In this issue:
Top
Stories
1.
Lifestyle
medicine competencies published in JAMA
2.
ACPM co-sponsors Capitol Hill briefing on new wellness benefit
3.
HHS proposes
regulations to implement Medicare preventive health benefits
ACPM
News
4.
ACPM part of team to work on AHRQ Prevention/Care Management
Portfolio
5.
ACPM signs
agreement with lifestyle medicine society to convene joint annual meetings
6.
ACPM meets
with HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care
7.
ACPM
Perspectives in Prevention: “Vaccination as a Tool for Cancer Prevention”
8.
ACPM receives
three-year funding grant for Pfizer Practicum Rotation
9.
ACPM appears
in Kaiser Health News
Policy
10.
House panel
approves FY 2011 funding bill
11. White
House releases national HIV/AIDS strategy
12. HHS
announces final rules for electronic health records
Research
and Reports
13. Counseling increases mammography
use among low-income women with health insurance
14. Study
shows uneven progress on youth exposure to food advertising
Announcements
15. ACGME
proposal calls for new work-hour limits on first-year residents
16. FDA
seeking comments on federal menu labeling requirements
Top Stories
1. ACPM SPEARHEADS PUBLICATION OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE
COMPETENCIES
The work of an ACPM-led
blue ribbon panel to define lifestyle medicine competencies for physicians has
been released in the July 14 issue of JAMA. Published as part of a
commentary authored by ACPM General Preventive Medicine Regent Liana Lianov,
MD, MPH, FACPM and ACPM President Mark Johnson, MD, MPH, FACPM, the
milestone represents the culmination of a six-month effort by the panel to
define a set of key skills, knowledge and attitudes for physician competence in
lifestyle medicine. Lifestyle medicine aims to address the primary behavioral
causes of death in the United States—including smoking, poor diet and inadequate
physical activity—through clinical lifestyle interventions.
In the commentary, Drs.
Lianov and Johnson note that “physicians cannot ascribe the entire
responsibility for inadequate lifestyle changes to their patients, and
clinicians must accept some responsibility for these current deficiencies in the
quality of health care.”
The
blue ribbon panel, which ACPM convened last summer, included representatives
from several leading national professional associations representing primary
care physicians and other health providers and stakeholders. ACPM has begun
developing a follow-up dissemination plan that will entail working closely with
the primary care community on strategies to translate the competencies into
educational content and tools aimed at improving clinical practice.
To
view the ACPM press release about the JAMA commentary, visit
http://www.acpm.org/LMCompetencies_pr.pdf. The JAMA commentary
article is available online at
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/304/2/202. While only the first
150 words of the commentary are accessible without a subscription to JAMA,
ACPM has posted the competencies on its web site at
http://www.acpm.org/LMCompetencies.pdf.
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2. ACPM
PARTICIPATES IN WELLNESS BRIEFING ON CAPITOL HILL
ACPM
co-hosted and participated in a Capitol Hill briefing organized by the DMAA: The
Care Continuum Alliance, titled Medicare’s New Wellness and Personalized
Prevention Plan Benefits, to discuss groundbreaking new wellness and
prevention benefits for Medicare beneficiaries in the health care reform law,
the Affordable Care Act. ACPM’s associate executive director for policy and
government affairs, Paul Bonta, was joined by Ron Loeppke, MD, MPH, FACPM,
from U.S. Preventive Medicine as the two panelists at the briefing.
To
access the briefing materials, visit
http://www.dmaa.org/20100712_briefing.html. The video recording of the
briefing is available at
http://www.dmaa.org/advocacy_20100712_briefing.asp.
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3.
INSURANCE COVERAGE OF CLINICAL PREVENTIVE SERVICES ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY
AFTER RELEASE OF NEW REGULATIONS
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a proposed
regulation that includes implementation of the new insurance requirement for
coverage of clinical preventive services that have received an “A” or “B”
recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The regulation
also includes provisions requiring insurance coverage of immunizations
recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The new regulations will take
effect on September 23, 2010.
To
view the proposed regulation please visit:
http://www.healthcare.gov/center/regulations/prevention/regs.html.
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ACPM News
4. ACPM PART OF CONSORTIUM AWARDED PREVENTION AND CARE
MANAGEMENT PORTFOLIO CONTRACT
ACPM
is part of consortium that has been awarded one of five large contracts to
assist the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in managing its
Prevention/Care Management (P/CM) Portfolio. The P/CM Portfolio supports a
robust program of research and dissemination to improve the quality, safety,
efficiency, and effectiveness of the delivery of an evidence-based continuum of
preventive and chronic care services in primary care settings. The work of the
Portfolio includes the USPSTF and related activities.
The
prime organization in the consortium is Westat, a full-service,
employee-owned research firm known for its applied research. The Westat team is
led by ACPM Fellow Margot Krauss, MD, MPH, FACPM, The consortium includes
two professional associations (the other being the American Academy of Family
Physicians) and six primary care research leaders, including the Loma Linda
University Department of Preventive Medicine led by ACPM Fellow Wayne
Dysinger, MD, MPH, FACPM.
ACPM will provide support
to the consortium with tasks such as identifying and assembling technical
experts for consultation, analyzing the results of AHRQ funded research studies
to identify strengths and weaknesses, leveraging important external
stakeholders, and accessing dissemination channels that reach large audiences of
clinicians, policy makers, researchers, and consumers.
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5. ACPM
AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE TO PARTNER AROUND ANNUAL MEETING
ACPM and the American
College of Lifestyle Medicine (http://lifestylemedicine.org)
have signed a Letter of Agreement to convene their annual meetings together in
2011. The purpose of the partnership is to provide an annual educational forum
covering the broad range of issues of interest to practitioners, educators, and
researchers within the domains of clinical preventive medicine and lifestyle
medicine. The forum will serve as the annual conference of ACLM (Lifestyle
Medicine 2011) and as the Clinical Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine track
within the ACPM annual conference (Preventive Medicine 2011).
The
agreement is modeled broadly after the successful partnership between ACPM and
the American College of Medical Quality, which annually convenes its Medical
Quality conference in conjunction with Preventive Medicine and offers
medical quality sessions to all Preventive Medicine attendees.
Preventive Medicine 2011,
Lifestyle Medicine 2011, and Medical Quality 2011 will take place
February 16-19, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. For
the latest conference developments, including a preliminary conference program,
speaker additions, registration, and hotel reservations visit
www.preventivemedicine2011.org.
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6. ACPM
MEETS WITH HRSA’S BUREAU OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
ACPM senior staff recently
met with leaders from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau
of Primary Health Care (BPHC) to discuss shared interests among the two
organizations and potential for collaboration. BPHC, one six bureaus within
HRSA, is dedicated to providing access to health care in the nation’s most needy
communities.
Among its key
responsibilities, BPHC runs the national network of Federally Qualified Health
Centers, and under the Affordable Care Act has been charged with doubling the
number of persons served by its FQHCs from approximately 20 million to 40
million in five years. With a shared focus on health workforce issues, ACPM and
BPHC will explore ideas for strengthening the capacity of health centers to
deliver high-quality clinical and community-based preventive services to the
populations served by those centers.
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7. ACPM
PERSPECTIVES IN PREVENTION: VACCINATION AND CANCER PREVENTION
The
latest installment of ACPM’s Perspectives in Prevention column, titled
"Vaccination as a Tool for Cancer Prevention," was published this month on
Medscape/WebMD. The column was written by Eric Raabe, MD, PhD, ACPM member
Julia Kim, MD, MPH, and ACPM President-Elect Miriam Alexander, MD, MPH,
FACPM. The column provides recommendations for physicians and other
clinicians to prevent cancers caused by infectious disease, focusing
specifically on Hepatitis B, H pylori, HIV, HPV and Hepatitis C. The
column will be available for CME credit in the coming weeks. To read the full
article and access archived articles, please visit
http://www.acpm.org/perspectives.htm.
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8. ACPM
PRACTICUM ROTATION IN HEALTH POLICY AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE RECEIVES THREE-YEAR
FUNDING COMMITMENT
ACPM’s highly-popular and successful Practicum Rotation in Health Policy and
Preventive Medicine program recently received a three-year funding commitment
that will assure continuation of the program through June 2014. The rotation,
based at the ACPM headquarters in Washington, DC, provides preventive medicine
residents with the opportunity to participate in preventive medicine and public
health policy activities in the Nation’s Capital. ACPM would like to thank
Pfizer, Inc., a member of its Corporate Roundtable, for its steadfast commitment
to the program, which helps train physicians on how to exercise their voice in
policy making circles.
To
learn more about the Practicum Rotation in Health Policy and Preventive Medicine
program please visit
http://www.acpm.org/education/residency/pfizer.htm.
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9. ACPM
APPEARS IN KAISER HEALTH NEWS
ACPM’s associate executive director for policy and government affairs, Paul
Bonta, was quoted in a recent Kaiser Health News article, “Seven Health
Care Changes You Might Have Missed.” Mr. Bonta noted the increased interest
among manufacturers of vaccines and diagnostic equipment to position their
products as central to a preventive service strategy ensuring reimbursement by
public and private payers.
To
view the article please visit:
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/July/09/health-overhaul-changes.aspx.
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Policy
10. HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES FY 2011 SPENDING
BILL FOR HHS
The
House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations
Subcommittee approved its FY 2011 spending bill for HHS. According to the
committee, the bill provides $176.4 billion in discretionary spending for the
coming year, an increase of $12.7 billion (7.7 percent) over FY 2010, but $1.5
billion less than President Obama's request. HRSA, which funds Preventive
Medicine residency training programs, would receive $7.6 billion under the
proposal, a $99 million increase over FY 2010 but $20 million less than the
president’s request. Detailed funding charts listing program level increases
will not become available until the full House Appropriations Committee meets to
consider the bill.
To
view a top-line funding chart prepared by the subcommittee, visit
http://appropriations.house.gov/images/stories/pdf/lhhse/
FY2011_LHHS_Summary_Tabel-07.15.2010.pdf.
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11.
WHITE HOUSE RELEASES NATIONAL HIV STRATEGY
The White
House has released a
National HIV/AIDS Strategy
with three primary goals: reduce the number of people who become infected with
HIV; increase access to care and optimize health outcomes for people living with
HIV; and reduce HIV-related health disparities.
In
announcing the release of the strategy, President Obama stressed the need for
a more coordinated national response to the epidemic
and said “Success will require the commitment of governments at all levels,
businesses, faith communities, philanthropy, the scientific and medical
communities, educational institutions, people living with HIV, and others.”
To read more
and see a copy of the National HIV/AIDS strategy, visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/NHAS.pdf
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12.
HHS AGENCIES ANNOUNCE FINAL RULES FOR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS
The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHI) released two regulations
on July 13 that will help implement the electronic health records incentive
program. These regulations specify the criteria that health professionals must
meet to demonstrate “meaningful use” and receive financial incentives. To view
these regulations and criteria and to learn more about the timetable for
implementation, please visit:
http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms.
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Research and Reports
13.
STUDY FINDS COUNSELING INCREASED MAMMOGRAPHY USE AMONG LOW INCOME WOMEN WITH
INSURANCE
A
recent report published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
found counseling increases mammography use among low-income women with health
insurance. The study highlights the fact that even with insurance
low-income women face additional barriers to receiving mammography screening.
The
researchers identified 2,357 women who had health insurance for the previous
five years and were non-compliant with their mammography screening, and randomly
assigned them to one of three groups. The first group acted as a control; the
second group consisted of those who received a formal letter from their managed
care organization reminding them of the need for screening; and the third group
received a second letter from their primary physician and, if still
non-compliant, counseling from lay health workers. Despite having health
insurance, the screening rate in the control population was only 13.4 percent.
This rate is still well below general population mammography rates.
For
more information about the report, visit
http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/aacr-press-releases.aspx?d=1903.
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14.
STUDY SHOWS UNEVEN PROGRESS ON YOUTH EXPOSURE TO FOOD ADVERTISING
A new
study shows that while children and teens are seeing fewer television
advertisements for fruit drinks, regular soda, and sweets, they also are seeing
substantially more advertisements for fast-food restaurants. The study finds
from 2003 to 2007, children’s and teens’ exposure to beverage ads decreased
between 27% and 30% (depending on the viewers’ ages), their exposure to ads for
sweets decreased between 12% and 41%, and their exposure to fast-food ads
increased between 5% and more than 20%. The study is published in the July 5
issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Announcements
15. ACGME PROPOSAL CALLS FOR NEW WORK-HOUR LIMITS ON FIRST-YEAR
RESIDENTS
The
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has released new
proposed recommended standards for resident duty hours. The goals of the
standards are to assure the safety and quality of care rendered to patients in
teaching hospitals, assure the safety and quality of care rendered to patients
of current residents in their future independent clinical practice, and assure
the provision of a safe and humanistic educational environment for residents to
learn and demonstrate professionalism and effacement of self interest.
The
ACGME encourages residency program directors, designated institutional
officials, members of the faculty, residents and fellows to review and comment
on the standards. Comments are due August 7. The proposed new standards will go
into effect July 2011. To view the standards, please visit
http://acgme-2010standards.org/.
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16.
FDA SEEKING COMMENTS ON FEDERAL MENU LABELING REQUIREMENTS
Comments are now being accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
on Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act, which requires chain restaurants (20
or more locations) to list calorie content information on the menus. The
comment period began July 7 and remains open for 60 days. To submit a comment
electronically, please visit
www.regulations.gov. To submit a comment by mail, please send comment to:
The Division of Dockets Management, HFA-305, Food and Drug Administration, 5630
Fishers Lane, Room 1061 Rockville, MD 20852. Remember to include docket number
FDA-2010-N-0298 on each written page.
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