Robert Pearl, MD, is a former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group who has written two books on the dysfunction of health care. Mistreated: Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care—And Why We’re Usually Wrong focuses on the systemic issues of the healthcare system that result in poor health outcomes. Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors & Patients focuses on the culture and how it undermines physician-patient relationships and causes other harm.
The PCC hosted this conversation with special guests from the White House and state government, who talked about the role of primary care in the administration of and education on the COVID vaccines. They also discussed the strategies the Biden administration and state public health departments have used to boost confidence in the vaccines and help Americans get vaccinated, from the administration’s Month of Action in June to state innovations such as involving barber shops in vaccine outreach. The U.S.
This webinar focused on new PCC recommendations—ways to increase the adoption of shared decision-making (SDM) in integrated behavioral health care—informed by a literature review and the expert input of leaders across multiple stakeholder groups.
On May 4, 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released its new report, Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care. The report looks at the state of primary care today and presents an implementation plan that builds upon the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s report from 25 years ago: Primary Care: America’s Health in a New Era (1996).
An Urban Institute survey during the pandemic showed that more than one in three U.S. adults – most with chronic conditions – delayed getting treatment, either over fear of the virus or because of COVID-19-related limits on services. Even as the public health emergency continues, studies are raising alarm about missed care in primary care, behavioral health, and dental care and within specific minority communities.
As millions of people across the country roll up their sleeves to receive COVID-19 shots, many sectors are also rolling up their sleeves and getting to work in this massive undertaking. Primary care has very much been in the mix—answering patient questions, helping to overcome vaccine hesitancy and beginning to administer the vaccines. We have the experience, assets and skills to help meet the country’s vaccine goals. But for widespread immunity to happen rapidly and efficiently, it will take coordination and cooperation by primary care and other sectors.
In its broadest look yet at primary care spending, the PCC analyzed spending over time, nationally and in all 50 states, and published the results in its annual evidence-based report for 2020 (released December 2020). The report reveals some alarming trends: The U.S. health system’s investment in primary care is low and declined between 2017 and 2019, both nationally and in a majority of states.
At the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth use skyrocketed because clinicians and patients needed to be safe while providing and receiving needed care. Now, with many months of experience in heavy telehealth use, it’s worth taking stock of its profusion into primary care and evaluating which policies and practices make sense to continue in order to achieve the best health outcomes, advance efficiencies in care, and meet patient needs and preferences.
