I am proud to say I have been working in a Federally qualified health center for the last 5 years.
One of the federal government’s most successful programs is its net-
work of federally qualified health centers, or community health centers (CHCs). It has been shown that patients who receive the majority of their care at a CHC spend 41 percent (or $1,810) less on medical costs than patients who rely on other providers, representing a savings of be-
tween $9.9 and $17.6 billion annually. Moreover, health centers pump dollars and jobs into their low-income communities, with an economic impact that reaches $12.6 billion annually and creates 143,000 jobs.
Primary Care
communication instead of individual and technical prowess; humility
and compassion instead of bravado and detachment. Lastly, the financial
ramifications of choosing a career in primary care play a pivotal role. In
September 2010, the Robert Graham Center reported an income gap of
$135,000 between the median annual income of sub specialists and that
of generalists, yielding a lifetime difference of $3.5 million dollars.5 Medical
students, whose average debt at the time of graduation is more than
$140,000,6 recognize the quicker path to solvency.
The late Barbara Starfield and others have shown that certain regions
of the United States and developed countries with a higher ratio of primary
care physicians to specialists are associated with superior health
outcomes. These include lower infant mortality; fewer visits to emergency
departments, hospitalizations, and procedures per capita; and overall
lower health care costs. Patients of primary care providers generally receive
fewer diagnostic tests and procedures. When patients can identify a
usual source of care, especially a regular physician, they are more likely to
receive recommended preventive services, report greater satisfaction with
their care, utilize fewer services, and have lower costs of care. Longer
relationships between Medicare beneficiaries and their usual provider
also reduce hospital admission rates and total cost of care.7 Furthermore,
primary care physicians are much more likely to be located in rural areas,
where you still find 20 percent of the population but less than 10 percent
of practicing physicians. All of this is well known and only grows in
importance as the nation and its primary care workforce age.
.
One of the federal government’s most successful programs is its net-
work of federally qualified health centers, or community health centers (CHCs). It has been shown that patients who receive the majority of their care at a CHC spend 41 percent (or $1,810) less on medical costs than patients who rely on other providers, representing a savings of be-
tween $9.9 and $17.6 billion annually. Moreover, health centers pump dollars and jobs into their low-income communities, with an economic impact that reaches $12.6 billion annually and creates 143,000 jobs.
Primary Care
communication instead of individual and technical prowess; humility
and compassion instead of bravado and detachment. Lastly, the financial
ramifications of choosing a career in primary care play a pivotal role. In
September 2010, the Robert Graham Center reported an income gap of
$135,000 between the median annual income of sub specialists and that
of generalists, yielding a lifetime difference of $3.5 million dollars.5 Medical
students, whose average debt at the time of graduation is more than
$140,000,6 recognize the quicker path to solvency.
The late Barbara Starfield and others have shown that certain regions
of the United States and developed countries with a higher ratio of primary
care physicians to specialists are associated with superior health
outcomes. These include lower infant mortality; fewer visits to emergency
departments, hospitalizations, and procedures per capita; and overall
lower health care costs. Patients of primary care providers generally receive
fewer diagnostic tests and procedures. When patients can identify a
usual source of care, especially a regular physician, they are more likely to
receive recommended preventive services, report greater satisfaction with
their care, utilize fewer services, and have lower costs of care. Longer
relationships between Medicare beneficiaries and their usual provider
also reduce hospital admission rates and total cost of care.7 Furthermore,
primary care physicians are much more likely to be located in rural areas,
where you still find 20 percent of the population but less than 10 percent
of practicing physicians. All of this is well known and only grows in
importance as the nation and its primary care workforce age.
.
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