TAFP takes advocacy to a new level with Academy in Action

To build on the innovation and popularity of the Capitol Report news Webcast, which brought news from the 80th Legislative Session straight to TAFP members and other audiences, TAFP now unveils a new advocacy tool, Academy in Action.

Academy in Action takes advocacy to the national level, raising the specialty’s image in Washington, D.C. among federal lawmakers and making the concerns of family medicine heard around the country. TAFP’s Director of Communication Jonathan Nelson reports for six states: Texas, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Georgia.

The first Webcast in the series, Medicare, brings lawmakers and Texas family physicians in front of the camera to discuss cuts to physician reimbursement scheduled to take place in 2008 and 2009, future implications for the program, and what action TAFP members need to take to make their voices heard.

“We need to go to the policymakers and say, ‘Look, we’ve got a problem. We can’t continue to survive in certain areas if we don’t have appropriate reimbursement.’ But as physicians, we can’t forget that we’re there for our patients first and we’ve got to take care of them,” says Antonio Falcon, M.D., a family physician in Rio Grande City.

“There are decisions made every day within the halls of Congress where I sit, decisions that are going to affect the lives of your patients, affect your professional life, and they are made by people who have not got a clue what you do every day for a living,” says U.S. Rep. Mike Burgess, M.D., R-Lewisville.

To view the Medicare video, go to the Advocacy section of www.tafp.org. Keep an eye out for additional advocacy videos on workforce, medical homes, and the importance of grassroots advocacy and involvement in AAFP and state chapters. To access the Capitol Report archive and catch up on what you may have missed during the legislative session, go to the Capitol Report and Capitol Update archive on the News page of www.tafp.org.

AAFP has several resources to help you get involved in advocating for Medicare reform, including a two-year reimbursement increase. Go to AAFP’s Speak Out to see how you can get involved from the grassroots.

Watch the video, Academy in Action: A Crisis in Medicare.

Watch the video, Academy in Action: Will There Be Enough Family Physicians?