The American primary care is witnessing major crisis at present owing to the inaccessibility, steadily reducing resources and increasing costs are causing people across various — socio-economic groups to reconsider the cost of a doctor’s visit when compared to the value of their health. The majority of U.S. citizens have access to innovative technology figuratively at their fingertips, making the lack of change in the U.S. primary care system all the more discouraging. According to the Milliman Medical Index, the regular cost of health care for a family of 4 in 2018 is more than $28,000 per year. For a family that is doing well that is earning the 2016 median income of $90,746 and receiving employer-provided insurance, the cost to the family is just over $12,000. For families making less, the value can be damaging.
Unfortunately, the exploding expenses do not necessarily interpret to result in enhanced care. As per a Commonwealth Funded study, it has been determined that the U.S. scores worse than most of the other developed nations on rates of infant mortality, chronic conditions, and obesity. The study declares what many see as the infantile fixation of primary care to sickness care, weakening what was once a relationship between the doctor and patient to a little more than a transaction. Primary attention should not be something people can purchase at the drugstore or find online but rather can be availed through a trusted source in both wellness and sickness.
The present challenges in healthcare are juxtaposed against the development of digital health, where broad adoption of wearables and health apps has changed from how people trail, access and leverage health data. Humans today are keeping more aggregate health information than ever before, and technology is becoming progressively sophisticated at detecting medical challenges. It is clear that recreating today’s primary care is a critical turning point. And with the health care system getting broader in the early years of digital transformation, it makes sense to depend on technology as a change enabler. To leverage it in the right ways and begin shaping a new path forward, the health care industry must analyze several key factors, including the role of primary care doctors as healthcare’s most valuable asset, the value of consumer-centric models and rising costs.
