Medical Association, who conceived the Campaign during his year as President of the physician group.

“As a Family Physician in Maine, I know firsthand that prescribing buprenorphine-naloxone [Suboxone] is one of the only medicines I can prescribe today that makes my patient less likely to die tomorrow. Many Family Physicians in Maine are already treating OUD (opioid use disorder) in their offices and hospitals and the Maine Academy of Family Physicians looks forward to helping lead the charge to increased access to low barrier, judgment-free treatment of this chronic illness as just another chronic illness we treat in our full spectrum of Family Medicine,” added Elisabeth Fowlie Mock, MD, MPH, FAAFP, from Bangor, member of the Board of Directors and Delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine.

CPT Code G2211

Have you heard about the new code in 2024 that compensates us for the comprehensive care we perform to our continuity patients?

The AAFP has created a tip sheet "G2211 - What It Is & When To Use It" to help us better understand when we can use it

Other Coding & Billing Resources from AAFP:

"Getting Paid"

"Coding Basics" "Coding for E&M Visits" "Medicare Wellness Visits" etc.

"Group Visits"

"Coding for Vaccine Administration"

Coping with Burnout

In case you missed it, take a look at the Jan/Feb issue of Family Practice Management. You may find the article “How to ACE Daily Stressors in Medical Practice” helpful.

It provides 3 evidence based strategies for burnout - 

• Accept authenticity
• Choose meaning
• Embrace positivity. 

If you are Dr. Imfine, Dr. Domore, or Dr. Dontcare, this article is for you.

AAFP Leading Physician Well-being Certificate Program - Creating Leaders of Change and Champions of Well-being

Physician leadership has never been a more important skill for the family physician than it is today. Thoughtful and capable family physician leaders can provide stability in uncertain times for their office teams, among their health system colleagues, and within their community.This physician leadership enhances the quality of care that teams can provide to their patients, improves the morale of the care team, and helps communities stay focused on health-enhancing activities.

The application period for the 2024 Leading Physician Well-being Certificate Program is now open and will run through May 31. Applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and final acceptance notifications will be sent June 14. Apply today to learn to lead change and champion well-being!