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Obtaining Hospital Privileges: A Guide for Procedural Family Physicians

JOHN CULLEN, MD

FPM. 2026;33(1):9-13.

Author disclosure: no relevant financial relationships.

This content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Family physicians can overcome privileging obstacles by adopting the 10 strategies outlined here.

Dr. Cullen has been practicing full-scope family medicine in Valdez, Alaska, for the past 30 years. He is a past president of the AAFP.

Send comments to fpmedit@aafp.org, or add your comments to the article online.

Author disclosure: no relevant financial relationships.

  1. 1.County of Tuolumne; Eric Runte, Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Sonora Community Hospital; Donovan Teel; Hillside Obstetrics and Gynecology; Medical Group, Inc.; Louis Erich; Sonora Medical Group, Inc., Defendants-appellees, 236 F.3d 1148 (9th Cir. 2001). https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/236/1148/510988/
  2. 2.Walter G, Topmiller M, Jetty A, Jabbarpour Y. Family physicians providing obstetric care in maternity care deserts. Am Fam Physician. 2022;106(4):377-378.
  3. 3.Graduate medical education. ACOG. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://www.acog.org/advocacy/policy-priorities/graduate-medical-education
  4. 4.Deutchman M, Macaluso F, Bray E, et al. The impact of family physicians in rural maternity care. Birth. 2022;49(2):220-232.
  5. 5.Hung P, Kozhimannil K, Henning-Smith C, Casey M. Closure of hospital obstetric services disproportionately affects less-populated rural counties. University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center policy brief. April 14, 2017. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://rhrc.umn.edu/publication/closure-of-hospital-ob-services/
  6. 6.Ramalingam N, Coury J, Barnes C, et al. Provision of colonoscopy in rural settings: a qualitative assessment of provider context, barriers, facilitators, and capacity. J Rural Health. 2024;40(2):272-281.
  7. 7.Leblond L, Mukau L, Gerard WA. Why family physicians are still needed in the emergency department. Fam Pract Manag. 2025;32(6):7-10.
  8. 8.AAFP-ACOG Joint Statement on Cooperative Practice and Hospital Privileges. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/aafp-acog-joint-statement
  9. 9.ACOG. Levels of maternal care. Obstetric care consensus No. 9. Obstet Gynecol. 2019;134(2):e41-55.
  10. 10.Cesarean delivery in family medicine (position paper). AAFP. July 2021. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/cesarean-delivery-family-medicine.html
  11. 11.Pregnancy, perinatal, and newborn care by family physicians. AAFP. October 2023. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/maternal-child-care.html
  12. 12.Colonoscopy (position paper). AAFP. July 2020. Accessed Dec. 5, 2025. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/colonoscopy-position-paper.html
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2026 Medicare Payment and CPT Coding Update: Progress for Primary Care but Long-Term Fix Needed
Jan / Feb 2026
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Using RN Co-Visits to Improve Access and Completion Rates for Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

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