BY LESLIE CHAMPLIN
The
more things change, the more they stay the same, and the October Family
Practice Management certainly demonstrates the truth of that saying.
Why? Because October marks the journal's 10th anniversary and 100th issue, and to celebrate, FPM has reprinted classic articles from the past decade.
The special issue isn't a trip down memory lane so much as a reminder that today's issues -- adequate reimbursement, government paperwork, managed care requirements, emerging technology -- are yesterday's challenges in "new and improved" versions.
"Every one of the articles we have included is as useful to family physicians today as it was when it first appeared," said FPM Editor-in-Chief Robert Edsall. "These are classics, not just because they were important or influential or popular when they were published, but because their value endures."
The issue also will include a ready-made practice resource: several pages of FPM's most popular coding tools.
Introduced during the Clinton health care reform effort, FPM has met a growing demand from physicians for advice and tools to build better practices and improve patient care. During the past decade, the journal has helped physicians successfully navigate the changing landscape of health care, keeping readers abreast of issues related to managed care, Medicare, Medicaid and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as practice integration, disintegration and computerization.
Today, 104,000 family physicians, other physicians and nonphysician health professionals read FPM. In its inaugural year, the journal received the Award for General Excellence from the Society of National Association Publications.
In a departure from the many medical journals that hit physicians' desks, FPM presents pragmatic advice based on the experience of family physicians and practice management consultants. FPM covers all areas of practice except the strictly clinical, which is the purview of American Family Physician.
To reach writer Leslie Champlin, e-mail lchampli@aafp.org.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2003 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.