Why Do You Need a Primary Care Physician (PCP)? There are many reasons why you should have a PCP. The primary care doctor will learn about your health history and follow the research on disease risk factors. They will help you lower your risk, if possible. They will recognize small changes in your health before they become big problems. They will encourage you to change your lifestyle and manage chronic conditions. They will also give you advice on how to take care of chronic conditions.
Preventive Care
If you are under the care of a primary care physician, you probably receive a variety of preventive services. These services can be diagnostic tests or straightforward exams. Public health experts often recommend them based on your age, risk factors, and family history. Their goal is to keep you healthy by screening for preventable diseases before they develop into serious ones. Your doctor can help you determine which services are right for you.
The survey asked physicians to picture conversations with hypothetical patients about preventive services. They were then asked to select the three most important preventive services. The physicians were then asked to rank the order in which these services were most likely to be discussed. Most physicians agreed with the recommendations, but they did not feel that preventive care was as critical as they previously did. Patients who see their doctors more often are likely to have preventive services discussed with them over time.
Management Of Chronic Conditions
While many physicians are trained to manage specific illnesses, a primary care physician’s role in managing chronic conditions often involves a much broader set of responsibilities. Nearly 70% of US physicians report that they have special training in a particular disease. Because of this, many patients see a primary care physician for more than one chronic condition. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey examined 14 of the most expensive chronic conditions to test this assumption. This information is provided in the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chronic Conditions Dashboard.
In managing chronic conditions, a primary care physician must lower the total cholesterol level of the patient, reduce the LDL level, raise the HDL level, and lower the triglycerides. Treatment may include lifestyle modifications or medications. However, a patient’s background, medical history, and lifestyle may require special care and attention. As such, the relationship between the patient and the physician must be strong.
Prevention Of Diseases
In addition to the standard of care, the prevention of diseases with a primary care physician includes other strategies to keep patients healthy. These include health education, screening tools, and lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, many patients do not want to make any changes in their lifestyles because they are satisfied with their current state of health. Unfortunately, this disparity can deter the delivery of primary prevention. However, there are ways to address this disparity and get the most out of the time you spend with your physician.
The USPSTF report on preventive services shows that physicians are not spending enough time providing preventive care. They are not meeting the recommended time frame for delivering preventive services. This is largely due to time constraints and the effectiveness of screening tests. Moreover, prevention is often tied to insurance coverage, limiting physician time. This can be a difficult challenge for a busy physician.
Reduced Health Care Costs
Researchers have found that patients who get continuous care from a primary care physician experience better health outcomes, fewer emergency department visits, and lower costs. However, physician turnover is costly – before the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of recruiting and replacing a physician was $260 million per year. A new study focuses on the costs of disruptions in care continuity, estimating that patients lose an average of $189 in the first year of losing a primary care physician.
The National Bureau of Economic Research studied how hospitals in Oregon and Massachusetts reduced health care costs when physicians offered primary care. It is the only study to examine the impact of primary care on costs specifically. Still, it showed that physicians in Oregon saw a dramatic drop in non-emergency department visits and decreased health care spending by nearly 50%. These savings could be used to hire more medical assistants and invest in technology.
If your primary care physician expects to maintain separate offices for his or her patients, you might have a difficult time working in a team environment. But physicians can co-locate in one office as long as they are on the same floor as their team. For example, Dr. Brull’s office is two doors down from her care managers’ office, so she can visit them to discuss cases or exchange internal electronic messages with them. She also shares her office with the nurse who assists her with patient care.
