Family medicine
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Capacity for conducting family medicine research has grown significantly since the specialty was founded. Many calls to increase this capacity have been published, but there has been no consistent, systematic, and longitudinal assessment. This survey was designed to gather baseline data with an easily replicable set of measures associated with research productivity that can guide and monitor the impact of efforts to build research capacity in US departments of family medicine (DFMs). ⋯ US DFMs have made great strides over the past half century in building research capacity. However, much more capacity in family medicine and primary care research is needed to produce new knowledge necessary to improve the health and health care of the nation. Periodic measurement using the simple, replicable, and valid minimum measures of this study provides an opportunity to establish longitudinal tracking of change in research capacity in US DFMs.
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Fewer than 10% of US medical school graduates enter family medicine residencies each year. Little is known about the perceptions and attitudes of senior medical students as they make final decisions about specialty choice, especially those that support a decision to pursue family medicine. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) administered a national survey to US seniors in 2015 to explore these factors. ⋯ National programs, FMIGs, mentorship, and medical school support of family medicine play a role in student selection of family medicine.
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Fee for service (FFS), the dominant payment model for primary care in the United States, compensates physicians based on volume. There are many initiatives exploring alternative payment models that prioritize value over volume. The Family Medicine for America's Health (FMAHealth) Payment Team has developed a comprehensive primary care payment (CPCP) model to support the move from activity- and volume-based payment to performance-based payment for value. ⋯ The calculator and CPCP methodology offer a potential roadmap for transitioning from volume to value and details how to calculate such an adjustable comprehensive payment. This has impact and interest for all levels of the health care system and is intended for use by practices of all types as well as health systems, employers, and payers.
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Achieving health equity requires an evaluation of social, economic, environmental, and other factors that impede optimal health for all. Family medicine has long valued an ecological perspective of health, partnering with families and communities. However, both the quantity and degree of continued health disparities requires that family medicine intentionally work toward improvement in health equity. ⋯ The HETT has formed a close partnership with the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP's) Center for Diversity and Health Equity (CDHE), collaborating on numerous efforts to increase awareness of health equity. The team has also focused on engaging leadership in all eight US national family medicine organizations to participate in its activities and to ensure that health equity remains a top priority in its leadership. Looking ahead, family medicine will be required to continuously engage with government and nongovernment agencies, academic centers, and the private sector to create partnerships to systematically tackle health inequities.