On the Road Again with TAFP

By Kate McCann

TAFP took to the road during 2005. Besides the big move in March to a new office building, TAFP staff continued to circle the state presenting CME activities, seminars and conferences. Our director of legislative and public affairs may have logged the most miles, tracking countless bills and legislative activities during the months of the 79th Legislative session and the special sessions that followed.

EDUCATION

To deliver the highest-quality continuing medical education, TAFP staff presented five symposia around the state, reaching over 1,300 family physicians. These included TAFP’s 31st Annual Winter Symposium in Utah, the C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session in Austin, the Primary Care Update held in conjunction with TMA’s annual meeting, TAFP’s 56th Annual Session in San Antonio and the TAFP Primary Care Summit in Houston. Not to honk our own horn, but attendees ranked the education at our symposia at an average of 4.54 on a 5-point scale.

In addition to the annual symposia, TAFP stayed busy with other programs. The Academy delivered 192 PrimeCME activities to over 3,000 attendees in 66 cities of 20 states. Two successful EHR conferences allowed 308 attendees to better understand new technology in the profession and resulted in a request for a similar conference from a Nevada managed care organization. A Continuity of Care Record conference, organized in conjunction with David Kibbe, M.D., director of the AAFP’s Center for Health Information Technology, reached more than 100 participants, bringing experts on health information technology from as far away as South Africa to the heart of Texas.

Also, through the CME business joint sponsorship, TAFP audited and accredited 94 joint-sponsored CME activities, with 200 hours of CME reaching more than 12,500 primary care physicians and other health care professionals. InterNetCME offered a great opportunity to reach even more physicians. We were able to offer 16 CME activities over the World Wide Web, available 24 hours a day. The programs reached more than 500 registrants.

Never at rest, the department is looking ahead to 2006. The staff has already prepared the four-year accreditation re-application for the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education. Accreditation allows TAFP to provide Category I CME to physicians and other health care providers in addition to prescribed hours for most TAFP CME activities. As the name of TAFP grows stronger, we are confident that the Academy will continue to produce excellent educational programs throughout the state and country for years to come.

ADVOCACY

This year proved to be challenging and demanding for the division of legislative and public affairs as the staff tracked more than 1,100 bills on a variety of issues in the 79th regular legislative session. With a top priority of ensuring that legislators heard and understood the concerns of family physicians and their patients, staff coordinated grassroots activities and collected testimony from family physicians. The major issues in this session included Medicaid delivery system reform, managed care reform, GME financing, Workers’ Comp reform, many public health initiatives and the sunset of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners.

The marathon legislative session, which stretched from January to May, wasn’t really over when it was over. Legislators returned to Austin for two special sessions in an attempt to address Texas’ public education system. TAFP’s main goal was to educate legislators on the impact additional taxes would have on physician practices and services.

“The 79th Texas Legislature proved to be an exceedingly challenging session for family medicine,” says Tom Banning, TAFP Director of Legislative and Public Affairs. “As the Legislature struggled to find new ways to fund public education, a host of other complex health care issues, including the expansion of Medicaid managed care and the Sunset of the Medical Practice Act, served as the backdrop for a larger health care debate in the Legislature.

“Despite the many challenges we faced, family physicians from across the state came to Austin or contacted their legislators to ensure the voice of family medicine was heard at the Capitol.”

The Academy also worked on regulatory issues with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Medical Board and other state agencies to implement statutory changes made during the 79th Legislative session. TAFP strived to strengthen our position within and outside of organized medicine. We continue to lead the Primary Care Coalition, championing the voice of family medicine and primary care within the TMA, and we are continually developing relationships with managed care organizations to educate them on the importance of family medicine.

The primary focus of the TAFP Political Action Committee has been to grow physician participation and increase financial contributions to the PAC. These efforts culminated in an innovative membership recruitment video and Web site. TAFPPAC’s strength and the size of its membership have never been more important, as the 2006 election cycle will feature a host of crucial political races. Please take a few minutes to visit the new www.tafppac.org and click on the membership campaign link, “We did it before and we can do it again!”

COMMUNICATIONS

Throughout the year, TAFP has continued to build its communications capabilities to its members and the public. The issues of Texas Family Physician presented quality content and design. In-depth features informed member physicians of important news of the profession such as topics of the 79th Legislature, TAFP projects and research, developing medical technology, Medicare Part D and stories of hurricane disaster relief. However, if TFP can’t reach you fast enough, TAFP’s Web site and electronic communication have been re-designed for easy navigation and increased functionality. 2005 also ushered in a new e-mail communication vehicle, the Members’ Update, which brings monthly news from the TAFP President.

As part of TAFP’s effort to raise public awareness of family medicine, the Academy organized a concerted participation campaign in TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program. During National Bicycle Safety Month in May, TAFP members held community events where they gave away more than 1,000 new safety helmets to kids across Texas. Aside from the positive interaction between family doctors and their communities, many of the events garnered positive coverage from local newspapers and television news stations.

LEADERS and MEMBERS

TAFP’s new officers were inducted at this year’s Annual Session. The inductees included: Samuel T. Coleridge, D.O., president, Douglas Curran, M.D., president-elect, Robert Youens, M.D., vice president, Linda Siy, M.D., treasurer, and K. Ashok Kumar, M.D., parliamentarian.

As of December 2005, membership in TAFP had increased to 3,793 active members and 5,539 total members. TAFP attained 100 percent resident enrollment for the 2004-2005 school year and now only lacks five residents statewide for 100 percent enrollment in 2006. We are confident that the remaining residents will submit applications by March for another year of full participation.

Student membership numbers are also rising with an increase of 22 students. TAFP has teamed up with local AAFP chapters to support students and pay the national dues for all but two Texas medical schools. TAFP pays two-thirds of each medical student’s dues for six of the schools, with the nearby chapter paying one-third per student. TAFP’s 15th Annual Student and Resident Conference proved successful when over 65 students and residents attended the February meeting. TAFP leaders spoke about the Future of Family Medicine, personal statements and curriculum vitae, the job search and balancing work and life. The conference included the first TAFP Procedure Fair with 12 residency programs demonstrating various procedures to students such as how to set a cast, perform perineal repairs, radiosurgery and joint injections. Plans for the 2006 conference are underway.

The generosity of members to the TAFP Foundation has greatly benefited the Foundation’s work. It currently has 50 monthly donors and this year was able to award the largest disbursement of scholarship funds in the Foundation’s history, over $17,000. At the TAFP Annual Session in July, four medical students were honored with scholarships during the general session. Foundation President, Stephen Benold, M.D., presented the following scholarships: David M. Rider of UTMB Galveston received the Weldon G. Kolb, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship; Chris Walker, M.D., a recent graduate of UTHSC San Antonio received the Valley Chapter Scholarship; Valory E. Wangler of Baylor College of Medicine received the Tarrant County Chapter Medical Student Scholarship and Brianne Williams of Texas Tech University HSC received the Norma Porres, M.D., and Felipe Porres, M.D., Medical Student Scholarship. Immediate Past President, Erica Swegler, M.D. and Paul Swegler, were awarded TAFP Foundation Philanthropist of the Year for their superior work for the Foundation.

BACK AT THE OFFICE

After packing the office into bright red crates, TAFP staff hit the road and headed to a new home in North Austin, sprawling out in our own 20,000-square-foot, two-story building. Since we have the breathing room, TAFP created two new positions to support the growing demands of the Education and Communications departments.

“TAFP’s growth has created a wonderful situation for me,” said Ann Maldonado, our new CME administrative coordinator. “I have the privilege to work with a team of dedicated professionals that are committed to their members.”

The staff welcomes the additions and is pleased to further advance our efforts to serve the needs of our members.

The 2005 Staff:

Jim White, Executive Director
Tom Banning, Director of Legislative and Public Affairs
Jennifer Burns, Symposia Planner
Laurel Catlin, PrimeCME Planner
Ellen Harrison, Business Development
William Jackson, Information Technology Manager
Jo Ann Kindinger, Director of Education
Ann Maldonado, CME Administrative Coordinator
Kate McCann, Associate Editor
Kathy McCarthy, Director of Member Services and Operations
Jessica Miley, CME Coordinator
Robert Montoya, Financial Manager
Nathan Moore, Marketing Associate
Jonathan Nelson, Managing Editor
Paige Newman, Assistant Director of Member Services and Operations
Esmond Nwokeji, Education Assistant
Mary Petachenko, Receptionist
Rob Ripperda, Webmaster and e-Learning Specialist