Future of family medicine: Multimillion-dollar makeover

A pilot program will transform the face of primary care.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Dec. 12, 2005.

Early next year, 20 family practices will be picked to help shape the future of primary care.

They will be part of a national demonstration project to test a new model of care for family medicine -- a model that is patient-centered, evidence-based and relies on an electronic health records system.

The application process for interested practices is expected to begin this month, and the 20 practices likely will be selected in February 2006. The project should be up and running by June or July of next year.

"Family medicine is at a critical junction in its evolution," said Terry McGeeney, MD, CEO of for-profit TransforMED, a subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians that provides consultation and support to physicians who want to transform their practices to the new model of care.

Family medicine leaders say their specialty must transform to survive.

The AAFP sees this initiative as so important that it is investing $8 million from its reserves to help family practices nationwide embrace the new model detailed in the Future of Family Medicine report released last year. The demonstration project is one of the key initiatives that family medicine groups are launching in hopes of renewing a specialty that some leaders say might not survive unless it changes. The number of graduating U.S. medical students choosing family medicine declined about 50% from 1997 to 2003, with many graduates selecting specialties that offered more money.

Recognizing that family medicine had to evolve, seven national family medicine organizations, including the AAFP and Assn. of Departments of Family Medicine, in 2002 launched the Future of Family Medicine project. Research firms conducted a national study, and, along with focus groups, helped identify what patients wanted from family physicians. Task forces explored issues such as medical education, practice development and health system changes.