Payer Calls for More Primary Care Docs, Team Care

Despite a projected surge in primary care visits as a result of coverage expansion, only one in six recent medical school graduates say they will pursue primary care as their field of residency, survey data from UnitedHealth shows.

Better access to primary care doctors is linked to reduced hospital admissions and emergency department visits, a report from UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Moderation shows.

"What this report does try to highlight is that primary care is a cornerstone of an effective and high-performing healthcare system," says Lewis G. Sandy, MD, an internist and executive vice president, clinical advancement, at UnitedHealth Group.

"We see the demand for primary care is growing, particularly now in the post-Affordable Care Act environment. There could be more than 25 million more primary care visits annually as a result of coverage expansion and the growth in the senior population and increasing rates of chronic illness."

Despite this correlation between better healthcare and reduced cost, the numbers of primary care office visits declined from 2013–14, and only one in six recent medical school graduates (16%) said they would pursue primary care as their field of residency, the study found.