Fall 2011

Everyone, everywhere, is experiencing the stress of accelerating change. We in health care are, perhaps, at the front edge of this wave. To make it even more difficult, the dysfunction in Washington, D.C., over health care reform is muddying the waters.

As a result, the focus of our recent faculty retreat was on a variety of ways that may help us deal with change in a more positive way.  We came up with several ideas that we will be evaluating further over the next few months. These range from ways to increase revenue or reduce expenses, to move our current relatively advanced Patient Centered Medical Home clinical sites to the next level as we move to becoming an Accountable Care Organization, and to continue to put the “wow” into our daily patient care/interactions.

Time will tell which of our ideas will be the most successful.  Perhaps more important than any of the individual ideas, is the culture of our Department. We work in a environment that places a high emphasis on valuing each other’s differences and unique contributions to the Department. There is much trust that we all will pull our weight, and are willing to help when asked. I believe that this is key, both to our current high national status and to our ability to maintain this in the future. Health care trends come and go, but the culture hopefully will remain the same despite intermittent pressures to change it. In a way, the culture we have is probably expected since we are, after all, in Family Medicine. We train our students, residents and fellows in the importance of family dynamics and to consider the broader health implications of those.

In the meantime, in the midst of all the changes in health care, the Department remains as robust as ever. Our clinical operations – both outpatient and inpatient – are busy, our new residents and fellows have all embarked on their respective programs, faculty are teaching at multiple levels, and our research programs continue to be successful in attracting grants and disseminating cutting edge information. We have also maintained the extensive community service we are known for, both locally and globally.

The state of Michigan is known for its multiple seasons. Fall will be here soon, and with it two things happen. First, football season has started (Go Blue!) with high hopes for the upcoming season. And second, the leaves will soon change to the beautiful reds, yellows, greens and browns that appear every autumn. Even though this paves the way for winter that is just around the corner, the coming of fall is one change most people enjoy!

Here’s to a wonderful fall and good changes for all.

- Philip Zazove, M.D., Professor and Interim Chair

April 2010: Best Docs! — Listed below, are our doctors who have been identified as " best family medicine doctors in America for 2009-10," as determined by Best Docs, Inc.


William E. Chavey II, M.D., M.S.
Associate professor, residency class of 1995

Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.
Associate professor

Michael S. Klinkman, M.D., M.S.
Associate professor, residency class of 1985

Christine W. Krause, M.D.
Instructor, residency class of 1995

Phillip E. Rodgers, M.D.
Assistant professor, residency class of 1998

Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D.
Professor and chair, medical school class of 1975

 

April 2009: Family Medicine Receives High National Rankings!

According to two prominent sources, the Department of Family Medicine at the U-M has risen significantly in its national rankings.

First, the department is now ranked 3rd in the nation (tied with two other universities) in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of primary care disciplines, up from 7th last year. This recognition of the excellence of the Department’s clinical and academic programs positions it to take a leadership role in establishing family medicine as the foundation for any discussions about national health care reform.

Secondly, in January 2009, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U-M Medical School announced that the department’s research funding had risen by a third, and is now ranked 6th in the nation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, up from 11th in FY 2007, with total NIH funding of $1,669,483.

“This is spectacular. Our clinical excellence and innovation, our educational quality and leadership, and our outstanding research programs, all speak to our commitment to the principles of family medicine and demonstrate the department’s importance to the U-M Health System and the U.S. health care system,” said Dr. Schwenk.

In addition, the U-M Medical School’s ranking among all medical schools for its primary care quality moved up from 45th in 2007 to 17th place in 2008 and is now ranked 12th (in part due to the restructuring of the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking methodology, according to the U-M Department of Public Relations).

And, for the first time in U-M Medical School history, annual NIH grant funding awarded to the school’s clinical researchers and biomedical scientists exceeded $300 million. U-M placed 2nd in FY 2008 among medical schools affiliated with public universities, and moved from 11th place in FY 2007 to 7th in FY 2008 for NIH grants awarded to all U.S. medical schools.

Overall, “These rankings reflect tremendous dedication from the faculty and support staff responsible for research…. In the discipline of family medicine, we are one of the few departments that has made the investment to continue to bring new insights to the care of patients through federally-supported research,” noted Mack T. Ruffin IV, M.D., M.P.H., professor and associate chair for research programs.