In this episode of NCFM Today, Ryan Paulus, DO, a second-year family medicine resident at UNC, discusses continuity of care in family medicine and the scope of family medicine and why that drew him to this career.  In addition, Hannah Smith, a fourth-year medical student at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, talks about why she chose family medicine as her specialty and discusses what sparked her love affair with family medicine.  Finally, we provide a few brief updates on what's going on in NC impacting family medicine this month.

In the February 2021 episode of NCFM Today, learn about the role of the Advanced Medical Home as North Carolina transitions its Medicaid Program to Managed Care.  Carol Stanley, Medicaid Transformation Manager for the NC AHEC Practice Support Team, and Nicole Cannady, Practice Support Coordinator and Quality Improvement Coach for the Southeastern AHEC in Wilmington, discuss tools that NC AHEC has available to help primary care practices achieve Advanced Medical Home (AMH) Status, the differences between a Tier 2 and a Tier 3 AMH, and what family medicine and other primary care practices should be doing now to prepare for Medicaid Managed Care in North Carolina.  The two also discuss significant financial incentives for practices who are achieve AMH Tier-3 status early, and how those incentives can impact your practice.  Any primary care practice currently taking Medicaid should listen to this important update.

In this edition of NC Family Medicine Today, we speak to Dr. Alexa Mieses-Malchuk, a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina about why all North Carolinians should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, especially historically marginalized populations.  She also discusses her advocacy role in family medicine and how she was recently interviewed for Oprah Magazine.
 
 In addition, Dr. Shannon Dowler, Chief Medical Officer for NC Medicaid, joins us to discuss the state's efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.  She tells family medicine practices how they can begin preparing to vaccinate their patients now, even though supply and distribution points are limited at this time.  However, she talks about how family physicians will be crucial as further vaccine becomes available, and how they can work with their patients now to address vaccine hesitancy.

Meet the new president of the NC Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Jessica Triche, who practices at Vidant Chocowinity Family Medicine and lives in Bath, NC.  Dr. Triche discusses three lessons she has learned from her mentors and why mentoring is so important in developing the future healthcare workforce.  Dr. Triche also discusses her own journey into leadership positions in medicine.

In this episode of NC Family Medicine Today, Dr. Tom Wroth, President and CEO of Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), discusses the future of family medicine and primary care in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid Transformation in North Carolina, the move to value-based healthcare and the results of the recent election.  He discusses how CCNC specifically and primary care practices in general have pivoted to deal with all the changes 2020 has thrown at the practice of medicine.

This month's issue of NCFM Today features an interview with Dr. Shannon Dowler, Chief Medical Officer for North Carolina Medicaid.  Dr. Dowler talks about her leadership journey, how COVID-19 impacted her role at Medicaid, and the key differences between activism and advocacy. She also offers advice on how young physicians can begin their advocacy journey.

This month's edition features an interview with Dr. Mary Hall, a family physician who serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC.  Dr. Hall discusses her leadership journey from her various roles within Atrium to her year as President of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.  She also discusses the family medicine workforce needs of the future and how Atrium is working to address those needs.  

What does family medicine, mentoring, social justice, boxing and advocacy have in common?  Find out the answer and much more in this edition of NCFM Today as we interview Dr. Tamieka Howell, an NCAFP Past President and a current member of the AAFP Commission on Membership and Member Services 

In this episode, we interview the President of the NC Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. David A. Rinehart, a family physician in Belmont, about what it has been like to practice medicine during a pandemic and lead a professional association of his peers.  Dr. Rinehart outlines some of the changes his practice has made during the coronavirus outbreak and also talks about how NCAFP has pivoted to better serve its members during these unprecedented times.

In this episode, Dr. Shauna Guthrie, At-Large Member of the NCAFP Executive Committee and Medical Director for the Granville-Vance Health District, discusses the intersection of public health and primary care, particularly in light of COVID-19, and offers advice to both our state's family physicians and the public at large.