Primary care medicine and the physician’s and providers that provide it are at the breaking point. I’ve provided some of the key points identified in a survey of primary care physicians completed March 1, 2022.
- 46% of physicians said that primary care is crumbling.
- 41% said they are mentally and financially fragile.
- 33% said they have been denied or are over-due serious payment from insurers and health plans.
- Only 21% of primary care offices are fully staffed.
- 60% of patient visits take longer due to worsening health of population and exacerbated concerns with delay on access to care during the pandemic.
- 25% of doctors plan to leave primary care in the next 3 years.
- 28% of doctors had to limit use of telehealth due to insufficient payment.
- Computer literacy is a significant obstacle for 20% of the patients trying to use telehealth.
- Broadband speed is a significant issue for 20% of patients trying to use telehealth.
- 36% of physicians state that their burnout is at an all-time high.
- 53% say that their ability to bounce back and recover from this adversity and burden is severely limited.
“Primary care continues to face a policy emergency regardless of when the COVID-19 public health emergency is rescinded. The findings above continue the ongoing narrative captured in over 35,000 responses to this survey since March 2020. ”
Policymakers, health plans, hospitals and patients alike must respond or watch primary care collapse on their watch.