is too critical to fail
Hughes, Cohen and Phillips, in this JAMA Health Forum Viewpoint, write about the invisibility of primary care in the US. Their observation that “in the US federal government, no single agency oversees primary care, collects consistent data about its clinicians and performance, or considers how it is integral to achieving the nation’s health goals” highlights a fundamental gap and lack of understanding of what primary care is and what its capacities and capabilities are. This absence of a comprehensive perspective on primary care creates invisibility and confusion in federal policy.
There are many outcomes of this neglect, including four foundational and interconnected population health challenges: a growing recognition of the toll of health inequities on vulnerable populations, pandemic recovery and future resilience, a resurgent opioid epidemic, and a growing mental health crisis, especially for children and teens. To learn more, read this article by Phillips, Koller and Chen.
This lack of attention to our primary care system has also led to workforce challenges that put primary care close to the point of crumbling. In her Modern Healthcare article, Dr. Etz educates readers about the state of the current crisis in primary care: “Clinicians are stretched beyond their limits, with more than a third (35%) reporting burnout levels at historic highs, and more than half (53%) saying their ability to bounce back from or to adjust to adversity has become limited. Almost half of respondents (46%) endorse the notion that primary care is “crumbling.” Etz writes, “Here’s the message for senior healthcare leaders: Act now to ease the burdens on primary care, or it will fail on your watch.”
In “Too critical to collapse: Today’s primary care crisis,” Etz and Koller argue that we cannot let the primary care system collapse; individuals and families need to have access to a usual source of primary care in their community. With attention and decisive action, the primary care workforce crisis can be addressed and primary care can be strengthen.
