Effective Primary Care Can Enhance Disease Prevention

Research has demonstrated the important role of effective primary care in illness prevention and earlier – and less costly  – disease interventions. This certainly applies to chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and mental illness, which drive more than 85% of healthcare cost. Though in the US there are currently proportionally fewer primary care physicians than other industrialized nations, and patients visit their primary care physician less frequently than in other countries, primary care must play a key role in the successful expansion of healthcare coverage. Strong primary care has been shown to increase medication adherence, reduce hospitalizations, and improve hard metrics such as cholesterol and HgbA1C. While primary care physicians often are drawn to their work because they view helping people as a calling, the reality of their world today is less than idyllic. Primary care physicians today must navigate an increasingly complex and administratively burdensome environment, with shrinking decision autonomy. They are also being held accountable to a set of measures around quality and outcomes, with an ever-greater load of patients who are suffering from higher rates of chronic illness.In the face of these challenges, the primary care market remains an important one for the pharmaceutical industry. More than half of US patient visits are to primary care physicians. Serving PCPs well, however, requires new f...
Source: ePharma Summit - Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: #PSANYC16 chronic illness disease interventions illness prevention Pharma pharma strategy Preventative healthcare primary care Primary care doctors primary care physician PSA conference Source Type: blogs