Sean Patrick Roche, MD (left) and Neil Craig Mitnick, DO
of Albany Family Practice Group
Albany Family Practice Group (AFPG) received national recognition at the annual Workshop for Directors of Family Medicine Residencies in Kansas City, Missouri for its residency program.
On June 10-12, 2007, residency directors across the country gathered to discuss topics concerning family medicine residency programs. Drs. Neil Mitnick and Sean Roche, co-residency program directors and providers at Albany Family Practice Group, along with Community Care Physicians’ Director of Operations, Robert Kleinbauer, presented “Lessons Learned from the Privatization of a Family Medicine Training Program: A Four Year Follow-Up.”
Formerly a program administered entirely by Albany Medical Center, AFPG’s residency program was threatened with closure for financial reasons. With their inclusion into CCP in 2002, AFPG was able to mitigate financial risk and develop an effective business model integrating quality patient care and medical education.
“Since we joined CCP, we have developed a unique business model of a private practice multi-specialty group and teaching program. We are one of the few who have a model like this to examine. We presented at the conference so others nationally can emulate our unique situation and system,” says Dr. Neil Mitnick.
Entrance into this workshop involves a competitive application process. Community Care submitted proposals three times and each year they were accepted. The AFPG program is viewed as a viable option for a successful teaching program.
“Across the country, programs have closed or are at risk of closure because of financial troubles that their sponsoring institutions have had,” says Dr. Sean Roche. “We thought our story of how we were on the brink of closure would possibly offer other programs a path to financial stability and independence.”
This residency program is distinct. Through the relationship with Community Care Physicians, residents at AFPG are able to train specifically in a private practice. They obtain first-hand knowledge of how a medical practice runs. The program also extends outside the walls of Albany Family Practice Group and into the community. Residents volunteer at a domestic violence shelter, at a homeless shelter, and provide educational opportunities to adolescents.
Community Care has an administrative staff focused on the business aspect of health systems, allowing for more growth of the program. “It is through our relationship with CCP that we were able to develop new clinical space and implement an electronic medical record, two things that probably would not have happened if we were still part of AMC,” says Dr. Roche. Affiliation with a large medical group that has expertise in running primary care offices allows for a program that demonstrates excellent work relationships between the residents, physicians, and patients while maintaining access of care.
Family medicine residencies like the one at Albany Family Practice Group are essential when looking at the medical landscape. This particular discipline enables life-long relationships with patients and families. “I grew up in a small town in South Jersey,” says Dr. Mitnick. “My Dad had Diabetes and was shuffled around doctors in Atlantic City and Philadelphia…. I saw how fragmented medical care affects the patient and the family. In family practice, you coordinate care for the whole family.”
CCP and AFPG foster an environment of experience, exceptional training, and personal and professional growth, creating proficient clinicians in family medicine. The residency accentuates the principles of family medicine—quality medical care on a continuing basis, from education to practical application.
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