FMEC and ABFM’s Performance Improvement Requirement
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The FMEC has convened learning networks/collaboratives for many years, but recently, we’ve prioritized securing Performance Improvement (PI) AAFP Prescribed credits for physician participation. What does this mean for participants? By joining and completing an FMEC learning collaborative project, FMEC staff will submit your name and AAFP ID number to the AAFP and ABFM, attesting that you have completed the PI activity. If you are an AAFP member, 20 Prescribed credits will be added to your AAFP portfolio. If you are board certified with the ABFM, 20 Performance Improvement credits for participation in the activity will be added to your ABFM portfolio. This helps with your ABFM Performance Improvement certification requirement, so you do not need to choose an ABFM-sponsored activity, or submit on your own for a self-directed PI activity.
Since 2023, we’ve helped nearly 100 physicians with this requirement. In the FMEC’s 2024 learning collaborative on Hereditary Breast Cancer, 50 physicians received credit, and the Whole-Person Care collaborative wrapping up now included 54 healthcare providers from 7 residency programs/clinics, with 25 of them receiving credit to date.
Our next opportunity, Medical-Dental Integration for Veterans in Family Medicine, is just kicking off, and 6 residency programs have enrolled 25 providers. If you are interested in joining this project, please email Rebecca Bouck at rebecca.bouck@fmec.net – the project will run through the first week in September, and you will receive credits as well as complimentary registrations for the FMEC Annual Meeting. Later this summer, the FMEC will be recruiting participants to join a new project focused on Young Breast Cancer Survivors and their families.
Read more about FMEC’s past projects at FMEC Residency Learning Networks, or contact Scott Allen at scott.allen@fmec.net with questions or to get involved.
| | 2025 Annual Meeting Plenary Speakers Announced! | | At the FMEC 2025 Annual Meeting from September 18-20, 2025, plenary speakers will include Drs. Gary LeRoy, Christine Alexander-Rager, and Louito (Lou) Edje, who will show the power and breadth of family medicine and educate and enlighten the audience about critical and emerging issues for primary healthcare. Read more about their talks below and see full descriptions in FMEC Announces Plenary Speakers for 2025 Annual Meeting. | | |
On Friday afternoon, Gary Lewis LeRoy, MD, FAAFP will present “Why This, Why Now, Why Us?: The Art of Noticing Unnoticed Wisdom.” Dr. LeRoy is the Senior Vice President for Diplomate Engagement of the American Board of Family Medicine and an associate professor of Family Medicine at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.
On Friday evening, Christine Alexander-Rager, MD, FAAFP will present “My Backstage Pass to the Corner Office: How Family Medicine Ushered Me into Health System Leadership.” Dr. Alexander has been a physician with the MetroHealth System since 1997 and was named the institution’s President and Chief Executive Officer in October 2024.
On Saturday afternoon, Louito Edje, MD, MHPE, FAAFP, SrADME will present “You Can’t Spell AIR Without AI: How Artificial Intelligence is Essential for Living, Working, and Learning in Medicine.” Dr. Edje is chair of the family medicine review committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, former chair of the nominating committee of the American Medical Association’s Council on Medical Education, and senior associate dean for medical education at the University of Michigan.
| | Register Today for the FMEC 2025 Annual Meeting | |
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Work with FMEC to Simplify Billing
for Registrations, Residency Fair
The FMEC will make it as easy as possible for your program to participate in our activities! Each year, more and more programs ask us to “bundle” their invoices for their Residency Fair booth, faculty and resident individual registrations, and Partnership fees. We can also invoice your program at specific times during the year, for instance if it’s easier for you to pay at the beginning of your fiscal year, or you have funds left at the end of the fiscal year to put toward next year.
If you would like special handling of your payments to the FMEC, contact Shayla Rammel at shayla.rammel@fmec.net to discuss.
| | | | Preconferences Support Faculty Development, Scholarly Activity | | |
A primary goal of the FMEC is to help programs meet ACGME guidelines and improve their scholarly activity and faculty development. These two preconferences, offered on September 18, 2025, are GREAT opportunities for your faculty and residents to learn and network with others from around the region.
Take Scholarship to the Next Level: Enhancing Scholarly Activity and Research (1pm-5pm) – This interactive pre-conference highlights the importance of research and scholarly activity in residency training, aligning with ACGME’s Common Program Requirements. Participants will explore critical thinking, evidence-based practices, and knowledge integration through a hands-on research simulation. The workshop offers practical tools to enhance scholarly approaches to care.
From Faculty Fundamentals to the Future: Feedback, Precepting & AI Integration in Family Medicine Education (1pm-5pm) – This interactive workshop will strengthen your skills in delivering effective feedback and precepting while integrating AI-driven strategies into your teaching. Through a Learn-Practice-Learn-Practice format, you’ll apply best practices via interactive exercises, case discussions, and hands-on faculty development activities. Come ready with your real-world challenges in 1) giving feedback and 2) precepting problems to problem-solve with peers and walk away with practical, actionable strategies.
Registration for the Annual Meeting is not necessary, you can go just to attend a preconference. If you’ve already registered for the Annual Meeting, no problem – go back to Annual Meeting Registration and select “only need to register for a preconference.” Registration starts at only $125 for faculty who are FMEC members. Visit 2025 Annual Meeting Preconferences for the full list and descriptions.
| | Poster Submissions Accepted Through July 1 | | The poster submission form for the FMEC 2025 Annual Meeting is open now and will close on July 1, 2025. We encourage medical students and residents to submit to present! Medical students in the FMEC region may be eligible for scholarships to attend; visit Medical Student Scholarships for more information. | | Benefits of FMEC Partnership | | |
Joining the FMEC as an individual or institution gives you discounts! Programs who are FMEC Partners receive $300 discounts on their Residency Fair booths, and individuals who join, or receive complimentary memberships through an FMEC Partner organization, receive $50-75 discounts on registration. Join or renew now so you get your discounts on the 2025 Annual Meeting!
Also, institutions that join at the Silver ($2,500) Partner level and above get access to the FMEC’s Special Edition newsletter to post their job and fellowship openings. That’s one fee for an entire year of posting job ads! Read more about Special Edition and share the information with your recruiting department in this FMEC Special Edition Overview.
Read more about FMEC Memberships and Partnerships now and join or renew.
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From the FMEC Healthcare Innovators Network
Businesses can create powerful innovations that improve health of a community when they collaborate and build with family physicians. Larry Bauer, FMEC CEO Emeritus, shares this podcast and overview of his discussion with Ashley Bacot, risk manager of Rosen Hotels & Resorts and president of ProvInsure, and Kenneth Aldridge, director of health services for Rosen Medical Center and RosenCare. Read more in Rosen Hotels Healthcare Strategy Creates Far-Reaching Benefits or listen to this podcast.
Call for Volunteers for Residency Learning Network Project!
The FMEC was honored to receive a seed programming grant from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) for its project, FMEC Learning Networks: Collaborating to Accelerate Innovations. Even before ACGME requirements, the FMEC was a leader in creating residency learning networks and collaboratives. The ABFM grant funding will help the FMEC formalize and advance its work over the next three years. We are seeking volunteers who want to help shape and lead residency learning networks! You will gain skills and experience, help identify issues and topics for collaborative work across residencies, and more. Please contact Scott Allen at scott.allen@fmec.net for more information. In the meantime, read more about FMEC’s past and current learning networks at our new FMEC Residency Learning Networks
PC4AA Event on July 15, 2025
The next Primary Care for All Americans (PC4AA) Teach-In/Learn-In event will be held on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 from 8:30-9:30pm EDT. Dr. Jonathan Bushman will share how Oklahoma is creating strong primary care systems through local pathway programs. Register here or see this LinkedIn post for more info.
Crozer Residents Move to Penn Medicine
The FMEC was sad to see the Crozer (PA) residency close, but happy to report that the University of Pennsylvania Health System has hired the 43 physicians-in-training who were displaced after the Crozer Health shutdown. The residents will continue providing care in Springfield and Upper Darby but will now receive inpatient training at Chester County Hospital. Read more in this article, 43 Crozer Physicians In-Training Picked Up by Penn Medicine.
Getting Married? Here’s What It Means for Your Student Loans
Wedding season is here! If you’re planning to say “I do,” you’re probably thinking about venues, vows, and maybe even cake flavors. But here’s something many couples overlook: how marriage can impact your student loan payments. If you have federal student loans and are on an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan, getting married could change your monthly payment amount—sometimes in surprising ways. Most IDR plans will factor in your combined income once you’re married, which could increase your payment. Filing as “Married Filing Separately” can keep your payments lower, but you might lose out on certain tax benefits—like deducting student loan interest. Don’t let student loans be an unexpected wedding guest! Before you file your next tax return, chat with a student loan expert and a tax professional. Book a session with a Student Loan Guide at Navigate —we receive a reduced price! Visit Navigate Student Loans and let them know the FMEC sent you.
| | Help Introduce Students to Family Medicine | | Students love the FMEC meeting! | | "I matched into my top program in Family Medicine! I am so thankful for the FMEC conferences. I was able to further solidify my connections with my program at the residency fair as well as network with other programs on my list which made the ranking process much easier." Drexel University College of Medicine student, 2024 scholarship recipient | | |
Donate Today
The Nik Zervanos, MD, Student Scholarship program has brought nearly 8,000 medical students to FMEC meetings over the last 20 years. Please help continue the great work started by Dr. Zervanos and donate to the Nik Zervanos, MD, Student Scholarship program.
Help us bring over 300 students to the 2025 Annual Meeting in Cleveland! Donors (individuals, residency programs, medical staff, etc.) are recognized on the FMEC website and on signs and slides at the meeting.
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A selection of upcoming family medicine and primary care meetings, nationally and in the FMEC region. If you have a meeting to be listed, please email jennifer.stamper@fmec.net.
A selection of upcoming family medicine and primary care meetings, nationally and in the FMEC region. If you have a meeting to be listed, please email jennifer.stamper@fmec.net.
- Jul. 24-27 – (DPC) Direct Primary Care Summit, New Orleans, LA
- Jul. 31 – Aug. 2 - AAFP FUTURE Conference (formerly National Conference for Family Medicine), Kansas City, MO
- Sep. 8-10 – STFM Conference on Practice and Quality Improvement, Pittsburgh, PA
- Sep. 12-13 – Family Medicine Midwest Conference, Naperville, IL
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Sep. 18-20, 2025 – FMEC Annual Meeting, Cleveland, OH
- Oct. 5-9 – AAFP FMX, Anaheim, CA
- Nov. 21-25 – (NAPCRG) North American Primary Care Research Group Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
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Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2026 – STFM Conference on Medical Student Education, Charlotte, NC
- Feb 19-21, 2026 – ACGME Annual Educational Conference, San Diego, CA
- Feb. 25-28, 2026 – ADFM Annual Conference, Orlando, FL
- Mar. 3-6, 2026 – AAFP Residency Leadership Summitt, Dallas, TX
- Apr. 15-19, 2026 – ACOFP Annual Convention, Orlando, FL
- May 1-5, 2026 – STFM Annual Spring Conference, New Orleans, LA
- Aug. 31 – Sep. 2, 2026 – STFM Conference on Practice and Quality Improvement
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Sep. 24-26, 2026 – FMEC Annual Meeting, Atlantic City, NJ
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