Doctor-recommended Health Care: the Value of Family Medicine

Health care costs are rising and concerns about coverage are growing. America’s family physicians share the frustration of payers and consumers and are taking a personal and preventive approach to deliver better outcomes. The AAFP is:

leading a new effort to bring necessary improvements, conveniences and modernizations in how we practice and coordinate medicine, and
working with business leaders and policymakers to demonstrate the efficacy of a patient-centered, primary-care—focused health care system.

We're improving health care and holding the line on costs. We're pushing health care system reform by placing a greater reliance on family medicine, primary and preventive care. More than 20 years of evidence shows that:

While the impact of primary care physicians on health care utilization remains controversial, some have hypothesized that primary care physicians decrease health care utilization through enhanced coordination of care and a preventive care focus. (Read more)
Increasing the number of physicians in the U.S. will not solve the nation's health care shortcomings. The focus of change should be to address the care access problem created by the maldistribution of physicians and lack of health care coverage for all, and to address the service-quality/outcomes problems created by the absence of a primary care foundation to our health care system. (Read more) [JAMA 2008;299(3):335-7. Copyright © 2008, American Medical Association. All rights reserved.]
A health care system with a strong primary care sector is associated with reduced health care costs and improved quality. (Read paper)
The patient centered medical home (PCMH) is a model to improve health care quality and efficiency. The Robert Graham Center has produced a white paper on the evidence for the core features of the PCMH. (Read paper or read highlights)*
Health systems with a strong primary care (versus specialist care) base are better at preventing illness and death, and are associated with a more equitable distribution of health. (Read more)
Countries with strong primary care systems have better overall health. (Read more)
Primary care plays an essential role within health systems that is necessary for the efficient, equitable and sustainable delivery of health care and the adaptability and resilience of the system as a whole. (Read more)
Higher specialist-to-population ratios are likely to lead to greater disparities in health status and outcomes. (Read more)
Geographic areas with a greater primary care presence are likely to enjoy better health. (Read more)
Despite high spending, the United States does not have anywhere near the best health in the world. There are a number of possible explanations for the country’s poor position that warrant further exploration, including the extent to which primary vs. specialist care affects overall health and survival, and the potentially harmful effects of medical interventions. (Read more)
Patients who have a family physician as their usual source of care have lower total medical care costs. (Read more)
Patients who have a regular, on-going relationship with a health service facility or an individual provider are more likely to receive the preventive care they need. (Read more)
Patients who have good primary care experiences report better mental and physical health. These experiences are also able to reduce the disparities in health between more- and less-disadvantaged communities. (Read more)
Expanding access to primary care physicians could improve the quality of care received by elderly Americans. (Read more)
Increasing the number of primary care physicians might lead to a reduced incidence of and mortality rates for some cancers. (Read more)
The primary care-based chronic care model is a comprehensive and promising way to achieve better care for the more than 100 million people in the United States with chronic conditions. (Read more)