Season's Greetings : AAFP Leader Voices

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Monday Dec 24, 2012

Season's Greetings

AAFP President Jeff Cain, M.D., delivers a holiday greeting, reflections on 2012 and a few thoughts about the new year in this video blog.

Jeff Cain, M.D., is the President of the AAFP.

Posted at 05:15PM Dec 24, 2012 by Jeffrey Cain, M.D. | Comments[3]

Comments:

Dance more next year - and promote healing! There is a time to mourn and a time to dance, Ecclesiastes 3 We must learn from the past, but we must put the past behind us. Embrace healing and a better future for you, your family, your patients, your community, and your nation. Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance - Mr. Miyagi quote Despite his condition, Native healer Santiago got up and demonstrated the proper steps. "You must be able to dance if you are to heal people," he admonished the young family doctor. "I can teach you my steps, but you will have to hear your own music." http://www.artkitchen.com/F4T/f4t_Hammerschlag.html

Posted by Robert C. Bowman, M.D. on December 31, 2012 at 12:26 PM CST #

Scrooge here. Seriously, I don't know a single family physician, employed or private practice, who considers 2012 as anything other than another very bad year for our specialty. On the national level: the RUC told us to drop dead; CMS ignored the payment recommendations made in Dr. Goertz's August letter; and JAMA published a study showing shockingly high levels of burnout in primary care doctors. On the local level: three great family doctors in our suburban community, all in their late forties, are either closing or leaving their practices (two to work in urgent care and one in insurance review). All cited low pay and crushing administrative burdens (specifically EMR, MU and PCMH) as their reasons for doing so. I'm your heart is in the right place, but messages like this only serve to give the impression of an AAFP that is in a bubble, completely out of touch with the realities of it's members' professional lives. We're all adults: if we don't acknowledge how bad things are, we have no chance of saving our specialty.

Posted by D Claude on January 15, 2013 at 08:30 PM CST #

(In case anyone from the AAFP is reading what we post here, which seems very unlikely. Most of us feel like we're speaking into a void) Dr. Cain: If you don't do so already, I would suggest that you read the posts on KevinMD.com, particularly the threads titled "Mourning the death of my medical practice" (very poignant), "The RUC survives and now our health system is worse off," and "Primary care doctors may no longer be needed." This will give you an accurate view of what primary care doctors, our peers, med students, and patients think about the present situation and future of our specialty. It is tragic. These are not whiners and complainers, these are our best and brightest, and they are incredibly demoralized and discouraged. You may begin to understand why messages from the AAFP of how 2012 was another great year for us ring so hollow. Please AAFP leadership, get your heads out of the sand!

Posted by D Claude on February 19, 2013 at 07:54 PM CST #

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