Ever increasing need for family physicians!

What family physicians need to know about pay for performance.

Pay for performance (or P4P) may seem like a distant phenomenon to many physicians – one they don’t want to concern themselves with just yet. However, in the past few years, P4P programs have proliferated. Virtually all major payers, including Medicare, are piloting P4P programs and will soon be measuring physician performance and offering financial incentives to those who meet quality target...

For family physicians, by family physicians?

A 2002 discussion paper 1 clearly outlined the difference between simple, complicated, and complex problems and provided analogies that have become part of our everyday language. The authors1 characterized simple tasks as being like following a recipe: recipes are essential; they are tested to assure easy replication; no expertise is required, but having some increases success; recipes produce ...

What family physicians need to know about ACOs.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are one of the most anticipated and, perhaps, most confusing developments in health care today. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act called for the creation of ACOs as a way to encourage physicians, hospitals and other health care providers to work across settings to coordinate and improve care for a defined population of patients and take part in...

Uterine rupture: what family physicians need to know.

Vaginal birth after cesarean section is common in this country. Physicians providing obstetric care should be aware of the potential complications. Uterine rupture occurs in approximately one of every 67 to 500 women (with one prior low-transverse incision) undergoing a trial of labor for vaginal birth after cesarean section. Rupture poses serious risks to mother and infant. There are no reliab...

Family Physicians’ Perceived Need for Their Patients to Receive Family Therapy-related Care