There are nearly 70,000 practicing family physicians in the United States, comprising 12 percent of all physicians in direct patient care.

The Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) is the only professional association in Florida that solely represents the family physician.

The FAFP has more than 4,000 members, including practicing family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students from across the state.

The mission of the FAFP is to promote excellence in health care for Florida citizens, to advance and represent the specialty of family practice, and to serve the unique needs of its members.

The FAFP is the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the national association of family doctors that represents more than 94,000 practicing family physicians, residents, and medical students across the country.

The FAFP's core purpose is to advance the specialty of family practice in Florida to promote excellence in health care. Through its association with the AAFP, the FAFP strives to achieve these goals:

• To promote and maintain high quality standards for Florida's family physicians.

• To provide advocacy, representation, continuing education, and leadership opportunities for Florida's family physicians.

• To promote respect, skill and teamwork in family medicine.

• To preserve and promote quality, cost-effective health care for all Floridians through responsible advocacy and education.

The FAFP understands that continuing education is vital to the effectiveness of every physician. Consequently, every member is required to complete 150 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every three years.

Because the specialty of family medicine requires comprehensive training, in-depth medical knowledge, a wealth of clinical skills, and an understanding of psychological influences, the continuum of care provided by family physicians exists no where else.

Family physicians diagnose and treat 90 percent of all patient problems, including biological and mental health concerns. Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to general and family physicians annually.  In 2001, office visits to general and family physicians numbered more than 210 million--76 million more than to any other specialty.

The FAFP also acts as the active voice for family medicine, advocating key issues among patients, the medical community, legislators and regulators, third-party payers, and the general public. The FAFP continually works to communicate, recognize and celebrate the issues of family medicine, while helping all Floridians to understand that having a family physician is vital to their health.

Additionally, we strive to promote interest in family medicine as a career by working with Florida's four medical schools to provide quality residency and medical training programs in family medicine. Today's initiatives of the FAFP will ensure the future of family medicine in Florida.