Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Will the coronavirus make primary care physicians cool again?

Mario Amaro, MD
Conditions
March 14, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

Two topics that have been flooding everyone’s timeline and twitter feed over the past few weeks: COVID-19 and remote work–or for our health care folks, virtual care. I won’t touch too much on COVID-19. There are tons of experts doing amazing work to help spread accurate public information, and I thank you all for everything that you’re doing.

As someone who has spent the majority of their health care career working remotely, and managing virtual care teams all over the world, I’ve learned a lot about communication, trust, and preparedness. What it has also taught me is the value of having access to that one person that is always up to date on your health, the health of the team, and the health status for the environment the team is operating in.

In the Navy and Marine Corps, we call these people “Docs.” A Doc can be a physician, a nurse, a physician’s assistant, or a hospital corpsman. Ultimately, they are responsible for ensuring mission readiness, but more importantly, they are responsible for the well-being of the entire team. In the Navy, I was this person, often traveling with bags full of medications, health records, medical supplies to ensure mission readiness. Spending hours researching local health reports on issues such as dengue fever, malaria, or SARS. Then I would go back to my team, provide a comprehensive report on what I learned, and allow them an opportunity to ask questions directly.

What’s interesting about my training and experience is that it essentially was the role of a primary care physician. A role that has since been declining in the United States and in multiple countries throughout the world. According to a JAMA Internal Medicine article, U.S. adults with a primary care physician fell from 77 percent in 2002 to 75 percent in 2015. Among 30-year-olds, the proportion dropped from 71 percent to 64 percent in that same period. To highlight the impact of decline over this time period, it would roughly represent the entire state of New Jersey. That’s almost 9 million Americans without a primary care physician.

So why the sudden decline in primary care, and how did we end up transitioning from a society with primary care physicians, to a society without primary care physicians? Well, what happened is the primary care physician was replaced by retail urgent care centers, telehealth chatbots, gig-economy telemedicine marketplaces, and other digital health engagement tools. What used to be the norm had eventually become so big it consumed itself, forcing a mass merger and acquisition wave that swept the nation. And If you weren’t caught by the M&A wave, you fell prey to market effects. Whereas those operating traditional medical practice models over-prioritized the operations and not the patient–leaving the backdoor open for pseudo primary care offerings to steal their patient’s hearts, minds, and wallets.

Now here we are, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has patients scared, nervous, under-prepared, with no one to trust or communicate with. Remember all those important things I talked about earlier? Those things that make a primary care physician valuable? They were reduced once we stopped utilizing them and accepted their replacements as viable alternatives. These are the consequences we are all experiencing in real-time. But let’s not overlook the fact that there are telehealth companies now offering online assessments to help keep low-risk patients from clogging up hospitals and other health care systems. Nonetheless, I like to keep it real and ask the hard questions. What would our experience be like right now if we all had access to a primary care physician? What would be the nation’s reaction, and would we be better prepared than we are now? Will the coronavirus make primary care physicians cool again?

For the sake of humanity and for the sake of the United States of America. I hope so.

Mario Amaro is a physician and co-founder and CEO, DocSpace.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

MKSAP: 26-year-old man with back pain

March 14, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

I have more hope than ever for women in medicine

March 14, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 26-year-old man with back pain
Next Post >
I have more hope than ever for women in medicine

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Can the dwindling numbers of primary care physicians explain decreased life expectancy?

    Niran S. Al-Agba, MD
  • Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices

    Robert Colton, MD
  • Primary care makes a difference for patients and the nation

    Glen R. Stream, MD
  • The many benefits of strengthening the primary care workforce

    Nicole Liner-Jigamian, MSW
  • Primary care faces a very difficult winter

    Ken Terry

More in Conditions

  • Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

    Safina Adatia, MD
  • How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

    David Fischel
  • How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

    Marc Arginteanu, MD
  • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

    Steven J. Katz, DDS
  • What the research really says about infrared saunas

    Khushali Jhaveri, MD
  • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

    Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why being a physician mom is harder than anyone admits

      Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

      Dr. Vivek Podder | Physician
    • Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

      Safina Adatia, MD | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

      David Fischel | Conditions
    • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why being a physician mom is harder than anyone admits

      Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

      Dr. Vivek Podder | Physician
    • Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

      Safina Adatia, MD | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

      David Fischel | Conditions
    • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...