Why you can’t find a primary care doctor
And what to do about it
A recent YLE survey found that more than half of participants had difficulty finding a primary care provider. In the case of Lucy McBride, a primary care physician with 25 years of experience, she recounted overhearing conversations about common medical issues that primary care doctors could handle during her visit to the emergency department in December. This led her to realize that nothing has changed in 20 years.
When Lucy worked in the Johns Hopkins ED, she provided primary care for East Baltimore residents, including insulin for diabetics and UTIs that couldn't wait for weeks. Today, over 100 million Americans lack access to primary care.
The shortage of primary care physicians stems from economics, with less than 5% of healthcare spending going toward primary care compared to 95% for hospitals, procedures, prescriptions, and administration. This imbalance leaves the impression that damage control is the priority.
To address this issue, value-based or capitation payment for primary care physicians can be implemented, paying them for conversations with patients that prevent disease rather than for the number of patients seen. Increasing primary care residency slots and loan forgiveness programs can also attract more medical students to the field.
Reducing administrative burdens and incorporating AI to help doctors spend more time with patients are additional solutions. In the meantime, individuals can seek community health centers, skilled NPs, and PAs to help close the primary care gap.
Written by urgent.news from Your Local Epidemiologist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
