The US healthcare system is the largest in the world. The primary health care system works at the forefront of the USA health system. With a huge medical workforce to help the citizens of the United States.
Despite being a colossal healthcare system, US primary care is under threat of collapse in the future. Citizens here have the lowest life expectancy and the highest rate of suicide. In addition, people are more burdened with chronic disease, obesity, and diabetes in the US than in other average OECD countries.
In this article, we have discussed the key problems of the primary care services of the US and listed some of the possibilities that they have for a better and organized primary care organization in the future.
The US Primary Care: What Do We Know So Far?
The US health system employs three specialists in the rear part of Primary Care: family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics.
The US healthcare system has 222000 doctors to provide direct healthcare support to the citizens. At least one doctor is there for every 1321 citizens in the US. Also, they have 100 000 nurse-physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
Still, there are some problems with Primary Healthcare in the USA. Private healthcare organizations like PCNOK have better results in comparison to the primary care of the US.
Primary Care: Problems With The US Healthcare System
One of the many problems of the primary health care system of the US is dysfunctional financial schemes. As a result, there is a lack of innovation in the financing, protection, organization, and teaching of the Primary health care system.
Reduction Of Investment In Education
The USA health system offers a great economic opportunity for the country’s economy. In addition, Healthcare being a reliable economic growth generator stimulates the creation of futuristic healthcare technologies and pharmaceutical development.
Because of its power to grow an economy, the US economy has invested in the healthcare system and has reduced investing in other crucial social programs like education. Unfortunately, in doing so, they have been endangering the population’s health.
Education is the primary need for the betterment of primary health care. However, by reducing spending on education, the economy is only indirectly hurting primary health care.
Primary Care Doctors Are Undervalued
The primary health care doctors in the US are undervalued. Why? The primary care doctors are paid lower salaries compared to the hospital specialists.
The lower salary in this line of service demotivates the students from pursuing a primary health care career. For example, the median salary of a generalist physician is $130000 in the US, whereas a radiologist earns $280000.
Lack Of Resources And Dysfunctional Financing
The primary care of the US also suffers from a lack of resources. Also, the financing is not coherent to improve primary Healthcare. The focus on improved healthcare technology for economic purposes distracts the primary Healthcare for the population.
Despite all these difficulties, the primary doctors are trying evidently to offer quality and improve the primary Healthcare for the citizens.
Primary Care: Solutions For The US Healthcare System
Despite all the scarcity, the healthcare system of the US can still improve. Most countries that enjoy a better rank in population health spend a good deal of funds on the primary healthcare system. Here are some possible ways for the solution of Primary Healthcare in the US.-
New Payment Models
The US Primary Care service has to adopt a new payment model for primary care to improve shortly. Blended payment models can be a potential solution in the Primary care service.
These models would merge the service fees and monthly patient management fees or other types of capitation; this, as a result, will support the broader aspect of the primary care function and help to avoid specific pitfalls of the individual mode of payment.
Separate Funding
If the funding from secondary and tertiary funding were separated for the primary care, it would help protect the Primary care in more expensive settings. It would also help to preserve primary care access for the patients. The UK has already been trying various ways of separation, and the US can learn from them.
Separating the funding for primary and secondary care could also help diversify payment in Primary care. Other healthcare buyers and payers could make the same separation in their funding. Such separation of funding could also offer quality and safety through robust access to Primary care.
Conclusion
As the first line of health defense, The Primary care of the US is of utmost importance. But, due to the lack of attention in terms of funding and systematic dysfunctionalities, the primary care of the US is a threat of imminent decay. Also, the students feel disheartened about the condition of the primary Healthcare of the US.
But, If the addressed problems get solved soon, it can help the primary care to transform into something new again in the future.
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