AAFP’s Progress
I just read this article from the exiting AAFP President, Michael Munger MD, on his year-end report. They do it every year at around the same time as the big yearly convention (AAFP FMX). I was there in New Orleans for it but I didn’t go to the event. I just crashed it to have a DPC Alliance party. Anyway, feel free to see how much “progress” was done by the AAFP over the past year by reading his article yourself but here is my take what was accomplished:
- Payment (higher pay for FP)- ummm, not so much
- Practice Transformation (reducing administrative burden) – ummm, not so much
- Workforce (getting students to go into FP) – ummm, not so much
- Clinical Expertise (stopping attempts to intrude on the patient-physician relationship) – ummm, not so much
So, in conclusion, I am not sure what the AAFP did.
Direct Primary Care, by the way, accomplishes:
- Better pay
- Much, much less administrative burden
- Gets medical students excited about family medicine
- Improves the patient-physician relationship 1000 fold
Lastly, how about that MOC issue? Where was the AAFP in stopping this charade? That’s right, they make a ton of money off it. Crickets.
I’ll guess I just have to wait until next year’s puppet puts out his “progress” report so I can see more of the same. Until then I will tell you once more that I believe DPC is the ONLY hope for the future of family medicine.
Get our FREE action packed newsletter by signing up here. We don’t give your email out and we don’t spam you.)
“Practice Transformation (reducing administrative burden)”
PLEASE be more accurate in your use of meaningless catch phrases and insurer-generated talking points.
Practice Transformation is translated as “increasing administrative burden.”
Every year, I think that it is impossible for the AAFP to elect a president who is more clueless, more brain-dead, more brown-nosing than the previous one.
Every year I am proved wrong.
Well they “kind of” addressed MOC:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/903212?nlid=125547_426&src=WNL_mdplsfeat_181016_mscpedit_fmed&uac=37590PN&spon=34&impID=1770938&faf=1
They are offering an option where instead of taking the exam you can do open book online assessments. You still have to pay your yearly blood money, er, dues but there’s no extra charge for the assessment. I think this is a positive since the exam is one-size-fits-all and expensive, and the online assessments will be much more convenient.
A little OT but…
I just got my AAFP bill: $450 to AAFP plus $395 to my state chapter. They then try to add a “voluntary” contribution of $50 to the AAFP foundation. As professional society dues go, this is not too bad until one considers the do nothing outcomes described in Dr. Doug’s post, as well as the many AAFP actions which are actually contrary to the member’s interest. Color me dissident, but I can’t fund this stuff any longer.