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![]() 274765 Solving the primary care crisis without more doctors: Can we do it?Tuesday, October 30, 2012
: 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM
Estimates are that primary care will have a shortage of 40,000 physicians by 2020. But do all primary care functions require doctors? Most clinical preventive services can be handled by medical assistants working as panel managers. The most time-consuming chronic care involves assisting patients to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to self-manage their disease, a job well performed by non-professional health coaches or patients trained as peer health coaches. Patients themselves, aided by new technologies, are afforded an array of self-care opportunities that could replace the need for many primary care encounters. Finally, true prevention takes place in the community and public health spheres which have never successfully integrated themselves with primary care. While the barriers to this new way of thinking are formidable, it's time to get started.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsAdministration, management, leadership Chronic disease management and prevention Clinical medicine applied in public health Other professions or practice related to public health Provision of health care to the public Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Awardee
National Expert in Primary Care I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.
Back to: 4232.0: Avedis Donabedian Award
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