TAFP member survey says workforce development and administrative burden are top priorities
By Kathy McCarthy, CAE | TAFP COO
TAFP conducted a major member survey from June to August to equip leadership with data to update the TAFP strategic plan. Thank you to all members who responded to the survey with valuable input. Here are some of the significant findings that we uncovered and discussed during the planning retreat in September. Watch for a new strategic plan later this year.
Workforce
For the first time in our surveys, we found workforce development to be a major theme. It ranked highest in market factors affecting health care and members gave it a high rating in importance for our major initiatives. It also rose in the list of topics TAFP should focus on, from third to second in priority.
Administrative burden
Administrative burden continues to be a major issue. When asked how much TAFP should focus on reducing administrative burden, 93% responded “a lot” or “as much as possible.” Almost 60% listed administrative burden by payers among the top three frustrations in their practice. Other top frustrations include limited time with patients, EHRs, and the growing number of quality metrics.
Payment returns as a major theme, but scope does not
In our last member survey in 2021, payment and scope of practice rated as low priorities. Scope continues to be a lower priority than it has been in TAFP’s history. It was in the top three frustrations of fewer than 17% of respondents. In the list of what TAFP should focus on, it stayed at number seven. Inadequate payment on the other hand rose from the fifth biggest frustration in 2021 to the third biggest frustration.
The councils are on the right track, and CME is a top priority
The 2018 Strategic Plan identified three areas of focus – health of the physician and the practice, health of patient and the population, and health of the specialty and the organization. The councils were created from the strategic plan in 2020. We included a section in the survey to assess the importance of various initiatives that fall under the purview of the councils. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “not important” and 5 being “very important,” all the initiatives averaged 3.33 or higher. CME was rated the most important initiative in the council section.
Perceived value of membership and satisfaction remain high
In the past few surveys, we’ve asked members to rate the value of membership in different organizations. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being “not valuable” and 5 being “extremely valuable,” TAFP’s average rating was 4.19 – up from past years. AAFP’s average was 4.42 and TMA’s average was 3.23.
When asked to rate their satisfaction with their TAFP membership, almost 60% of respondents rated themselves “very satisfied” or “extremely satisfied.”
