TransforMed Announces National Demonstration Project Practices

Grab a virtual front row seat at the National Press Club in Washington and join the Academy in its first live video webcast April 3, when TransforMED, a division of the AAFP, announces the 36 practices that have been chosen to participate in a national demonstration project.

During the live webcast, AAFP leaders will lay out their vision and action plan for transforming the way primary care is delivered in the United States. Viewers will learn more about the demonstration project and why the information gleaned from participants may have long-lasting implications for family physicians and their patients.

Beginning March 31, members will be able to access information about the webcast and the start time -- 9:30 a.m. EDT -- via the TransforMED logo that will be posted on the right-hand side of the AAFP home page.

Panelists for the event, which will be moderated by AAFP EVP Douglas Henley, M.D., are AAFP President Larry Fields, M.D., of Ashland, Ky.; TransforMED President and CEO Terry McGeeney, M.D., M.B.A.; AAFP Past President James Martin, M.D., of San Antonio, board chair of TransforMED and former chair of the AAFP Future of Family Medicine Project Leadership Committee; and Theresa Shupe, M.D., of Haymarket, Va., speaking on behalf of all of the practices selected for the project. Representatives from CMS and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also will serve on the panel.

According to McGeeney, TransforMED's mission is to lead, empower and assist family medicine practices as they transition to a patient-centered model of care that offers every patient a medical home within a family physician's practice. The TransforMED model of care -- defined by the 2004 Future of Family Medicine Project -- includes such elements as office redesign, access to care, quality and safety, sustainable reimbursement, and advanced information systems.

The demonstration project will provide valuable insights into the snags and successes real practices encounter as they implement the elements of the TransforMED model of care during a two-year period of time, said McGeeney.

"The national demonstration project will be both a real-time learning lab and a proof-of-concept endeavor," said McGeeney. "Over time, based on what is learned from the national demonstration project practices, TransforMED will develop products and services to assist all Academy members who are interested in transitioning to the TransforMED model of care. We'll be learning from highly motivated practices how to operate a patient-centered business model that benefits both physicians and their patients," he said.