The first national primary care scorecard is out with alarming news on high-quality care.
The Milbank Memorial Fund is an endowed operating foundation that engages in nonpartisan analysis, collaboration, and communication with an emphasis on state health policy. It has prepared a Baseline Scorecard Tracking Support for High Quality Primary Care and the results are not good.
The scorecard finds:
- Financing: The United States is systemically underinvesting in primary care.
- Workforce: The primary care physician workforce is shrinking and gaps in access to care appear to be growing.
- Access: The percentage of adults reporting they do not have a usual source of care is increasing.
- Training: Too few physicians are being trained in community settings, where most primary care takes place.
- Research: There is almost no federal funding available for primary care research.
The findings, when added to things like racial and health disparities, mental health needs, and other nationwide issues, represent the need for advocacy.
You can read more about how the research was done and more on the results by clicking here.
For more on how NCMS is working on these and other issues click here.