Academy Calls For Federal Funding Increases for Key Programs

The AAFP has asked Congress to increase funding levels in the 2008 fiscal year budget for three key health-related programs that are an essential part of enhancing access to care, decreasing costs and improving the overall quality of health care.

AAFP President Rick Kellerman, M.D., of Wichita, Kan., in written testimony (PDF file: 4 pages / 44 KB. More about PDFs.) to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education urged Congress to increase funding for health professions training programs and rural health programs. He also asked Congress to increase funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ.

"Our mission has been to preserve and promote the science and art of family medicine and to ensure high-quality, cost-effective health care for patients of all ages," Kellerman said in testimony submitted to the appropriations subcommittee. "We believe that federal spending policy can help to transform health care to achieve optimal health for everyone."

In his fiscal year 2008 budget, President Bush essentially called for the elimination of the health professions training programs authorized under Title VII of the Public Health Services Act. The AAFP, however, is urging Congress to reject that request and provide at least $300 million in funding for Title VII, including $92 million for Section 747, the Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Cluster, in 2008 to "restore this vital program to its fiscal year 2003 level."

Section 747 provides competitive grants for family medicine training programs in medical schools and in residency programs, providing benefits that extend "far beyond medical schools that receive them," said Kellerman.

"Federal support of Title VII, Section 747 for primary care training is critical to increase the number of family physicians whose specialty emphasizes a broad range of skills in caring for the whole patient regardless of age, gender or medical condition," Kellerman explained. "Primary care provided by family physicians looks to a patient's total health needs and is strongly oriented toward preventing illness and injury."

Kellerman pointed out that primary care is "ideally suited to managing chronic disease." Yet nearly one in five Americans lacks access to primary medical care for regular and ongoing care, said Kellerman.

"Americans with a 'medical home' to provide primary care for such basic needs as treating ear infections, controlling high blood pressure or managing diabetes have better health outcomes at a lower cost of care," he said. "Without adequate numbers and distribution of primary care physicians, we cannot provide the quality of preventive care designed to avoid costlier services in hospital emergency departments."

Kellerman told the subcommittee that "family physicians provide the majority of care for America's underserved and rural populations," and recent studies underscore a "need for additional physicians in rural areas," making funding for rural programs a vital part of providing adequate health care services to America's rural citizens.

Kellerman also called attention to the important work of AHRQ, saying the agency's research informs decision-making and improves clinical care. He asked the subcommittee to approve a $350 million budget for AHRQ in the 2008 budget, an increase of $31 million above current funding levels.

"The initial work by AHRQ to facilitate the adoption of health information technology is important to improve patient safety by reducing medical errors and to avoid costly duplication of services," said Kellerman. "AAFP recognizes that health information technology, used effectively, can transform health care."

It is vital, Kellerman said, for AHRQ to have the necessary resources to promote standards for portability and interoperability and to, thus, ensure the availability of health data and the privacy of that data.