The AAFP Fact Sheet

Download the fact sheet (2-page Word file; About Downloading)

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is the medical specialty society representing more than 93,000 family physicians and medical students around the nation – the only specialty devoted solely to primary care.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care, one thing remains constant: family physicians are specially trained to treat the whole person, at all stages of life. These residency-trained, primary care specialists treat babies with ear infections, adolescents who are obese, adults with depression and seniors with multiple, chronic illnesses. And because of their focus on prevention, primary care and overall care coordination, they are able to treat illnesses early and, when necessary, help patients find the right sub-specialists, and advocate for them in an overwhelmingly complex health care system.

After medical school, family physicians complete a three-year residency program that includes training in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, psychiatry and neurology, surgery and community medicine. As members of the AAFP, family physicians are required to complete 150 credits of continuing medical education every three years to ensure they remain educated in the most up-to-date medical technologies, research and techniques.

Family physicians treat one out of every four patients in the United States. In fact, more than 215 million office visits are made to family physicians each year. This is 59 million more than any other medical specialty.

Primary care and family medicine produces better health outcomes at a lower cost. Yet, America is not training a sufficient number of family physicians to meet the needs of a growing and aging population. Because of the shortage of primary care physicians, 43 percent of U.S. counties are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas.

Family physicians also are the main source of primary health care for the Medicare population. Sixty percent of people aged 65 and older identify a family doctor as their usual source of care. In addition, rural and Hispanic seniors are more likely to identify a family physician as their primary health care provider.

Nearly one half of the physicians who staff the nation’s Community Health Centers are family physicians.

As advocates for our patients and serving on the frontlines of care, the AAFP is engaged in virtually all health care issues, including health care for all; Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); the medical home, including chronic care coordination; health information technology; funding for family medicine training; graduate medical education; primary care research; and health issues such as genetics; obesity prevention; bioterrorism preparedness; ethnic and regional disparities in health care; the affordability, availability and safety of prescription drugs; patient safety; and medical liability reform.

The AAFP has always been at the forefront in improving the health care system. For example, the Academy is helping physicians redesign their practices to provide better quality care, incorporating electronic health records to facilitate evidenced-based medicine, and other improvements. In 2004, the AAFP created the Center for Health Information Technology, based in Washington, D.C. The Center’s mission is to assist AAFP members in assessing and implementing effective H.I.T. and to help the AAFP develop appropriate policy for enhancing information technology in family medicine practices. For additional information, see the Center’s website: http://www.centerforhit.org/.

The Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care in Washington, D.C. (http://www.graham-center.org) is the Academy’s think tank devoted solely to bringing a family medicine and primary care perspective to policy deliberations. The Graham Center has generated dozens of one-pagers and articles that encompass issues ranging from family physician training to patient safety to universal health care.

Often the most effective way to promote change is through political expression. FamMedPAC is the federal Political Action Committee affiliated with the Academy that supports candidates for federal office who champion policies that promote primary care and help us better meet the needs of our patients.

Under the direction of Rosemarie Sweeney, Vice President for Public Policy and Practice Support, the Government Relations Division’s contacts for legislative matters are:

Kevin Burke (Director)
Teresa Baker (Gov’t Relations Representative)
Jerome Connolly (Sr. Gov’t. Relations Representative)
Mark Cribben (FamMedPAC Director)
Diana Ewert (Sr. Manager of State Gov’t Relations)
Erica Fischer (Grassroots Advocacy Specialist) `
Susan Hildebrandt (Assistant Director)
Greg Martin (State Gov’t Relations Analyst)

Download the fact sheet (2-page Word file; About Downloading)