The New York Times posted a great article today in the Health section, providing an account of why primary care gets no respect. You can read the full article here.
Although the NY times and Dr. Chen bring up a number of great points about the primary care image problem, it doesn't fully address the entire scope of the primary care shortage.
Given the complexity of the primary care shortage and mismatches in supply and demand (rapid rise in medical education debt, misaligned payment, incentives that lead to poor pay and long working hours vs. total and aging population growth, chronic condition prevalence) there is an immediate need to find innovative and unique solutions in both the short and long term.
That is why it is vital to the success of primary care reform to take a holistic, two-pronged approach, addressing both how to increase supply and also what changes need to be made within the primary care business model to not only make primary care more attractive to practitioners but also to optimize resources.
Thus, practitioners and current medical students need to get involved in the primary care reform process by sharing their experiences, concerns, and reform recommendations with their peers, health care thought leaders, and reform minded industry stakeholders. The best way to reform primary care is from the inside out, creating robust and pragmatic reforms by and for practitioners.
Want to have your say in primary care reform? Here is your chance! You can:
- Upload a profile picture
- Post research studies and news articles about the primary care shortage
