VA Hospital Controversy Highlights Lack of Primary Care Providers
May 31st, 2014The recent scandal in the United States VA healthcare system where patients had to wait months to see their primary care providers, which can include physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, highlights what will likely be a growing trend. There just aren’t enough primary care providers to handle the population in the United States. How did this happen? In a previous blog, I have discussed the issue of Primary Care Shortage. Briefly, it comes down to the fact that our medical system has “rewarded” aspiring medical students with large educational debt by paying more for specialists’ services and less for preventative and primary care visits.
Many people also have a lack of knowledge of what a primary care provider even does. Most people think they must go to a dermatologist when they have any kind of rash or to an orthopedic surgeon if they have musculoskeletal pain but this is wrong. The majority of these medical issues can be treated by Primary Care Providers. As a primary care physician, I have the same access to dermatologic creams as your dermatologist does. Even better, I can get to see you sooner and the co-pay is generally half of that charged by specialists. The average wait time to see a dermatologist in a city like New York can be up to 3 months! The average time to see a Primary Care Physician can be as little as 2 days. In my personal experience, I would say I have correctly diagnosed and treated 98% of rashes that come through my door. I refer to a dermatologist only if I feel that a biopsy needs to be done when the diagnosis is in question.
The situation with the VA is a reflection of the medical system in the United States as a whole. The solution is not an easy one, but starts with society’s recognition of the most important member of the healthcare system, Primary Care Providers, and the realization that prevention is the key to better health and cost-effective healthcare.
