The Development and Goals of the AAFP Center for Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care
In this article we describe the creation and role of the Center for Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care established by the American Academy of Family Physicians in Washington, DC, this year. We recount the events leading to the decision to implement the Center, list its guiding assumptions, and explain its initial structure and function. We also identify the 3 themes that will guide the early work of the Center: sustaining the functional domain of family practice and primary care; investing in key infrastructures; and securing universal health coverage.
Support self-initiated investigations. These investigations are intended to inform health policy and result in peer-reviewed publication. An early investigation will focus on updating the distribution of problems and services in the health care system, stratified by level of care. Others will examine the concerns of patients and clinicians about family practice and primary care. The Center intends to always have at least one investigation underway that studies disadvantaged populations.
Seek reality check points. The ideas of health care policy can lose touch with the reality of clinical practice, and clinical practice is at risk of failing to define relevant health policy. The physician members of the Center work on a limited basis as family physicians while working at the Center. All members of the Center will use the available opportunities to learn from practicing internists, pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health professionals, and others engaged in daily service to patients at the level of primary care.
Conclusions
The Center for Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care is now a reality. It is dedicated to improving the health of individuals and populations through enhanced primary care, and it aspires to achieve this goal by informing health policy with evidence from family practice and primary care. Expectations for an immediate large impact are unrealistic. However, this new Center can gradually become a credible and enduring piece of the Washington landscape. It aspires to be identified with those who put patients first and who advocate relentlessly for improved family practice and primary care for all.
