Wrapping Up An Eventful Year. The Health is Primary campaign is wrapping up its first full year of activities focused on raising awareness of the value of primary care in delivering on the Triple Aim of better care and better quality at a lower cost. During the past year, the campaign has featured extraordinary stories of primary care innovation and transformation in five cities: Seattle, Raleigh, Chicago, Denver and Detroit. We have collected dozens of local stories showcasing the rapidly changing world of primary care and we are always looking for more stories that show measurable results improving health, quality and cost. Please email us here if you have a story to share.
In addition to hosting five city tour events, we have held nationally-focused panel discussions featuring well-known experts on a number of important topics in primary care including:
Advancing consumer health technology at the Consumer Electronics Show
Delivering team-based care on Capitol Hill
Demonstrating future opportunities in primary care for students and residents at AAFP’s National Conference for Students and Residents
Showcasing the importance of an integrated medical neighborhood at the National Press Club in Washington, DC
The campaign also issued patient-focused tear sheets on four key issues: fitness and nutrition, chronic disease management (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease), immunizations and smoking cessation and will continue holding quarterly events around important health issues next year.
National advertising and public service announcements are in full swing around the country with Health is Primary ads appearing on billboards and local radio and in malls, grocery stores and national magazines such as Real Simple, Latino and Prevention. Look for ads next year in movie theaters and on in-flight TV.
Engagement Team Organizes Primary Care Summit. The Engagement Team is collaborating with the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) on a summit that will include primary care physicians from a number of primary care professions, NPs, PAs, behavioral and public health providers, pharmacists and others. In order to prepare for the summit, the team is asking members of the eight family medicine organizations to describe what they believe counts as patient centered care, as physicians and/or as patients themselves. The team will initially be reaching out to the individual members of the family medicine organizations who have volunteered to participate in the work of the Engagement Team. If you are interested in participating, you can do so here and sign up to work with the Engagement Team, or any of the other tactic teams that are implementing the strategic objectives of FMAHealth.
Core Team Updates Held at STFM Conference. FMAHealth had a track of sessions specific to the work of the six Core Teams at STFM’s 2015 Conference on Practice Improvement this month. The topics presented were (please click here for access to the presentations):
Practice: FMAHealth Practice Core Team Update: Considering the Past, Assessing the Present, Preparing for Tomorrow
Payment: Getting to Comprehensive Payment for Family Medicine Service
Research: The FMAHealth Research Core Team: Advancing Family Medicine Research to Accomplish the Triple Aim
Technology: Primary Care Technology in a Value-Based World: FMAHealth Needs your Help to Look Ahead
Workforce: Partnering to Develop the Family Medicine Workforce We Need
Engagement: Engaging Patients Outside the Exam Room: Clinical, Education, Advocacy, Research, Policy
Happy Holidays from FMAHealth. 2016 promises to be a busy year as we continue to educate and engage advocates to advance primary care innovation and transformation in America. To stay up to date on the campaign, please sign up at HealthisPrimary.org and follow us @healthisprimary on Twitter. To receive monthly updates on FMAHealth and Health is Primary sign up at FMAHealth.org.
Happy holidays and thank you for working so hard to #makehealthprimary!
