Archives
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Become an ambassador of family medicine
By Kaparaboyna Ashok Kumar, M.D., F.R.C.S.
TAFP President, 2009-2010Last fall as I watched Roland Goertz, M.D., carry out his successful campaign to become AAFP’s new president-elect aided by our physician leadership and supported by our members, I was struck by something he frequently told audiences. In the midst of the concern and confusion surrounding the health care reform debate taking place on Capitol Hill, Dr. Goertz would look out at the crowd with hope and congratulate everyone for having the chance to live in interesting times. What a great perspective.
We have every reason to be optimistic about the future of family medicine. Demand for the comprehensive, attentive care we offer our patients remains strong and the recognition among policymakers of our value in the health care system has never been greater. At the state level, TAFP has become a trusted and respected resource for lawmakers as they craft legislation, and at the national level, senators and congressional representatives seek the wisdom of family physicians in their deliberations. These are indeed heady days for our organization and our specialty.
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Sowing the seeds of a better health care system
By Tom Banning
TAFP Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice PresidentNow that Democrats have lost their 60-vote supermajority in the Senate after suffering defeat in the Massachusetts special election to fill the vacant seat left by the death of Ted Kennedy, the fate of federal health system reform hangs by a thread. Will Democrats scale back the legislation and look for compromise, or is it back to square one? Whatever happens, one thing is certain: the problems plaguing the American health care system aren’t going away on their own, and they’ll likely get worse before they get better.
For a fresh take on the concept of health system reform as it’s been considered for the past year or so, read the most recent contribution by prominent physician and author Dr. Atul Gawande in the December issue of the New Yorker magazine. It draws historical parallels with early-20th-century federal efforts to reform America’s labor-intensive, fragmented, and unproductive agricultural economy.
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The true meaning of family medicine
By Tricia C. Elliott, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Program Director, Baylor College of Medicine Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Family Medicine Residency ProgramI am a family physician. In fact, I absolutely love being a family physician!
In my 10 years of practice, 10 years of academic medicine, years as an associate residency director and now program director, my background in inner-city, underserved medicine advocating for patients’ health and social justice, and my involvement with the Academy on the local, state and the national level, what is it really all about?
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2009 Year in Review
By Kate McCann
From the first day of 2009, TAFP has worked diligently to promote family medicine. Beginning in January, advocacy and communications staff hit the ground running for the legislative session, education kicked off a year of high-quality CME programs, and membership sought new partnerships and resources to serve you better. Read on for a synopsis of the year’s work.
Advocacy
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