Future of Family Medicine 2.0 Gathering Information, Insights

Last fall, the Family Medicine Working Party launched an initiative to define the role of the 21st century family physician and ensure that our specialty can deliver the workforce to perform this role. Here is the latest update on the progress of this important project.

Family Medicine for America’s Health: Future of Family Medicine 2.0

Organizational Update No. 6

February 2014

We are entering the final months of the Family Medicine for America’s Health: Future of Family Medicine 2.0 initiative. As a reminder, the purpose of this effort is to develop a multi-year strategic plan and communications program to address the role of family medicine in the changing health care landscape. To read earlier monthly updates from FFM 2.0, please visit the project web page.

In February, the FFM 2.0 Steering Committee and Core Teams held a retreat that included approximately 60 members of the family medicine community and 40 external stakeholders, including payers, patient advocates, employers and providers outside of family medicine. The purpose was to seek a range of perspectives as we narrow in on the strategic commitments of family medicine for the next five to seven years. Although there is still much work to do, our Steering Committee came away energized by two realizations. First, although retreat participants did not always agree on tactics, they are very much in agreement about the need for change to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs in this country. Second, because of the alignment around this purpose, the time is right to explore how family medicine can collaborate with others in the health care ecosystem to bring about the changes in primary care we all seek.

In addition to the stakeholder retreat, we hosted our first of three virtual town hall meetings to hear from practicing family physicians and family medicine educators, and to inform them about the work done to date. More than 225 individuals joined this town hall meeting. The wide-ranging conversation touched on issues related to practice, education and payment for primary care. An archived version of this first town hall meeting is available online(transformed.adobeconnect.com).

There will be two additional virtual town hall meetings: 8 p.m. EST on March 5 and 8 p.m. EST on March 26. You can register for the March 5 event by clicking here(www3.gotomeeting.com). 

Following is an update on the progress and status of the FFM 2.0 project:

Strategic Plan

CFAR, the consulting firm leading the strategic planning process, is now in the process of analyzing the output of the strategy retreat and working with members of the Core Team on a set of recommended strategic commitments. CFAR also will continue to work with the members of the Insight Groups to test the rationale for these strategic commitments and their corresponding tactics. The Insight Groups include medical students, residents and young leaders in family medicine who are in the early years of practice. The Steering Committee then will review the recommended strategic commitments in April.

Communications Plan

APCO Worldwide, which is leading the communications planning, has completed the quantitative research elements of the project. (Please see update No. 5 from January for more information on the results of the opinion survey). APCO has developed broad concepts that define the external understanding of family medicine. These concepts focus on defining family medicine within the context of primary care and demonstrating the overall value of a system based on comprehensive primary care. APCO will test its concepts in a series of focus groups. Once themes and messages are defined, APCO will develop a comprehensive communications plan aimed at reaching two key audiences: consumers and policymakers/influencers.

Seeking Your Input

Your feedback is critical to this process. We welcome and encourage your comments and questions and have a dedicated email address for input. Since our first report on this initiative, we have received hundreds of comments to this address -- all have been very valuable to the Steering Committee and Core Team.

Please continue sharing your thoughts at futurefm@aafp.org.

Jeff Cain, M.D., is Board Chair of the AAFP.