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AAFP's Family Medicine Advocacy Summit underway

Day two of the AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Summit — a chance for hundreds of family practitioners to learn about the legislative process, and make lawmakers aware of their concerns regarding patient care, according to the Academy’s website — is taking place as of this writing in Washington, D.C.

“[This] annual event [is] where our members can learn about the current federal legislation and issues most important to their patients’ care and meet with their members of Congress and Senate to discuss those issues,” John Meigs, MD, president, AAFP, told Healio Family Medicine. “It’s a chance for doctors to explain the impact that federal health policy has on their patients and their practices. Face-to-face meetings like these are a truly valuable part of building an understanding of the impact of policy on their constituents.”

John Meigs

He discussed the issues, also known as “asks,” that members will discuss with legislative leaders.

“We want to ensure people can buy affordable, meaningful health insurance that covers the care they need to maintain good health and prevent complications from the chronic conditions,” Meigs said.

Summit participants will also learn about the need for a budget that adequately funds federal programs such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Primary Care Training and Enhancement program under Title VII of the Public Health Services Act, he said.

“[The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality] is extremely important in identifying the safest, most efficient ways to provide care to patients, while the Title VII program is fundamental to supporting medical school family medicine departments’ research and other work,” Meigs explained.

The need to reauthorize and adequately fund the teaching health center graduate medical education program will also be discussed, he said.

Monday, the first day of the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit, was spent educating members on these issues so they would be better prepared to address members of Congress and congressional staff members, according to the Academy’s website.

A blog on AAFP’s website states that last year’s summit had an impact, with Congress passing legislation and HHS releasing a new rule that included the Academy’s ‘asks’ that would support increased funding for prescription drug monitoring programs, naloxone availability in first responder and nonmedical settings, and expanding the number of patients who could receive treatment for addiction in primary care settings.

According to the Academy’s website, those not in Washington, D.C., who want others to understand family medicine’s contribution to improving patients’ lives can take part in the National Day of Action that is running concurrently to the summit by visiting https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/57102-stay-well-soon and sharing the information there on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

“The goal is to reach at least 1 million people on social media and let them know that family physicians can help them not only get healthy, but stay healthy,” AAFP’s website states. “It’s important for patients, payers and policymakers to know that we care for everyone — regardless of age and gender — and we treat the whole patient, not just a disease or a single organ system. Family medicine is about counseling, prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of chronic conditions. We’re not just here for coughs and colds.”

ACP is planning a day of advocacy for tomorrow, May 24. – by Janel Miller

References:
AAFP Events Page: Family Medicine Advocacy Summit 
AAFP Guest Editorial: Congress Needs the Expertise of Family Physicians
AAFP Leader Voices Blog: Spread the Word: Family Medicine Is the Solution

Disclosure: Meigs is president of AAFP.