Education & Practice Management

Osteoporosis Resources from the Annenberg Foundation

IAFP members who attended our Spring SAMs & CME meeting in Indianapolis in 2011 had the opportunity to take part in a CME activity called "Optimizing Fracture Prevention in Patients with Osteoporosis." The Annenberg Foundation, who developed this innovative program, recently completed and made available a Performance Improvement Web site. This activity has been approved by the ABFM for MC-FP Part IV accreditation ("Performance in Practice") and provides up to 20 hours of CME credit. 
The link to the activity is:  www.annenberg.net/ce/osteo  

Also available are two quarterly CME e-newsletters on the Annenberg Foundation's "Osteoporosis" Education Web site. The newsletters contain valuable updates on new developments in diagnosis and treatment. There is no registration or log-in required to access the newsletters. They are PDF files and can be directly downloaded by clicking the "Newsletters" button on the home page. There is also an archive webcast audio/slide program from the California chapter's live meeting for members who were not able to attend our live workshop last year. 
The link to the activity is:  www.annenberg.net/ce/4776 

The materials in the HIT toolkit were developed by the California Academy of Family Physicians with grant support from The Physicians Foundation. They have been adapted for Indiana and were posted in May 2011.

EHR Incentive Program Basic Facts
Four Things to Do NOW
A Physician’s Guide to Working with the HIT Regional Extension Centers in Indiana
Why Implement an Electronic Health Record?
Determinants of Successful EHR Implementation
Patient Volume Information
CAFP EHR Readiness Assessment Tool
Summary of Meaningful Use Objectives for Eligible Professionals
What Do Federal EHR Incentives and Meaningful Use Mean to You?
EHR Vendor Selection and Contracting
Vendor Selection Tools (Chart)
Available HIT Tools and Resources (Links)
Health Information Technology in Primary Care: A Bibliography

Note: If links are not clickable, please copy and paste the URL into your browser.

Discussing Chronic Joint Pain With Your Patients

The importance of effective communication between patient and health care provider is a key area of interest as we seek to optimize the impact of our care in a resource-constrained environment. Several peer-reviewed studies specifically have focused on this subject as it relates to dialogue in the primary care setting regarding joint replacement as a treatment option for chronic joint pain.

Seeing the opportunity to address an unmet need within the family medicine community, the IAFP's corporate sponsor, Biomet, has developed resources to enable our members to have a more mutually productive discussion with their patients about chronic joint pain and available treatment options. And, by addressing chronic joint pain, you may be able to address these patients’ co-morbid conditions, leading to better overall outcome and quality of life. 

Joint Pain Treatment Options for Total Joint Replacement
PCP Guide to Joint Replacement Surgery