TAFP’s leadership programs

A new class of the Family Medicine Leadership Experience began their program on Thursday. Across two days, the 2026 class of family physicians from across Texas learned about personality types, leading effective teams, negotiating, and more. These 10 physicians will graduate from the program after two more in-person sessions later this year, joining the approximately 150 FMLE alumni as family physicians ready for leadership roles. Interested in FMLE? The application process for the next class will launch in the fall of 2027. 

Additionally, the current class of the Resident Leadership Experience graduated on Saturday after a year of dedication and mentorship. The program is similar to FMLE, with curriculum focused on interpersonal skills, advocacy, communications and media training, and more. This year’s class of 20 family medicine residents have met monthly over the past year, both in person and virtually. Thank you to this year’s mentors for providing such valuable assistance to participants – Fozia Ali, MD; Jonnae Atkinson, MD; Kathy Nguyen, MD; Laura Nietfeld, MD; and Mary Shipman, DO. Interested in RLE? You can apply now at tafp.org/academy/rle. Applications are due June 1.

Official TAFP business

TAFP’s councils and committees met Friday and Saturday to conduct official Academy business. The Member Assembly with Council Forums featured recent work of each of the three councils as well as a TAFP update from President Ike Okwuwa, MD, MBA. Attendees then heard a presentation on the Child Psychiatry Access Network and the Perinatal Psychiatry Access Network from Nithya, Mani, MD, from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. And lastly, TAFP member Tina Philip, DO, gave a presentation on downcoding. For more on downcoding, check out Philip’s recent AAFP blog and episode of AAFP’s Inside Family Medicine podcast.  

Thank you to all the members who joined us and participated. To get involved in Academy business, complete TAFP’s engagement form at any time or apply for a council position. 

Mark your calendars for TAFP’s remaining CME opportunities this year, including an opportunity to earn CME from TAFP at the Texas Medical Association’s annual meeting.

Primary Care Update at TexMed | April 16 | Corpus Christi

Texas Family Medicine Symposium | June 5 – 7 | San Antonio

Annual Session and Primary Care Summit | November 6 – 8 | The Woodlands

The new requirement stems from passage of Senate Bill 912 in the 2025 legislative session by Sen. César Blanco, (D-El Paso), making Texas one of a growing number of states mandating the use of CE Broker as the exclusive system for tracking and verifying continuing education for a variety of licensed professions.

The company offers a free “Basic” account that it says is sufficient to report required CME for licensure, but it offers three tiers of paid membership ranging from $39.99 to $199.99 per year that provide enhanced support and management features. TMB suggests physicians sign up for an account before September 1 to become acquainted with the system.

The basic CME requirements for licensure remain unchanged. Physicians must report a total of 48 hours every two years, with 24 of those being formal Category 1 or 1-A hours — AMA PRA Category 1 Credits,™ AOA Category 1-A credits, and AAFP Prescribed credits all suffice — and 24 informal hours in any format. 

While the imposition of CE Broker into the TMB licensing and renewal process will likely increase family physicians’ administrative burden, TAFP members will enjoy an advantage, according to TAFP COO Kathy McCarthy. All CME credits members earn from TAFP and AAFP will be automatically logged in their CE Broker accounts. “If you are a member of the Academy or you are maintaining board certification, you are earning more than twice the CME needed for your state license,” she says. “So it may make sense to count all of your AAFP and TAFP CME first and then fill in the rest of the required 48 credits in the simplest way you can. Your Academy invests significant resources to track and report your CME as a way to reduce your stress and administrative burden. Hopefully, those efforts will help as the medical board transitions to this new system.”

For more information on CE Broker and a tutorial on creating an account, watch this video. 

Other CME news to note

In addition to the courses mandated by the Texas Medical Board on pain management, ethics/professional responsibility, and human trafficking, family physicians must now complete a course on pregnancy-related medical emergencies. With the passage of the Life of the Mother Act, or S.B. 31, by Sen. Bryan Hughes, (R- Mineola), family physicians along with doctors in 11 other specified specialties must take a single one-hour course on pregnancy-related medical emergencies. TMB offers the only eligible course for free on MyTMB. All family physicians are required to complete the course, regardless of whether they provide obstetrical care.

The pain management requirement has been reduced from two hours every renewal period to two hours for the first two renewal periods, then two hours every eight years after that.

The human trafficking requirement will now be required only once. If TMB approves more than the one course it currently offers, direct patient care physicians will need to take a course every six years.

TAFP now provides AOA Category 1A credit!

This year, TAFP applied for and received accreditation through the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians to provide AOA Category 1-A credit for our CME courses. TAFP’s director of CME and compliance, Jessica Miley, is excited to offer AOA credit for the first time at this year’s Texas Family Medicine Symposium, June 5-7 at the Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio.

“We chose to offer osteopathic CME credit to better support our DO members in meeting AOA requirements and accessing relevant educational opportunities,” she says. “This ensures our programming remains inclusive, meets the needs of osteopathic physicians, and continues to provide strong value to their membership with TAFP.”

Though he has served in a number of roles throughout the years, Mark Ambler, MD, has spent his entire family medicine career since residency at one place – Austin Regional Clinic. He’s worked on the peer review committee, executive board, clinical quality committee, and currently serves as the associate chief medical officer of primary care. His administrative work hasn’t kept him completely out of the clinic, however, as he still sees patients today. 

Ambler has also precepted medical students and nurse practitioner students over the last 20 years, and serves as the medical director of the Volunteer Healthcare Clinic. Austin Regional Clinic is currently one of TAFP’s Partners in Health.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
My mother was a psychotherapist and always wanted me to become a psychiatrist. I found there was enough psych work in family medicine, but it gave me more variety of conditions to address as well.

What unique challenges are represented in your patient community?
The biggest challenge today is the lack of primary care in general. Unfortunately, there are more family medicine providers retiring every year than graduating from residency. That makes it hard for patients to find a provider, and they often accumulate several conditions to address before they come in. Affordability of care, especially medications, also can be frustrating for patients and providers alike when you think a medication will help, but is too costly.

What are your practice passions?
Like many providers, my patients have aged with me, so I see a lot of geriatric patients. Building those relationships over the years has been very rewarding, so keeping those patients as healthy and active as they can be is my passion.

You've been a preceptor for a number of years. What makes you want to do that work?
We all benefit from others teaching us over the years, so precepting is a good way to give back and some days I learn more from them than they learn from me.

Why do you choose to be a TAFP member?
Being a TAFP member helps link providers all over the state and supports students and residents who will be the backbone of primary care going forward. Solid primary care is the key to valuable medical care for everyone.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
When I’m not working, I enjoy playing tennis. My dad started teaching me at age 5. Also, just about anything else outside — hiking, biking, kayaking.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666. 

Nationwide, this was another record-setting year for family medicine, as the specialty offered and filled more positions than ever before. The NRMP reports that family medicine increased the number of positions offered by 133 positions from 2025 to 2026, and filled 4,613 positions. However, the fill rate declined from 85 to 83.6%, leaving 899 family medicine resident positions unfilled across the country. Read the NRMP's full report on the 2026 match here.

According to the NRMP's report on match rates by specialty and state, Texas family medicine filled 294 of 347 total positions, not including the SOAP. Read the full report here. 

Check out AAFP's Match Day coverage and resources, as well as this March 20 news report, 2026 Match sets records for family medicine positions offered and filled.

Welcoming new residents in training to the “family” of family medicine is among the greatest joys for the members and leaders of TAFP. We hope everyone enjoys their Match Day celebrations. Scroll through TAFP's Instagram for fun match day content.

Whether you were in the inaugural class of the Match in 1952, or plan to match into family medicine in the next few years, the excitement of Match Day is contagious and undeniable. It’s a day of exhilarating anticipation and a time for all to celebrate the incredible specialty of family medicine. 

New residents interested in getting involved with the Academy dedicated to their success should visit TAFP's resident resources for information about TAFP's Student and Resident Summit, TAFP leadership opportunities, travel funding, and more. 

In celebration of Match Day, we recently featured a number of TAFP members who offered advice for medical students hoping to match into family medicine, as well as for new family medicine residents. 

• March Member of the Month: Maria Ferreira Caceres, MD
• Fourth-year medical student ready to start career in rural family medicine: Joshua Mihalik
• PGY2 encourages future residents to maintain personal life outside of residency: Nayeli Fuentes, MD
• Academic physician is hopeful about the future of family medicine: Tatiana Cordova, MD
• El Paso physician teaches to invest in the future of family medicine: Rebecca Campos, MD, FAAFP

To improve timely delivery of specimens, submitters should avoid using regular United States Postal Service for submitting NBS specimens for testing. Specimens sent through standard mail often arrive too late for testing and do not include tracking.

DSHS currently supports courier transportation through Data Rush and FedEx. Many facilities already use courier services for specimen transport. Submitters that currently use a courier service may continue using their existing service.

Submitters that do not have a courier service may enroll in the DSHS newborn screening courier program at no additional cost. Submitters can enroll by completing the Courier Expansion Enrollment Form at bit.ly/49bixDb.

After submitting the form, the DSHS Courier Coordinator will contact the submitter with the next steps for enrollment.

For decades, the U.S. has woefully underinvested in primary care, and patients are paying the price. On Wednesday, March 18, AAFP's EVP and CEO R. Shawn Martin testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health for a hearing on the role that clinicians play in making health care more affordable for all Americans. Martin laid out his message to the subcommittee in a blog post entiled "Six ways Congress can make health care affordable for doctors and patients."

Chronic diseases now account for 90% of our $4.9 trillion in annual health care spending. Yet, the U.S. allocates less than 5% of total health expenditures to primary care, a figure that lags far behind other developed nations. Primary care receives a small fraction of overall health care spending, even as it is asked to do more to manage chronic disease, coordinate care, and serve as the front door to the health system. This chronic underinvestment has led to workforce shortages, longer wait times, practice closures and fragmented care that drives costs higher for everyone. It also accelerates health care consolidation, which often makes profit an incentive rather than patient care.

AAFP takes family medicine priorities to Capitol Hill

Last month, AAFP leaders convened on Capitol Hill to push for practical solutions that will improve access to care for patients and improve practice environments for physicians. They engaged directly with lawmakers and urged them to enact policies that would do the following.

• Make primary care more affordable. Ongoing, coordinated care keeps patients healthier, but only if cost-sharing doesn’t stand in the way. When patients worry about surprise charges, they skip essential follow-up and coordination services. That hurts outcomes and raises long-term costs. Primary care must be affordable for it to work.
• Protect access to vaccines. Family physicians are among the most trusted sources for vaccine guidance and delivery. Public policy must continue to be grounded in science and data.
• Enact tax policies that strengthen independent practice and the primary care workforce. Targeted incentives can help support physicians serving rural and underserved communities, care for vulnerable populations and promote practice ownership. Several states have explored or implemented approaches such as these. Together, these incentives can help recruit, retain and sustain primary care where it’s needed most.

Department of Education rule would jeopardize primary care workforce

Why it matters: 

Physicians are the most likely professionals to carry student loan debt, with 81% having graduate school debt and 80% owing due to undergraduate education. 

The high burden of medical education debt contributes to worsening physician shortages and puts medical education out of reach for many potential physicians, further undermining progress toward a robust health care workforce. Given that these challenges slow progress toward better patient and population health outcomes, addressing the burden of student loan debt for physicians and medical students is one essential step to improving our nation’s health care system.

What we’re working on: 

AAFP submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging the agency to expand individuals’ ability to pursue a career in family medicine, including through thoughtful regulation of federal student loan programs. Our letter asked that the department:

• maintain access to Graduate PLUS loans for medical students or create a medical education carve‑out in the new loan programs to reflect the unique cost structure, training length and public service value of primary care physicians;
• exempt medical education programs from automatic loan proration or provide clear hardship and program‑specific exceptions to ensure that future primary care physicians are not forced into private lending or delaying completion of their education; and
• preserve generous reconsideration and correction mechanisms and ensure that repayment plan transitions do not reset or jeopardize Public Service Loan Forgiveness program eligibility.

AAFP also submitted a letter to Congress expressing concern that many of the higher education reforms in H.R. 1, including a $200,000 cap on professional student loans, will lead to even fewer new primary care physicians.

• In our letter, we called for passage of the REDI Act to mitigate at least a small portion of the financial burden that family physicians and others accrue while they are completing their medical training.

Family physicians weigh in on AI adoption in clinical care

Why it matters: 

The family medicine experience is based on a deeply personal patient-physician relationship that benefits from many supportive technologies, including AI. 

In 2023, the AAFP developed an initial set of principles that we believe must be applied to AI’s implementation across the broad range of settings in which family physicians practice. 

AAFP believes AI tools should be evaluated with the same rigor as any other tool used in health care, and that it has the potential to support the core functions of primary care, which are frequently characterized as first contact, comprehensiveness, continuity and coordination of care.

What we’re working on: 

AAFP submitted comments and joined a sign-on letter to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC) and recommended ways to establish a stronger approach to use AI as part of clinical care. In our letter, the AAFP highlighted the following.

• AI technologies and medical devices must be integrated into health care in ways that are safe, effective, fair and transparent.
• HHS should include practicing physicians throughout the AI lifecycle and establish advisory panels that include primary care physicians to ensure AI tools are aligned with real-world clinical workflows and patient needs. An AAFP survey conducted jointly with Rock Health in September 2024 found that many primary care physicians reported having little to no involvement in these decision‑making processes. This can lead to AI tools being implemented that impede, rather than improve, clinical workflows.
• AAFP strongly believes that AI tools should enhance, not burden, clinical practice. We support HHS prioritizing research on AI products that streamline documentation, reduce administrative burden and support clinical decision-making.
• AAFP recommends modernizing payment policies so practices, especially small and independent practices, can invest in the infrastructure needed for AI integration.

Also in the health IT arena, the AAFP submitted comments to ASTP/ONC and urged the agency to maintain key privacy, security and transparency requirements in the Health IT Certification Program and ensure that the health care system maintains a robust health IT landscape while reducing administrative burden and spurring innovation.

On the legislative side, the AAFP submitted a letter for the record ahead of a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing with Dr. Thomas Keane, Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. In the letter, the Academy outlined how the committee can support the recommendations the AAFP shared with ASTP/ONC in its two recent comment letters.

AAFP urges Congress to support health care research 

Why it matters: 

Too many Americans struggle to get the care they need. Patients face long wait times, high costs and care that doesn’t always improve their health. At the same time, many physicians are burned out. Health services research helps find practical solutions to these problems. But when funding is cut, it becomes harder for our country to improve care and health outcomes.

What we’re working on:

• AAFP signed onto a letter to Congress asking lawmakers to fully fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the next fiscal year.
• AHRQ provides research and data that help doctors, patients and policymakers make smarter health care decisions. Its work helps ensure that people get high-quality care at a reasonable cost.
• We urged Congress to provide at least $500 million for AHRQ so it can continue research that makes care safer and more affordable.
• We also asked HHS to support adequate staffing and resources so AHRQ can effectively manage its programs, research grants and scientific review process.

What we're reading

The voice of a physician has always carried weight, especially when it comes to advocacy for public policies. In a new First Opinion essay in STAT, AAFP President Sarah C. Nosal, MD, writes that it’s more important than ever for doctors to leverage their authority to push for a variety of changes that shape care both inside and beyond the exam room.

AAFP Board Chair Jen Brull, MD, spoke to Healio about how a proposed rule would cap graduate student loan borrowing. 

AAFP’s Robert Graham Center’s new thematic report on chronic disease was covered in Marketplace. The report explores how primary care plays a vital role in in the prevention, early detection and management of chronic disease while helping reduce the financial burden on both the U.S. health care system and its patients.

For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow us at @aafp_advocacy.

Rebecca Campos, MD, FAAFP, can tell you exactly the moment she realized a career in medicine was for her. Her elementary school teacher introduced the class to her own siblings — twin physicians serving their hometown community of El Paso. Campos says that their example sparked an interest in her. She also credits an unexpected opportunity to teach a high school algebra class with the realization that she wanted to teach. It wasn’t until medical school and residency that she realized she could do both.

Campos is now a course director for clinical skills in the pre-clerkship curriculum at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso, where she blends compassionate care with meaningful teaching. “My journey has taught me that sometimes your path unfolds in layers — and when you remain open to opportunity, your passions can come together in ways you never imagined,” says Campos.

What advice would you give to students who are choosing a specialty?
When I meet with students, I encourage them to look at what field both ignites and sustains their interest. While there are many fields that can be fascinating, find which one will maintain the feeling of fulfillment daily and as they look forward five, 10, and 20 years from now. Align their personal strengths with their personality traits, such as the steady, long-term relationship with patients in continuity versus a fast-paced, intense environment. Every field will have both rewards and strengths, as well as trade-offs.

How do you feel about the future of the specialty?
I am hopeful and encouraged about the future of family medicine. Our specialty provides a unique relationship with longevity and depth that absolutely no other field offers. The ability to expand skills within our specialty or direct our skills more narrowly provides the flexibility to shift a practice to meet the patient’s needs and physician’s new interests. 

What makes family medicine worth choosing?
What makes family medicine a highly rewarding and valuable path is the comprehensive nature that allows meaningful patient and family relationships through the patient’s entire life. The families that span multiple generations demonstrate a continuity that is unique to our specialty and is the best example of a patient-physician relationship built on trust, purpose, and professional fulfillment.

The breadth and adaptability that family medicine offers allows us to build our practice around our interests and passions. It is a privileged experience to walk through the different seasons in a patient and family’s life. Being able to teach a wide breadth of medicine to a variety of learners in different stages of their education has also been remarkably fulfilling.

This member profile is part of TAFP's coverage of Match Day 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026. Check out all of TAFP's Match Day coverage here.

Tatiana Cordova, MD, says she was interested in medicine as far back as she can remember. She’s always had a desire to help people and was always shown how to be a helper by her father. After completing medical school, residency, and a fellowship, she knew she wanted to stay in academia as a way to “pay it back” in honor of those who taught her.

She is now core faculty for the family medicine residency program at UT Health San Antonio and serves as associate program director and medical director for the family medicine hospitalist service there. “Nothing beats every June when I reflect on how far each and every trainee has come during their residency training,” Cordova says.

What advice would you give to students who are choosing a specialty?
I would advise them to seek as many early opportunities as possible for clinical exposure to help guide them into their decisions and to keep an open mind to all options. There are some students that come into medical school with a preconceived notion of what their future holds or even what a specific specialty looks like, but are often surprised in their ultimate choice as they become more familiar with the various opportunities.

How do you feel about the future of the specialty?
Despite the many changes happening in our world, I believe the future is bright as we have more family medicine physicians who are passionate about their communities and the needs of their patients, and are dedicated enough to seek alternative ways to ensure their needs are met.

What are your hopes for future family docs?
I hope everyone understands the importance of advocacy and community involvement to better serve our patients. It's important to become involved to ensure our patient’s and community's voice is heard

What makes family medicine worth choosing?
Family medicine opens the door to many opportunities, whether through fellowship or your own choice in practice, but none better than the connections with individual patients and their families. Also, the opportunity to counsel and educate patients to prevent advancement of their medical conditions and the ability to practice full-spectrum medicine and to care for a family in all stages of their life.

What keeps you passionate about family medicine?
Being able to support my patients and the ability to educate the community. In my role as faculty I have been able to participate in various community engagement events which furthers the community connections that allow us to make a difference.

This member profile is part of TAFP's coverage of Match Day 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026. Check out all of TAFP's Match Day coverage here.

Raised in a large, blended family in San Antonio, Joshua Mihalik chose medicine because a desire to help others was instilled in him from an early age. He might be the first physician in his family, but a few relatives helped light the way to a medical career. His father served in the Army, providing care to those wounded in active duty, and his stepfather has a long career as a nurse who now practices at the VA. Now a fourth-year student at Texas Tech Health El Paso, Mihalik plans to match into rural family medicine on Match Day.

How did you choose family medicine?
I think of my path to family medicine as three trails that ended up meeting at the end of the hike, with family medicine as the finish. For me, I realized early in medical school how much joy I get from interacting with patients and building real relationships with them daily. After that, the versatility of family medicine really drew me into the specialty. Like many medical students, I love learning and have a yearning to know as much as I can so I can be the best physician I can be.

To me, family medicine represents the crux of mastering a lot of diverse information and skills, using them to find and provide the best care for your patient and condensing it into accessible bites for patients. Lastly, I have been moved to always ask myself if I am serving others as much as I can, and this has led me to pursue more advocacy. In family medicine, I believe family doctors are the ideal health care providers to help bridge the gap between the voices of patients and those who decide how they receive health care.

What are your hopes for your career?
I hope to practice rural family medicine in Texas, with a balance of inpatient, outpatient, and obstetrics, while working with my partner to improve the health of the community we end up in. I also hope to become further involved in the legislative process for health care in Texas to help strengthen the voices of physicians in making decisions regarding how health care is conducted. I plan to do this by becoming more involved in TAFP and AAFP, as well as local chapters where I practice. I also hope to become a mentor to future medical students and hopefully inspire them to pursue family medicine as well.

What would you tell medical students who are early in their education about preparing for match and choosing a specialty?
I wish I had sought out a mentor sooner in medical school, so that is always my top advice for incoming medical students and those seeking guidance for their future career. I am fortunate to have found a family medicine mentor in the past year who has helped me prepare for my future in ways I did not think of but am so grateful for now. A mentor is a priceless source of wisdom, information, and reassurance when you are overthinking everything as application season approaches.

What surprised you most about interview season?
How nice everyone was! All the applicants, residents, residency program staff, and administration were so nice throughout the interview process. I feel very blessed to be going into a field with so many people who will make going to work that much easier.

What was the hardest part of the match process?
Deciding on my top-ranking programs. Because everyone is so nice, it really came down to what my goals for the future are and how each program could help me achieve those goals while helping me remember why I chose family medicine in the first place. I know wherever I end up, I will work with the program and my co-residents to become the best family doctor I can be for my future patients and community.

This member profile is part of TAFP's coverage of Match Day 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026. Check out all of TAFP's Match Day coverage here.

Nayeli Fuentes, MD, graduated as valedictorian in her class at Mount Pleasant High School, completed an undergraduate degree as a triple major and a first-generation college student, and earned her medical degree from Texas Tech in Lubbock. She returned to the region of Texas that raised her for residency, now studying at the UT Tyler School of Medicine. As a second-year family medicine resident, her memories of Match Day are pretty fresh in her mind.

How did you prepare for Match Day?
The days leading up to Match Day were a whirlwind of excitement, fear, and anxiety. What grounded me most was practicing gratitude. I constantly reminded myself how fortunate I was to even be in this position; many don’t have the opportunity to pursue higher education, let alone become a physician. Reframing the stress as a privilege helped me realize that regardless of the result, I was honored to continue my training at any of the amazing family medicine programs in Texas.

What was match day like for you?
Match Day was pretty special. I was surrounded by my family and friends. I got to open the envelope that said I would come back to Northeast Texas to continue my training. I’ll never forget that feeling — the realization that years of hard work had finally paid off and that I would be able to serve the very community that supported my journey from the beginning.

What would you tell future residents about starting out in family medicine?
My biggest piece of advice for future residents is to never lose sight of who you are outside of the white coat. Residency is demanding, and the field of family medicine is uniquely challenging, but your values and passions are what will sustain you. Find the hobbies that fuel you, lean on friends who push you to be your best self, and seek out mentors who genuinely care about your growth. When you nurture your own well-being, you become a much more resilient advocate for your patients. For me, distance running has been that vital outlet — it reminds me that there is life and joy beyond the long hours of residency.

What was the hardest part of the Match process?
The hardest part was ranking such an incredible slate of programs. Texas is home to so many family medicine programs that produce well-rounded, exceptional physicians. During interviews, I met residents I truly admired and could see myself working alongside at almost every stop.

How has involvement in TAFP and organized medicine shaped your journey?
Organized medicine has quite literally shaped me into the physician I am today. As a medical student, I participated in the Texas Family Medicine Preceptorship Program, where I first discovered the true breadth of the field. My preceptor, Fiona Prabhu, MD, inspired me to choose this path. Now as a resident, staying involved with TAFP has provided me with invaluable mentorship and a platform to hone my leadership and advocacy skills. It’s powerful to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who are all fighting for the patient’s best interest.

What makes family medicine worth choosing?
Family medicine is unique because it allows you to build lifelong relationships while practicing complex diagnostic and preventive care. While medicine has its difficult moments, I am fueled by the small victories. Whether it’s helping a patient finally get their A1C under control or explaining why a screening is vital for their future, walking with patients through their most vulnerable moments is a joy and a responsibility I don't take lightly. I want my patients to know they have an advocate fighting for them every single day as their PCP.

This member profile is part of TAFP's coverage of Match Day 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026. Check out all of TAFP's Match Day coverage here.

That is why the TAFP Board of Directors voted in January to strongly endorse the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) and the Perinatal Psychiatry Access Network (PeriPAN) as trusted clinical resources for family medicine practices.

CPAN and PeriPAN provide real-time access to mental health experts, including child, adolescent, and reproductive psychiatry. These programs are designed to support family physicians through:

• real-time peer-to-peer phone consultation;
• vetted, personalized referrals and resources;
• one-time direct psychiatric consultations so your patients don’t wait; and
• free high-yield CME offerings.

CPAN supports mental health care for children and adolescents, while PeriPAN provides expertise for the mental health care of pregnant and postpartum women.

Importantly, this access model works. Research published in “Clinical Pediatrics” in 2023 found a 43% increase in the identification of mental and behavioral health conditions after clinicians enrolled in the Wisconsin Child Psychiatry Consultation Program — a model similar to CPAN. These findings underscore how access networks like CPAN and PeriPAN strengthen family physicians’ ability to recognize and address mental health needs earlier and more effectively.

How CPAN and PeriPAN work

• Call (888) 907-2726 with a question or concern.
• A trained mental health expert answers immediately (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT).
• If needed, a psychiatrist will call back within 30 minutes or at a time that works for you.

These programs reflect the central role family physicians play in identifying and coordinating mental health care. By using CPAN and PeriPAN, we can address concerns earlier and improve outcomes for patients and families across Texas.

No question is too small, and I encourage you to use these resources as often as needed.

You can stay up to date with CPAN and PeriPAN program features, free CME opportunities, and additional resources on Facebook and LinkedIn.

After being raised and completing medical school in Bucaramanga, Colombia, Maria Ferreira Caceres, MD, completed residency at the UTRGV Family Medicine Residency at Knapp Medical Center in Mercedes, Texas. She earned multiple recognitions during her residency career, including Resident of the Year two years in a row and a Family Medicine Leads scholarship from the AAFP Foundation, as well as completing TAFP’s Resident Leadership Experience and serving as TAFP’s Resident Alternate Delegate to AAFP’s National Conference (now called FUTURE).

Caceres is in the first few years of her career post-residency, working in Edinburg at the Family Medicine and Geriatric Center, where she practices comprehensive, patient-centered care. She has a practice emphasis on prevention, continuity, and long-term patient relationships.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
My greatest inspiration has always been my father, a primary care physician who taught me the values of compassion, empathy, respect, and service to the community. Watching him care for patients with humility and dedication made me fall in love with family medicine from an early age. His example and his belief in the power of long-term, meaningful patient-doctor relationships continue to guide every aspect of my practice.

As a new physician, what are your plans for your career in family medicine?
I am committed to lifelong learning, clinical excellence, and strengthening my role as an advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities. I plan to deepen my leadership involvement within TAFP and AAFP, continue participating in advocacy work, and mentor the next generation of physicians. As an IMG, I am especially passionate about elevating the voices of international medical graduates and promoting greater diversity and inclusion within our profession. Ultimately, I aim to contribute meaningfully to improving health care delivery and expanding access to high-quality primary care.

What has surprised you most about family medicine?
What has surprised me the most is how deeply fulfilling it is to build long-term relationships with patients and to walk with them through every stage of life. Family medicine gives you the privilege of truly knowing your patients, their families, their struggles, and their goals, and being able to make a real impact on their well-being. Each day brings something new to learn, and the breadth of the specialty continues to energize and inspire me.

Why do you choose to be a TAFP member?
TAFP has played a central role in shaping my professional growth. Through mentorship, leadership training, and opportunities to represent my peers, TAFP has empowered me to grow as an advocate and leader. The organization has helped me refine my skills, understand the challenges facing family medicine, and prepare to contribute to meaningful policy and community work. Being part of TAFP is more than membership, it is being part of a supportive community dedicated to advancing the future of our specialty.

As you know, Match Day takes place this month! As a new physician, do you have words of wisdom for students getting ready to match this month?
Match month is a powerful, emotional milestone, but I want you to step into it with confidence and expectation of good things. You did not arrive here by accident. You earned this moment through relentless dedication, courage, and heart. Trust that the work you've poured into your training matters. Trust that doors are opening. The Match is not here to defeat you — it is here to place you where you can thrive. Believe that good outcomes are possible for you. Believe that your dream is within reach. Nothing is impossible when preparation meets perseverance, and you have both. See yourself opening that email with joy. See yourself stepping into a program that values you, challenges you, and helps you grow into the physician you're meant to be. Be gentle with yourself. Lean on the people who love you. Take care of the human behind the white coat. The world needs your compassion, your intelligence, your resilience. Fight for your dreams with faith, not fear. You are ready. You are capable. And this month, expect good news because you have already done the extraordinary work it takes to earn it.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
Outside of medicine, I love traveling and exploring different cultures. I enjoy watching movies, spending quality time with my husband, family, and friends, and caring for my dog, Firulais, whom I adopted at the start of residency and who has become a cherished part of my life.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666. 

Earlier this month, the House passed the Senate-amended government funding package and President Trump signed it into law, ensuring continued operations for key federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services. 

The bipartisan agreement reflects successful cross-party negotiations and provides meaningful stability for health care programs that patients and clinicians rely on every day.

The package includes several significant health care advancements, including:

• A multi-year reauthorization of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program through 2029
• Continued funding for Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps through the end of the year
• A two-year extension of telehealth flexibilities through 2027
• A reauthorization of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act and Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREMIE) Reauthorization Act 

Together, these provisions strengthen the primary care workforce, expand access in underserved communities and preserve virtual care options for patients.

AAFP urges Congress to make health care more affordable

AAFP urged Congress to make health care more accessible and affordable for Americans. In our letter in response to recent hearings with health insurance executives, AAFP outlined practices that undermine the viability of primary care and can harm patient outcomes, including:

• Practice acquisitions to maximize profits
• Downcoding payments for office visits
• Lower physician payments in Medicare Advantage
• Inadequate investment in primary care
• Utilization management that delays care
• Medicare Advantage coding practices that fragment care

AAFP encourages Congress to pass several policies that would rein in some of these tactics and ensure that our nation is meaningfully investing in primary care. Some specific bills cited in the letter include the:

• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3514 / S. 1816)
• Prompt and Fair Pay Act (H.R. 4559)
• Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act (H.R. 2433)
• Safe Step Act (H.R. 5509)

AAFP comments on proposed Medicare Advantage and Part D changes

Why it matters: 

Medicare Advantage policies directly affect primary care delivery. A 2023 AAFP survey found that 18% of patients in family medicine practices were enrolled in MA plans, underscoring the program’s impact on day-to-day care for older adults and patients with complex needs. 

What we’re working on: 

AAFP recently submitted comments on CMS’s proposed Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D rule. In 2023, CMS finalized a requirement that plans publish an annual health equity analysis of utilization management.

• AAFP strongly supported this proposal, which would make the use and impact of prior authorization much more transparent. Our letter urged CMS to maintain the reporting requirements and extend similar oversight to Part D plans.
• While we appreciate prior public commitments by insurers to streamline, simplify and reduce the burden of prior authorization, these efforts are voluntary and subject to no enforcement by anyone other than the plans themselves.
• Our comments also supported CMS proposals to streamline the process for beneficiaries to change plans when their physician leaves a plan’s network and encouraged CMS to consider Star Ratings measures that evaluate physician experience with plan operations and a plan’s investment in primary care.

Family physicians: Discrimination harms mental and physical health

AAFP, together with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association, urged HHS to drop a proposed change to its disability nondiscrimination rule under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The proposal would exclude gender dysphoria from the definition of disability, which is likely to create confusion for patients and clinicians. Adding new language could increase administrative burden, delay care and weaken protections for vulnerable patients.

New research: Regular access to primary care is associated with lower hospitalizations and emergency department visits in adults and children 

Regular access to primary care is strongly linked to lower hospital use, reduced costs and higher rates of preventive care for both adults and children with chronic disease, according to new research from AAFP’s Robert Graham Center.

The new report, Investing in Primary Care: The Missing Strategy in America’s Fight Against Chronic Disease, examines how primary care supports prevention, early detection and management of leading causes of illness and death, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Key findings include:

• Adults with a usual source of primary care have 20% lower odds of hospitalization and 11% fewer emergency department visits, while children with chronic conditions experience about 50% fewer avoidable ED visits and hospitalizations.
• Ongoing primary care is also associated with substantially lower total health care spending—nearly 54% lower for adults and 40% lower for children—and markedly higher uptake of recommended preventive services.

What we're reading

AAFP EVP and CEO Shawn Martin wrote an op-ed in Chief Healthcare Executive about how the country must double down on investment in primary care to ensure that everyone has access to a family physician. 

Former AAFP president Steve Furr, MD, FAAFP, joined the Mayo Clinic’s Health Matters podcast to discuss the urgent need for policies that improve access to care in rural communities. 

Modern Healthcare featured a recent AAFP letter advocating for Medicare payment reform, particularly citing that budget neutrality requirements squeeze patients and physicians. 

For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow us at @aafp_advocacy.

AstraZeneca, one of TAFP’s proud Partners in Health, has released a new set of infographics based on the report to be used as a resource in treating patients. They also have a helpful COPD discharge checklist.

TAFP’s Partners in Health program connects family physicians with organizations committed to supporting family medicine and promoting the health of all Texans. Our Partners provide patient education and high-value tools designed to help family physicians and their care teams deliver well-coordinated, comprehensive primary care. Go to Partners in Health to learn more.

Senate Bill 1188 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) implements new regulations on electronic health records, including a section on AI. It allows a health care practitioner to use AI technology for diagnostic purposes, provided:

• the practitioner is acting within the scope of their license or certification,
• the particular use of AI is not prohibited or restricted by law, and
• the practitioner reviews any records generated by AI in accordance with standards developed by the Texas Medical Board.

S.B. 1188 also states that a practitioner using AI for diagnostic purposes “must disclose the practitioner’s use of that technology to the practitioner’s patients.”

House Bill 149 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) relates to the regulation of AI use in Texas more broadly. For physicians and other health professionals, the bill requires providers to disclose the use of AI to patients or to patients’ personal representatives “not later than the date the service or treatment is first provided ...,” except in the case of emergency. It also requires that the disclosure be clear and conspicuous, and that it “must be written in plain language.”

Failure to comply with these laws could result in the loss or suspension of a physician’s medical license, and may incur civil penalties.

The Texas Medical Liability Trust suggests some practical steps physicians can take to manage their use of AI, including the following.

• Establish or update your practice governance policies covering AI use, training, and audit trails. The American Medical Association has published a comprehensive guide to managing AI integration into health care systems.
• Fully document AI's role if used to make clinical decisions.
• Practice transparent communication with patients about AI use.
• Ensure AI tools do not use patients' health information to train other AI tools.

For more information about complying with these new state laws, read TMLT’s article, “New AI disclosure requirements for physicians passed into Texas law.”

Additional resources

American Medical Association: Governance for Augmented Intelligence

Texas Medical Association: Physicians must disclose AI use alongside existing HIPAA requirements, per state laws

AAFP: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Family Medicine

The path to family medicine taken by Brian C. Hull, DO, was anything but linear, but the winding journey helped shape him into the physician he is today. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University with degrees in biology and chemistry, he set his sights on a master’s degree in environmental toxicology. While he found the academic world intellectually stimulating, it was direct patient care as a part-time phlebotomist that steered him into medicine.

Hull went to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school on a United States Air Force Health Professions Scholarship, then completed a family medicine residency at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. His career began by serving as chief of family medicine and in the physicians’ assistants training program at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. After then serving in the Gulf War, Hull left the military and joined a small private practice as a family doc. He has since practiced family medicine in a variety of ways, including in palliative care and transitional care, which he calls the most rewarding experience of his career.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
My inspiration to study medicine ultimately came from my father, Dr. Wayland Hull, who was a pioneer in aerospace physiology. Following an academic career at Duke University teaching physiology, he was invited to join NASA and contribute to the space program. He was a brilliant scientist and a student for life. He instilled in me the importance of compassion, courage, and scientific curiosity that I carry with me every day.

What are your practice passions?
My current passion, as my career winds down, is palliative care. Shortly after retirement, I was asked to take on the role of director of palliative care for Hospice of Wichita Falls. I am so blessed to be involved with this organization. With our team of dedicated staff, we provide care to a population with multiple comorbidities and high social needs. We are a nonprofit organization and we fill many gaps in care. I continue to learn every day. There is such a natural bridge to palliative care for a physician trained in family medicine. I use my skills with every encounter to hopefully meet the needs of our patients.

Why do you choose to be a TAFP member?
I have been a member of TAFP my entire career. It is so important to have an organization at the state level to be our advocate for change. TAFP is a voice for all family physicians and in the current chaos of health care delivery, we need to be involved and informed. I strongly urge physicians to take the time to be involved in their local and state government. I firmly believe that family medicine is the backbone of community health care and without a backbone the body cannot stand. TAFP has been a great resource for advocacy and education.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
Outside of medicine, I enjoy life with my wife and three adult children and my four grandchildren. I have had a lifelong passion for music and study mandolin and guitar. Recently renewed my involvement in competitive clay target shooting and hope to compete again.

All in all, I am the luckiest guy in the world. I never dreamed I would have had the exciting and fulfilling career that medicine has provided me. I am so very proud of the family medicine community and know in my heart we will continue to grow and provide the care our communities need and deserve. My best advice for the next generation of physicians is simple. Always be an advocate and when you walk into that exam room, place the needs of your patient at the center of your thought process. You will both be rewarded.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666. 

To help meet this need, the Texas Perinatal Psychiatry Access Network, or PeriPAN, has released a new Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit and companion pocket card, designed to support clinicians with clear, actionable guidance at the point of care.

Designed for real-world practice

The PeriPAN toolkit was developed with frontline clinicians in mind. It brings together current clinical guidance, validated screening tools, and practical resources into a single, easy-to-use reference for busy practices. For family physicians providing prenatal, postpartum, or interconception care, the toolkit offers support across the full continuum, from screening to treatment planning to follow-up, and includes insights into how to make your office mental-health friendly.

Key components of the toolkit include:

• An overview of common perinatal mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and trauma-related conditions, with guidance on presentation and risk factors.
• Vetted screening tools, including how to score them, and how to interpret results.
• Clinical guidance on next steps, including treatment considerations, referral options, and when to seek additional consultation.
• Patient-facing resources, such as psychoeducation materials, safety planning tools, and self-care supports that can be shared during visits.

The pocket card: Quick reference at the point of care

Complementing the full toolkit is a laminated PeriPAN pocket card, created in consultation with ACOG District XI, to make screening and decision-making even easier during patient encounters. The pocket card highlights important resources from the toolkit including recommended screening tools and cut scores, allowing clinicians and care teams to quickly determine severity and appropriate next steps without interrupting workflow.

Family physicians can keep the pocket card in a lab coat, exam room, or shared workspace, making it especially useful for practices that incorporate team-based care or see patients across multiple settings.

No-cost consultation support for family physicians

In addition to the toolkit itself, PeriPAN offers no-cost, real-time consultation services for Texas clinicians. Family physicians can connect directly with reproductive psychiatrists for peer-to-peer guidance on screening results, medication considerations, treatment planning, or complex cases.

Consultations are available by phone and are designed to support, not replace, the ongoing care provided by the patient’s primary clinician. PeriPAN can also facilitate one-time direct patient assessment or help identify appropriate referral options. You remain the primary, and PeriPAN provides you with treatment notes and next steps—all at no cost.

Why this matters for family medicine

Family physicians are uniquely positioned to identify perinatal mental health concerns early, especially for patients who may not have consistent access to obstetric or specialty care. Practical tools like the PeriPAN toolkit and pocket card help reduce uncertainty, support clinical confidence, and reinforce best practices, without adding administrative burden. In short, PeriPAN easily fits into a busy clinical day and workflow.

By integrating mental health screening and follow-up into routine perinatal visits, family physicians can help improve outcomes for both parents and infants, while strengthening continuity of care.

How to access the toolkit and pocket card

The full PeriPAN Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit is available online here. Family physicians can request a consult, vetted referral, or a laminated pocket card by calling 1-888-901-2726. To stay up to date with CPAN and PeriPAN program features, free CMEs, and mental health resources for your practice, follow CPAN on Facebook and LinkedIn.

We encourage TAFP members to explore these resources and consider how they can support mental health conversations and care within your practices.

Thanks to sustained advocacy from AAFP, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded 32 new family medicine residency positions across 18 training programs. Expanding family medicine training is critical to addressing physician shortages and improving access to comprehensive, community-based care, which is why AAFP continues to push for residency slots dedicated specifically to family medicine.

DEA preserves telehealth flexibilities

AAFP welcomed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s recent one-year extension through Dec. 31 of telehealth flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances, which helps protect patient access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities. AAFP looks forward to continued partnership with the DEA on permanent telehealth policies that support safe prescribing and prioritize established patient-physician relationships.

AAFP supports vaccinations for children

Why it matters: 

On January 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for children. Political appointees made these changes without new evidence or data and without input from stakeholders such as AAFP or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

AAFP reasserts that vaccines are essential to protecting children from preventable harms, illness, and death, and decades of data show the benefits of immunization far outweigh any risks. AAFP’s childhood vaccine schedule remains unchanged. 

What we’re working on: 

• AAFP joined hundreds of health care organizations in urging Congress to conduct oversight and investigate the change to the childhood vaccine schedule. 
• AAFP joined the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and hundreds of other organizations in writing to HHS and the CDC to reaffirm our commitment to a transparent, evidence-based immunization policy process that protects the health of U.S. children.

Family physicians weigh in on Public Charge rule

Why it matters: 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has proposed rolling back the 2022 Public Charge rule, a move that could once again allow immigration officials to consider a broader range of public benefits, such as Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP, when deciding whether someone can enter the U.S. or adjust their immigration status. If finalized, the proposal would increase uncertainty for immigrant families and could discourage people from seeking needed health care.

What we’re working on: 

• In a comment letter, AAFP urged DHS to exclude non-cash benefits such as Medicaid and CHIP from public charge determinations and to clarify that any changes in the policy, whether through regulation or guidance, will be forward-looking only.
• In a joint letter to DHS, AAFP and other health organizations warned that limiting access to care and creating instability in the immigration system harm public health, place added financial and operational strain on medical practices and negatively affect the U.S. physician workforce. 
• The letters urged DHS not to move forward with the proposal and instead support policies that expand access to affordable, high-quality care for all patients.

AAFP continues to advocate for Medicare payment reform  

As Congress considers changes to Medicare physician payment, AAFP is urging lawmakers to advance reforms that strengthen primary care and protect seniors’ access to timely, high-quality care.

• Through recent advocacy, including engagement around a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, AAFP emphasized the need to modernize the Medicare physician fee schedule by fixing budget neutrality, investing more in primary care and establishing annual inflation-indexed updates.
• AAFP also called for waiving Medicare Part B cost-sharing for primary care services to encourage use of high-value, low-cost care; expanding value-based payment models that provide practices with greater flexibility and resources; and ensuring Part B coverage of all recommended vaccines so patients can receive immunizations directly from their family physician.
• In addition, AAFP responded to a bipartisan Doctors Caucus RFI on MACRA reform, urging for increased Medicare investment in primary care, including establishing a statutory floor for primary care spending and giving the CMS Innovation Center greater flexibility in evaluating primary care models to better support continuous, coordinated care.

What we're reading

AAFP EVP and CEO Shawn Martin spoke to Chief Healthcare Executive about how insurers must double down on their promise to decrease prior authorization, which harms patient care. 

AAFP President Sarah Nosal, MD, spoke to TechTarget about five health care trends on the rise in 2026, including community-based partnerships. 

AAFP Board Chair Jen Brull, MD, spoke to MedCity News on how Congress can address administrative burden.  

For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow us at @aafp_advocacy.

The breadth of family medicine as a specialty is as evident as ever in a career like that of Jessica Gray, MD. The Lubbock physician has a clinical practice with an emphasis on women’s and adolescent health, practices sports medicine as the team doc for the Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball team, precepts medical students, and is a medical pillar in her community. But that’s not all – Gray has also built an online following of over 20,000 people through her social media channels and podcast, The Med Edit Podcast. Gray is also a first-generation college student who completed her entire education with Texas Tech, including their Family Medicine Accelerated Program for medical school then her family medicine residency.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
I was drawn to family medicine because of its constantly evolving, deeply relational nature. No two days—or two patients—are ever the same, and the continuity of care allows for meaningful, long-standing relationships that are truly unique to our specialty.

What advice would you give to your students or residents about finding their place in family medicine?
Family medicine is uniquely flexible, allowing you to shape your career around your passions. For me, incorporating preventive and lifestyle medicine has been incredibly fulfilling, and opportunities in sports medicine emerged in ways I never imagined when I began my training.

If you are considering family medicine, explore the full range of paths available—from hospital medicine and emergency care to obstetrics, academic medicine, leadership, and more. The possibilities truly are extraordinary.

You've amassed quite the following online. What made you want to create content as a family physician?
I began creating content shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to introduce myself and my practice interests to the community. When the pandemic hit and misinformation surged, social media became a tool to share lighthearted, evidence-based medical education.

My goal as a content creator is simple: to bring some light back into medicine—both for fellow health care professionals and for patients—through connection, clarity, and compassion.

You are also the co-chair of the new Physician Well-Being Task Force, which was born out of TAFP's Council on Workforce and Member Engagement. Why do you think the task force needed to be created, and what do you hope to accomplish regarding physician well-being?
Burnout is pervasive in medicine—I’ve felt it myself. And we know that mandatory online modules or free pizza aren’t real solutions. Improving the quality of life for physicians is essential.

I’ve lost a co-resident to suicide and witnessed colleagues struggle under the weight of mistrust, misinformation, and increasing administrative and insurance barriers. Our task force is committed to identifying meaningful, actionable steps that truly support TAFP members and help restore joy and sustainability in the practice of medicine.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
I love to travel—it’s my love language—and I treasure every opportunity to create new adventures with my family. I also enjoy playing tennis and staying active. I’m blessed with two young boys, a wonderful husband, and a sweet dog who keeps us all entertained.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666. 

Why it matters: 

On December 5, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to overturn the recommendation that all newborns get a hepatitis B shot within hours of birth. Since universal birth dosing began in 1991, pediatric HBV infections have dropped by more than 95%.

A 2024 CDC analysis of children born after implementation of the birth-dose recommendation found that it prevented 6 million+ infections and nearly 1 million hospitalizations. Protecting infants early reduces the long-term burden of liver cancer, cirrhosis and liver transplantation (which can exceed $320,000 per patient per year).

What we’re working on: 

• AAFP issued a statement that reiterated how removing the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination could result in thousands of chronic HepB infections, leading to severe complications, including liver cancer and death. We called on the CDC to ensure that this safety net continues to protect newborns.
• AAFP Chief Medical Officer Margot Savoy, MD, FAAFP, expressed concern to the Washington Post that patients will be more confused about vaccine efficacy, and that the overall process could become more complicated by potentially subjecting babies to extra blood tests—which would require multiple doctor visits because those tests typically must be sent to a lab for evaluation.
• AAFP President Sarah Nosal, MD, FAAFP was quoted in the Associated Press and NBC News about the importance of the patient-physician relationship and the role physicians play in providing guidance about vaccines.
• Dr. Nosal also participated on a panel with the Infectious Disease Society of America, where she shared her experiences with hepatitis B vaccination in her practice.

IRS finalizes guidance allowing HSAs to pay for direct primary care

The IRS released a notice formally implementing H.R. 1’s provision that allows patients to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to pay for Direct Primary Care (DPC) services. AAFP was supportive of this provision because DPC provides flexibility for physicians and can improve access to care for patients.

For years, the IRS treated DPC arrangements as health plans, which blocked patients from both contributing to an HSA while under a DPC arrangement and from using HSA dollars to cover DPC fees.

H.R. 1 clarified that DPC arrangements are not health plans for HSA eligibility, and the new IRS FAQs confirm that DPC fees are reimbursable from HSAs. The guidance also outlines guardrails on what qualifies as DPC and notes two additional changes: permanent extension of the telehealth safe harbor and an updated definition of high-deductible health plans to include Bronze and Catastrophic plans.

Robert Graham Center Research: Rural U.S. loses 1 in 9 family physicians in 6 years

A new study in the Annals of Family Medicine shows that the rural family physician workforce has continued to shrink — down 11% between 2017 and 2023 — underscoring persistent gaps in primary care access. The analysis, led by Colleen Fogarty, MD, MSc, and researchers at AAFP’s Robert Graham Center, found declines across every region, with the Northeast experiencing the sharpest drop (15.3%) and the West the smallest (3.2%). There was one encouraging trend: The share of women practicing family medicine in rural communities grew from 35.5% to 41.8% over the same period.

CMS unveils new tech-focused ACCESS model

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently announced a new 10-year voluntary alternative payment model focused on technology-enabled chronic care management. AAFP welcomed the model’s direction and emphasized the importance of ensuring that patients have access to effective, evidence-based tools while keeping the patient-physician relationship central to care delivery. AAFP looks forward to continued collaboration with CMMI as the model develops.

AAFP asks DOJ, FTC to examine anti-competitive health plan downcoding  

Why it matters: 

The growing practice of “downcoding” by health plans is quietly undermining the financial viability of independent primary care practices and potentially distorting competition in the health care marketplace, to the detriment of American patients, who rely on these physicians for their care. 

When a service is downcoded, practices must choose between accepting the lower payment or appealing the claim. But the latter option may be prohibitively expensive. For small practices, this can result in tens of thousands of dollars in annual losses, excluding lost revenue from underpaid claims.

What we’re working on: 

AAFP wrote to the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and CMS, asking them to investigate the practice of downcoding and urging the agencies to:

• investigate the use and impact of downcoding algorithms by health plans;
• require disclosure of downcoding criteria and ensure uniform application, including to health plan–owned practices;
• mandate streamlined, transparent appeals processes with clear standards and timelines; and
• engage physicians and regulators in oversight of these practices.

AAFP provides feedback to FDA on real-world evaluation of AI-enabled medical devices  

Why it matters: 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking input on how best to measure and evaluate the real-world performance of AI-enabled medical devices.

This is critical because AI tools can behave differently in everyday clinical practice than they do in controlled testing environments. Without careful monitoring, these changes could affect the safety, accuracy and effectiveness of diagnoses or treatments, potentially impacting patient outcomes. Ensuring robust, ongoing evaluation helps protect patients, supports physicians in making reliable clinical decisions and maintains trust in emerging medical technologies.

What we’re working on: 

In comments submitted recently, AAFP emphasized that real-world data and ongoing testing are essential to ensuring that AI tools remain safe, effective, fair and transparent. Our letter outlines key policy principles and targeted recommendations to help the FDA strengthen oversight while protecting patient safety and supporting the patient-physician relationship.

AAFP joins call to withdraw HIPAA cybersecurity proposed rule

AAFP signed onto a letter with more than 100 medical societies urging HHS to withdraw its proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule. Our letter cited significant implementation and financial concerns for small and independent practices.

While AAFP supports strengthening cybersecurity protections for electronic protected health information, the proposed rule includes unrealistic compliance timelines and costly requirements that could disproportionately burden physicians. In the letter, we urged HHS to work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop practical, effective cybersecurity guidance.

AAFP urges Congress to act on rising health care costs

Why it matters: 

As the entry point for many patients to the health care system, family physicians see firsthand how rising health care costs impact individuals and their health outcomes. Our health care system should not be forcing patients to decide between seeking care or buying their groceries for the week. It is critical that Congress takes steps to lower costs and empower patients.

What we’re working on: 

AAFP recently submitted a letter to the Senate Finance Committee to urge it to support policies that:

• increase investment in primary care and track how much different payers spend on it;
• reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients seeking primary care;
• fix payment and market incentives that encourage consolidation, reduce competition and drive-up prices; and
• continue financial assistance that helps people afford health insurance through the Marketplace

Advancing these reforms will help ensure patients can access comprehensive, high-value primary care while lowering financial burdens and improving health outcomes nationwide.

AAFP applauds reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act

AAFP applauds the bipartisan reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act. The law extends essential programs that prevent substance use disorders, expanding access to evidence-based treatment and strengthening the primary care workforce needed to care for patients. Importantly, it ensures that family physicians can continue delivering comprehensive, patient-centered care to those affected by SUD—supporting recovery, reducing harm and improving health in every community.

What we're reading

AAFP EVP and CEO Shawn Martin spoke to Modern Healthcare about the practice of downcoding and how it hurts primary care physicians and patients.

AAFP Board Chair Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP, spoke to Healthcare Brew about a new Commonwealth Fund study showing increasing clinician burnout. “The good news is we know what helps. When we can cut unnecessary burdens like prior authorization, invest in growing the next generation of primary care physicians, and support physicians’ mental health, we will see real improvements,” she said.

Martin was also a guest on Aledade’s ACO Show podcast to discuss the challenges with the future of primary care, particularly independent primary care practices, and how value-based care is a solution. 

For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow us at @aafp_advocacy.