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June 5, 2019

Bright.md Digest: Primary care shortages

Slack was buzzing this week with discussions about where patients are seeking primary and urgent care as PCP shortages grow, how telehealth has the potential to aid women seeking abortions in increasingly restricted regions, and why the psychological impact of physician burnout is just the beginning.

We hear the near-constant refrain that there is a growing shortage in primary care physicians. So how are we to make sense of the Health Care Cost Institute’s findings that primary care visits on are the decline? It starts to make sense once you see that visit to NPs and PAs have increased 129%. Read more to understand the other drivers of this seemingly incongruent piece of data.

PCP visits are on the decline. Here’s how you can respond.

No matter which side of the debate you fall on, we can all agree the topic of abortion has been front-page news of late. One study from UCSF has found that, when it comes to their reproductive health, women are knowledgeable and confident. Offering them care through telehealth platforms can help alleviate access issues and empower them to follow through on their choices.

Abortion Advocates: Use Telehealth to Meet Waiting Period Mandates

The World Health Organization recently updated their definition of burnout as a syndrome linked to ongoing work stress. It’s not news to say physicians are all too familiar with this kind of burnout. Now NPR is reporting on a study from the Annals of Internal Medicine that found physician burnout costs the U.S. healthcare system $4.6 billion a year. As one of the authors of the study says, “addressing burnout is not just a moral responsibility: It could also be money-saving.”

What’s Doctor Burnout Costing America?

 

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