Action Plan for Chapters: Avert the Collapse of Primary Care & the Role of the Advanced Medical Home

Bob Doherty, ACP’s senior vice-president for Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, provided an overview of how ACP chapters and governors can support the College’s agenda on primary care and the advanced medical home. Mr. Doherty said that the College is trying to get the message out that primary care medicine is collapsing due in part to the dysfunctional Medicare payment polices. He said that ACP’s “advanced medical home” initiative represents a new way of organizing, delivering and financing primary care - correcting many of the factors behind the collapse. He highlighted some of the points made in ACP position papers and recent congressional testimonies by Drs. C. Anderson Hedberg, ACP president, and Vineet Arora, chair of the Council of Associates, on the collapse of primary care, such as, the decrease in the number of residents and medical students planning to practice general internal medicine. Mr. Doherty clarified the key principles of the “advanced medical home” and identified action steps for chapter to get the message out. For example, enlist medical students and associates to explain why they see no future in primary care, have a student tell why they don’t plan to choose internal medicine or primary care medicine or have an established physician talk about what it used to be like to practice internal medicine.

View the PowerPoint Presentation.