News You Can Use: Primary care system crumbling?

According to survey results from the Physicians Foundation, primary care physicians are severely unhappy with their work, so much so that:
* 20% plan to reduce their patient load.
* 13% plan to take positions without active patient care.
* 11% plan to retire.
* 78% report a shortage of primary care physicians.
* 60% would not recommend medicine as a career.

The problem is significant for employers, as primary care docs are viewed as the linchpin for improving employees' overall health. In fact, EBN contributor Steve Raetzman said in the November issue, "Employers have a unique opportunity to lead the next major change in health care delivery: expanding primary care and transforming it from a fee-for-service, visit-by-visit model to a patient-centered medical home."

Download a free guide for employers on the medical home movement here.