Contents tagged with rural
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We must heal our rural health care system
By Emily Briggs, MD, MPH, TAFP President, and Christy Francis, TORCH Board Chair
Texas’ rural health care system is in serious trouble. The numerous problems plaguing rural health are well-documented and have been described as a succession of bad situations that are getting worse. They demand the Legislature’s immediate attention.
Rural Texans are older, sicker, poorer, and less likely to be insured than the average Texan. Rural hospitals, physician practices, and community clinics face significant financial distress and a constant risk of closure due to high uncompensated care costs and unsustainably low reimbursement rates.
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April 2022 Member of the Month
Member of the Month: Richard David, MD
Small-town doc builds new residency program focusing on rural family medicine
By Samantha White
posted 04.13.22
Almost two years ago, a new family … more
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Texas Family Physician - Vol. 67 No. 1, Winter 2016
Go to the TFP archive
View the virtual issue
President’s letter
Perspective
CONTENTS
Texas Family Physician of the Year 2015-16: Antonio Falcon, MDBorn and bred in Rio Grande City, … more
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The richest man in the world
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The richest man in the world
Story and photos by Samantha White
It’s 6 a.m. on a typical Thursday at the Family Health Center in the small border town of Rio Grande City, Texas. … more
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Why I precept medical students
By Adrian N. Billings, MD, PhD, FAAFP
Why do I precept medical students? Luckily, I ask myself this question less and less frequently because I enjoy having these junior colleagues with me, especially at 2 a.m. while delivering babies. However, I recently explored this question with some reflection on my past seven years of precepting around 100 medical students and 20 resident physicians in my practice.
Unequivocally, the answer to the preceding question is that I precept medical students because my patients receive better care if I have a medical student working with me. It does not matter how fresh a medical student is into clinical training, two sets of eyes and two sets of brains examining and thinking about a patient’s problem are better than my own brain by itself. I have had preclinical students consider and make diagnoses that I have not been able to. Even if the students don’t make the correct diagnosis and they hear zebra hoofbeats instead of horse hoofbeats, this mental task causes me to consider a broader and more thorough differential diagnosis with their valuable input. I consider it an honor and privilege to be entrusted by medical schools with these young student physicians.
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Van Winkle launches website for AAFP President-Elect campaign
Van Winkle launches website for AAFP President-Elect campaign
At the close of last year’s AAFP Congress of Delegates, TAFP’s Lloyd Van Winkle, MD, announced his intention to run for AAFP President- … more
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A new way to train family physicians
By Richard Young, MD
What is the best way to train comprehensive full-service family physicians to learn how to thrive in underserved rural Texas? How have duty hour restrictions affected residents’ training with this goal in mind? JPS might have some answers.
The John Peter Smith Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program was chosen to be one of 14 programs to participate in the Preparing the Personal Physician Practice (P4) experiment, which was conducted from 2007 to 2012. The leading organizations that regulate family medicine residencies allowed JPS and 13 other programs across the U.S. to blow up their curricula and start all over. JPS innovated its curriculum in two primary ways. This is a report on some of our preliminary results.
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Thank God I'm a Country Doc
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Thank God I’m a country doc
Story and photos by Samantha White
“This is where I’m from.”
The simplest of answers. When asked why he returned to his hometown of Eagle Lake, Texas, … more
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Member of the Month: Jake Margo, MD
Member of the Month: Jake Margo Jr., MD
Rural physician active in community and TAFP business
posted 1.7.15
TAFP Valley Chapter president and Hidalgo Starr County Medical Society president are … more
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New rural residency program in Permian Basin
New rural residency program in Permian Basin
A new residency program focusing on rural medicine has been established by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at the Permian Basin … more