FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 22, 2019
Statement attributable to:
John Cullen, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
"The American Academy of Family Physicians was pleased Russell Kohl, MD, vice-speaker of the AAFP Board of Directors, represented the AAFP, our members and the specialty of family medicine during today’s CMS Innovation Center discussion on primary care."
"For more than 20 years, the AAFP and our primary care colleagues have worked to create a delivery system that encourages innovation in primary care delivery and that rewards comprehensive, continuous, patient-centered care rather than simply episodes of care. Throughout this time, the AAFP has provided family medicine’s perspective and input. That effort is ongoing, and we’ll continue to work with CMS and CMMI to build a stronger foundation of primary medical care that is patient-centered and focused on value and outcomes.
"For decades, research has demonstrated the relationship between primary care and improved outcomes, better overall health and longer life expectancy. Recent research has shown how little investment Medicare makes in primary care. Today marks an important step toward recognizing the importance of primary care by developing payment models that value primary care.
"We applaud the introduction of new primary care delivery and payment models, and we look forward to working with CMS and CMMI on testing these new models as we continue our pursuit of a health care system built on a strong foundation of primary care."
Editor's Note: To arrange an interview with Dr. Cullen, contact Leslie Champlin, (800) 274-2237, Ext. 6252, or lchampli@aafp.org.
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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 128,300 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit aafp.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, familydoctor.org.