CME | Private Practice, Public Impact: Finding Your Fit in Modern Medicine
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, Jason Marker, MD, MPA, FAAFP and Lauren Brown-Berchtold, MD, FAAFP, discuss how private practice in family medicine is evolving and how physicians can evaluate different models in 2026. They review trends showing a shift from 50/50 self-owned vs. other-owned practices in 2016 to about 75% other-owned and 25% private practice today, note rural workforce losses, and highlight rapid growth in direct primary care (DPC) and concierge models, alongside increasing corporate ownership. They compare employed practice vs....
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FFFM | April 2026 Advocacy Rounds
Inside Family Medicine
David Tully, AAFP vice president of government relations, recaps the AAFP’s April 2026 advocacy efforts. AAFP led a coalition letter urging the Departments of Homeland Security and State to speed visa and immigration processing for international medical graduates, citing delays with J-1 waivers, H-1B extensions, and green cards that disrupt care in rural and underserved areas. AAFP warned the Department of Education that a proposed Workforce Pell rule could exclude physicians with graduate degrees from short-term training support, worsening...
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CME | A Crash Course in Thyroid Confusion
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the GO, the hosts discuss a practical approach to hypothyroidism, using a case of a 50-year-old woman with nonspecific symptoms (weight gain, fatigue, edema, constipation). They emphasize thorough history and physical exam, then outline key thyroid testing: TSH as the initial screening test (often with reflex free T4), free T4 for confirmation and special situations (including pregnancy), and limited uses for T3 tests. They review antibody testing (TPO for Hashimoto’s, thyroglobulin antibodies in select cases) and note tests...
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FFFM | Lawmaker Spotlight: Physician Voices Shaping Health Policy
Inside Family Medicine
David Tully, AAFP vice president of government relations, speaks with U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy, MD, a family physician and former Utah state legislator, about why he chose family medicine, how having more clinicians in public office can lead to bipartisan physician collaboration on health care policy and the need for greater professional autonomy. We also hear from U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, MD, a pulmonary/critical care physician and former Oregon state legislator who...
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IFM | Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell: Delivering Maternal Health Care and Equity
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, MS, discusses maternal health care and the role of family physicians in providing consistent care from preconception through pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Curry-Winchell shares why she chose family medicine and her nontraditional path from a Certified Nursing Assistant to Physicians Assistant to physician, including the risks she took to attend medical school. She describes her own near-fatal postpartum complication following a cesarean section and emphasizes the importance of...
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IFM | From Clinic to Community: Advancing Health Equity in Rural Settings
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, host Emily Holwick speaks with Calin Kirk, MD, family physician at the Cherokee Nation’s Sam Hider Health Center in Jay, Oklahoma, and Sarah Gerrish, MD, full-spectrum family physician and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, to discuss advancing health equity in rural and tribal communities. They share why family medicine’s broad scope of practice and continuity of care matter, and outline barriers like distance,...
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CME | Twisted Truths: What You Didn't Learn About Sickle Cell
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, the hosts discuss sickle cell disease (SCD) and the role of family medicine in recognizing, screening, and preventing complications. They review SCD as an autosomal recessive hemoglobin disorder distinct from sickle cell trait and highlight major complications such as anemia, infection risk, pain crises, and acute chest syndrome. The episode emphasizes global prevalence, newborn screening (and potential gaps), and risk beyond African ancestry. It also covers hemoglobin electrophoresis patterns, preventive care including penicillin prophylaxis and...
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IFM | Enhancing Knowledge About mRNA Vaccines
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, host Michael Monroe speaks with AAFP Vaccine Science fellows Anne Schneider, DO, FAAFP, and Mina Saleem Khan, MD, FAAFP, about why mRNA vaccines matter and how family physicians can address patient questions and misinformation. They explain mRNA basics, review COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy, address common myths, and share practical communication strategies—such as empathetic counseling, presumptive recommendations, and team-based systems—to reduce missed vaccination opportunities. Topics by...
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FFFM | March 2026 Advocacy Rounds
Inside Family Medicine
David Tully, AAFP vice president of government relations, recaps the AAFP’s March 2026 advocacy efforts. Academy EVP and CEO Shawn Martin testified before Congress on how underinvestment fuels workforce shortages, longer waits and practice closures. Chronic disease drives 90% of the $4.9 trillion the US spends on health care each year, but primary care receives less than 5% of those funds. With that in mind, the AAFP urged Congress to improve patients’ access and costs by making primary care affordable, supporting...
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IFM | Brain Health and Chronic Conditions: Lifelong Connections
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, we hear from Dr. Ariel Cole, a family and geriatric medicine physician and fellowship/residency leader at AdventHealth Orlando, about the family physician’s role in cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Cole describes her experience caring for patients across the cognitive decline spectrum and emphasizes prevention. The conversation covers barriers like time and system awareness, strategies for sensitive discussions about shame and independence, and leveraging community resources such as Area...
info_outlineIn this episode of CME On the GO, the hosts discuss a practical approach to hypothyroidism, using a case of a 50-year-old woman with nonspecific symptoms (weight gain, fatigue, edema, constipation). They emphasize thorough history and physical exam, then outline key thyroid testing: TSH as the initial screening test (often with reflex free T4), free T4 for confirmation and special situations (including pregnancy), and limited uses for T3 tests. They review antibody testing (TPO for Hashimoto’s, thyroglobulin antibodies in select cases) and note tests for Graves disease outside this episode. They cover sick thyroid considerations, subclinical hypothyroidism controversy, pregnancy management with tighter TSH goals and dose increases, and treatment preferences favoring standardized levothyroxine over desiccated thyroid, with limited/controversial use of combination T4/T3 therapy.
Learning Objectives
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Interpret key thyroid laboratory tests—including TSH, T4, fT4, T3, fT3, and thyroid antibodies—within the framework of thyroid physiology and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
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Compare the efficacy, safety, and clinical indications of thyroid hormone replacement options such as levothyroxine, liothyronine (Cytomel), and desiccated thyroid extract.
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Explain the clinical significance of subclinical hypothyroidism and apply evidence-based reasoning to common patient scenarios with borderline thyroid function.
The AAFP has reviewed A Crash Course in Hypothyroid Confusion and deemed it acceptable for up to 0.50 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 04/20/2026 to 6/4/2027. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The AAFP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Academy of Family Physicians designates this Enduring Materials for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
CME activities approved for AAFP credit are recognized by the AOA as equivalent to AOA Category 2 credit.
After listening to the podcast episode, complete and submit the evaluation to claim 0.5 AAFP credit by following the provided link.
https://www.aafp.org/assessment/take/19856/e
References and Resources
Hypothyroidism: Diagnosis and Treatment: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0515/p605.html
Thyroiditis: Evaluation and Treatment: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/1200/p609.html
Hypothyroidism A Review: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2838457?utm_source=openevidence&utm_medium=referral
Hyperthyroidism A Review:
Thyroid Hormone Therapy for Older Adults with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1603825
Article on lab testing: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10517335/
Ahluwalia R, Baldeweg SE, Boelaert K, et al. Use of liothyronine (T3) in hypothyroidism: Joint British Thyroid Association/Society for endocrinology consensus statement. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2023;99(2):206-216. doi:10.1111/cen.14935
Disclosure: It is the policy of the AAFP that all individuals in a position to control content disclose any relationships with commercial interests upon nomination/invitation of participation. Disclosure documents are reviewed for potential conflicts of interest and, if identified, conflicts are resolved prior to confirmation of participation. Only those participants who had no conflict of interest or who agreed to an identified resolution process prior to their participation were involved in this CME activity. All individuals in a position to control content for this session have indicated they have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
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