CHQPR May 13, 2019
The most important element of a truly “value-based” healthcare system is strong primary care. The reason is simple – the lowest spending and the best outcomes occur when patients stay healthy, and primary care is the only component of the healthcare system that is specifically designed to help patients prevent health problems from occurring and to identify and treat new problems as early as possible.
Unfortunately, the nation’s primary care system is at risk of collapse. There is a large and growing shortage of primary care physicians in the country; many primary care physicians are burning out, and most medical students don’t want to go into primary care. Although there are multiple causes for this, a major reason is the...