FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 5, 2020
“The American Academy of Family Physicians applauds the passage of the coronavirus supplemental funding package. We are encouraged that this funding supports critical public health response efforts, but it remains imperative that resources flow to family physicians and other on-the-ground health care providers.
“We are also pleased to see that Congress has taken important steps that facilitate flexibility in the use of telehealth services, enabling family physicians to continue to care for their patients should self-isolation become necessary.
“Family physicians are on the front lines of the nation’s response to this outbreak and will play a central role in caring for those impacted and controlling its further spread. Ensuring family physicians are provided timely information will be critical to support efforts to contain it. We therefore urge Congress and the relevant agencies to communicate with the health care workforce to ensure consistency and coordination.”
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Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents 134,600 physicians and medical students nationwide, and it is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Family physicians conduct approximately one in five of the total medical office visits in the United States per year – more than any other specialty. Family physicians provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and cost-effective care dedicated to improving the health of patients, families and communities. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing and personal patient-physician relationship where the family physician serves as the hub of each patient’s integrated care team. More Americans depend on family physicians than on any other medical specialty.
To learn more about the AAFP and family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. Follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.