FFFM | Advocacy in action: Members take key issues from clinics to Congress
Release Date: 07/31/2026
FFFM | Advocacy in action: Members take key issues from clinics to Congress
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, David Tully, AAFP Vice President of Government Relations, reviews the Academy’s July advocacy efforts, including proposed Medicare payment improvements, physician workforce policies, Medicaid coverage protections and efforts to reduce administrative burdens. He also highlights AAFP advocacy related to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, federal research grants, Medicare Advantage reform, overdose prevention and Primary Care for America’s Triple Double campaign to expand investment in and access...
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IFM | AAFP x Unbiased Science: Behind Every Vaccine Question Is a Person
Inside Family Medicine
Vaccine conversations have changed. Patients are asking new questions, trust is harder to earn, and clinicians are navigating increasingly complex discussions in limited time. In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, host Rebecca Fuller Beeler, PhD, vice president of Integrated Marketing Communications at AAFP is joined by public health scientist and founder of Unbiased Science Jess Steier, DrPH. Together, they discuss why facts alone are often not enough, how empathy and listening can strengthen vaccine conversations, and what physicians can do to support patients before, during, and after...
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IFM | From Hypertension to Hypopneas: Bringing Obstructive Sleep Apnea Management into Primary Care Practice
Inside Family Medicine
In this special episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, brought to you by Resmed, host Darren Sextro talks with family physician James Bigham, MD, MPH, FAAFP about how he has successfully integrated sleep health and OSA management into his practice. He discusses the well-established connection between OSA and hypertension and explains how screening and treatment can become a natural part of chronic disease management. The conversation highlights the barriers he’s faced in practice, from uncertainty around role ownership...
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CME | From Heat Waves to Health Risks: Climate Change in Primary Care
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of CME On the Go, our hosts discuss how changing climate and weather patterns are already affecting patient health and family medicine practice. They examine the health consequences associated with extreme heat, worsening air quality, wildfire smoke, longer pollen seasons, expanding vector-borne diseases, food and water insecurity and climate-related mental health concerns. They also highlight how these effects can compound existing cardiovascular, respiratory, renal and pregnancy-related risks, particularly among older adults, children,...
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IFM | Direct Primary Care: Building Autonomy, Access and Sustainability
Inside Family Medicine
IFM | Direct Primary Care: Building Autonomy, Access and Sustainability AAFP Vice President of Practice Advancement Dr. Karen Johnson, PhD, welcomes Dr. Maryal Concepcion, MD, FAAFP, a full-scope family physician, founder and CEO of , and host of the podcast, to discuss direct primary care (DPC) as an evolving practice model for family physicians. Drawing from her own transition out of corporate medicine, Dr. Concepcion shares how DPC has allowed her to build a sustainable practice centered on physician autonomy, meaningful...
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IFM | Strengthening Vaccine Confidence and Adult Immunization
Inside Family Medicine
AAFP Vaccine Science Fellows James Bigham, MD, MPH, FAAFP, and Amra Resic, MD, FAAFP, join host Emily Holwick to discuss practical strategies for improving adult vaccination rates in primary care. Drawing from their clinical experience and fellowship work, they explore how family physicians can build vaccine confidence through strong recommendations, trusted patient relationships, and team-based workflows. The conversation covers presumptive vaccine recommendations, shared clinical decision-making, increasing vaccine confidence with empathy, integrating the...
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CME | Dementia Demystified: From Early Signs to Everyday Management
Inside Family Medicine
In this CME On the Go episode, our hosts discuss evaluating and managing dementia-related concerns in primary care using a common scenario: an older patient brought in by an adult child concerned about Alzheimer’s disease and possible nursing home placement. They emphasize that these visits are time intensive and require history from both the patient and family, distinguishing normal aging from functional cognitive decline across domains such as memory, judgment, language and orientation, while remaining aware of family dynamics. Key exam priorities include...
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IFM | Family Physician Compensation: Myths, Models and Using the AAFP Career Benchmark Dashboard
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, we hear from Norman Chenven, MD, founding CEO of Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), and AAFP Director of Career and Practice, Tracey Allen-Ehrhart. They discuss family physician compensation, common income myths, and tools for evaluating job offers. Chenven explains why he chose family medicine and outlines how compensation varies by geography, practice type, work hours, productivity, coding, patient satisfaction, and value-based quality measures. Allen-Ehrhart highlights the AAFP Career Benchmark Dashboard, which offers family...
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FFFM | What federal student loan borrowers need to know
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, David Tully, AAFP vice president of government relations, reviews June advocacy efforts, including the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit, where more than 300 physicians advocated for policies to improve access to care. He also highlights AAFP positions on H-1B physician policy, Medicaid work requirements, ACA marketplace changes, rural training and hospital payments, and reducing prior authorization burdens. Tully then discusses student loan changes from the...
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IFM | Firearm Injury Prevention in the Exam Room: A Conversation with Family Physicians
Inside Family Medicine
In this episode of Inside Family Medicine, James Bigham, MD, MPH, and Sanjay Batish, MD, discuss the family physician’s role in preventing firearm injuries and addressing gun violence through relationship-based, upstream care. Bigham describes training clinicians in culturally aware counseling, secure firearm storage and collaboration with gun shop owners through and the nonprofit SAFE, or Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic, emphasizing a public health approach that uses population data, including that firearm injury is the leading cause of death...
info_outlineIn this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, David Tully, AAFP Vice President of Government Relations, reviews the Academy’s July advocacy efforts, including proposed Medicare payment improvements, physician workforce policies, Medicaid coverage protections and efforts to reduce administrative burdens.
He also highlights AAFP advocacy related to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, federal research grants, Medicare Advantage reform, overdose prevention and Primary Care for America’s Triple Double campaign to expand investment in and access to primary care.
Tully then speaks with Rebecca King, AAFP Senior Strategist for State Affairs and Member Advocacy, about the record-setting 2026 Family Medicine Advocacy Summit and how family physicians, residents and students can continue building momentum during the August congressional recess. They discuss the summit’s legislative priorities, the August Recess Advocacy Challenge and the AAFP Advocacy Ambassadors program.
00:00 July Advocacy Updates
00:51 Medicare Physician Payment Proposals
01:17 Supporting the Patients First Act
01:58 Public Charge Rule Concerns
02:16 Protecting Public Service Loan Forgiveness
02:39 Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements
03:04 Federal Grants and Scientific Review
03:30 Medicaid Payment Flexibility
03:56 Overdose Prevention and Medicare Advantage Reform
04:21 The Triple Double Primary Care Campaign
04:49 Family Medicine Advocacy Summit Recap
05:08 FMAS Legislative Priorities
06:45 Why Physicians’ Stories Matter
08:59 Continuing Advocacy After FMAS
09:42 August Recess Advocacy Priorities
10:14 Connecting With Lawmakers at Home
11:48 August Recess Advocacy Challenge
14:01 AAFP Advocacy Ambassadors
16:17 Closing and Disclaimers
Additional Resources
Rounds Resources:
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