There are a number of state and national organizations that provide resources and services for Family Medicine Residency faculty. Relevant organizations are listed below, followed by regulatory organizations that govern residency programs. 

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Resources for Faculty

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Colorado Commission on Family Medicine (COFM), Colorado Association of Family Medicine Residencies (CAFMR), and Colorado Institute of Family Medicine (CIFM)

In Colorado, three organizations work together to ensure excellence in family medicine education. View our About Us section to learn more about our organizations. Faculty will be interested in services provided by our organizations. Collectively, we… 
•    Recruit medical students to Colorado’s programs by coordinating recruitment efforts including at the National Conference in Kansas City,
•    Coordinate and finance meetings for a variety of cross-sectional groups, including Program Directors, Educational Directors/CREW, Behavioral Science Faculty, Program Coordinators, Program Administrators, and the CAFMR QI Group;
•    Advocate on behalf of family medicine education in the state legislature by employing two lobbyists;
•    Coordinate a one-month rural rotation, required for all Colorado residents;  
•    Offer an Advocacy in Family Medicine rotation to residents;
•    Organize the national GME Initiative to reform GME financing;
•    Plan and implement a variety of educational events, including the biannual Chief Leadership Conference, biannual PCMH Learning Collaboratives (with HealthTeamWorks and CU’s Department of Family Medicine), annual Rocky Mountain Research Forum, and other faculty development offerings, including the New Faculty Development Program.

 

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM)

STFM is “an association of nearly 5,000 innovative family medicine educators. These teachers include medical school professors, preceptors, residency program faculty, residency program directors and others involved in family medicine education.” STFM offers a number of resources that may be helpful to faculty, including:
•    An annual conference dedicated to teaching in family medicine;
•    An annual conference dedicated to practice improvement;
•    A number of relevant resources;
•    The Residency Curriculum Resource, available to subscribers only ($1,800/year per program);
•    A resource library that catalogs presentations made at the annual conference and other events;
•    Fellowships, including a Behavioral Science Fellowship and an Emerging Leaders Fellowship. 

 

North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPGRG)

NAPCRG is “a multidisciplinary organization for primary care researchers” that strives to foster primary care research. NAPCRG “[nurtures] novice researchers with training in research methodology, grant development, and career planning; supportive feedback on research ideas and projects; and experience presenting their work in an international forum.” They offer several programs and a national conference (in Colorado Springs November 12-16, 2016) that may be of interest to faculty members.

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Residency Leadership Summit (formerly PDW & RPS)

An annual conference of the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP), PDW & RPS “provides family medicine residency program directors, faculty, nurses, and administrators across the country educational and networking opportunities” and may be of interest to faculty.

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Resources for Providers

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Colorado Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP)

CAFP is a membership-based organization that “supports Colorado’s family physicians and patients by providing state-level advocacy, offering affordable and relevant education through our Annual Summit and other events, and championing health of the public initiatives that help all Coloradans live healthier lives.” Faculty may consider joining CAFP to become part of a membership organization made up of Colorado family physicians. CAFP also provides trainings and meetings that may be of interest. The CAFP is a local branch of the AAFP.

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American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)

The national membership organization for family physicians, the AAFP’s mission is to “improve the health of patients, families, and communities by serving the needs of members with professionalism and creativity.” Join the AAFP for access to a variety of member resources, including a CME reporting system, professional resources, member interest groups, and member directories.

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Colorado Medical Society (CMS)

CMS is “is the largest organization of physicians in Colorado, with over 7,500 members across all specialties and employment settings. Faculty may consider joining CMS to be a part of the largest physician organization in the state.

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Regulatory Organizations

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It can also be helpful for faculty to be aware of the four major organizations that establish requirements and regulations that govern how residency programs operate. The following descriptions and links are provided to help faculty easily find relevant documents. 

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Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

The ACGME establishes program requirements, accredits programs, conducts periodic reviews, requires annual data reporting, and has the power to censure or close programs. The ACGME has established Common Program Requirements and the Program Requirements for Family Medicine which dictate how a Family Medicine residency must operate (see pages 31-33 for duty hour requirements).

 
The ACGME also prescribes a system for evaluating resident progress over their three years of training called Milestones. The system relies on faculty evaluating residents in ways that allows the program to document resident progress and requires semi-annual evaluations of residents on these criteria. 

 

American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)

The ABFM has established Residency Guidelines, including guidelines related to residents’ Absence from the Residency. The ABFM also oversees certification of family physicians, including initial certification (in part through completion of residency) and maintenance of certification.  

 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS)

CMS provides residency programs with funding from Medicare, through Direct (DME) payments and Indirect (IME) payments. CMS has established requirements about when patients can be seen by residents, how visits are billed, and the role of the teaching physician/preceptor. These rules are addressed in Guidelines for Teaching Physicians, Interns, and Residents and include the Primary Care Exception Rule (see pages 6-7), which allows residents to see Medicare/Medicaid patients independently in the primary care outpatient clinic. 

 

The National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)

The NRMP standardizes the process of selecting new residents for programs that choose to participate in The Match® (including all CAFMR programs and nearly all programs nationwide). The NRMP has established a Match Participation Agreement for Applicants and Programs that all programs and applicants must sign, agreeing to abide by these rules. NRMP also have created a less specific description of the interviewing Communication Code of Conduct.

The NRMP uses an online system called ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) to process applications.

 

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