Members rise to the occasion at town hall meeting on Future of Family Medicine

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Members rise to the occasion at town hall meeting on Future of Family Medicine

The discussion about the future of the specialty just kept on rolling after the town hall meeting. Steven Bruner, M.D., of Lawrence, Kan., left, drove home a point to AAFP Director Rick Kellerman, M.D., of Wichita, Kan.

BY SHERI PORTER

The most striking moment of the Oct. 2 Future of Family Medicine town hall meeting came at the close of the one-hour session. The room didn't empty.

Dozens of physicians -- passionate about the future of their specialty -- gathered in groups of two, three or more to continue the discussion with AAFP leaders and physician colleagues.

Here's how the meeting began: (then) President James Martin, M.D., of San Antonio; (then) Board Chair Warren Jones, M.D., of Ridgeland, Miss.; (then) President-elect Michael Fleming, M.D., of Shreveport, La.; and EVP Douglas Henley, M.D., took to the stage to relay results of two years' worth of research on the future of the specialty.

According to the research presented by the four AAFP leaders, five challenges that need to be met are:

generating an understanding of family medicine,
maximizing individual family physicians' unique interests and perspectives within the broader context of the specialty,
winning respect in academic circles,
making family medicine an attractive career, and
addressing America's obsession with science and technology.

Martin pointed out that FPs interact at all levels. "Who else touches every aspect of the health care system but us?" he said. "We're known as the 'warm fuzzy' physicians."

But, Martin continued, while that is a positive image, it needs to be broader. "We also have to have a research agenda," said Martin, and "we're going to show the world we're advocates of quality and safety."

Reimbursement issues loom large as well. "If we can't change the way family docs are paid, this (project) is not going to work," he said.

To take the FFM project from the think tank to an action plan "is going to take energy and leadership from about 94,500 people," said Martin.

When it was time for audience feedback, members -- from Montana to Colorado to South Carolina -- rose to offer views including these:

"An alternative strategy that would generate $100 million of publicity would be for FPs to go on strike for a week."
"We have to protect our professionalism."
"This organization needs to have a complete divorce from the insurance industry -- we need a single-payer system."
"Encouraging patients that they need a medical home is critical."
"We don't achieve the outcomes we should with the money we spend. We should partner with somebody who does have money -- the pharmaceutical companies."
"I'm dying out here -- I'm on the verge of ditching Medicare and Medicaid. I want to get excited (about FFM), but we need a level playing field."
"Family practice could be the most proactive wellness system on the planet."
"We have to attack this at the grassroots (patient) level."

An hour after the "official" town hall meeting concluded, physicians finally filtered into the hallway, still engrossed in conversation.

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