Apr 01 2009
The Importance of Your Family Physician
The United States prides itself on being a leader in advanced medical technology. Our country houses many the best medical schools, specialty care dominates our system, and we have managed to inoculate ourselves from several serious life-threatening diseases that still continue to kill people in third-world countries every day. However, you may be surprised to learn that in comparison with other developed countries, America’s health is relatively poor. The average life expectancy for both men and women in the United States is significantly lower than those in Europe, despite the fact that American’s smoke and drink less than their European counterparts. Even higher income citizens with access to adequate health coverage still have lower life expectancies. One key fact that may be contributing to this dilemma – more and more Americans are choosing to bypass primary care providers and instead opting to self-diagnose and self-refer to medical specialists.
A primary care provider (PCP) is a practitioner that is trained to diagnose and treat minor injuries and illnesses, manage long-term chronic illnesses, and determine when a patient’s condition warrants seeing a specialist. These include Internists, Family Practice Physicians, Pediatricians, Obstetrics & Gynecology Physicians, and Nurse Practitioners. PCP’s are often referred to as “gatekeepers” to your health plan. PCP’s know your family history, what prescriptions you are taking, and previous and current medical conditions. By taking all these factors into consideration, they are often better able to provide a more appropriate treatment plan. As patients get older, they need to have someone to coordinate their care who is looking out for the entire person rather than just a specific disease that they might see a specialist for. Even though older patients may have a heart doctor, a blood pressure doctor, and a kidney doctor, they always need to maintain that ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor. While establishing that relationship with a PCP is crucial for older patients, it is equally important that younger patients do so as well. Patients need to establish a relationship when they are in their 30’s and 40’s so in order to prevent these diseases that occur as they get older. By engaging in preventative care at a younger age, patient may not develop complications by the time they are older.
Establishing a relationship with a PCP early has shown in numerous studies to provide a variety of benefits such as reduced healthcare costs, reduced hospitalization rates, reduced mortality rates, and better quality of care. Forty-one percent of all specialist referrals are made by the patients themselves. Of that total, 60% referred themselves to the wrong specialist. This can result in a gamut of doctor’s visits and tests that may or may not lead to an effective diagnosis and treatment. According to a recent review conducted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), one PCP per 10,000 patients can reduce inpatient admissions by 5 percent, outpatient visits by another 5%, emergency room visits by 10 percent, and surgeries by 7 percent. The study also reveals that the United States utilizes primary care less than any other developed country, yet we spend more on healthcare with less effective outcomes. While medical specialists do play an important role in healthcare, they are often more effective when treatment is orchestrated through a primary care provider. The ACP also cites several studies that indicate an increase in the supply of PCP’s for a geographical area can reduce mortality rates in areas such as heart disease and cancer.
