Primary Need for Primary Care

In its report “Advancing Primary Care Delivery: Practical, Proven and Scalable Approaches,” UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Health Reform & Modernization cites new research that shows a clear relationship between more primary care physicians practicing in a local healthcare market and lower rates of avoidable hospital admissions and emergency department visits.

The report examines existing best practices and key solutions that — if expanded at scale — can help close the primary care gap and improve care delivery, including:

• Implementing innovative payment models that reward value.
• Expanding the roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
• Assembling multidisciplinary care teams to deliver care more efficiently.
• Using electronic health records and other health information technology (HIT) to share information across the delivery system in real time.

“Primary care is essential to building a higher-performing healthcare system that promotes personal well-being and saves consumers and taxpayers money,” says Richard Migliori, M.D., executive vice president of Medical Affairs and chief medical officer of UnitedHealth Group.