Comment: Lack of primary care doctors is sickening, literally
By Prescott Lee / For The Fulcrum
There is little debate that there is a deadly and worsening shortage in primary care, and that primary care is a cost-effective and evidence-based model of health care that promotes wellness and prolongs life.
For example, an epidemiological study of U.S. population data found that every 10 additional primary care physicians per 100,000 people was associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy. However, from 2005 to 2015, the density of primary care physicians decreased from 46.6 to 41.4 per 100,000. Despite this, only 5 percent of total health care dollars are spent on primary care. In Medicare, only 3 percent is spent on primary care despite the greater needs of older and disabled adults for care coordination and management of chronic conditions.
The deadly and worsening shortage has been recognized for years.
Its progression has occurred despite the efforts from various governments and organizations. It is primarily the result of a very biased payment system that richly rewards surgeons and other procedure-based specialties. Cognitive-based specialties such as primary care are reimbursed less than procedure-based specialties such as surgery. This pay disparity is further aggravated by primary care’s financial reliance on fee-for-service payment, which is a retrospective approach that depends on maximizing volume and hence rushed visits. These issues have over the last 30 years generated a shortage in primary care physicians relative to surgery and other procedure-based specialties.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-lack-of-primary-care-doctors-is-sickening-literally/
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