American Academy of Family Physicians

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is one of the largest national medical organizations, with nearly 131,400 family physician members in 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam, as well as internationally. The AAFP was founded in 1947 to promote and maintain high quality standards for family physicians who are providing continuing comprehensive health care to the public. Other major purposes of the AAFP include:

• Work to demonstrate the value family medicine brings to our health care system and increase the investment all payers and employers make in primary care.
• Reduce administrative burdens in medical practice by advocating for the standardization and harmonization of administrative requirements and ensuring appropriate value of the services they provide
• Develop practical tools and resources to help all family physicians—regardless of practice type—build and sustain high-functioning primary care practices.
• Work to enhance patient care and to help every family physician achieve professional fulfillment.
• Increase and support the family medicine workforce, from the time a student chooses family medicine through the completion of a satisfying career.
• Advocate for graduate medical education and payment reform to rebalance the composition and distribution of the physician workforce in the United States.
• Equip members with the data, knowledge, competencies, and skills to provide high-quality, evidence-based and safe care to their patients in the context of family and community.