Year: 2017

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Payment Reform for Primary Care: Where does the CAFP’s Primary Care Investment Strategy fit in?

By Stephanie Gold, MD The Primary Care Investment Strategy The CAFP is pursuing a Primary Care Investment Strategy (PCIS) with the aims of: 1) accurately measuring how much is being spent on primary care in Colorado 2) increasing spending on primary care to a target of 15% of total health care spending 3) requiring increasing…

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Primary Care is Undervalued. What Now?

By Michael J. Pramenko, MD Stop the press. Public and private payers take note. Primary Care in the United States is undervalued.  Surely, and sarcastically speaking, primary care providers are shocked by this news. In medicine and public policy, we like to believe that we follow the evidence and let facts guide the implementation of…

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What is the Value of a Patient Centered Medical Home?

By Zach Wachtl, MD Going to the doctor can be very different these days, especially if you consider how it contrasts with experiences 50, 25, or even 10 years ago. Perhaps in the past, or in some places today, when you got sick you sat in a waiting room, had your vitals taken, waited in…

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Primary Care Spending: A sample of current research and state policies

by Gina Carr, MD Despite the knowledge that societies with a better primary care orientation have better outcomes as well as increased efficiency and better perceptions of patient experience of care, we are not yet routinely incentivizing primary care providers (PCPs) and services. Why is the societal value of reduced mortality rates, reduced rates of…

Primary Care Payment Reform
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Making Primary Care Payment Reform a Reality Today

by Monica Morris, DO, CAFP President The CAFP is excited to announce we are launching a new initiative to increase the investments being made in primary care to at least 15% of total health spending, double what we spend today. This initiative will accelerate the move to paying for high value services like primary care,…

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All Kids Deserve a Healthy Start, and Many Get it With CHIP

For decades, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP +) in Colorado, has provided a viable path to ensuring that children in thousands of working families have access to quality affordable health care. The program serves families that make too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford…

Speakers Highlight the Importance of Adolescent Vaccinations

Experts Come Together to Share the Importance of Adolescent Vaccines A new initiative from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) seeks to educate providers, staff and patients about the vital need to vaccinate teenagers. In many states, including Colorado, vaccination rates among teens for HPV, flu, meningitis and others are below the goals set…

Take Advantage of the Colorado Rural Preceptor Tax Credit
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Take Advantage of the Colorado Rural Preceptor Tax Credit

During the 2016 legislative session, the CAFP championed HB-1142, the Colorado Rural Preceptor Tax Credit. This bill was designed to offer a $1,000 tax credit, to be taken on personal income taxes, to preceptors in rural communities. Training more students in rural areas can encourage more to go on and practice in rural areas, and…

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Introducing the CAFP Wellness Conference

[linkbutton link=”https://www.coloradoafp.org/wellness_conference_registration/”]Register as an Attendee Now![/linkbutton] The CAFP is excited to announce that registration is open for our newest CME experience: Resilience in Action: Practical Advice for Wellness In & Out of Practice August 11-13, 2017 Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center Breckenridge, CO Get the full agenda and learn more here. So what is…

#TeethMatter: Raising the Volume on Oral Health
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#TeethMatter: Raising the Volume on Oral Health

Did you know that a dentist or dental hygienist can spot early signs of 120 diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and several forms of cancer? Or that 90 percent of systemic diseases have symptoms in and around the mouth? We are working with Delta Dental of Colorado and other partners across the state to better…

Thank You to Everyone Who Joined CAFP at the 2017 Annual Summit
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Thank You to Everyone Who Joined CAFP at the 2017 Annual Summit

Thank you to all of the attendees, speakers and exhibitors who helped make the 2017 Summit a success! See some of the event highlights below, and be sure to save the date for the 2018 Annual Summit and the CAFP’s 70th Anniversary Celebration, April 12-15, 2018 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs, CO.

Match Day 2017
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Match Day 2017 Was Good for Family Medicine in Colorado

As you may have heard, Match Day 2017 was very encouraging for family medicine. According to the AAFP, 3,237 medical students and graduates matched into family medicine residency programs. That’s the most in family medicine’s history. There were also more positions open for these graduating students. Family medicine offered 3,378 positions, 118 more than last…