Council of Associates: Call for Nominations
If you are active in your local chapter, get involved nationally by joining the ACP Council of Associates (COA). The COA is responsible for planning programs for the annual meeting for residents and fellows-in-training, as well as providing an Associate member perspective on current issues impacting the field of internal medicine.
More information including time requirements for the Council and application procedures can be found on the COA Web site.
ACP offers recommendations for U.S. health care system based on review of other countries
ACP offers suggestions to reform the U.S. health care in “Achieving a High Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the USA Can Learn from Other Countries,” a new evidence-based paper published in the December issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The paper was developed by ACP's Health and Public Policy Committee and approved by the Board of Regents in October 2007. The paper reflects comments received on an earlier draft from members of the Board of Governors, Board of Regents, ACP Councils, and selected expert advisors.
The paper outlines the ills plaguing the American health care system and proposes evidence-based recommendations addressing each of them, based on findings of a review of 12 industrialized countries. The paper concludes that the current U.S. health care system—which involves multiple payers without guaranteed coverage (pluralistic model) results in the U.S. lagging behind other countries on access, quality and efficiency of care. The paper proposes two different pathways to achieve universal coverage: a pluralistic system with universal coverage or a single payer system. Rather then endorsing either pathway, ACP calls on the public and policymakers to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. For instance, the paper reports that single payer systems perform well on most measures of quality, satisfaction, access, and administrative costs, but are more likely to result in shortages of services subject to price controls and waiting lists for elective procedures. Pluralistic models with universal coverage do better on giving individuals the freedom to purchase additional services, but less well on measures of equity (access without regard to ability to pay) and administrative costs.
To improve the quality of care, ACP recommends building incentives into the system for both patients and physicians, redirecting federal health care policy toward supporting a patient-centered medical home model of care, and developing a national workforce policy to ensure an adequate supply of physicians. To improve administrative cost and burden, ACP recommends creating a uniform billing system for all services, supporting HIT infrastructure with federal funds, and encouraging public and private investment in medical research.
For links to the paper and other related resources, visit the ACP Web site.
Register Now for Internal Medicine 2008
ACP’s annual meeting, Internal Medicine 2008 will be held in Washington, DC from May 15-17, 2008. Internal Medicine 2008 is the premier scientific meeting for internal medicine and features over 260 scientific sessions. Scientific sessions geared toward residents and subspecialty fellows-in-training include: Medicine Crossfire: Hot Topics in Medicine for Residents, Preparing for the ABIM Examination, Teaching Residents and Fellows to Teach, and The Art of Presentation.
Details about the meeting, including information on registration, housing and travel arrangements can be found online.
Department of Education Reaffirms No Change in Economic Hardship Deferment
The Department of Education recently confirmed that the debt-to-income ratio (20/220) qualifying pathway for economic hardship will not be changed as a result of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. The economic hardship deferment allows medical residents to postpone payment of their student loans for up to 3 years, during which time no interest accrues on the subsidized portion of their loan. Most medical residents qualify for economic hardship under the debt-to-income ratio criteria. While the College Cost Reduction and Access Act eliminated the debt-to-income ratio in statute, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has used her authority to continue this qualifying pathway. However, medical school financial aid professionals have reported that some lenders are not aware of this continuation and are rejecting qualified applicants. Please be aware that educational loan servicers and lenders currently should be offering – and should never have stopped accepting – applications for the economic hardship deferment from medical residents that qualify under the debt-to-income ratio.
The College previously expressed concern about the elimination of the 20/220 pathway in a letter
to Congress and recently endorsed legislation that would make the 20/220 Pathway for Economic Hardship Deferment Permanent and expand the current economic hardship qualifications for medical residents. The official endorsement letter is found online.
Nominate Outstanding Residents for an ACP Award
The Awards Committee of the American College of Physicians invites your assistance in recognizing the accomplishments of distinguished individuals in medicine. The ACP award of special relevance to residents and fellows is the Joseph E. Johnson Leadership Award.
The Johnson Award recognizes an Associate member of the College—an internal medicine resident or fellow-in-training—who has demonstrated qualities that exemplify the College’s mission “to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine” and who has outstanding achievements in any of a variety of areas: leadership, medical practice, research, teaching, publication, advocacy, and/or volunteerism. Nominees must be ACP Associates as of June 30, 2008.
Complete nominations for the Joseph E. Johnson Award should include a full CV with bibliography and a total of three (or more) detailed letters of support. The deadline is April 1, 2008. Materials may be submitted by E-mail, mail, or fax. For detailed instructions for preparing nominations and further information, consult the ACP Awards and Masterships Booklet. You may request a pdf to be E-mailed to you, or request a print copy to be mailed to you. Contact Meghann Williams, Coordinator, ACP Awards-Convocation and Diversity, at mewilliams@acponline.org, 800-523-1546, ext. 2714.
Associate Leadership Network (ALN)
Know a resident with an interest in leadership, medical education, or health policy? Encourage them to sign-up for the ALN. The ALN is a group of Associates who are devoted to policy issues that shape internal medicine education as well as resident and subspecialty training. ALN members receive quarterly newsletters with information on legislative actions, upcoming ACP meetings and College products and services. Newsletters are concise, timely and catered to the needs of the busy schedule of residents and subspecialty fellows.
To join the ALN please send an e-mail indicating your interest to the Council of Associates
Get DRUG SMART
The Council of Associates developed the DRUG SMART card to help residents understand the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. If you are interested in receiving multiple copies of the DRUG SMART card, please e-mail your request to ACP Membership Development.
Educational Resources Available for Chief Residents
The Medical Education and Publishing Division of ACP features three recent educational products that are especially valuable to chiefs, residents, and students. These products include: MKSAPŠ 14, MKSAP for Students 3 and Internal Medicine Essentials for Clerkship Students.
For Residents:
- MKSAP 14 is particularly useful to those residents who are studying for the ABIM certification exam in internal medicine. In addition to a comprehensive syllabus, MKSAP 14 provides 1200 self-assessment questions that are in the same format used for ABIM questions. These questions are developed by expert writing committees that use the same rigorous question-development process employed by the ABIM. MKSAP 14 has also been recognized as the highest quality, most readable, and most attractive edition of MKSAP ever published.
- Associate Members of ACP who subscribe to MKSAP 14 will also receive a free copy of Board Basics™. Board Basics provides a readable and condensed summary of key medical content that is particularly relevant to topics that are likely to be covered in the ABIM certification exam.
For Students:
- MKSAP for Students 3 is a collaborative project between ACP and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM). 400 self-assessment questions for students, with detailed critiques make this book an outstanding teaching tool as well as a self-assessment resource.
- Internal Medicine Essentials for Clerkship Students is a relatively short textbook that covers the major clinical problems that all medical students should be familiar with. This textbook was designed to complement students’ clinical experiences by providing a readable overview of internal medicine at an appropriate level for the student. As a concise resource for students, Internal Medicine Essentials can be read in its entirety during the internal medicine clinical clerkship, thus helping students prepare for an examination at the end of the clerkship. Internal Medicine Essentials for Clerkship Students was also developed in collaboration with the CDIM, and all chapters were written by clerkship directors.
To order any of these ACP products, please visit the ACP Store.
Make Your Voice Heard on Capitol Hill
Key Contacts are asked to communicate with their members of Congress regarding issues of importance to internists and their patients and report the results back to ACP. As key issues approach the decision-making stage on Capitol Hill, the College e-mails or faxes legislative alerts to Key Contacts. Legislative alerts include all of the necessary information (including sample messages that can be easily personalized) to send informative communications to members of Congress.
There are currently 487 Associate members of the College who serve as Key Contacts. A breakdown of the number of Associate Key Contacts by state is available online..
ACP members are not required to have existing relationships with their members of Congress before becoming a Key Contact. Please help ACP with its efforts on Capitol Hill and encourage your residents to enroll as Key Contacts today.
- ACP Leadership Day: May 13-14, 2008
- Internal Medicine 2008: May 15-17, 2008
For a complete list of upcoming dates at ACP, visit the online College calendar.
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Benefits of ACP Membership
Associate Member Benefits: ACP offers Associate membership for internal medicine residents and subspecialty fellows-in-training.
Join ACP: Take advantage of members-only benefits by becoming an Associate member of ACP today.
New SEP Points Option with MKSAP 14!
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MKSAP 14 subscribers now have a new option for earning SEP points in the ABIM Maintenance of Certification program.
Annals Audio Summary Podcasts
Hear a summary of current Annals articles and quick interviews with authors in an easy-listening format.