By Riley Stanton, CAFP Communications and Marketing Intern The manufacturers of opioid painkillers aggressively marketed their products in the 1990s, exaggerating the benefits and downplaying the risks, while simultaneously lobbying lawmakers to make it easier for patients to receive the drugs. Even as the rise in addictions, overdoses, and opioid-related deaths became apparent, the top
In Midst of Nationwide Outbreaks, Colorado’s Immunization Rates Lag, Cost of Preventable Disease Remains High Despite a recent nationwide outbreak of measles resulting in the highest number of cases in nearly 30 years and a growing Hepatitis A outbreak in Colorado, Colorado’s vaccination rates continue to lag, according to an independent report released September 9
This summer, we took a road trip to visit members in rural northwest and southwest Colorado. We wanted to know more about concerns family physicians in more remote areas may have. Not surprisingly, they share some of the same concerns held by our urban and suburban members; administrative burden and a lack of payment parity
By Riley Stanton, CAFP Communications and Marketing Intern Between November 2018 and May 2019, the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (CAFPF) conducted the first presentations done as part of the pilot of Stop & Imagine: Preventing Marijuana Use in Colorado Youth, a program developed by and housed within the CAFPF. The fourth and fifth-grade
By Riley Stanton, CAFP Communications and Marketing Intern It was a productive 2019 legislative session, with 462 new bills passed into law. Three of these bills passed into law were CAFP-led. This legislation will invest more money into primary care, offer communication and resolution programs for patients and physicians when an unexpected health outcome occurs,
By Riley Stanton, CAFP Communications and Marketing Intern There’s big news following 2019 Match Day. For the seventh consecutive year, family medicine set record highs for the number of students matched to the specialty.1 Of the 169 University of Colorado School of Medicine students who matched through the National Resident Matching Program Main Residency Match
By Sarah Martinez, CAFP Policy and Advocacy Intern Last April, Colorado passed HB18-1284 Disclosure of Prescription Costs at Pharmacies, enacting the “Patient Drug Costs Savings Act”. Before this legislation, insurance carriers and their Prescription Benefit Managers in Colorado could maintain contracts with pharmacies that included “Gag Clauses”. These were legal agreements that threatened to punish
By Riley Stanton, CAFP Communication and Marketing Intern The ballots are in, and the votes are tallied, and we are excited to announce the new board members joining the CAFP. We will have a new member joining us this year and some current board members participating in new positions. Jen Feng, MD, Denver Dr. Feng
By Sarah Martinez, CAFP Policy & Advocacy Intern In October, the U.S. Senate passed the final version of H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. This act is a bipartisan bill package that aims to combat the opioid crisis. The President signed the bill