I need some help here from you Brains out there

[Guest guest]

well I hate it when I am manic.

i wrote tthree articles in the last 24 hrs and have contacted FPM to see if

they want 2 of them

One is about " stewing for two years before realizing help is out there "

LGM quote 12-20-06 e mail non published....

I did it as evolution of a doc from all the many jobs and experiences I

have had and then reading the Going Solo article and how to find

the idealmicropractice/ practiceimprovemnt curricula etc.

I have also written up a draft about how I have done group visits since

i do not do them by disease but by the stratification of the

neediest per HYH, and I included cost analysis. i am not sure it has been

written up before as 1.group visits other than by diseases and 2 . by an

INP who has to set up / run the group/ do the private visit part / make

up the curriculum /buy and serve the refreshments/ and bill.

It is too soon yet to write about outcomes but hey a sequelis always good

rememebr Gordon's sequel with that catchy title " Going s solo one year

later " ?

Also ,I am goign to t he regional primary care reseacrh group conferencce

the dartmouth COOOP mtg -in februrary- and while I am not sure what Deb

has planned for me since she offered to pay for my hotel it must

be SOMETHING!

So for all this stuff as i have been writing and preparing don't worry I

will actually get to the point sometime soon--

as i give hx of how idealmicroptracie emerged and as i talk about

response to Crossing the QC IOM report, i want to be able to talk about

responding to the report's benchmarks . These are vitrually the same as the

headers in 's list serv except gordon added Vitality

.. Vitality is nice becasue it gives a V into too many E s--- becasue where

i am heading here is

I NEED A MNEMONIC !!

I want to be able to say responded to " mnemonic " . See I can get the

mnemonic VERY STEEP out of it IF I throw in an R for say reliabilty? but

I need a Y.

Pleas e help me get a mnemonic guys .

This is NOT TRIVIAL I know ,Brady ,I make you laugh but just help me out

here will ya-- It makes it easy to explain to people what we are doing .I

can say In resposne to VERY STEEP the ideal micropractice project was

born

THANKS!!

polls

i have looked at both of those polls. they are related to aafp, and

one's involvement, and what are the respondent's pressing issues.

i don't know anything about surveymonkey; if that is a tool we can use,

that's great.

i am suggesting a survey relating to low overhead and the various

specific features by which one can practice and maintain financial

viability.

LL

Shirley PigottMD wrote:

Thanks, Gordon!

In addition to joing the AAFP private sector advocacy listserv, all of

you are welcome to take a couple of surveys on surveymonkey. Thanks to

Kathy Saradarian for introducing FPs to this useful tool. Anyone can

create a survey like I've done below at no cost.

Some of the questions can't be answered w/o an AAFP ID, but if you're

ped or IM, your input using your AAP or ACP ID is just as valuable.

Over the last 2 years, about 100 AAFP members passed solo/small group

resolutions in our state academies, then sent them on to our national

organization where they have become policy. We have scratched our heads

as to how we might get solo and small group pedi's and internists more

involved in their organizations, so Gordon might be giving us just the

trigger we have been looking for.

If there is sufficient interest in nudging ACP and/or AFP toward more

direct solo/small group advocacy, and traffic on that subject becomes a

distraction here, I will happily create another listserv for primary

care solo/small group advocacy to include pediatricians, internists, and

family physicians. Each of our three organizations are promoting the

concept of a medical home for all Americans, even those under the care

of subspecialists. We all have seen our patients poorly served because

no one is directing their total care.

How neat it would be if there were enough interest that we would need

our own solo/small group advocacy listserv! Thanks again, Gordon! What

a terrific movement you have started, for more reasons than have been

obvious before now! Maybe there really is hope for private primary care

practices to survive and flourish.

The link to the first survey is:

http://www.

<http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/77069064/Surveys/409083067994/AD16C18

1-9CF5-499A-AD0B-7E860A05712B.asp?U=409083067994 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK>

surveymonkey.com/Users/77069

064/Surveys/409083067994/AD16C181-9CF5-499A-AD0B-7E860A05712B.asp?U=4090

83067994 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK

The second one is at

http://www.

<http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/77069064/Surveys/598943077371/3F7F095

9-EE1F-428B-9F11-F887F3B27A8C.asp?U=598943077371 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK>

surveymonkey.com/Users/77069064/Surveys/598943077371/3F7F0959-EE1F-428B-

9F11-F887F3B27A8C.asp?U=598943077371 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK

You're supposed to answer the first survey before doing the second. The

second one requires you to do some work on your state academy website.

While these questions were written for FPs, they can be used by pedi's

and internists as well. Some state organizations don't have their own

separate sites, but are linked to their national organizations. The

answers you can give in those cases are just as appropriate for the

purposes of the survey.

The results of the first survey (called 'untitled survey') up through

Dec 31, 2006, follow below; it will stay open indefinitely, so please

don't hesitate to take it because results have already been posted.

Each survey should be taken only once. The second requires FPs to be

signed up on the AAFP private sector advocacy listserv; if AAP and ACP

do not have equivalent forums for discussion, now is the perfect time to

get them started. Until that time, however, please answer the questions

as best as you can.

Be sure to copy the links!! Then paste into your address bar.

Results of Survey on involvement in AAFP state academies and the

effectiveness of individual state academy websites as of December 31,

2006.

48% of respondents to the survey say they have been to a state academy

scientific meeting.

48% of respondents to the survey don't report ever attending a state

academy business meeting in any capacity.

46% of those who say they have attended a business meeting have done

so as observers.

Regarding state academy websites:

12.5% who responded to the question say they have never visited their

state academy website.

50% of all those surveyed report visiting their state academy website

frequently.

33% of those who have visited their state academy website even once

visit it frequently.

Regarding contact information for your state organization:

10.5% of those who responded to the question say contact information

for their state academy is NOT easily accessible.

Regarding the next state organization meeting:

20% of those who answered the question say they cannot easily find

out when and where their next state academy meeting is.

Regarding contacting officers:

19% of those who responded to the question say they cannot easily find

out how to contact an officer from the website.

Regarding state academy working committees/commissions:

44% of those who responded to the question say they cannot easily find a

list of state academy committees or commissions.

Regarding the kinds of practices our docs have currently:

4% who answered the question say they are not currently practicing as

a physician.

8% who answered the question say they are employed in the public

sector.

4% who answered the question say they are in a practice with 4-10

physicians.

4% who answered the question say they are in a practice with over 10

physicians.

79% who answered the question say they are in solo practice.

Regarding the biggest problem we have of 6 possible choices:

Of the physicians who answered the question , ___ % say their biggest

problem is:

12.5% They are wondering how they will ever pay back student loans.

25% They barely earn enough to make ends meet.

12.5% They need for tort reform.

38% There are too many hassles with insurance companies.

4% They are too busy to keep up with medicine.

8% They are burned out.

Is it worthwhile trying to change medicine?

Of those who answered this question, 88% think medicine isn't so far

gone that it's useless to try to change it.

Hopefully, these results will spur those of us in solo and small group

primary care to become more involved in our state organizations as a

means to change the direction medicine is headed. Most of us think

there is still hope.

Cheers and Happy New Year! Thanks again, Gordon.

Shirley P

Texas

Hi folks

Some of the folks on the list are part of other groups working on

improving health care. They sometimes take different paths but appear

to me to be headed to the same goals. Insofar as there is common

interest, it behooves us to collaborate and support these other

initiatives.

Shirley Pigott and others are taking the path of Family Medicine

advocacy. This approach may appeal to others on the list, and adding

your voice to theirs may help us all.

If you are an AAFP member and want to add your voice, go to AAFP

homepage ( www.aafp.org <http://www.aafp.org/> ): Policy and Advocacy

-> Private Sector Advocacy -> Subscribe to 'email discussion list'.

They need their AAFP ID number, but that's on American Family Physician

or any other mail they receive. The traffic is very light, but if you

are worried about volume, you can use the 'bulletin-board' function and

get mail no more than once per day.

Everyone: just be sensitive to non family docs on the list. This is not

intended to be a family med club, but a group working on solutions to

the ubiquitous problems facing health care in the U.S. We have a lot in

common with the ACP Medical Home movement.

Gordon

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