Data supporting key components of family medicine - Scope, continuity, interprofessional care, and more

This issue contains multiple articles supporting key components of family medicine, either evidence that these components are important, or strategies to implement them in practice. For examples, see the articles on interprofessional care,^1-5 continuity,⁶ cultural competence,⁷ continuing competence,^8,9 and provision of essential care to the underserved.¹⁰ We provide additional insight into how different physicians interpret similar data on older patients.¹¹ We have broad physician input into potential items to be considered in the national Choosing Wisely campaign, with many excellent interventions identified that should be performed less often.¹² However, choosing wisely for the United States population should also require adequate payment to encompass the breadth of what family physicians can and want to do to improve health for and with their patients.¹³ All the articles relate to improving quality and cost of health care.