Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) and Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians (MAOFP) invite family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students to downtown Lansing on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, to advocate for family medicine. The start of the new legislative cycle is a vital time to educate legislators about the quality, cost-effective care family physicians provide, as well as discuss policy and legislative issues impacting the delivery of, and access to, primary care.

Registration is now open. There is no cost for MAFP and MAOFP members to attend but advanced registration is required. Please invite your colleagues to join you. The greater the number of advocates that participate in Advocacy Day, the louder the family medicine voice!

Register here

MAOFP is seeking applications or nominations for our prestigious awards.

These awards seek to recognize individual(s) exemplifying outstanding dedication to the profession by contribution to the advancement of osteopathic family practice in the state of Michigan.

Click here to learn more and apply or nominate a deserving individual. Nominations for MSUCOM Student of the Year are due by February 1. All others are due March 1. 

MAOFP and MAFP submitted a joint letter to the editor in response Medscape article, "The NP Will See You Now: Clinic Staffed by Nurses Provides Primary Care," asserting that the authors do not reflect the viewpoint and voice of our organizations or family doctors. The letter states that the physician authors did not sufficiently describe the training and educational differences between nurse practitioners and physicians, and that when our two professions collaborate in patient care, the safest and most effective treatment is provided.

Read the Letter

January 21, 2023

Shanty Creek Resort

Medical students and residents are invited to submit original research or case study poster applications for MAOFP's 2023 Scientific Poster Competition. The deadline to apply is December 4, 2022.

Learn More

The Bureau of Professional Licensing has determined that physicians may delegate limited prescribing authority to pharmacists to allow them to prescribe self-administered, hormonal contraceptives. This is permissible under Michigan law, subject to certain conditions and requirements outlined in this Interpretive Statement. If a physician and pharmacist(s) choose to enter into a delegation agreement to allow the pharmacist(s) to prescribe self-administered, hormonal contraceptives, they may wish to review and consider this Sample Delegation Agreement for Pharmacist-Prescribed Self-Administered, Hormonal Contraceptives.

If you have questions about this topic you may wish to review the documents linked below, or you can email them to BPLhelp@michigan.gov.
 
Links to documents:

1. Delegation Agreement Template

2. Interpretive Statement

3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are you an ACOFP member that plans to attend the 2023 ACOFP Annual Convention in Orlando? Influence the practice of family medicine at the national level by serving as a Michigan delegate for the ACOFP Congress of Delegates. Delegates will vote on resolutions submitted by ACOFP and state societies and elect new officers to serve on the Board of Governors. Send an email director@maofp.org by January 6 to volunteer.

Delegate Schedule:

Saturday, March 4, 2023 - VIRTUAL

12:00 - 3:45 PM EST – Reference Committees

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 - LIVE in Orlando

12:00- 2:00 PM EST – Credentialing

3:00 - 7:00 PM CST – Congress

All delegates who serve will receive complimentary MAOFP conference registration to either the 2023 Summer Conference or the 2024 Winter Conference.

We invite you to give back to the growth of the osteopathic family medicine profession by contributing to MAOFP's MSUCOM student scholarship.  The scholarship is awarded each year to a third or fourth year student enrolled in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine who is planning a career in family medicine.

Donate online or by mail. Use the allocation code AS000108. to direct your gift to the MAOFP Endowed Scholarship.

Mail your contribution:

MSUCOM

Attn: Tricia Bradford

965 Fee Hall Road, Room A310

East Lansing, MI  48824

MAOFP is seeking volunteers for the Board of Directors. This is an opportunity to positively impact family medicine in Michigan and build relationships. As an association, we are looking for diversity in thought, perspective and experience. The role of every board member is to approve the organizational direction, ensure necessary resources are available to members and provide oversight of the organization. Applications are due by April 4.

Learn more and apply

MAOFP is requesting nominations for our prestigious awards:

• Family Physician of the Year
• Lawrence Abramson Distinguished Service Award
• Osteopathic Family Medicine Resident of the Year
• MSUCOM Student Physician of the Year

These awards seek to recognize individual(s) exemplifying outstanding dedication to the profession by contribution to the advancement of osteopathic family practice in the state of Michigan.

Learn more and nominate a deserving individual using the links below. Nominations for MSUCOM Student of the Year are due by February 1. All others are due March 1.

Submit a nomination today

Legislation was recently introduced in the Michigan Senate that, if passed, would grant full autonomy to nurse practitioners (NP) in the state. Among the provisions of Senate Bill 680 are allowing NPs, without undergoing additional training or education, to care for patients absent of physician supervision or collaboration, and to prescribe opioids and other controlled substances.

Data shows that team-based, physician-led care results in better quality outcomes, higher patient and physician satisfaction, and more cost-effective care. This is especially true when comparing collaborative care with the type of independent practice sought by allied health professionals such as nurse practitioners. Paramount is that the interests of patients are best served when their care is provided by a physician or through an integrated practice supervised directly by a physician, as the education and training of physicians and allied health professionals is not interchangeable. Through their expansive training, which consists of and average of 21,700 training and clinical hours, physicians bring a broader and deeper expertise to the diagnosis and treatment of health problems. Comparatively, nurse practitioners are required to have approximately 5,350 training and clinical hours.

To amplify our work on scope of practice issues to protect the safety of patients and the practice of family medicine, MAOFP has joined MiACCT (Michigan for Advancing Collaborative Care Teams), a collaboration of more than 20 healthcare organizations in the state committed to growing, strengthening, and preserving physician-led, team-based care.

Make sure your Senator knows Nurse Practitioners should be part of the care team, not independent from it and to vote NO on Senate Bill 680.

Take Action

Visit the MiACCT Website