I do think that there is a place for mid level providers to work in conjunction with physicians to provide superior healthcare. The preceptors I've worked with have next to no say in who they see, what hours they work, how long appointment slots are, etc. The Future of Precision Medicine. I don't want family practice to be mid-level run (at least independent NP run, PAs your education is superior currently). Some people will do a 1 year fellowship in sports medicine, geriatrics, palliative care, or additional training in obstetrics. When I needed a PCP I didn't want to see someone in our system, so I found the one independent FM doc in the area that took my crappy insurance. Press J to jump to the feed. The reason being that the current model for CMS reimbursement (MIPS) really benefits primary care specialties, since it offers a bunch of performance incentives for meeting criteria related to value-based care. These are the types of things I'm wondering. As far as I can tell, it is a win-win to have them. As far as job outlook: “In spring 2018, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicted that the physician shortage could range from 42,600 to 121,300 physicians by 2030.”, The rest of the report can be found here: https://www.merritthawkins.com/news-and-insights/blog/healthcare-news-and-trends/the-future-of-family-medicine/. “I was shocked at the offers I received,” recalls Samantha. Hi all! They envision that more people and organizations will recognize and embrace the value of primary care--and its providers. It sucks seeing all the hate around here when some/a lot of us completely recognize and respect the authority and expertise of physicians and just want to do what we can to make the system work smoothly for the patients and the docs. The NP will certainly be able to document and discover everything, but typically the doctor would be the one to put it all together and recognize when a collection of findings is concerning or not. The future of Family medicine is unknown, but what I know that family physicians can't be replaced by a Nurse practitioners. The FM section in particular has a compensation discussion basically on a weekly basis. Medscape 2018 reports family medicine average salary to be $219,000 nationwide—a very big change over just around five years. I have some concerns. Media Contact. 2. Nurse practitioners can apply guidelines … My decision to leave clinical medicine was complex. Some family physicians like doing those minor procedures you mentioned. The efforts of every family physician and family medicine ally are necessary to meet the ambitious goal of America Needs More Family Doctors: 25x2030. None of this has ANYTHING to do with intelligence, of course -- it is all a matter of experience. What this does mean is that on average, the complexity of the patients that the doctors see has gone up. But fundamentally, I realized over time that practicing medicine was not what I had envisioned when I started medical school a … We know that the future of Family Medicine lies in the students who train with us. We do well and at our current level of operation/efficiency we could not be afforded by the hospitals and businesses in the area that have tried to buy up small practices in our area for many, many years. Nurse practitioners can apply guidelines and protocols, but patients want more than this. As a current med student that wants to go into Family Med, would you consider your situation to be the exception or do you think that just the negative voices are louder? I make great money and have one of the cushiest schedules out of anybody I know. Primary care PA here. Before hiring our NPs, we would see 30+ patients each per day. That one patient with the very rare disease you saw in the ER at 3 in the morning 15 years ago? Anecdotally, for graduating family medicine residents whom I have trained, the job offers look even better than most reports. Medicine may be a science, but even scientists will gaze into a crystal ball. The nursing board has guidelines regarding what they can and can not prescribe, and they are very aware of this. I'm of the opinion that it is, but this is obviously biased by my position as s medical student saddled with huge amount of debt. Average income increased 17% from 2015 to 2017 according to a Merritt Hawkins survey. 2004;2:S3–S32. Removal of sutures, wound care, ear syringing, government forms, etc). I would hope residency could be reformatted to help with the debt and money aspect. A team approach includes naturopathic doctors who can help treat a variety of health issues. It seems that value-based care is the future of medicine; and CMS has already issued a new roadmap for providers to accelerate the adoption of value based care and reward pcps for "reducing the effects and incidence of chronic disease and for helping patients improve their health". I would be willing to bet family medicine continues to be a safe bet. As it stands FP physicians serve as the gatekeepers for a ton of the referrals in medicine and decide where a lot of health funding is going to go. It's time for another update on Family Medicine for America's Health: Future of Family Medicine 2.0. Wondering if it's wise to pursue this field for residency? It is hard to explain the paperwork burden to someone. The goal of the project was to develop a strategy to transform and renew the discipline of family medicine to meet the needs of patients in a chang-ing health care environment. That's fair. That's fair but with independent practice is that not already the first step towards replacement? Family medicine is changing with the times. Just because someone can practice in FP doesn't mean they are anymore likely than the physicians who choose to go into specialty. Now that number is closer to 20. Or is it really more augmentation of the existing workforce? Most of SDN is cancer, but the professional sections (like FM) are full of practicing docs. Hours have likely plateaued. Either the education is worthwhile or it is not. Unless they really change their training, I cannot see this changing for the most part. I concede that probably noone finds filling out disability paperwork stimulating. To improve quality of care, practitioners are embracing a model called patient-centered medical home (PCMH).In the past, patients might have relied entirely upon their doctor's knowledge and education -- the physician's decisions were pretty much made solo and he or she provided all treatment. We will do our best to teach them in both inpatient and outpatient settings and will model the best of the specialty. They are vital to our practice, and treated like equals, but they certainly know when to ask for help. National Conference brings together many of the most promising medical students and residents, who all share a passion for family medicine and a common goal—becoming the best physician possible. Enhance your residency experience with the latest medical news, expert advice, and tools to help you prepare for a career in family medicine. [Article revised on 25 April 2020.] Moreover, when looking back over the past 20 years to 1996 (coincidentally, when I was in the match), while the absolute number of trainees entering family medicine has increased (from 2840 to 3105), the percentage of all trainees matching to family medicine has dropped from 15.8% in … These predictions famously missed their mark — though not for want of trying. An important part of the Academy's efforts to shape the future of family medicine is a project focused on encouraging more of the most promising medical students to choose careers in family medicine. As far as job outlook: “In spring 2018, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicted that the physician shortage could range from 42,600 to 121,300 physicians by 2030.”. However. We have two nurse practitioners, and if we continue to grow at our current rate, may need a third within 2 years. MS4. And having all the tasks passed down to you that are unattractive, don't pay well or don't pay at all (ie. The resident seemed happier than many of my other rotations, the work was interesting, and I could see myself doing it. They hope that health insurance companies and other payers will align their payments and reimbursements to family medicine physicians and other primary care providers … If you talk to them, they are actually perplexed at the idea of practicing alone. Everyday brings something new. Welcome to /r/MedicalSchool: An international community for medical students. Vermont beats the national average by 4.9%, and New York furthers that trend with another $29,863 (14.4%) above the $208,024. I've done some reading about this question however I haven't been satisfied with what I've found so far. Most of the patients that they see are more acute than the ones the doctors see -- URIs, UTIs, BP or DM checks etc. Will FP salaries go down closer to the level of mid level or will FP be relegated to seeing only the more complicated cases? I know with potential ACA changes the future is in flux. Zeeshan Ahmed, director of the new Ahmed Lab at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research Date. I think mid-levels have a place and can help with case load, but there should always be an actual doctor supervising and around to handle the more complex stuff. That being said, the ANA and others are unwisely pushing for this and they are loud and funded. The demand for family medicine doctors is extremely high right now, and they are very large income generators for consolidated healthcare systems. There's a LOT more to think about than just availability of jobs and salary. That’s why naturopathic medicine is a great option for those who want to have a direct impact on the health of others. One preceptor was just told that she needs to increase her patient panel (to generate more income), and that her hours were going to increase to achieve that. Mainly asking about the availability of jobs and the salary. We have fantastic NPs in my office. Please, don't take what I said as an insult to your intelligence. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The Family and Community Medicine Residency (Reading, Pa.) at Penn State Health St. Joseph strives to provide excellent education in training family physicians to provide comprehensive, compassionate, coordinated and continuous high-quality, patient-centered care to the community served by the program, regardless of background or resources. (Family physicians were the most requested specialty among all of those tracked, for the 13 th year in a row.) It's soul crushing at times. Quite possibly one of the highest in demand if you’re willing to live in certain areas that are in high demand for docs. The fact that NP's can practice independently is BS, very special cases such as practicing out in the sticks should be taken on a case by case basis and have significant enough evidence to prove this. Close. TL;DR NPs are a fantastic asset, but unless training is longer/more intense, they will always need a supervising doctor. Would appreciate any insight. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.merritthawkins.com/news-and-insights/blog/healthcare-news-and-trends/the-future-of-family-medicine/, https://www.aafp.org/practice-management/payment/medicare-payment/mips.html. I have quite a bit of autonomy. She was really candid about how much she had hated being employed, and what she needed to do now to maintain a viable independent practice (long hours, some boutique stuff, being smart about advertising, etc). ... help Reddit App Reddit coins Reddit premium Reddit gifts. 81. The Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) is dedicated to improving patient care, education, and research in primary care and general internal medicine. Future of Family Medicine Project Leadership Committee. NPs are a wonderful asset to the office. A better question is to ask about the practice models that will be available to you and what that will mean for your day-to-day life. More time to reddit is the big picture and end goal. (besides just saying quit or go to med school). No one can predict the future, but family medicine physicians and leaders have high hopes for their specialty over the next several years. First time posting on this Reddit. Average income increased 17% from 2015 to 2017 according to a Merritt Hawkins survey. Posted by. Compensation is going to keep going up. The future of Family medicine is unknown, but what I know that family physicians can't be replaced by a Nurse practitioners. In the future will this lead replacement of FP with mid levels? The future of Family Medicine. I do not see NPs taking over for Family doctors. By Jennifer Larson, contributor. Out of curiosity, why do you have just NPs and no PAs? Become a preceptor. For context I'm a 3rd year who recently finished and enjoyed my family rotation. What are these common and/or preventable mistakes you are noticing? Unusual constellation of findings suggesting malignancy or autoimmunity? My dad is one of them. And personally, I find these more challenging patients more rewarding, as we try to manage most things on our own, including HIV, addiction, Hepatitis C, and so on. Although we pay well, they still allow us to make a profit. The Nurse Practitioners, however, know their limits. "Physician Extenders" will be more of a part of it, but that means more time for you to reddit. 2004;2(suppl 1):S3–32. Any insight will be appreciated. The lowest average physician salaries among the most-requested searches were paid to family medicine physicians, with an average salary of $239,000, down just slightly from the previous year. I don't actually think patients want more. I think the long-term outlook is actually quite good compared to other medical specialties. family medicine organizations initiated the Future of Family Medicine (FFM) project in 2002. They know when something is too complex and ask us questions at least hourly regarding management, which we absolutely encourage. Is a great option for those who want to collaborate and work together, not encroach seeing both, there... Is hard to explain the paperwork burden to someone medicine organizations initiated future! 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