Direct primary care – the answer or the problem?

This article about direct primary care induces conflicting analyses – Here is the PCP crisis solution and it’s simple I like the idea based on this reasoning.  Primary care in 2017 has several problems.  Both physicians and patients have dissatisfaction with direct face time.  Primary care physicians suffer high levels of burnout because the financial model requires them to see patients to quickly to do their job properly.  These quick visits likely induce physicians to order more tests and consultations than they would if they could spend more time on history and physical examination. Direct primary care allows physicians to spend more time with patients, because they decrease their “panel size” from greater than 2000 to 800 or less.  These physicians have more time to communicate with their patients – using telephone and email. But the panel size decrease waves a red flag for opponents of this movement.  They always ask – who will care for the patients? When primary care physicians burnout they often totally leave their practice, often becoming hospitalists or urgent care physicians or subspecialists or retirees.  If direct primary care keeps them practicing, even with fewer patients, at least they are providing important primary care. Currently, medical students and residents often find primary care unappealing because of the work conditions.  I often argue that direct primary care may induce students and residents to choose pri...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs