Revolutionary leadership and family medicine education

Reform of the payment and delivery systems in American health care is now being discussed at the highest levels of business and government. Family medicine educators, researchers, and program leaders have an opportunity to provide substantial leadership to this process in their own communities and nationally. To do so, they must reconsider the assumptions made in creating our current systems of practice and education, and this will require new leadership skills that focus on innovation and adaptability. It will also require a more aggressive willingness to test new ideas and a new scientific method to prove or disprove their value. This essay outlines essential elements of such leadership for those responsible for the education of future generations of family physicians.