It’s time a real investment is made in primary care

Editor's Note: Welcome to Medical Economics' blog section which features contributions from members of the medical community. These blogs are an opportunity for bloggers to engage with readers about a topic that is top of mind, whether it is practice management, experiences with patients, the industry, medicine in general, or healthcare reform. The series continues with this blog by Glen Stream, MD, FAAFP, MBI, a family physician practicing in La Quinta, California, who is also past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He serves as the president and board chair of Family Medicine for America’s Health. The views expressed in these blogs are those of their respective contributors and do not represent the views of Medical Economics or UBM Medica.

 

showed that across the country, in both red and blue states, the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that a health system based on a foundation of primary care produces healthier patients, higher quality healthcare and lower costs.

 

Further reading: Is your practice's location financially hurting you?

 

Primary care has strong bipartisan support-indeed, the survey results showed a broad consensus on the issue among American voters:

·      89% say it’s important to have a relationship with a doctor who knows your health background, your medical history and your family;

·      88% support ensuring coverage for preventive and wellness care to keep patients healthy; and

·      85% support paying doctors for better care and improving patient health instead of for the number of procedures performed.

Unfortunately, current spending on primary care represents just 6% of total healthcare spending. Increasing it to 12%, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), would cut per-patient costs and lead to a decrease in overall health care expenditures.

 

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Cost, of course, is not the only factor. Ensuring access is also a key part of any strategy to improve the nation’s healthcare system. Given the very real shortage of primary care physicians, policymakers should be looking for ways to add more primary care professionals to the health care mix.

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