Family Practice Management Journal Celebrates 10 Years of Publication

LEAWOOD, Kan. – Family Practice Management, a journal dedicated to helping family physicians practice better in the ever-changing health-care environment, celebrates its 10th anniversary in October with the publication of its 100th issue. To commemorate the occasion, the October 2003 Family Practice Management will feature a special collection of “classics” spanning the journal’s 10-year history.

“From managed care and Medicare to computerization and procedure coding, the evolving world of medicine is filled with regulations, pressures and boundaries that demand an increasing amount of attention from today’s physicians,” said Family Practice Management Editor-in-Chief, Robert L. Edsall. “Family Practice Management gives readers tools and advice they need to dismantle barriers and provide the best patient care possible.”

Included among the classics featured in the October issue are articles addressing such archetypal topics as the virtues of solo practice, implementing Medicare documentation guidelines, delivering cost-effective care, optimizing coding, balancing personal and professional responsibilities, and rediscovering the joy of family practice.

“The articles included among the ‘classics’ were chosen because they address important issues facing today’s family physicians,” said Edsall. “Each and every one has a practical application for readers looking to make the best of change.”

Since its introduction in October 1993 amid the Clinton health care reform effort, Family Practice Management has met a growing demand from physicians for practice management advice and for the tools to build better practices and improve patient care. During the past decade, the journal has helped physicians successfully navigate the changing landscape of healthcare, keeping readers abreast of emerging issues, including the implications of managed care, Medicare, Medicaid and HIPAA, as well as practice integration, disintegration and computerization.

Published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), Family Practice Management has a circulation of 104,000 family physicians and general practitioners. As a testament to its success right out of the gate, the journal received the Award for General Excellence from the Society for National Association Publishers in its inaugural year.

A departure from the many medical journals that hit physicians’ desks, Family Practice Management focuses on the practical – offering pragmatic advice based on the experience and expertise of family physicians and practice management consultants that can be readily applied. Family Practice Management covers all areas of practice except the strictly clinical, which is the purview of its sister journal, American Family Physician, also published by the AAFP.